We Hated US/IOA

[nativetxn]

Diz, sorry you were disappointed. How great you have a 6 Flags near you for your kids to enjoy.

Katholyn

 

[Claire L]

Diz,
This was our experience of IOA?USF.
Having got our Universal Express tickets we used them for Hulk when standby time was 30 minutes or so yet our Express pass only saved ten minutes or less meaning we waited 20 minutes! Even worse to come with MIB Alien Attack as we got to the ride at roughly the same time as the standby line, 35 minutes!!! Now how does that happen I ask myself? Well the answer is simple if you stay at a Universal hotel you get unlimited Universal Express in your room card, meaning flash your room card and you get in the Express pass line straight away. This means that Universal cannot say how many people will be in the line as there is no limit (except full hotel capacity on one line, perish the thought a 24 hour Express wait time!!!!!). I think Universal have made a big mistake allowing their hotel guests unlimited entry and may soon have to reconsider their positionon the matter. My reasons are last year I could hold up to 3 Express passes at one time, this has now gone down to one (even with multi day tickets) and you cannot get another ticket until a) you have used the current ticket, b) two hours have expired since issue or c) the one hour time slot to the attaction has passed. These three options I found to be annoying as at Disney you can get another fastpass five minutes into your one hour time slot!
On a positive note got on DD for four rides in twenty minutes before 11am!! Also many standby lines at the older attractions such as Earthquake and KK were only 10 minutes. Newer rides such as Spiderman and Hulk had standby lines of up to 65 minutes at the worst or so I recall.
Claire

 

[Diz]

Simmer down folks. I realize posting negative remarks on a forum for US/IOA is probablly the wrong thing to do, but really now, it is not that big of a deal.

So we didn't like US/IOA, big deal. We didn't like Puerto Vallarta, or Spain either if that matters.

We had a GREAT trip away from US/IOA. The house we rented was amazing. The beaches at Clearwater were perfect. Busch Gardens is a gem.

We are just not US/IOA kind of people, there is nothing wrong with that.

I do not like being called a liar by the person who suggested we didn't even go. That is uncalled for. I never attacked a person here, just gave my opinion on US/IOA.

Maybe we should have planned better, thought out the park and made the proper decisions. Our fault totally, yet still, no big deal.

The fact remains that standing in long lines was silly in our opinion. The fact that the employees of the park were rude and uninteresed remains.

Next year we will be taking the kids to Jamacia, and I am sure there will be things there we don't like as well... Again, NO BIG DEAL.

If you love US/IOA, I am VERY happy for you!

 

[ProfesserBaxter]

I've shut my mouth for long enough but what everybody is commenting about is how screwed up your posts are. Express line is granted, no more then a 15-minute wait. Express dosen't open until 11am and Spiderman and Hulk (two of the largest attractions at IOA, for Express) don't run out of express that quick. I've been working on Dragons/ Unicorn at least everyday in the past two months and we've never had over an hour wait. Universal employees are some of the most polite employees in the theme park arena. Disney of course, kinds of leads this area. If you just look at the negative employees and judge all of us like that, then you're wrong for doing that. Can't blame the weather on us. That's why you try to get in the outside stuff done early in the day. Busch Gardens has some of the worst guest service out of all the parks. So this is also funny, Dragons Express 30 minutes? Dragons Express enters into the room right before choose thy fate, omg! It's no longer then 10 minutes to get in that room. So, if you have something to comment on this please feel free, but think about this, If everything was over 2 hours wait. That most likely means that we're doing something right. Right enough to max out the park.

 

[PRINCESS Ariel34]

Ok this thread is to funny We are leaving on the 19th and going to wdw and us/ioa and can't wait to get there. I am happy to read all the positive post about US/IOA because, after reading Diz's post (which was very confusing btw) I definitely will not let that sway me. I understand that some people might not like to stand in lines but, thats something to be expected whenever you go to parks of these natures. I have been to six flags in Gurnee Ill and waited up to an hour. I didn't complain about it because as I stated before long waits are to expected. ESPECIALLY WHEN PEOPLE FROM ALLLLLL OVER THE WORLD COME TO THESE PARKS IT'S JUST COMMON SENSE. I'm sorry you had a bad time there. I can only pray that the rain will cease while we are there but if not than we will have to deal with and keep on going. I definitely would not blame the rain on the staff. Another thing as far as the employees being rude, I have not experienced that problem. Now when I came across a rude cm @ disney I let her know I did not appreciate her attitude. I did not judge all the cm's because of her just like you can't judge all US/IOA staff because of a couple of bad apples. As I said before I am sorry you did not enjoy yourself but, I must admit you post was wayyyy out there and very very confusing as far as the time you claimed you spent in line. Hope your next trip is enjoyable

 

[Sherrilatte]

I certainly can't speak on the experiences of others...I only read the bad reviews with the good and decide what I'll "take" from them.

