WOW, FP+ is worse than I even imagined

[jade1]

Nope. Across the board, Universal hotels are cheaper than Disney deluxes. Period. Can you sometimes get a deal through third-party reservation sites that might make a particular Disney hotel cheaper than a Universal hotel on a certain date? Sure. But that just means that the Disney hotel has low occupancy on that date, so it's offered at a discount on places like Expedia. (The pp that you quoted states the same thing -- Disney sometimes has occupancy issues.) But, Disney hasn't lowered their prices any, and if you compare actual room rates at Universal vs Disney, Universal is always cheaper.

 

[JanieMc]

i always laugh when i read someone talk about how much better guests are treated at universal vs disney.

Can we just imagine for the moment that disney came out with a new plan that allowed only onsite guests in deluxe resorts to use fp+ and everyone else had to pay a surcharge? Oh and wait- even then, you couldn't get a fp+ for the most popular of rides?

Hmmm...maybe i like that idea.

agreed.

 

[rastuso]

I'm not sure what the pictures proved either, except that they were old enough to still have a CRT TV, and the Keurig machine was cropped out.

The room size is the same as Disney moderates.

Just to be fair, lets look at three days later for your room comparisons

Polynesian - $683
Swan - 249
Animation - $138
Wilderness Lodge - $450

Hard Rock - $374
Portofino - $395
Royal Pacific - $329

Universal is offering something people want, new state of the art rides and experiences. Plus unlimited front of line access for tons of rides. Disney is offering a small new coaster, and ride rationing.

-Jason

 

[FLchick415]

A state of the art ride that's constantly breaking down? I love Uni just as much as Disney, but that makes me side-eye.

 

[rastuso]

I generally like Universal when we do visit, but I wonder how people on these boards would react if Disney did these things:

1. Built a new Star Wars land, but put part of it DHS and part at the MK by retheming Space Mountain and Astro Orbiter and putting some buildings and shops around them. Then they built a new monorail to get you from MK to DHS and back, and put scenes relating to Star Wars on the windows during the ride. Of course, to ride that monorail, and to see all of Star Wars land in one day, you would have to buy a multi park ticket which would cost about $135.

2. Required guests to check their bags (even very small ones) in lockers before going on any but the tamest rides. On a recent visit to Universal it took us almost a half hour to retrieve our stuff from a locker after riding the Forbidden Journey, first because the locker area was so jammed that we had to shoehorn in just to get to where our stuff was. Then, some guy who didn't speak English very well stood at the keypad forever entering numbers and scanning his finger without being able to unlock a locker. Finally an employee came over and opened about 10 different lockers while this guy looked in them and decided they weren't his, in some cases after taking half of the stuff out. It was pretty apparent that this guy was at the wrong station, but instead of pulling this guy aside, the employee kept quizzing him about where his locker was and what was in it. When the station finally cleared, there were a number of other people crowded around with differing opinions about who had been waiting longer. Talk about a messed up system.

There are a lot of reasons why some people might prefer Universal over Disney. But to say that they treat guests right while Disney abuses theirs is not one of them.

People on here would say the 2 park Star Wars land was the most brilliant idea ever. THere's no doubt about that.

And you are really bringing up one specific scenario and painting a wide brush stroke? At one place Universal has admitted they messed up with the layout?

Ever try and find a stroller after Fantasmic?

Ever waited 30 minutes for a bus to get back to your resort after a long day?

Heck, one guy almost started a race riot the last time I was leaving the Magic Kingdom because my backpack barely touched his son's stroller that he had blocking access to the entire back half of the monorail station. But I wouldn't use that situation to say Disney is horrible. Although the CMs at the station were scared of him, and were doing nothing.

-Jason

 

[jade1]

I'm not sure what the pictures proved either, except that they were old enough to still have a CRT TV, and the Keurig machine was cropped out.

The room size is the same as Disney moderates.

Just to be fair, lets look at three days later for your room comparisons

Polynesian - $683
Swan - 249
Animation - $138
Wilderness Lodge - $450

Hard Rock - $374
Portofino - $395
Royal Pacific - $329

Universal is offering something people want, new state of the art rides and experiences. Plus unlimited front of line access for tons of rides. Disney is offering a small new coaster, and ride rationing.

-Jason

Just to be fair, lets look at 3 days later. Anyway I said there times when WDW is comparable and even cheaper (never ever said always), and that the gap has closed recently-that should be a good thing for US-hello.

PFB $315
HRH $284
RPR $259

YC $299
WL $245
BW $299
SSR $263
AKL $225
BC $291
POLY $318

And again, we have concluded that is one amazing deluxe room and are unsure why I even posted the pics. Sorry.

 

[wisblue]

People on here would say the 2 park Star Wars land was the most brilliant idea ever. THere's no doubt about that.

And you are really bringing up one specific scenario and painting a wide brush stroke? At one place Universal has admitted they messed up with the layout?

Ever try and find a stroller after Fantasmic?

Ever waited 30 minutes for a bus to get back to your resort after a long day?

