Does anyone go to Universal (Orlando)?

[Escapay]

When I was a little kid, we considered the Disney and Universal parks to be one and the same because we almost always went to Universal whenever the whole family went to Florida (1991, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 ). IIRC, the only years we didn't go to Universal were 1993, 2001, and 2005. 1993 was because we were with cousins from California, and we chose to do a water park (ick) instead of Universal. In 2001, I think we simply didn't want to go as we felt there weren't enough interesting rides anymore. 2005 and 2006 I was working at Disney, so we figured we'd just get discounted Disney tickets and not bother with Universal (even though I could buy discount Universal tickets).

Anyway, I've always had a soft spot for the Universal/Islands of Adventure attractions. In the yesteryears of 1991 and 1995 our family did the Screen Test Adventure, where we run around in blue rooms and either have a "Your Day with Universal Studios" (1991) or "Star Trek Adventure" (1995). Needless to say, I was ecstatic for the "Star Trek Adventure" in 1995, and was so disappointed in 1999 to learn the place had closed and became an information centre for the then-forthcoming Islands of Adventure.

I lobsterloved the Back to the Future attraction, and was upset at its closure, though the new Simpsons one is a good successor. I can't remember the last time we rode it, though I want to get the two-disc Back to the Future DVD simply because it has the ride video on it.

As a kid, I was a bit afraid of the E.T. attraction, because during the queue line, E.T.'s teacher appears asking if we've seen E.T., and at the time, I thought it was all real. Plus, when E.T. said my name at the end, I was surprised and thought, "How does he know me???" IIRC, the attraction is meant to be a "sequel" to the movie, hence visiting E.T.'s home planet. We always fought over who got to sit in the bicycle with E.T. in the basket, even if we couldn't really *see* him. It was more of the "ha ha, I've got E.T. in my basket, you don't!" to the other siblings.

The first time I went to Islands of Adventure was during Senior Trip 2003 and the first attraction I did was the Incredible Hulk. It was surprising to both my friends and me. I was screaming up a storm during that one, and a few friends were like, "Man, Al, you totally don't seem like the rollercoaster type!" The only other time I went to Islands of Adventure was again in 2003 (for the family vacation) and in 2004. I'd really like to go again, cause I loved the Spider-Man 3-D attraction, along with all the photo-op moments, like the speech bubbles and the Marmaduke picture.

When we went to Universal last year, it was like going for the first time, even if there was already a sense of familiarity with all the rides that were still there. I missed the Hanna-Barbera ride and didn't care much for the Jimmy Neutron one that replaced it. And the I Love Lucy store was one of my favourite places, even though I didn't buy anything. We LOVED the T2 3-D Battle Across Time attraction and did it a few times while there, and of course, a visit to Universal was not complete unless we stopped at Schwab's Pharmacy for some ice cream. The attraction that replaced Earthquake wasn't too interesting, though the interactive tech for it was cool.

BTW, Shrek 4-D came out first as an attraction in the park and was released to DVD a year later. So the DVD is the one that's a joke since it doesn't provide the full Shrek-tastic experience. And as disappointing as this will sound to ardent Disney fans, I think the technology/experience in both Shrek 4-D and T2 3-D Battle Across Time are better than Mickey's Philharmagic (and T2 even predates Philhar!). Hell, even the pre-show for both trumps Philhar. That's not to say I hate Philhar, it's actually one of my favourite attractions at Disney. But as timeless and memorable as the characters are, as enjoyable as the film is, and as sentimental I am towards Magic Kingdom as a whole, it's hard to deny that the Philhar 3-D show lacks some things that made Shrek & T2 better shows.

albert

[Siren]

I agree with Escapay on the Shrek 4-D. He is absolutely correct....the RIDE came BEFORE the DVD release. The DVD release was just a way for them to make money and let people who haven't rode the ride, experience the movie at the very least.

I also agree, T2 is by far the best 3D/4D show ever.

Shrek 4-D is fun too and I agree, its better than Philermagic (sp)

I also really wish they would update the hell out of ET or get rid of it. The animatronics are a joke...and the mannequins are pathetic.