But as far as park courtesy is concerned, I've found that a smile and politeness toward the park and resort staff is REALLY contagious. I've seen those two simple gestures work wonders on staff members that the elements and self-centered guests has surely gotten best of.

 

[crazyme5kids]

The wait at Disney is far worse!!!!!!!! 4 hours for test track, 90 minutes for a roller coaster (can't remember the name, it had a big guitar in front). The little kids rides, long, long waits. It rained alot when we were at Animal Kingdom, but we liked this park the best, we went straight to the kiddie rides and had no waits with no waits. My kids and husband went on primevil whil several times. We loved Universal.

 

[PaulAllensMom]

Saw this thread, and just wanted to comment on what a positive experience we had at US/IOA when we went for the first time in May this year. I really hate waiting in line, and had actually vowed never to visit another amusement park after we went to WDW a few years ago. At WDW, we waited over an hour for several rides (this was before they started FastPass), and I'm just the kind of person who can't stand waiting, so it really wasn't much fun for me. I heard about the FOTL benefit for on-site guests at Universal, and thought, maybe this is an amusement park I can enjoy. We stayed at HRH, and I loved the hotel and both the parks. Granted, at US, Kongfrontation and Jaws might be a little cheesy, but they were still fun, and at least we didn't have to wait very long to ride them. And we loved MIB, Terminator, and Twister. At IOA, we loved Hulk, Dueling Dragons, Spiderman, and so many other rides. Face it, if long waits ruin your day, either stay on site at Universal, or don't go to an amusement park. I've been to Six Flags in Texas many times, although I will never go back, talk about long lines. By afternoon on any summer day, there are 2 1/2 hour waits for all of the big rides. Universal is the only park I've found where you can avoid lines, just by staying on-site.

 

[CPM]

All I can say is two each his own but......DIZ you really had it in your mind NOT to like the parks because you kept comparing them to Disney & your kids didn't want to go in the first place.
The rain was terrible that's for sure! But I'm pretty sure it rained at Disney also. I was there the same time you were & didn't see those long waits you did. I know Spidey got up to a 75 minute wait at one point because the rain was so bad they shut the coasters down & everyone ran to Spidey. But the dueling dragons regular line was so short my kids went in that line instead of express so they could see the whole story. Maybe there weren't any express passes at 10am because they hadn't started express yet!
As far as IOA/US employees, I found them to be extremely helpful & couteous. They even had a girl welcoming everyone at the gate on a microphone.

 

[vickyBaby]

It's okay if you don't like Universal. But don't assume it is a waste for everyone else. I love both of their parks and have not seen enough of them yet.

 

[IowaGirl]

Everybody has a right to their opinion, and I wish you would have had a better time when you were there.
We loved these parks, and loved them better than WDW, although we really enjoyed WDW too.
What heightened our experience at Universal/IOA was staying on site, and having front of the line, even this last May when it was'nt so busy. I won't stay onsite at Disney becuase I don't see the perks, but this perk is unbelievable and worth it.
My 5 year old still talks about these two parks everyday, looks at the maps longingly, and can't wait to go back. 10 year old DD loved the coasters there....DD and myself just had the best time as well.

 

[meeshi]

I had to post a reply. We were there at the end of November last year. My kids, 14, 11 & 9 loved IOA. We had tickets for 2 days and were planning on doing IOA one day and USF one day. Well after a morning at USF we decided to go back to IOA. They had a blast! Maybe because of the time of year we were there, the lines were almost non-existent. We walked onto most rides. That park was the highlight of our trip. We did 3 days at Disney and though I love Disney, my kids and DH preferred IOA. We also did not encounter ANY rude employees.

 

[OrlandoDisney]

Originally posted by Diz
It rained ALL day EVERY day we went.

Well you know that Universal cant stop it from raining, it would have been the same at Disney World.

 

[suzysezso]

I should know better than to answer a thread like this, but here's my 2 cents anyway...

