Have you ever noticed...

Me neither, but apparently many board members can do well over a week at Disney on a yearly basis.
 
I've never felt the urg
to post on the motherland forums anything to insult posters there

Or to try to "talk them into " come
to the Darkside instead of another theme park

And in turn, I always am active to
stop posters from bashing on the darkside forums

It is just not nice


Homies post where their ❤️'s are

We all share tips on how to get the most out of our UO vacations
or to guide newbies with their questions

I do many parks for different reasons


But my ❤️ is here on the UO forums
 
Me neither, but apparently many board members can do well over a week at Disney on a yearly basis.
I guess that's one of the things that have changed my opinion of Disney since moving to Orlando in 2004. I've gone too many times and have done everything there is to do...with minor exceptions. WDW has gotten so expensive (APs have been gone since 2008), so many strollers to dodge to avoid serious injury and having to use those Tragic Bands in order to do anything.

Too many visits and not enough new things to keep my attention. I mean...even though The Haunted Mansion is my favorite attraction anywhere there are only so many times you can ride it...you know?
 


I guess that's one of the things that have changed my opinion of Disney since moving to Orlando in 2004. I've gone too many times and have done everything there is to do...with minor exceptions. WDW has gotten so expensive (APs have been gone since 2008), so many strollers to dodge to avoid serious injury and having to use those Tragic Bands in order to do anything.

Too many visits and not enough new things to keep my attention. I mean...even though The Haunted Mansion is my favorite attraction anywhere there are only so many times you can ride it...you know?

Although I really love Disney, this is why my family spaces out our Disney vacations. It’s usually at least 3 years before we return. That’s usually enough time for them to add something new. For our last visit we were there the last week of 2015 and rang in the new year. We have decided to wait until they finish Star Wars before returning. I am really looking forward to spending a week at Universal. We have never spent more than a day at each park, and we’ve only been to IOA once.
 
Although I really love Disney, this is why my family spaces out our Disney vacations. It’s usually at least 3 years before we return. That’s usually enough time for them to add something new. For our last visit we were there the last week of 2015 and rang in the new year. We have decided to wait until they finish Star Wars before returning. I am really looking forward to spending a week at Universal. We have never spent more than a day at each park, and we’ve only been to IOA once.
Makes perfect sense to me. :thumbsup2
 
What I have the hardest time understanding is the scenario which I see so often of:

"just got back. We spent 11 days at Disney and decided to check out Universal on our last day. Disney was SO MUCH BETTER...."

Like how can one possibly give an accurate/honest assessment of Universal when all they decided to put towards it was essentially an afterthought vs the amount of time spent soaking in everything Disney for over a week?
True - how many posts do we see of people thinking they can do both parks in one day - or less - they have already decided there is nothing they want to see other than HP and are not even going to give Universal a chance.

There are a lot of folks who have on rose colored glasses when it comes to Disney and think Universal is run by an evil corporation.
I am not a fan of either corporation - but I do feel that Disney Corp has done far more to ruin the Disney experience by squeezing every penny out of it than Universal has.
Any enjoyment I had at Disney has been ruined by standardization to everything for profit, Epcot is not even close to what it once was.
 


True - how many posts do we see of people thinking they can do both parks in one day - or less - they have already decided there is nothing they want to see other than HP and are not even going to give Universal a chance.

There are a lot of folks who have on rose colored glasses when it comes to Disney and think Universal is run by an evil corporation.
I am not a fan of either corporation - but I do feel that Disney Corp has done far more to ruin the Disney experience by squeezing every penny out of it than Universal has.
Any enjoyment I had at Disney has been ruined by standardization to everything for profit, Epcot is not even close to what it once was.
I don't see how you could really experience Universal if you're trying to do both parks in one day. We took a day each and that still didn't feel long enough. The one thing I really liked at Universal was having the FP because DH and I rode the Popeye Barge over and over about 7 times with no wait.
 