The live animal show at Universal is also very lacking. I love animal shows, never had one bore me...that one bored the hell out of me and was a total waste of time. I have been spoiled by Sea World's Pet's Ahoy which is by far the best live animal show, using domestic animals anyways.

[xxhplinkxx]

Shrek 4-D is fun too and I agree, its better than Philermagic

I... disagree. Mickey's Philharmagic is probably my favorite thing at Magic Kingdom. I freaking LOVE it. The best 3D show, IMO.

[PrincePhillipFan]

Shrek 4-D is fun too and I agree, its better than Philermagic

I... disagree. Mickey's Philharmagic is probably my favorite thing at Magic Kingdom. I freaking LOVE it. The best 3D show, IMO.

Are you sure you're not just saying that because that show has a certain redheaded mermaid featured in it?

Seriously, I love Philharmagic more than Shrek 4D myself. Shrek has a great preshow, but something about Philharmagic makes it more enjoyable for me.

Speaking of preshows, I think Terminator has one of the best and wittiest/funniest preshows ever, especially when they manage to get a super perky actress to play the guide. I actually don't care for the actual show itself and could skip right through it, but I love its preshow.

[blackcauldron85]

Mickey's Philharmagic is probably my favorite thing at Magic Kingdom. I freaking LOVE it. The best 3D show, IMO.

I agree!!! I love seeing all the characters, and Donald is funny...and Jasmine saves the day because she's wonderful... I really do love that show.

Speaking of preshows, I think Terminator has one of the best and wittiest/funniest preshows ever, especially when they manage to get a super perky actress to play the guide. I actually don't care for the actual show itself and could skip right through it, but I love its preshow.

I don't think that it "has one of the best and wittiest/funniest preshows ever", but I did enjoy the preshow a lot more than the actual attraction. We had a very perky actress; when she was speaking, I think I was more amused by the fact that, from where I was standing, she looked a heck of a lot like a lady in charge of a place I volunteer at, so I was amused that she would be like that...and the preshow video was entertaining enough, I guess. Better than the actual show, anyway, IMO.

[David S.]

I agree with Tim as far as enjoying each park for what they are instead of what they aren't. For that reason, I enjoy a wide variety of parks, ranging from Disney to the other Florida parks to large regional Six Flags-type parks, to small, independent traditional "mom-and pop" parks.

However, since the subject has come up, I will also say that I agree with Amy in that I MUCH prefer Disney parks over Universal. Disney simply has that Magical feeling that makes my inner child glow and feel warm and fuzzy inside. While certain attractions at other parks may create this feeling from time to time, at Disney, a much larger percentage of the attractions do, as well as the entire process of being in the parks themselves.

Someone mentioned Uni is geared more for adults, I guess that's why I prefer Disney! Even though I'm technically not a kid in age, I'm a big kid at heart, on the inside.

Also, I have a life-long love and fandom of the characters, songs, and stories depicted in the Disney parks, wheras I'm generally not into most of the "properties" represented by Uni (although I do like the Dr. Seuss section.) Disney just feels more "magical" and "timeless" in that catagory for me as well.

Regarding Universal Studios vs IOA - IOA feels more "magical" to me than the original Uni park, more escapist. The original Uni has a lot more that doesn't interest me. Lot's of "disaster" themed attractions, and more "postmodern" "hip", more "cynical" forms of animation like Shrek and the Simpsons that have NEVER appealed to me...

It's a popular belief that Uni has "better" coasters than Disney. That is a matter of taste, and would be true for people who like those B&M 4-across, shoulder-harness restraint, multi-looping coasters found at Six Flags-style parks across the country.

For my taste, however, I don't care for inversions, ESPECIALLY when they dominate a ride by occurring over and over again throught a ride. This shifts the balance of the ride towards positive g forces, which I don't care for, and can make me dizzy at times.

I MUCH prefer negative g forces on a coaster, which is why I prefer wooden coasters and steel "hypercoasters", which focus on drops/hills instead of loops, and negative g's (aka AIRTIME), where you get lifted off the seat and either float above the seat for a few seconds ("floater" airtime) or even better, get violently launched out of the seat and get slammed upward into the lapbar ("ejector" airtime).