While everyone has covered the obvious holes in the original poster's story (those darn Univeral employees just refused to cancel rainy season for him, not only that, they made it HOT just because it's summer! He can judge how awful an attraction is by the throngs of people willing to wait "over 2 hours" to see it! He saw every possible attraction by using his xray vision and scanning the park while jogging through...). Okay I jest...

Anyway, something occured to me which no one else mentioned:
Was this not the same person that was trying to get everyone's attention a few weeks ago by posting how much he was NOT looking forward to his upcoming trip? Seems he not only fulfilled his own prophesy but made enough sour grapes for his whole family to get a taste. Now his trip is over and he still needs attention so therefore the US/IOA flame. You certainly are entitled to like or not like whatever you want Diz, and I am sorry that you had less than a perfect vacation, but starting an inflammatory thread after we all made efforts to help you when you asked is not very gracious of you.
And speaking of tasting, my last comment is only to recall a phrase that was used many times in my large family when someone did not like what was being served for dinner...
You don't like it? GOOD! MORE FOR ME!!!
We still love ya Diz- come back anytime
Peace y'all

 

[emmagata]

Originally posted by suzysezso

Anyway, something occured to me which no one else mentioned:
Was this not the same person that was trying to get everyone's attention a few weeks ago by posting how much he was NOT looking forward to his upcoming trip? Seems he not only fulfilled his own prophesy but made enough sour grapes for his whole family to get a taste. Now his trip is over and he still needs attention so therefore the US/IOA flame.

You're right and I was thinking the same thing.

He set himself up for a lousy time and sure enough, he had one.

Also, wasn't it just as hot and humid at BG?

I went back and read the posts again and seems all the teenagers wanted to was hang out at the beach and sleep all morning. They could have done that at home! Well, the waters a lot colder in MA but they didn't say they wanted to get wet.

But what the heck, everyones entitled to a lousy time now and again.

 

[kutchyone]

I kinda can understand some of Diz's points. I love Disney and really enjoyed US. We are not Coaster people so IOA was not what we would really enjoy. We did like Spiderman though. Had we not stayed on site and had fron of the line access I would have been really disappointed with many of the rides after standing in line as long as the other folks had to stand in line. For some of the "lamer" rides a wait of 20 minutes would have been way to long. Knowing how what the line situation is like we opted to pay a little bit more than usual for our hotel in order to take advantage of that great perk. Now we are spoiled and really wishing that Disney would offer that same perk.

Now to really get the fur flying....was looking forward to eating at Mythos after the rave reviews from this Board, boy was I really disappointed. Next time will have to try one of the other places. The interior and service were great though.

 

[joe]

For one, it souns like you didn't plan out this trip at all and suffered the consequences. Do your homework next time to avoid the lines. It's very possible, especially if you have multiple days available.

Why would you say that when you go to Jamaica you are sure the kids will find things they will not like? Maybe your negative attitude is rubbing off on them. Have you considered that?

The wait times you posted are bogus. Let's be realistic. Also, it is a very rainy year here in Florida. Already in Miami we have a higher rain total in the first 8 days in July than our average July month (about 7-8" ). VERY rainy year!!!

 

[KittieKat]

maybe its me..If you didnt enjoy your stay there, why are you telling us? Its not like we are "magical" people that can pay for your trip, or make your horrible trip erased from your memory. We're just fans or US..if you had done some reasearch you probably could have made your trip more enjoyable, you would have known short cuts, or time savers, something I'm sure everyone on here would understand. Plus, why should the rain stop you..just grab some cheap ponchos and head for the parks. In other words, leave your "opinions" to yourself.

 

[damo]

Kutchyone,

Two years ago we ate at Mythos twice on our three day vacation and loved it. DD and DS especially loved the b-b-que chicken kids meal. This year we tried again and were quite disappointed. Chicken was gone, pizza of the day wasn't their best combination, etc. etc. However. two days later, we gave them another chance, chose different items, and it was great.

We learned a lesson not to judge on the basis of one visit. Hope you give them another try.

Second Cook......please bring back the kids barbecue chicken meal!

 

[hulabird]

Now I had a totally different experience at those parks, in fact I admit I went there with an attitude that I didn't want to be there, because I am so into Disney, but I went cuz DH wanted to try it and I ended up liking it, we had a good time there, we only went for the day, but it was a nice day and we enjoyed ourselves....we liked the studios better than IOA, but still had fun at both...