I do get sad when I see posts about "doing a day at Universal to see the Potter stuff". Everyone is entitled to their priorities but I do feel they are missing some truly "magical" experiences. My first trip to WDW was WDW only. My next trip a few years later, was US/IOA only. The vibes for each resort are different and I don't feel one is better. A truly immersive Universal experience has its own feel and to me, is far more relaxing. I don't think "doing a day at Universal" will give anyone the full experience needed to formulate an opinion. Now when I go to Orlando, I spend about a week at each resort. Sea World is the park I "do a day at".

I love themed entertainment. I would very much like to see the non-US parks for both companies some day. When I am at WDW, I focus on that and when I am at Universal, I am in Universal mode. Make all the difference in perspective.
 
True - how many posts do we see of people thinking they can do both parks in one day - or less - they have already decided there is nothing they want to see other than HP and are not even going to give Universal a chance.

There are a lot of folks who have on rose colored glasses when it comes to Disney and think Universal is run by an evil corporation.
I am not a fan of either corporation - but I do feel that Disney Corp has done far more to ruin the Disney experience by squeezing every penny out of it than Universal has.
Any enjoyment I had at Disney has been ruined by standardization to everything for profit, Epcot is not even close to what it once was.
Agree 100%
 
that when people post negative reviews of Universal, they usually start with something like "I'm a Disney fan and never thought about going to Universal, but...."? It always annoys me that people go in with the idea that it's all coasters and nothing else, and don't give the park a chance. I mean, if you're already dead set that you won't like it and would rather be at Disney, then just go to Disney. Less people in the park for me.

I am a Disney fan and never considered going to Universal because they present it as a "thrill park" (meaning their TMs). I am here and am at Disney all the time. I made my first trek over to Universal and Islands last week. I had a fantastic time!! We visited for 2 days. We needed a 3rd to be honest.

I do not believe that most people assume they will not like it as much as they are not sure what to expect. When TMs are saying (on the phone) "Universal is not for you if you are not into thrills", it really does leave one to wonder if it is worth the expense. But, I will say first-hand that it is. We did not do rides like Hulk, Doctor Doom, etc and had a wonderful time and found plenty to do....especially on the Islands side.
 
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The "thrill park" vibe was a big knock on Islands at the beginning and remains an unfair assessment. You can also look at it as Universal is a fresher, more exciting experience with rides which aren't afraid to be thrilling.

I also don't want to act like a Universal homer either. There are things WDW does better, like live shows and the fireworks, on top of just having more space to work with, and there are certainly parts of the parks which need some work (I'm looking at you, Toon Lagoon). But those who dismiss Universal do so at the expense of their own enjoyment.
 
I haven't been to Uni/IOA for at least 15 years. I worked at Kongfrontation when I was 16, and loved the park. But we moved away, had kids, went full DIS. To be honest, I felt that aside from Potter, there wasn't much "new". However, after last weekend at WDW, our oldest (9), wanted more thrill rides. So this week I've been researching IOA/UNI. There is so much more to do than I was giving them credit for. I'll probably pull the trigger on a weekend trip this year, and part of me is a little worried that it might overtake my love for all things WDW. But to PP's points, I think people don't give Uni/IOA enough credit. I'll have a fairer assessment when we go, but I've been really impressed already in my initial planning and research.
 
I haven't been to Uni/IOA for at least 15 years. I worked at Kongfrontation when I was 16, and loved the park. But we moved away, had kids, went full DIS. To be honest, I felt that aside from Potter, there wasn't much "new". However, after last weekend at WDW, our oldest (9), wanted more thrill rides. So this week I've been researching IOA/UNI. There is so much more to do than I was giving them credit for. I'll probably pull the trigger on a weekend trip this year, and part of me is a little worried that it might overtake my love for all things WDW. But to PP's points, I think people don't give Uni/IOA enough credit. I'll have a fairer assessment when we go, but I've been really impressed already in my initial planning and research.
I agree with people not giving IOA/Uni enough credit. Some of their rides have awesome special effects. The use of fire is fantastic in both the Mummy and Spiderman. I like the Hulk coaster, too, but I haven't been able to ride it since they changed it last year.
 
