Why do American Disney fans hate Universal?

[xipetotec]

OK, maybe that is a bit strong, but on the American Disney boards and podcasts Universal get a lot of stick and are even mocked. Many who visit Disney Parks regularly never visit Universal, etc

In the UK most people who visit Orlando visit both and, in fact, many prefer Universal to Disney. People say (don't shoot the messenger) that WDW parks are starting to look "tired" whereas Universal is more up to date.

So, what is it that you don't like?

Is it a nostalgic love of Disney? Is it the Disney "American Dream" versus French-owned Universal (i.e. patriotism)? What?

Just curious...

Well I'm not American in the sense of "United States of America", but as a Canadian, I can say that I don't hate Universal at all. We do go every few visits. But as you say, we don't go every time, nor do we "prefer" them.

For us there's a couple of things. the "disney magic" is very much alive for our family ( DW and I, plus DS10, DD13, DS15 ). But beyond that, I find the cast members are much better trained to really make your vacation special than at Universal where much of the staff feels like they're just "doing their job".

The attractions are fun at Universal, as I said, don't get me wrong. we DO enjoy it, but it's just not the same.

As for any kind of reticence, the only bit of that I've had is that Universal often takes attacks at Disney in its marketing, which kind of annoys me. "Tired of Pixie dust?" for example...

 

[Sleeping Becca]

I don't hate Universal, there has never been anything there that I "had" to see. When others talk about Universal, I don't think oh yuck! I love Disney so much I never wanted to leave and take time away from Disney, there is so much there to see and do. It has nothing to do with a dislike of Universal, how can I dislike something, I've never seen?

Now that HP is going to be at Universal, I will go to check that out.

 

[Princesskeyblade]

On this trip to Disney we are doing Universal as well. DF is Pooh sized and I wanted to be sure not to relive the Superman Rollercoaster experience, where we paid all for him to enjoy rollercoasters and he could only ride one, so I called Universal's customer service to ask for weight/size requirements for the coaster.

They told me, "Well he has four months to lose that weight. Maybe he shouldn't be so fat." (DF has been trying to lose weight, but it has been tough.) They never gave me the answer I needed. Needless to say, I was not amused. When DF asked, I told them what they had said and he was extremely ashamed and embarrased.

If he didn't want to go on Dueling Dragons so badly, he said he would have canceled the days to Universal and stayed in Disney the whole vacation. As it is, we are gambling going there and he may not be able to ride any of the coasters.

Universal has no real customer service. Disney does, and they have plenty rides for all types.

I don't hate Universal... I am just very disapointed in their service.

 

[ntsammy5]

It will be interesting to see what impact Harry Potter will have on Universal..... I bet they take some of Disney's share of the Orlando entertainment market.......

 

[Metro West]

On this trip to Disney we are doing Universal as well. DF is Pooh sized and I wanted to be sure not to relive the Superman Rollercoaster experience, where we paid all for him to enjoy rollercoasters and he could only ride one, so I called Universal's customer service to ask for weight/size requirements for the coaster.

They told me, "Well he has four months to lose that weight. Maybe he shouldn't be so fat." (DF has been trying to lose weight, but it has been tough.) They never gave me the answer I needed. Needless to say, I was not amused. When DF asked, I told them what they had said and he was extremely ashamed and embarrased.

If he didn't want to go on Dueling Dragons so badly, he said he would have canceled the days to Universal and stayed in Disney the whole vacation. As it is, we are gambling going there and he may not be able to ride any of the coasters.

Universal has no real customer service. Disney does, and they have plenty rides for all types.

I don't hate Universal... I am just very disapointed in their service.

I'm sorry...I can not believe anyone at Universal customer service actually said that to you. Universal does NOT treat their customers like that and their customer service is as good if not better than Disney's.

If you want to know about the weight/size restrictions on DD or any other ride, you can ask us on the Universal boards. We know a lot of information and would be glad to help you.

 

[AbbyPan]

I just got back from both Universal and WdW.

In regards to the restrooms, I found US to be much cleaner, although I attribute that to the crowds being heavier at Disney.

Anyway, I like both, and like others have stated, its unfair to compare them. I think each park caters to different moods, tastes and preferences. Both US and Disney are good at what they do. I love the Mummy and Spiderman, but would prefer to go to Disney with my family for now because we won't have to worry about doing so many child swaps. After my nephews are older we can do both parks and not have to worry about any swapping. This doesn't mean that US is not a great park to visit, it just doesn't necesarilly cater to everyone and i think its much easier for an entire family of different ages to benefit from a park like MK vs. IoA.

My heart will always lean towards Disney (I mean their motto is all about creating memories, right?), but how can anyone hate US? its so much fun!!!

 

[Sleeping Becca]

BTW I had no idea that US was owned by a company in France.

 

[AbbyPan]

BTW I had no idea that US was owned by a company in France.

Not sure who said that, but I'm pretty sure its owned by GE/NBC?

 

[AbbyPan]

Few things, will hit them all at once....

1) Universal is no longer French owned. In late 2004, the parks were bought by General Electric and merged with NBC studios, creating NBC Universal...

20% is still owned by Vivendi.