Therefore, the biggest coaster thrills in Florida for me occur on the Dania Beach Hurricane just north of Miami, Gwazi at Busch Gardens in Tampa, and the now-defunct Starliner at Cypress Gardens, which is still standing but no longer operating as that park has closed all their rides. ALL of these are wooden.

As far as Disney vs. Uni in coasters, I may be in the minority, but I MUCH prefer Disney's!

Space Mountain is by far my favorite steel coaster in Florida. It has more of the physical, aggressive feeling I LOVE about wooden coasters (the alleged "bumpyness" or "roughness" that many complain about), AND, it has some great surprise airtime moments both in the front and back, and has a great layout that actually increases in intensity as the ride goes on! The drops actually get BIGGER as the ride goes on! The perpetual darkness helps too, giving each ride the mystique and atmosphere of a night ride. The darkness also increases the sense of speed, as does the fact that there are very few uphills to kill speed throughout the ride.

Thunder, as well, has great airtime. Less so for Everest, but I love the theming and layout. Even Rock and Roller Coaster, with it's inversions, is more enjoyable for me than the Uni B&M loopers, and the similar loopers at Busch and Sea World, because the inversions don't dominate the ride since they are few and spread out, the launch is exhilerating, and the indoor setting and atmosphere makes every ride a night ride!

In the coaster theming department, of course, Uni has nice theming in the coaster queues. But I prefer Disney's theming of the entire rides themselves!

One thing I find annoying about Uni is they take cheap shots at Disney from time to time, which Busch never stoops to. And their hours are very short as well. They would like people to go spend money at City Walk after their parks close, but I would much rather use my Disney AP to park-hop to MK or Epcot, as one or both of those is almost always open after the Uni and Busch parks have closed for the day!

Speaking of the Busch parks (Busch Gardens and Sea World), being an animal lover, I have an AP to those, and when I'm not at Disney, I'm more likely to be there than Uni.

Busch Gardens has a classic wooden coaster, Gwazi, which is more satisfying for me than ANY coaster in Orlando. And Shiekra, while falling far-short of a TRUE hypercoaster like Apollo's Chariot at BG Williamsburg or Goliath at SF Over Georgia, is my favorite B&M-designed ride in the state. Even though it has shoulder restraints and an inversion and just two drops as opposed to hypercoasters which have TONS of drops, no inversions, lapbars, and TONS of airtime, at least the two vertical drops are breathtaking with decent floater air, and of course with only one inversion, positive g's don't dominate the ride.

Beyond those coasters, I enjoy the emphasis on animals (although Rhino Rally is a JOKE compared to the AK Safari!). And Katonga is for my money one of the best live theme park musicals in Florida, and the Critter Castaways show is great as well.

Sea World has awesome animal exhibits as well and the shows, particularly Pets Ahoy, Believe, and Blue Horizons, are exceptional. I don't care for the Sea World coasters as much as the WDW or Busch collection though, as there is no real drop/airtime-oriented coaster to balance out the inversion-heavy Krakken and Manta.

[Siren]

I am not big on coasters myself. I really love The Revenge of the Mummy though.

I want to ride Mt. Everest at AK sooooo bad though. I rarely ride coasters, they scare the hell out of due to fear of height problems and not much for upside down, but I do like coasters with a good story and usually ones indoors. I like the Aerosmith coaster though, even though it goes upside down, twice I think. And Tower of Terror is great, but I'd never ride Dr. Doom's Drop

On Sea World, as beautiful as Believe and Blue Horizons is...I miss the old shows that was educational and had more audience interaction. Blue Horizons is pretty and breathtaking...but if I want to go see human performers I'd go to Cirque de Soliel(sp?). I am there to see DOLPHINS not people dressed like birds doing wire acts. And like I said, no education at all. Sure, you can go to the lagoon and feed them and listen to an educator talk about them over the microphone but I have been to Sea World dozens of times, very very few people are paying attention to what the person is saying at all. They feed a dolphin, take their picture and walk away.

