Disney vs Universal Parks

[John]

Just got back from Florida - spent 5 days at Disney and 2 at Universal. While I do like Disney, they really have to start stepping up their game, because I think Universal is now closer on their heels than they might think. Disney Hollywood Studios is in desperate need of SOMETHING. The park is definitely no longer a full day park. Animal Kingdom is a little better activities wise, but it still needs more. Epcot is just wicked dated looking - I still like it, but I can see how others would be turned-off. Magic Kingdom is Magic Kingdom - the King Kong of parks. I like what Universal is doing with their parks very much - the rides and themeing are top shelf. I think where Universal falls short is with the staff - they aren't quite on-point as the Disney employees. Because of that, Universal feels a little more like amateur hour, but the rides are very very good - Disney really needs to wake up, especially on the thrill rides.

 

[coachcap]

Haven't been to either in almost a decade, but here's my synopsis: Disney has Mickey & company for the families with young kids.
Universal has Emeril's & Jimmy Buffet's & as the guy who wrote "Cheeseburger is Paradise" likes to remind us: "It's 5 o'clock somewhere!"

 

[Deepster]

The rides aren't even close. Harry Potter is insane. Even the newer motion rides like Despicable Me blow away the Disney parks. Throw in Shrek 4D, the Spiderman ride, the Hulk Coaster. The rides at Universal are hands down better for kids 10-12 and up. It's hard to get excited about Space Mountain or Thunder Mountain Railroad these days.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

The rides aren't even close. Harry Potter is insane. Even the newer motion rides like Despicable Me blow away the Disney parks. Throw in Shrek 4D, the Spiderman ride, the Hulk Coaster. The rides at Universal are hands down better for kids 10-12 and up. It's hard to get excited about Space Mountain or Thunder Mountain Railroad these days.

We went to Universal the year Harry Potter opened. My lady's best friend is a big fan of the books so of course we had to ride it. I wasn't thrilled to wait in line for a kid's ride......damn I was wrong! You are correct, it is insane. Between that and the Hulk, I vowed to never pay to visit Disney again (except maybe Epcot). Then, as fate would have it, my daughter was born a year later. So....while I think Universal kicks the stuffing out of Disney (which is meant for children as it should be), it looks like the Mouse will still be getting some of my money in the future.

I think Disney would be wise to turn the old MGM Park into a thrill ride park.

 

[John]

We went to Universal the year Harry Potter opened. My lady's best friend is a big fan of the books so of course we had to ride it. I wasn't thrilled to wait in line for a kid's ride.damn I was wrong! You are correct, it is insane. Between that and the Hulk, I vowed to never pay to visit Disney again (except maybe Epcot). Then, as fate would have it, my daughter was born a year later. So....while I think Universal kicks the stuffing out of Disney (which is meant for children as it should be), it looks like the Mouse will still be getting some of my money in the future.

I think Disney would be wise to turn the old MGM Park into a thrill ride park.

I agree about the Disney really amping up the rides. Also, if I were Universal I'd keep on doing what I'm doing ride-wise, but I'd also start putting a major focus on the staff providing a Disney-level of customer service. I think the staff is the weak link right now at Universal - if they ramp that up, then I think Disney will have major issues.

 

[John]

The rides aren't even close. Harry Potter is insane. Even the newer motion rides like Despicable Me blow away the Disney parks. Throw in Shrek 4D, the Spiderman ride, the Hulk Coaster. The rides at Universal are hands down better for kids 10-12 and up. It's hard to get excited about Space Mountain or Thunder Mountain Railroad these days.

Spiderman is just an insanely good ride. Transformers, while not nearly as good as Spiderman, is also good. The coasters are great - in addition to Hulk, you have the Rip Ride Rocket. Food is pretty decent too, I absolutely love Mel's Diner.

 

[zls44]

Disney is heavily-focused on the Shanghai park right now. Once that gets off the ground, the Florida park is long overdue for a refresh, which I think it'll get. They've been working on non-ride stuff; Fast Pass completely changed the way they do business and access revenue, plus there was a big expansion of the parks in California a few years ago.

Disneyland has a lot more action-based rides. I've always thought the smaller real estate meant they had to pack the excitement into every ride, whereas Florida is so vast they can do stuff like the teacups.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Universal was better in every respect, except the staff as noted. By the way, you can stay on property in one of the Loews hotels at Universal much more cheaply than a comparable Disney hotel. They are all very nice. Transportation is good with water taxi, easier than the shuttle buses at Disney. Food at Universal with the cool dining options at Universal City, is superior. Rides aren't even close. With the exception of the characters at Disney, which young kids really respond to, Universal is the better set of parks. Harry Potter World is staggering.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Disney Customer Service is hard to match.