Heck, one guy almost started a race riot the last time I was leaving the Magic Kingdom because my backpack barely touched his son's stroller that he had blocking access to the entire back half of the monorail station. But I wouldn't use that situation to say Disney is horrible. Although the CMs at the station were scared of him, and were doing nothing.

-Jason

Just proving my point that both places do things that people don't like and have incidents that are inconvenient for guests.
It's inevitable when you are dealing with large crowds.

You have made your point that you prefer Universal to Disney many, many times over. Good for you. But to make a broad statement that Universal treats its guests right and that Disney doesn't is flat out wrong. Just like several of the other broad brush statements that you have made in this thread.

 

[flicx]

Nope. Across the board, Universal hotels are cheaper than Disney deluxes. Period. Can you sometimes get a deal through third-party reservation sites that might make a particular Disney hotel cheaper than a Universal hotel on a certain date? Sure. But that just means that the Disney hotel has low occupancy on that date, so it's offered at a discount on places like Expedia. (The pp that you quoted states the same thing -- Disney sometimes has occupancy issues.) But, Disney hasn't lowered their prices any, and if you compare actual room rates at Universal vs Disney, Universal is always cheaper.

Gotta agree here. I love the Polynesian and contemporary. I can't get these rooms at a price close to royal pacific and hard rock. I generally go in the offseason and can find super deals on universal hotels. The only way I seem to find super price reduction at poly or contemp is if they are renovating or I stumble upon a convention code. Disney has really jacked up the price on monorail resorts!

 

[rastuso]

Just proving my point that both places do things that people don't like and have incidents that are inconvenient for guests.
It's inevitable when you are dealing with large crowds.

You have made your point that you prefer Universal to Disney many, many times over. Good for you. But to make a broad statement that Universal treats its guests right and that Disney doesn't is flat out wrong. Just like several of the other broad brush statements that you have made in this thread.

I never said Universal teats is guests right, and Disney wrong. They both treat their guests well, with one vast difference of ride access.

-Jason

 

[FLchick415]

I never said Universal teats is guests right, and Disney wrong. They both treat their guests well, with one vast difference of ride access.

-Jason

Actually...

I hope MNSSHP will be fun, as it always has been. But when it's over, we will retreat to Universal, where they treat guests properly.

That kind of implies you don't think Disney treats its guests properly, no?

 

[rastuso]

Actually...



That kind of implies you don't think Disney treats its guests properly, no?

And that was completely in reference to ride availability. MNSSHP is FP+ free, but a normal day at WDW is a maze of FP+ dead ends, whereas at Universal, as a resort guest, they'll treat me great, ride wise.

Disney has friendly employees, but the FP+ SYSTEM completely cripples them.

As for non-ride related guest relations, Disney and Universal are pretty even, imho. Dinsey may have an upper hand on a few things, but for what you pay to stay in their hotel, they SHOULD be giving you a higher level of service.

-Jason

 

[Planogirl]

I generally like Universal when we do visit, but I wonder how people on these boards would react if Disney did these things:

1. Built a new Star Wars land, but put part of it DHS and part at the MK by retheming Space Mountain and Astro Orbiter and putting some buildings and shops around them. Then they built a new monorail to get you from MK to DHS and back, and put scenes relating to Star Wars on the windows during the ride. Of course, to ride that monorail, and to see all of Star Wars land in one day, you would have to buy a multi park ticket which would cost about $135.

2. Required guests to check their bags (even very small ones) in lockers before going on any but the tamest rides. On a recent visit to Universal it took us almost a half hour to retrieve our stuff from a locker after riding the Forbidden Journey, first because the locker area was so jammed that we had to shoehorn in just to get to where our stuff was. Then, some guy who didn't speak English very well stood at the keypad forever entering numbers and scanning his finger without being able to unlock a locker. Finally an employee came over and opened about 10 different lockers while this guy looked in them and decided they weren't his, in some cases after taking half of the stuff out. It was pretty apparent that this guy was at the wrong station, but instead of pulling this guy aside, the employee kept quizzing him about where his locker was and what was in it. When the station finally cleared, there were a number of other people crowded around with differing opinions about who had been waiting longer. Talk about a messed up system.

There are a lot of reasons why some people might prefer Universal over Disney. But to say that they treat guests right while Disney abuses theirs is not one of them.

1. I don't mind this one, in fact I think that it's brilliant. I would never visit any themepark resort without out buying multi-park passes though

2. This one would annoy me to no end if I had to do it on a regular basis. I had to get a locker for my butterbeer mug during our last trip and those lockers always fight me. However I do understand why they require use of them since DS lost his glasses on the Mummy. A flying butterbeer mug could really hurt! We solve the problem by just not carrying anything that won't fit easily in pockets. If we are onsite, this is particularly easy since we can walk to the resort if we need something.

 

[surferdave]

I generally like Universal when we do visit, but I wonder how people on these boards would react if Disney did these things:

1. Built a new Star Wars land, but put part of it DHS and part at the MK by retheming Space Mountain and Astro Orbiter and putting some buildings and shops around them. Then they built a new monorail to get you from MK to DHS and back, and put scenes relating to Star Wars on the windows during the ride. Of course, to ride that monorail, and to see all of Star Wars land in one day, you would have to buy a multi park ticket which would cost about $135.

