Do you like Disney World or Universal more? And why?

[damo]

This has been such a nice and civil thread! In the past, threads like this went downhill sooooo quickly!

 

[J-Dog]

Just got back from a day each at MK and Epcot, UO and IOA in mid-December. Stayed off-site (on I-Drive).

I will say that I appreciated different aspects of each, but if I had someone holding a gun to my head telling me that I can only ever visit Disney OR Universal again, not both, I would pick Disney.

Universal pros: Decent thrill rides; Harry Potter is awesome (especially Diagon Alley); wider variety of theming in each park compared to Disney

Universal cons: Disappointed in the roller coasters (Seaworld's were better); some really poor rides (i.e. the Gravitron thing and Shrek 4D, as examples); lack of Seasonal theming (we were there in December after all); Less "epic vacation": i.e. no big fireworks celebration at the end of the night (a Disney staple) that, to me, really felt like a let-down

Disney pros: Rides were better detailed, more immersive; Much more to see than Universal, other than just rides; and especially the big celebrations at the end of each night at each theme park (i.e. Wishes and the fireworks shows over the pond in Epcot with the globe-thing), which to me, made it seem as if Disney "cared" more with a big send-off, as opposed to Universal, who basically said "get out!" at closing time.

Disney cons: The pre-planning. ADR's and 30 and 60 day pre-planned Fast Passes really seem to take the fun out of whole vacation.

 

[maverik85]

Yea the Disney pre-planning is turning me off a bit from them a bit. Think the original FP system was great and know you had to book restaurants well in advance, but now it seems to really do what you want when you have to really plan out everything months in advance. I'd almost be fine with the current system of picking three initial FP if it was something you selected when you first got to the park and not three months out. Do like the Magic Bands though that allow to not have to carry anything with you.

As for pictures in parks, had similar experiences, especially at Universal, with crowded streets of people holding their phones out waiting for something to happen like the dragon breathing fire. Think it's even more noticeable there since it's newer and has narrow walkways. Can understand wanting to capture moments but some stuff like that can really detract from the exepreince. If it's photos with family and friends, that's one thing, but random pictures of stuff can find pretty much the same thing online. That's what especially gets me with videos, where people video tape fireworks shows and stuff rather than actually experience it.

 

[bchbetha]

Just got back from a day each at MK and Epcot, UO and IOA in mid-December. Stayed off-site (on I-Drive).

I will say that I appreciated different aspects of each, but if I had someone holding a gun to my head telling me that I can only ever visit Disney OR Universal again, not both, I would pick Disney.

Universal pros: Decent thrill rides; Harry Potter is awesome (especially Diagon Alley); wider variety of theming in each park compared to Disney

Universal cons: Disappointed in the roller coasters (Seaworld's were better); some really poor rides (i.e. the Gravitron thing and Shrek 4D, as examples); lack of Seasonal theming (we were there in December after all); Less "epic vacation": i.e. no big fireworks celebration at the end of the night (a Disney staple) that, to me, really felt like a let-down

Disney pros: Rides were better detailed, more immersive; Much more to see than Universal, other than just rides; and especially the big celebrations at the end of each night at each theme park (i.e. Wishes and the fireworks shows over the pond in Epcot with the globe-thing), which to me, made it seem as if Disney "cared" more with a big send-off, as opposed to Universal, who basically said "get out!" at closing time.

Disney cons: The pre-planning. ADR's and 30 and 60 day pre-planned Fast Passes really seem to take the fun out of whole vacation.

I pretty sure the end of night show is low key because of where the park is. It's close to a residential area and there are rules about noise (hence minimal fireworks). So, it's not about not caring... just working within constraints.

 

[macraven]

Bcbetha is correct

City has restrictions that UO has to abide by

The times when Hhn took part in ioa, the hulk had a time to follow for the ride shut down due noise ordinance

 

[elaine amj]

Our family prefers WDW. I was rather surprised - I thought my teen son would prefer USO but after every trip, he would say WDW was better. We got APs to Universal last year and visited 3 times, staying onsite at Hard Rock and Royal Pacific for 3-4 days each trips. We had a ton of fun. My DD and I are thrill seekers and LOVED Rip Ride Rockit, using our Express Passes to ride it a dozen times a trip.The simulators were amazing, all inspiring us to exclaim "Wow". The Potter area was crazy immersive. But none of us (incl my teen DD and DS) have any deep interest in the Potter story. Still, Escape from Gringotts is my absolute favourite ride anywhere...in both WDW and Universal.

Despite all this fabulousness, WDW still holds the magic for all of us...including my teenage son. We particularly love the quality of the shows there (USO sure doesn't compare other than their small shows in Potterland). Also, we love that WDW is huge with a neverending array of things to do. And the happy Disney themes suit us more - we are not into the darker elements which is a bit more pervasive at USO.