[David S.]

Good points about the current theatrical style of dolphin and whale shows vs the older more educational approach. Unfortunately I didn't live in Orlando seasonally when they still had the older style of shows, so my memory of those are hazy based on long-past vacations. I enjoy the dolphins and whales themselves the most in these shows.

I, too, pay attention to what the keepers say during prensentations, read all the signs, and spend long periods of time just watching and enjoying the animals, and I agree that unfortunately a lot of guests seem to be in more of a hurry to just move along to the "next big thing".

I guess one advantage of being a local vs "tourist" is you can take a more leisurely approach and enjoy spending more time with the animals, rather than rush through everything to make sure you see it all in one day.

Another thing I forgot to mention in response to something you said in another post was I totally agree about the awesomeness of PETS AHOY! It is my favorite animal show I've ever seen ANYWHERE! I NEVER get tired of it.

I had the pleasure of meeting Joel Slaven, the producer/head trainer of the show who they show in the video during the show saving the animals from the shelters, this past spring. He was there during Jack Hanna weekend a few weeks ago, and I told him how much I loved the show and how inspiring it is that all the animals are rescued.

PS. My favorite part, aside from the complex finale, is the dog who steals the sandwich!

[Siren]

Yeah, I have year passes to Sea World and US/IOA. So there isn't much I miss at any of them.

The dolphin show use to have more audience participation. My family was one of the last to be involved in that. It was my daughter's birthday and we mentioned that to any and all employees...and then she gets special treatment
We told someone at the dolphin show and they chose us for the show. Back then they use to have the dolphins show off and explain how the behaviors they showed worked in the wild. During that time, there was a gazebo to the right of the stage. They brought us up there to sit under it on the benches. Before the show, a trainer, in pure tourist dress (Hawaiian shirt, straw hat, sunglasses, shorts, fanny pack, socks with sandals.), he introduced himself and told us he would be playing my husband and my daughter's father. I assume when a child's father is present, he is introduced as an uncle. So during the show, he has an underwater Kodak disposable camera and follows my daughter to the edge of the pool....along the way making mistakes...they tell my daughter and him to take off their shoes and they do. My daughter was wearing sandals and take them off. He left on his socks, walked through the water, and the trainers laughed and told him he had to take off the socks too. At that point, he stands on one foot and starts pulling off the wet sock and falls into the main tank. Cue my daughter channeling Simba's "DAD!" and my family and I standing up and looking in shock...the audience, most of it who aren't in on the joke are in shock and quiet, other than gasps...and within moments, he comes out of the water, surfing on two of the dolphins....and cue the trainers letting the audience know they just got punked

So you see why I miss that show. It was more fun back then.

I especially am aggravated about that show at how the Pseudorcas are passed off as the villains of the show....NO explanation as to WHAT they are....everyone knows the bottlenosed dolphin...few people know Pseudorcas. And making them come in as some villains...animals the main characters fear the moment they see is a pet peeve of mine. Animals shouldn't be villain-ized at a supposedly educational park. It would be like a zoo posting all the info on how many people have been killed by tigers and no other info about them. I know in the end of the show the girl does end up petting them and swimming with them and all, but all the same, they are brought out as the bad guys and no education on what cool animals they really are.

[blackcauldron85]

Also, I have a life-long love and fandom of the characters, songs, and stories depicted in the Disney parks, wheras I'm generally not into most of the "properties" represented by Uni (although I do like the Dr. Seuss section.) Disney just feels more "magical" and "timeless" in that catagory for me as well.

I absolutely feel the same way. It's like spending time with characters you grew up with; you've always watched them, but now you can spend time with them in a different capacity. I'm sure that someone who's a big Spider-Man fan or someone who's a big Simpsons fan will be thrilled to go on those Universal attractions, but for people who have always loved Disney, there's just something magical about having a whole world devoted to Disney and the beloved characters.