That's the most awesome thing I've ever seen you suggest here!

 

[Planogirl]

These price comparisons are fun (and yes I took part). You can find examples of anything you want to "prove" if you search enough. Even my example of the week in December really means nothing since all of the resorts or none of them could discount at any time. I do believe that overall the Universal resorts cost less than Disney's but I can't prove it. It just comes from me checking prices at both way too often.

Jade, you seem to dislike the room you posted pictures of and that is fine. I remember people being unhappy with the more old school style that the Polynesian used to have and that never bothered me either. I guess that it's all a matter of taste and mine can be pretty lame.

 

[jade1]

Jade, you seem to dislike the room you posted pictures of and that is fine.

I've already apologized for those room pics-we have concluded they scream deluxe.

 

[Planogirl]

I've already apologized for those room pics-we have concluded they scream deluxe.

I always enjoy a little snark too but seriously it looks out of date.

 

[bumbershoot]

A state of the art ride that's constantly breaking down? I love Uni just as much as Disney, but that makes me side-eye.

Like Disneyland's Radiator Springs Racers?

Hotel (s) and the "although" for RPR should answer your concern.

I love that room. It's just small-feeling when you've just been staying in an OKW 2 bedroom. That's a bad combo to do in that order.

But I think the pictures are very pretty, thank you for them!

And I want the addresses of the Super8s you've been staying at, because I want to start staying there!

2. Required guests to check their bags (even very small ones) in lockers before going on any but the tamest rides.

On a recent visit to Universal it took us almost a half hour to retrieve our stuff from a locker after riding the Forbidden Journey, first because the locker area was so jammed that we had to shoehorn in just to get to where our stuff was. Then, some guy who didn't speak English very well stood at the keypad forever entering numbers and scanning his finger without being able to unlock a locker. Finally an employee came over and opened about 10 different lockers while this guy looked in them and decided they weren't his, in some cases after taking half of the stuff out. It was pretty apparent that this guy was at the wrong station, but instead of pulling this guy aside, the employee kept quizzing him about where his locker was and what was in it. When the station finally cleared, there were a number of other people crowded around with differing opinions about who had been waiting longer. Talk about a messed up system..

There's, like, 6 rides that require a locker.

Once the TM came over to help, wasn't the station cleared for others? All the extra watching of the situation must have been done while waiting for others, yes?

We go to the furthest back locker station because no one realizes they are back there. Make sure an adult does the fingerprint thing, as kid fingers just don't cover the pad enough and we've needed a TM to help each time we've acquiesced to DS's request. Remember to go back to the same station that you went to initially.

If you have something small that you want with you, get a smallish 3 prong waist pack. You CAN wear those. Even on those, something like, 6 rides throughout US/IOA that require the lockers.




Someone mentioned "You are looking at a Thursday night the first week of November. When Disney has ZERO going on"... First week of Nov is the end of F&W and it's the Wine&Dine Half marathon, in case no one mentioned the latter yet.

 

[rastuso]

Like Disneyland's Radiator Springs Racers?




I love that room. It's just small-feeling when you've just been staying in an OKW 2 bedroom. That's a bad combo to do in that order.

But I think the pictures are very pretty, thank you for them!

And I want the addresses of the Super8s you've been staying at, because I want to start staying there!






There's, like, 6 rides that require a locker.

Once the TM came over to help, wasn't the station cleared for others? All the extra watching of the situation must have been done while waiting for others, yes?

We go to the furthest back locker station because no one realizes they are back there. Make sure an adult does the fingerprint thing, as kid fingers just don't cover the pad enough and we've needed a TM to help each time we've acquiesced to DS's request. Remember to go back to the same station that you went to initially.

If you have something small that you want with you, get a smallish 3 prong waist pack. You CAN wear those. Even on those, something like, 6 rides throughout US/IOA that require the lockers.




Someone mentioned "You are looking at a Thursday night the first week of November. When Disney has ZERO going on"... First week of Nov is the end of F&W and it's the Wine&Dine Half marathon, in case no one mentioned the latter yet.

He was looking that TUESDAY night. Unless Disney has a big Election night extravaganza, I'm pretty sure it will be quite dead then.

-J

 

[FLchick415]

IDK anything about RSR since I've never been to DL, but I'll take your word for it. lol

 

[rastuso]

IDK anything about RSR since I've never been to DL, but I'll take your word for it. lol

RSR had SERIOUS downtime when it opened, and operated a lot with major animatronics dead.

I am a bit nervous about Gringott's while I'm there in a couple weeks. But, Gringott's really pushes the envelope, so it is more understandable than RSR, which was the third ride of it's type built.

However, RSR runs pretty reliably now, I think, and the animatronic kinks are worked out.

A lot depends on how integrated the ride is. RSR can run with all the animatrons down, for a lesser experience. Gringott's can't run if part of the coaster track is screwing up.

Heck, Disney is fine with running a marquee E-ticket without it's main animatronic working for years.

-Jason