 

[John]

Universal was better in every respect, except the staff as noted. By the way, you can stay on property in one of the Loews hotels at Universal much more cheaply than a comparable Disney hotel. They are all very nice. Transportation is good with water taxi, easier than the shuttle buses at Disney. Food at Universal with the cool dining options at Universal City, is superior. Rides aren't even close. With the exception of the characters at Disney, which young kids really respond to, Universal is the better set of parks. Harry Potter World is staggering.

I'm not at all a Potter fan - didn't like the books and never loved the movies - even me, the non-fan, was blown away by the Potter experience they provide. I'm almost jealous of HP fans who get all jacked up about it (my kids for example)

 

[John]

Universal was better in every respect, except the staff as noted. By the way, you can stay on property in one of the Loews hotels at Universal much more cheaply than a comparable Disney hotel. They are all very nice. Transportation is good with water taxi, easier than the shuttle buses at Disney. Food at Universal with the cool dining options at Universal City, is superior. Rides aren't even close. With the exception of the characters at Disney, which young kids really respond to, Universal is the better set of parks. Harry Potter World is staggering.

oh and about transportation - the busses at Disney are godawful. They really REALLY need to add capacity to that entire mode of transportation becuase they way they pack people into those busses is insane.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

MGM sucks. Nothing about the place makes sense. It is too slow for little kids, but too tame for big kids. The restaurants don't even make sense. Does a 50's or Sci Fi themed restaurant have any meaning to anyone under 60?

The Magic Kingdom is the King Kong of parks, especially for girls under 12.

Epcot is beer and food, but not much of an amusement park.

Animal Kingdom is a zoo. There are lots of zoos.

 

[Fishy]

When you all become serious about handing over your money at a pro rate, we can talk about Disney cruises.

But if you insist on doing it on land, I recommend Discovery Cove.

It's part of Sea World, (which I hated), but it's perfect.

What I liked...

1) There is a limited number of tickets available daily so you almost always have to have purchased in advanced. There are no crowds - you're greeted when you get to the park and that person handles all your reservations, etc., for the day before you start.

2) You don't need money. You've paid in advance and that includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, beverages...even alcohol.

3) Again, no crowds. No lines. Larges stretches of time where you're not even near another person.

It's not cheap, but we went at the tail end of a ten day cruise/park vacation and it was great.

 

[progrocks]

Did 2 days and nights with a 3 year old at Disneyland HK last fall. It was a small park but perfect for a boy that age. Fortunately we went on weekdays so there were almost no lines, unfortunately with no lines we had to walk off and walk right back on Small World a whole bunch of times.

Will be checking out Universal Singapore soon I think.

 

[John]

MGM sucks. Nothing about the place makes sense. It is too slow for little kids, but too tame for big kids. The restaurants don't even make sense. Does a 50's or Sci Fi themed restaurant have any meaning to anyone under 60?

The Magic Kingdom is the King Kong of parks, especially for girls under 12.

Epcot is beer and food, but not much of an amusement park.

Animal Kingdom is a zoo. There are lots of zoos.

did someone spit in your Dole whip??

 

[HuskyHawk]

oh and about transportation - the busses at Disney are godawful. They really REALLY need to add capacity to that entire mode of transportation becuase they way they pack people into those busses is insane.

Our first night at Magic Kingdom on the last trip (not yet two years ago). A thunderstorm hit, while my daughter was feeling very ill. We waited for a bus for almost two hours, while dozens came for every other group. There was a glitch it seems. The next day, I drove to Magic Kingdom from within the complex. Not relying on their transport ever again.

I heard they may shut this down, but if you buy tickets via AAA, you get this preferred parking pass. Not free, but close. I was 8 cars away from the handicap spaces.

 

[Deepster]

When you all become serious about handing over your money at a pro rate, we can talk about Disney cruises.

But if you insist on doing it on land, I recommend Discovery Cove.

It's part of Sea World, (which I hated), but it's perfect.

What I liked...

1) There is a limited number of tickets available daily so you almost always have to have purchased in advanced. There are no crowds - you're greeted when you get to the park and that person handles all your reservations, etc., for the day before you start.