What can I say...there's a touch of magic (and plenty of Disney Koolaid in the water) over at WDW. It grabbed our hearts the way USO was never able to do.

Side note: we also spent a week in DLR in 2015 and experienced the Disney magic in a more compact environment. My family really enjoyed it but I missed the bigger Disney bubble at WDW. I guess I just like having lots and lots to do.

 

[Metro West]

Let's put it this way...I live about 45 minutes from WDW and haven't stepped foot on Disney property since 2009 when my AP expired. As others have said...there is too much planning involved for a short visit...too much for a day trip certainly. I think the counter service food is average at best and way too overpriced for my taste. Plus the events at Universal (Mardi Gras and Halloween Horror Nights) are more my style than a parade or fireworks show...they just don't do anything for me. I grew out of Disney and into Universal since moving to Orlando in 2004. I have no desire to experience any fictional "magic" when Universal gives me everything I want in a theme park.

 

[damo]

Just got back from a day each at MK and Epcot, UO and IOA in mid-December. Stayed off-site (on I-Drive).

I will say that I appreciated different aspects of each, but if I had someone holding a gun to my head telling me that I can only ever visit Disney OR Universal again, not both, I would pick Disney.

Universal pros: Decent thrill rides; Harry Potter is awesome (especially Diagon Alley); wider variety of theming in each park compared to Disney

Universal cons: Disappointed in the roller coasters (Seaworld's were better); some really poor rides (i.e. the Gravitron thing and Shrek 4D, as examples); lack of Seasonal theming (we were there in December after all); Less "epic vacation": i.e. no big fireworks celebration at the end of the night (a Disney staple) that, to me, really felt like a let-down

Disney pros: Rides were better detailed, more immersive; Much more to see than Universal, other than just rides; and especially the big celebrations at the end of each night at each theme park (i.e. Wishes and the fireworks shows over the pond in Epcot with the globe-thing), which to me, made it seem as if Disney "cared" more with a big send-off, as opposed to Universal, who basically said "get out!" at closing time.

Disney cons: The pre-planning. ADR's and 30 and 60 day pre-planned Fast Passes really seem to take the fun out of whole vacation.

During school season, Universal is not allowed to have major fireworks or disturbances. I'm sure they would love to! I have heard that they are working on a projection show at Hogwarts but it won't be accompanied by a fireworks display during the school year.

 

[J-Dog]

I pretty sure the end of night show is low key because of where the park is. It's close to a residential area and there are rules about noise (hence minimal fireworks). So, it's not about not caring... just working within constraints.

Bcbetha is correct

City has restrictions that UO has to abide by

The times when Hhn took part in ioa, the hulk had a time to follow for the ride shut down due noise ordinance

During school season, Universal is not allowed to have major fireworks or disturbances. I'm sure they would love to! I have heard that they are working on a projection show at Hogwarts but it won't be accompanied by a fireworks display during the school year.

I am sure that you all are correct as this makes perfect sense. Still, as a patron, I honestly don't care what the reasoning is. If Disney is able to offer this and UO isn't, then that makes me prefer Disney, but that isn't the only reason that I liked WDW better. As Elaine said, a couple of posts above this, Disney just had that "magic" that OU didn't.

 

[schumigirl]

Let's put it this way...I live about 45 minutes from WDW and haven't stepped foot on Disney property since 2009 when my AP expired. As others have said...there is too much planning involved for a short visit...too much for a day trip certainly. I think the counter service food is average at best and way too overpriced for my taste. Plus the events at Universal (Mardi Gras and Halloween Horror Nights) are more my style than a parade or fireworks show...they just don't do anything for me. I grew out of Disney and into Universal since moving to Orlando in 2004. I have no desire to experience any fictional "magic" when Universal gives me everything I want in a theme park.

I think you just about summed it up for us too.......

We get a real magic feeling at Universal and the RPR. We have no desire to ever go back to Disney and like you we haven't set foot in Disney since 2009.

Universal is more than enough for us. Even our son who was 13 on our first visit outgrew Disney almost immediately.

We have no desire to make dining or ride reservations so far in advance........that's not a vacation for us. We like to be able to get up and decide what to do on the day and with the EP with staying at the hotels we can do exactly that........we hate queueing so this is priceless for us. Disney have no alternative to that.

Fireworks and parades mean little to us too. We much prefer the adult orientated HHN.........

A lot of our friends have cut back on Disney time too.......they are feeling more valued at Universal than they ever have at Disney. A few times friends have bought the 14 day Disney ticket and barely went. They didn't enjoy the experience they were getting at Disney.

We have never experienced a negative thing with Universal TM......can't say the same for Disney......so for us Universal comes out miles ahead of Disney.........

The rides, food options for the most part and the general vibe around the parks are what makes our perfect vacation year after year.........and there is so much more to come from Universal.

People say, well it's not Disney.....

No, it's definitely not Disney and I'm so glad about that, it's so much better........for us.