Hope its okay to use this quote, but here it is...

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Hope its okay to use this quote, but here it is...

Yeah I just looked it up it is a United States based company.

 

[solfan68]

OK, maybe that is a bit strong, but on the American Disney boards and podcasts Universal get a lot of stick and are even mocked. Many who visit Disney Parks regularly never visit Universal, etc

We are actually putting off our next trip to Disney till 2010 or 2011, because DW is a big fan of Harry Potter, and we'd like to actually go 'off property' to see the new land once its open.

 

[Epcot Girl]

Well, there is more than one side to this argument, certainly. Truly, I am not a fan of Universal. Of course, I've grown up at Disney--But that really isn't it. I do like the Universal roller coasters, it can be fun, but the difference is in the style.

I think that Disney goes all out. They design everything to a T, everything is a certain way, fully in character, so to speak--I think that Universal doesn't go to the same length to really immerse that traveller.

 

[GrillMouster]

Universal Studios killed my father.

 

[xipetotec]

It will be interesting to see what impact Harry Potter will have on Universal..... I bet they take some of Disney's share of the Orlando entertainment market.......

I tend to agree.... for a while... I find that interest in Harry Potter is already waning now that the last book is out, and only two ( well three ) movies left to go... That being said, I will definitely be checking out when it opens.

 

[xipetotec]

Universal Studios killed my father.

 

[Chellymouse]

We've been to Universal twice and can't forsee returning ever. Both times were very disappointing. The wait times were awful, their "attempt" at FP was lame and within 20 minutes of the park opening, all of the machines had been "distributed for the day" If I'm going to wait in line for 90 minutes for a roller coaster, I'll do it at Cedar Point, where the coasters are worth the wait. The parks didn't seem as clean, the staff not as friendly or helpful and as someone else mentioned, there is just no heart. There are only a handful of rides/attractions that are even worth it. We went to IOA when it first opened and did the entire park in 2.5 hours (what we actually wanted to do) For anyone that's been to US, Hollywood, Orlando is a HUGE let-down. It's tough to do that park in 2 full days and not miss anything. There is no backlot tour, no studio tour, nada. I don't begrudge those who enjoy US/IOA, it's just not for us. When we sent an email to their "powers that be" last time we were there, they could have cared less that we did not have an enjoyable experience, nor did they see a problem with a 4 hour wait for Shrek, 3 hour wait for Hulk, ect. We may try Sea World one of these trips, when we have time, (yes we do stay on property for 10-12 days per trip and don't have time ) but that would be all.

 

[ransom]

Universal Studios killed my father.

 

[BradyBz12]

We have frequently gone to Universal during our vacation - although we always stay at WDW. (Universal resorts are just far too pricey and we really do prefer the benefits of being "on property.")

While we LOVE the rides at US and IoA, we find that the overall attention to detail and service just aren't up to Disney standards. A few things that have turned us off from spending more than a day or 2 there...

- A LOT of things (food carts, stores, etc) do not open when the parks do the time of year we go (Nov/Dec). We once walked the entire loop at IoA and couldn't find a single place to get a drink, and in fact the place seemed deserted. We finally had to go back to the entrance to get something.

- Service just seems lackluster at best. We've yet to encounter anyone working at Universal that truly seems to care whether we're having a good time or not. OK, one exception... really great bartender we got one time at the Irish Pub at US (John?).

- Attention to detail/theming just aren't at the WDW level. While a lot of it is good, it just seems to fall short. I'd love to see more of the buildings in the "neighborhood" part of US be more than just blank storefronts with nothing going on. Same goes for a lot of the "filler" stuff between lands at IoA - although I really love the whole Lost Continent section and am sorry a bunch of it is being sacrificed for Harry Potter (even though I can't WAIT to see that!!)

- Shows. Sorry... haven't seen a great one yet.

- Food. Again we go Nov/Dec and it seems like the only thing you can get to eat inside the parks is a burger. Lombardos (?) has been closed almost every time we've been, and the only other "real food" we've managed to get is at the Irish pub. That being said, their scotch eggs are fantastic (YUM!)

OK, to be fair, some things we LOVE about Universal...

- RIDES!!! Especially if you're a thrill junky (and don't ask how many times DH and I have ridden the Mummy and Men in Black... I lost count!)

- City Walk. A fun place to hang out/eat/shop. I think the last trip we grabbed chairs outside Margueritaville, had a few beverages and took a nap in the sun.

- Irish Pub at US. Good food, great beer, good company/atmosphere, and really fun when there's live music. This has become a tradition for us every time we go.

All that being said, this year we've squeezed an extra week into our vacation - only possible with some major trimming of the budget for certain things. As a result, no Universal this year. But you better believe we'll be back for the new coaster and HARRY POTTER!!

 

[disneypolybride2008]

i would not go to Universal even though i am interested in some of their rides because of how they talk about Disney on their commercials, saying that Disney is old news, repeats, and for babies. By them saying that it makes me not want to ever go there. Disney does not bash anyone, especially on their commercials. Universal should not even compare with Disney.

 

[TDC Nala]

Universal Studios killed my father.

No it didn't. Universal Studios IS your father.