[rthaler]

My DW just read a post I submitted about ticket questions. She doesn't share my obsession with WDW. She likes it alright but she could probably live without it. She doesn't understand why I would rather skip Universal on our trip in October and get the fairy tale package and go to WDW for the whole week. Granted we have never been to Universal so I have no clue what it is really like. It's not WDW. Thats my point. She needs more than that though.

I told her Universal is just an amusement park like Six Flags or Cedar Point-been there done that. I told her that WDW isn't an amusement park. I explained the differences but she couldn't grasp the nuances of my reasoning (imagine that). She argues: They both have rides, right? They both have people in animal suits walking around inside don't they? Different parts of the parks have a common theme don't they? What's the difference?

Maybe you folks can give me some more ammo. I need "real" differences between the two. Not feelings. Something tangible.

I really have no problem going to Universal. They (DW,DS's) all want to go. I know when I'm beat. But I would really like to explain the difference between WDW and Universal to her.

Help!

:nervous

Randy

[wdwspider]

Unfortuantely my post will not be quite what you are looking for, but rather a twist on what you want:

I think universal Orlando is an exceptional park and that IoA is even more so, in the ranks of Amusement and theme, they rank extremly high and are far above the average Busch or paramount park, a far cry from Cedar Fair parks, and no where in the same league of a Six Flags. Universal has some real stand out attractions with Terminator 2 3D, Spider-man, Poseidon's Fury, Twister, Cat in the Hat, and the new Shrek movie sounds promising. Many stand-bys like Earthquake and Back to the Future are great and unlike anything to be found at regular amusement parks. Much money has been spent in these parks and they keep getting better and better with each new attempt (Disney has many years over experience, but Universal is holding it's own and targeting a slightly different audience)

OK....

having said that...

Disney is all about the detail and magic. There is definitely an intangible at WDW unlike anything else on earth. The time, attention, and quality found in their resorts and parks have no equal. The more you visit them the more you find out that the detail goes deeper and deeper than you thought. I told DW this past trip that I would love to go to the parks and spend several hours in each land. I have saw enough extra unadvertised entertainment in each land to easily keep you occupied without having to lift a finger (Main Street USA actually overflows with entertainment I have yet to appreciate). The friendliness is unheard of, the choice of options for any family is amazing, and the songs and emotional involvement to many fans is curious and sincere to say the least. To not open yourself and let Disney really sink in is to deny yourself of a truly magical experience.

I can say that I do want to have a non-Disney vacation someday to just dedicate to other tourist spots but it will be a fun vacation rather than a magical Escapism vacation.

I am a die-hard Disney fanatic, and would never put WDW down, it is the ultimate destination, but I am very open minded and love new experiences and Unversal is one of the better alternatives out there.

:whistle: Boy, I hope I at least enlightened some. Still not sure if I gave you what you wanted, maybe some valueable insight, but it's just an opinion after all. :p

[JOANN]

Hi Randy, A couple years back, my family did 9 days at DW, then 2 at Universal. We stayed at the Portofino Bay , what a beautiful Resort. I do have to agree , I think it's just an amusement park too. My family did like it, especially some of the roller-coaster rides they have.
Of course, it just depends on your family. We are definately more Disney fanatics. So my opinion may not help you out.
I can tell you, we did go to City Walk, which is really nice, especially, some of the restaurants. We ate at Jimmy Buffet's, which was really nice, also ate lunch at NBA. They also have Motown & Emeril's, which I heard was excellent. ( do need to make Reservations for that one, books up quite quickely)
All in all, we still liked Disney better.
One other thing, when you stay at one of Universal's Hotels. When you go to the Parks, all you do is show the worker your room key & you go right to the front of the lines. Something like fast pass at Disney. You just need to show your room key, and that's it.
Like I said we are more into Disney not Dr. Seuss or Betty Boop. One other thing I did enjoy , was the I Love Lucy exhibit. I guess, it's something you have to try at least once. :hmmm Good luck!! JOANN:)

[iluvwdw]

I feel your pain, Rthaler...my DH is not as obsessed as I am. He likes it, but does not LOVE it like I do. So needless to say,every time we go to WDW, we have to make time for Universal and IoA. I love both of those parks, too...even Sea World! But there is truly nothing like WDW. I will never forget the first day I walked in the front gate of Magic Kingdom and saw the Castle for the first time as I walked down Main Street USA...it was decorated like a cake for the 25th anniversary celebration in 1997! It is ALL ABOUT THE MAGIC...it's something you feel in the air, something you can't explain...it's just an incredible feeling. When you go to Universal, it's just a theme park. Well needless to say, now we have a 19 month old son and he will truly enjoy WDW each and every year!!!