 

[damo]

We're not parade or fireworks people either. We're not even show people. We've got a grand-daughter being born in a couple of months and we're all hoping she doesn't want to hang around for the parades as we find them a huge waste of time.

 

[Metro West]

We're not parade or fireworks people either. We're not even show people. We've got a grand-daughter being born in a couple of months and we're all hoping she doesn't want to hang around for the parades as we find them a huge waste of time.

The only parade I would even consider watching is the Mardi Gras parade. With the elaborate floats and beads it's something unique in Orlando.

 

[elaine amj]

The only parade I would even consider watching is the Mardi Gras parade. With the elaborate floats and beads it's something unique in Orlando.

Unfortunately, for us...we didn't care as much for the Mardi Gras parade. My kids had a lot of fun catching beads (and yes, they are very generous...we got plenty) and the float designs were really fabulous. But I really didn't like how the music was localized to each float. It just gave me such a disconnected feeling between floats. It was that parade that made me realize that part of what we like is the great music that is played very loudly throughout the whole area.

We also stopped a couple of times for the afternoon parade. It was cute but short and Uni IPs just don't appeal as much to us.

Overall though, Universal was a ton of fun. Our APs were a killer deal and we had a blast on our 3 visits throughout the year. I would go back again if the situation was right.

 

[J-Dog]

I have never seen the Mardi Gras parade, but the Macy's holiday parade was going on when we were there. It was cool to see many of the iconic floats, but the whole thing seemed a little more "forced" than parades do at Disney.

Don't get me wrong, I still thought Universal was cool, just that Disney had the edge for us, but just by a hair. We live on the other side of the US from Orlando, so a vacation there is a big deal - I am fairly sure that I wouldn't go back to Orlando and only go to Disney OR only go to UO. Definitely worth going back to both.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Did you see that now Disney is testing a program like that? Just copy Uni more, Disney....

Universal's "new" virtual line experience at Jimmy Fallon sure sounds an awful lot like Fast Pass to me.

 

[Anonomom]

I'll preface this with the fact that I've been to WDW several times and Uni only once. Plus, I like planning.

While both are fine, I prefer WDW by a mile. First and foremost, I appreciate that WDW is a truly family-friendly vacation. There's plenty for everybody to do, even with a range of ages and sizes. True, there aren't any mega-coasters, but there are at least some thrill-adjacent rides. And you can spend a lot of time at WDW without running out of new things to do.

I like the food at WDW. I like that there's a huge variety available at most parks and that most hotels also have good options. Granted that we only had a few meals at Universal, but I wasn't impressed. We had one table-service meal (Mama Something or other at PBR) and it was stupidly expensive, for food that wasn't good. It was hot and crowded while we were there, so we really didn't eat any meals inside the parks; just grabbed snacks when we ran across a kiosk with a reasonable line.

I like Disney's insane attention to detail. The theming is great, and there's something cool to look at pretty much anywhere you turn your head. Universal does a good job in some parts of their parks, but it's not as immersive as Disney.

And finally (and most important), I just don't like the rides at Universal as much as the ones at WDW. I concede that it's a far superior park for coaster-heads. But I wasn't fond of the repetitive motion simulator rides. There's so much going on that it's nearly impossble to take in what's happening, but at they same time they feel oddly flat, and even though they have different themes, one feels very similar to the next. Plus, Universal's rides are literally tailored to a fairly narrow segment of the population -- only people within a certain range of body types and sizes can experience them. Forbidden journey may be the best ride in the entire world; I'll never know. Same with Gringotts. In 8 years of regular trips to WDW, I never once even had to think about whether I could get onto a ride. At Universal, it's a constant concern.

I'm locked into Universal for this year, because my kids are all about Harry Potter. And I'm sure it'll be just fine. But I'd rather be at Disney.

 

[damo]

Universal's "new" virtual line experience at Jimmy Fallon sure sounds an awful lot like Fast Pass to me.

I think the difference is that there is no stand by line. Only one line.

 

[DisBuckMan]

I think the difference is that there is no stand by line. Only one line.

You're picking flycrap out of the pepper.

It's still "scheduling" a later time to ride.

With no standby line, I'm trying to figure out if you'll be scheduling a later time to come back and stand in a long line, or if the ride is going to be very low capacity. No standby line really makes little sense.

 

[bchbetha]

You're picking flycrap out of the pepper.

It's still "scheduling" a later time to ride.

With no standby line, I'm trying to figure out if you'll be scheduling a later time to come back and stand in a long line, or if the ride is going to be very low capacity. No standby line really makes little sense.

That's what they say Volcano Bay will be like- no stand by lines. The way it's described sounds pretty awesome.

 

[DisBuckMan]

That's what they say Volcano Bay will be like- no stand by lines. The way it's described sounds pretty awesome.

Yeah, in theory, it sounds great. But, what happens when the ride breaks down for 20 minutes? 30 minutes? Multiple times a day?