2) You don't need money. You've paid in advance and that includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, beverages...even alcohol.

3) Again, no crowds. No lines. Larges stretches of time where you're not even near another person.

It's not cheap, but we went at the tail end of a ten day cruise/park vacation and it was great.

Fishy - Did you swim with dolphins there? And if so, did a dolphin try to kill you or "get with" Mrs Fishy like Swaggy P said happened to him?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

did someone spit in your Dole whip??

I thought my assessment was fair. MGM sucks, and as far as I can tell, only exists as a lame attempt by Disney to keep people from leaving the resort to go to Universal Studios. A similar rationale exists for Animal Kingdom (Busch Gardens) and the water parks (Florida has a water park about 10 miles in any direction no matter where you are in the state). Magic Kingdom and Epcot are fun for kids under 12, and especially for girls under 12. I am not breaking new ground with that statement.

For the money, there are other vacations that provide more bang for the buck. I might do 1 more WDW vacation, then switch to Club Med, since Club Med is much more fun for big kids.

 

[John]

Our first night at Magic Kingdom on the last trip (not yet two years ago). A thunderstorm hit, while my daughter was feeling very ill. We waited for a bus for almost two hours, while dozens came for every other group. There was a glitch it seems. The next day, I drove to Magic Kingdom from within the complex. Not relying on their transport ever again.

I heard they may shut this down, but if you buy tickets via AAA, you get this preferred parking pass. Not free, but close. I was 8 cars away from the handicap spaces.

The AAA diamond parking pass was gone as of 1/1/2015. I used it on several of our trips and loved it, and was disappointed to see it go. Disney has already painted over the diamond pavement markings too.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The AAA diamond parking pass was gone as of 1/1/2015. I used it on several of our trips and loved it, and was disappointed to see it go. Disney has already painted over the diamond pavement markings too.

I think they realized how attractive that AAA pass made the option of staying at Universal or outside the park elsewhere. Portofino Bay at Universal was excellent, but I'd probably stay at Hard Rock at Universal next time, since it's more easily walkable to the park, and is a bit more kid friendly.

 

[Fishy]

Fishy - Did you swim with dolphins there? And if so, did a dolphin try to kill you or "get with" Mrs Fishy like Swaggy P said happened to him?

We did swim with the dolphins.

Our particular dolphin was 200 years old and didn't have any teeth, so we weren't murdered or mauled in any fashion.

It was interesting, but I could take or leave that part of it.

 

[John]

I think they realized how attractive that AAA pass made the option of staying at Universal or outside the park elsewhere. Portofino Bay at Universal was excellent, but I'd probably stay at Hard Rock at Universal next time, since it's more easily walkable to the park, and is a bit more kid friendly.

The AAA parking lots were a thing of beauty - practically right at the turnstyles - esp at MK. There's a lot of nice facilities right outside of Disney. We stayed at a gorgeous one this time - Sheraton Vistana Resort. Had a 1200sf condo for a fraction of the cost of Disney property - awesome pool, etc. We've also stayed at Orange Lake Villas, similar setup. We've also stayed on-property too (Saratoga Springs). Don't get me wrong, it's NICE, but it's quite pricey and the bus service is just abysmal on most days.

 

[G0UCONN]

Agree on Discovery Cove. Very expensive ticket but covers food and well worth it. Very unique experience. A great day.....

 

[MilliniumPrince]

The AAA parking lots were a thing of beauty - practically right at the turnstyles - esp at MK. There's a lot of nice facilities right outside of Disney. We stayed at a gorgeous one this time - Sheraton Vistana Resort. Had a 1200sf condo for a fraction of the cost of Disney property - awesome pool, etc. We've also stayed at Orange Lake Villas, similar setup. We've also stayed on-property too (Saratoga Springs). Don't get me wrong, it's NICE, but it's quite pricey and the bus service is just abysmal on most days.

We stay at Orange Lake too. I love that place.

 

[August_West]

I inherited a mother lode of DVC points. I agree with OP premise about universal killing it with attractions now, but Disney is not stupid. While there are some parks that need refreshing, the parks make up just a portion of the entire Disney deal. Nobody can touch the level of customer service across every area of that environment.

These days with a teenage daughter we will go to universal a day or two while staying on Disney grounds ( Boardwalk is our "home" resort) and do parks with her too, but my wife and I will also often go for a week or two and sometimes never step foot in a park except for Epcot ( which is walking distance from back entrance to Boardwalk ) and we have an unbelievable time.