[tinkerbell]

well I have gone to universal in California with friends (family didnt care a bit about going) and because friends wanted to go I have also been to other amusement parks like bush gardens, I was a pill .. because I kept comparing those places to WDW and they came up short. ..years ago we even went to six flags and sea world in texas. Those parks are not as clean ..the people that work there are not as nice or considerate, there is a lack of detail ..ohh it seems they have a "theme" but there is something lacking.
For me too its a matter of what I grew up with, the Mickey Mouse Club, Sunday nights with Walt Disney, and all the wonderful Disney Movies. WDW, like the movies makes you feel good .. makes life seem better, cleaner, and yes ..that word .. MAGICAL. WDW is Annette and Haley Mills, its Tinker Bell and Peter Pan ..its never growing up ..the whole place is NeverLand. at least till you go home.
See I have been trying to explain WDW to my niece who is going with us in August and all she has to compare it to is six flags but she wants to go ..she knows how happy and excited we always are about it. Maybe you cant explain it .. maybe its a feeling and if you dont feel it or cant feel it, there are no words that can explain it

WDWfan I just love reading what you post .. like Disney you have a way with detail :)

oh and another thing ..we keep seeing this commercial for Universal that says "fairytales and Pixie dust not your thing" and we just yell back at the TV .. "it is our thing"!!

[rthaler]

Like I thought, the best things in life are the intangible things. More of a glow in your heart and a smile on your face that you can't really explain to others. Kind of like believing in God. Believe and you will see. I don't want to put God and WDW on the same plane by any means though. Two totally different levels.:angel.

Anyway, we will enjoy our time at Universal. I'm sure the Royal Pacific and the parks will be nice. The bonus is we get to spend the last 3 days at WDW :D . CBR, MNNSHP (already got the tickets) and Epcot. I guess I "got to accentuate the positive". Isn't that a Disney song:laugh .

Yeah tinker, whats that pixie dust not being your thing crap all about anyway. Sounds like the desperate rantings of a losing amusement park to me.

Randy:)

[WEDINDISNEY]

I have been to Universal and thought that it was ok. Never made to IOA last trip. We really had no desire to go there becuase its just an amusment park and living in NJ we have Great Adventure about 20 mins away and we never go there. So whats the point. Although I do have to say that I loved the resorts that have around Universal and City Walk is something that we like to to do.
The only thing that I can say why Disney is so much better than Universal is MAGIC. There is no other place like it in the world. When you are there its like nothing else matters. You are in your own fairytale world.

[tinkerbell]

Originally posted by rthaler
Like I thought, the best things in life are the intangible things. More of a glow in your heart and a smile on your face that you can't really explain to others. Kind of like believing in God. Believe and you will see. I don't want to put God and WDW on the same plane by any means though. Two totally different levels.:angel.

Anyway, we will enjoy our time at Universal. I'm sure the Royal Pacific and the parks will be nice. The bonus is we get to spend the last 3 days at WDW :D . CBR, MNNSHP (already got the tickets) and Epcot. I guess I "got to accentuate the positive". Isn't that a Disney song:laugh .

Yeah tinker, whats that pixie dust not being your thing crap all about anyway. Sounds like the desperate rantings of a losing amusement park to me.

Randy:)

you know you may like Universal .. but I bet if you did a search you would find there are more Disney Fan Sites then Universal.

I liked how you put it More of a glow in your heart that fits so well. yes ..the more I read that the more I like it. Look at how its helped my husband, if I planed a trip to six flags he wouldnt go .. but we are going to WDW and he is smiling now even on the worse days he can smile. Thats a glow in my heart. He says "well even if I am not up to riding something you know I will be happy just to sit while you and the girls ride" and he would. No it would have never changed his downward spin into depression if I hadnt booked this trip. Universal would have never done that.

and your right ..it does sound a bit desperate doesnt it

[rthaler]

I am going to take your idea and run with it . You're awesome. You have given me my "tangible". I have already done a small web search and have come up empty. Most amusement parks have web sites and some even have fan forums. But there are none that I have found like Disney Central or some of the other non-Disney sponsored web sites. I didn't find any non-Universal sponsored web sites. There's no comparison. There's no one out there that has listed all their trips to Universal and where they stayed. There's no one out there that has a "countdown" to there next Universal trip. No one asking about how to get more out of their next Universal trip. It's just an amusement park afterall. It doesn't instill a sense of magic and awe like WDW.

I'll look more but I don't think I'll find anything like this out there for any other park. That's tangible and that IS the difference.