Comparisons are hard to avoid as the parks are direct competitors and are (largely) competing for the same customer sets.

I think Universal actually beats Disney in a few categories (resort value, ease of getting around their 'campus', advanced thrill rides) while losing out on others (many fewer 'non-thrill' attractions, little dining in the parks, less interesting shopping, only 2 parks instead of 4, etc.) Customer service on our recent Universal trip was EXTREMELY good, which surprised me as I was expecting it to be more towards the Six Flags end of the customer-experience spectrum.

The big difference between the two is that WDW requires a lot of planning to get the best experience, whereas with Express Passes, you can pretty much just show up and wander around Universal without 'missing out.' I think for different kinds of people, that can either be a big upside, or confusing.
 
We're pretty much novices compared to most on this board. We did our one big family trip to Disney (8 days, wilderness lodge) 2 years ago (kids were 8 and 4 at the time) and had a wonderful time, but haven't really thought about going back for a while. We went to Universal this September and had a fabulous time at all three parks. We are actually going back in a week (making use of our APs) and it's just so much easier to plan, especially last minute. One big thing that makes me nervous about going back to Disney is all the planning and crowds (I hate line waiting). The fact that I can stay in a reasonably priced quality hotel (Portofino) and get express pass is a dream. That really becomes a big deal-maker for us. I'm sure we'll go back to Disney at some point in the next 5 years, but Universal seems to offer us a more reasonable experience.

Joseph
 
I, too, am a Disney lover. I lived 10 miles from Disneyland for 4 years and have been there over 150 times. My 50th birthday was at Disneyland Paris and I am planning my 55th for Disney Shanghai. The Disney Magic is something I feel whenever I visit. That being said, I also do know that Disney can and DOES do wrong sometimes.

However, I am also an amusement park lover. I have done the side trip to Universal. This next trip I am staying at Universal and doing the side trip to WDW. I want to experience Universal for what it can give me. I am NOT expecting a WDW Vacation. I am expecting a Universal Vacation and looking forward to whatever that may be.. the good and the not-so-good.. which I know may happen.. No vacation, Disney or otherwise, has ever been perfect for me. But, I can tell you this, a bad day at an amusement/theme park is still a better than a day anywhere else :)
 
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I, too, am a Disney lover. I lived 10 miles from Disneyland for 4 years and have been there over 150 times. My 50th birthday was at Disneyland Paris and I am planning my 55th for Disney Shanghai. The Disney Magic is something I feel whenever I visit. That being said, I also do know that Disney can and DOES do wrong sometimes.

However, I am also an amusement park lover. I have done the side trip to Universal. This next trip I am staying at Universal and doing the side trip to WDW. I want to experience Universal for what it can give me. I am NOT expecting a WDW Vacation. I am expecting a Universal Vacation and looking forward to whatever that may be.. the good and the not-so-good.. which I know may happen.. No vacation, Disney or otherwise, has ever been perfect for me. But, I can tell you this, a bad day at an amusement/theme park is still a better day anywhere else :)
Universal does a great job with special effects and their 3D attractions are so much more thrilling IMO. I love Spider-Man and the mummy is awesome!
 
Universal does a great job with special effects and their 3D attractions are so much more thrilling IMO. I love Spider-Man and the mummy is awesome!

Spidey and FJ are awesome! I have not had a chance to do Gringott's or HE yet. I only have two complaints about Universal: 1. They rely on motion simulator rides too much and 2. there needs to be more attractions. But those are minor to me I will enjoy what they have at a much less frantic pace with much less planning. I hit my 30 day mark and it's a weird feeling to know that I haven't planned my days to the minute and didn't have to worry about ADRs so I would have some place to eat :)
 

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