This probably won't change a thing for our trip, but it will for me. I love my DF too much to try and change squash their (our) trip.

Randy



:)

[tinkerbell]

Originally posted by rthaler

This probably won't change a thing for our trip, but it will for me. I love my DF too much to try and change squash their (our) trip.

Randy
:)

Randy I really do hope you enjoy Universal, I am the first to admit we are just weird.. and old *grin* even our granddaughters could care less about other theme parks.. the oldest couldnt go on a school trip to six flags in dallas this year (two years ago on a field trip to a water park a girl in her class drown and her mother refuses to let either of them go now unless she or thier father can go along ) but she wasnt at all disappointed.

[Park Hopper]

Universal is a perfectly wonderful place. It's a first-class operation, and to call it an amusement park is doing it a disservice. There are many attractions there that rival anything in WDW -- that's the competition, afterall. And if you like thrill rides, Islands of Adventure is incomparable.

That being said, though, Universal isn't Disney World -- never has, never will be. The Magic just isn't there. You can tangibly feel it when you walk around. The surroundings don't have quite the same sparkle, there isn't the same attention to detail, and most of all, the employees don't have the same desire to do anything they can for you. It's still an enjoyable place to visit, but the bottom line is my wife and I have annual passes to Disney. We've never even thought about getting annual passes to Universal.

[mattomouseman]

Originally posted by WDWFan

Disney is all about the detail and magic. There is definitely an intangible at WDW unlike anything else on earth. The time, attention, and quality found in their resorts and parks have no equal. The more you visit them the more you find out that the detail goes deeper and deeper than you thought. I told DW this past trip that I would love to go to the parks and spend several hours in each land. I have saw enough extra unadvertised entertainment in each land to easily keep you occupied without having to lift a finger (Main Street USA actually overflows with entertainment I have yet to appreciate). The friendliness is unheard of, the choice of options for any family is amazing, and the songs and emotional involvement to many fans is curious and sincere to say the least. To not open yourself and let Disney really sink in is to deny yourself of a truly magical experience.
:p

WOW WDWFAN said it all in a nutshell. You really can't put your finger on it. It is the way the CM's smile and treat you like someone special. It's in the varity of the food. It's the special way that everyone just treats you when you are in WDW. Occassionaly you come across a CM haivng a bad but those experinces are few and far between. It's in the fact that the streets are spotless, and when your DS or DD drops that bucket of popcorn there is some there right away cleaning it up! Even when you call to make PS's the CM's will chat with you like your old friends! Liek WDWFAN said it's in the intangibles!:) :)

[mickaholic4077]

Originally posted by Park Hopper
Universal is a perfectly wonderful place. It's a first-class operation, and to call it an amusement park is doing it a disservice. There are many attractions there that rival anything in WDW -- that's the competition, afterall. And if you like thrill rides, Islands of Adventure is incomparable.

That being said, though, Universal isn't Disney World -- never has, never will be. The Magic just isn't there. You can tangibly feel it when you walk around. The surroundings don't have quite the same sparkle, there isn't the same attention to detail, and most of all, the employees don't have the same desire to do anything they can for you. It's still an enjoyable place to visit, but the bottom line is my wife and I have annual passes to Disney. We've never even thought about getting annual passes to Universal.

I wouldn't get an annual pass either!!!!

[grinner01]

Stay at Disney and visit Universal. It's only about a 20-25 minute drive. If you have not been to universal and you like MGM you will also enjoy Univesral VERY much. WDW is incredible for the whole experience. Could find a cheaper place to sleep but you would not be part of the magic. But Universal is a great park..two great parks with Islands Of Adventure. Definitely NOT a cheaply done amusement park. Maybe not the answer you wanted but I really think you should try Universal. You should still spend most of your time at Disney but you will enjoy Universal immensely. And if you miss something at Disney you have another excuse, i mean reason, to visit again. Also if you are animal lovers Sea World is about 10 minutes from WDW and Busch Gardens in Tampa is about an hour.

We are two adults that have not and will not grow up so we are on the go from the time we check in until the time we leave. I think all these parks are great and they only enhance the WDW experience.

[tink0368]

Hi
Our family loves WDW more than any place on earth! BUT- we have experienced both Universal and IoA. We had a great time! Those theme parks are fun and impressive, they AREN'T WDW!! But, what is!!?? They lack the guest services we are used too, the people who seem to truely enjoy being there to help you and make your visit the best it can be- every time!!
I know it is hard to imagine having fun at another park but...If you do go, keep an open mind and have fun!!:laugh