[pinkrenata]

We told someone at the dolphin show and they chose us for the show. Back then they use to have the dolphins show off and explain how the behaviors they showed worked in the wild. During that time, there was a gazebo to the right of the stage. They brought us up there to sit under it on the benches. Before the show, a trainer, in pure tourist dress (Hawaiian shirt, straw hat, sunglasses, shorts, fanny pack, socks with sandals.), he introduced himself and told us he would be playing my husband and my daughter's father. I assume when a child's father is present, he is introduced as an uncle. So during the show, he has an underwater Kodak disposable camera and follows my daughter to the edge of the pool....along the way making mistakes...they tell my daughter and him to take off their shoes and they do. My daughter was wearing sandals and take them off. He left on his socks, walked through the water, and the trainers laughed and told him he had to take off the socks too. At that point, he stands on one foot and starts pulling off the wet sock and falls into the main tank. Cue my daughter channeling Simba's "DAD!" and my family and I standing up and looking in shock...the audience, most of it who aren't in on the joke are in shock and quiet, other than gasps...and within moments, he comes out of the water, surfing on two of the dolphins....and cue the trainers letting the audience know they just got punked

So you see why I miss that show. It was more fun back then.

I remember that! It was awesome. <i>I</i> definitely fell for it. Much better than the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular fake-out any day! Very cool you got to be a part of it!

[David S.]

There are plenty of beautiful, well themed theme parks out in the states other than Disney, such as Busch Gardens Williamsburg which rivals Disney and Universal in technology in their attractions (Curse of DarKastle is my favorite) and its landscaping

Yeah, I LOVE Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It's one of my favorite landscaped parks in the country, definitely one of my favorite "regional theme parks". I love the European theming, the architecture, the music loops, and the way the charming European villages are nestled into the woods. The way the scenic "Rhine River" winds through the park is unique and beautiful, and the way the coasters interact with the river is nice as well.

Their animal show, Pet Shenanigans, is produced by the same company who does Pets Ahoy at Sea World, and is very enjoyable.

And it helps that my favorite steel coaster on the planet, Apollo's Chariot, can be found here as well. Airtime paradise!

The park doesn't have any wood coasters, but then again, Kings Dominion has several and is just a short drive up I-95 just north of Richmond.

I agree, DarKastle is very well done. I enjoyed the Corkscrew Hill simulator in the Ireland section as well.

The northeast/east coast in general is a great part of the country for parks as there are so many, both large and small, within a relatively close distance.

[drfsupercenter]

BTW, Shrek 4-D came out first as an attraction in the park and was released to DVD a year later. So the DVD is the one that's a joke since it doesn't provide the full Shrek-tastic experience.

Oh. I had never been to Universal Orlando before 2008... so I didn't know how long that ride had been around. Whereas I had the DVD from the start.
To be honest, I prefer watching it on my TV... having stuff spraying in your face when you wear glasses is just annoying... then I have to go wipe them off... Though I can't remember, does the ride use those crappy red/blue 3D glasses like the DVD, or do they use polarized ones?

I lobsterloved the Back to the Future attraction, and was upset at its closure, though the new Simpsons one is a good successor. I can't remember the last time we rode it, though I want to get the two-disc Back to the Future DVD simply because it has the ride video on it.

And unfortunately since I went in 2008, I never got the chance to go on BTTF: The Ride.
I did pick up that DVD... it has both pre-ride footage and ride footage, both about 16 minutes. I'm hoping that's the entire video, and not just part of it.

By the way, you might want to check your local Best Buy - I saw BTTF on sale there for $10 the other day. Whereas I bought it at Target for $15 a couple months ago. (And I refuse to buy the second two, as I have the trilogy boxset and those are straight repacks as far as I know)

I also agree, T2 is by far the best 3D/4D show ever.

Yeah, that T2 show was pretty cool... I heard they were going to close that sometime soon though.
Thankfully I know of video footage that has been leaked of it... so you can practically watch the entire thing on your computer/TV. It just won't be in 3D... though I'm curious if a house-hold pair of 3D glasses would work on camera-recorded footage.

As far as Disney vs. Universal... well honestly, when we were at Disney World recently, it felt like a good majority of rides were aimed for little kids. Epcot was the only one I found lots to do at - because of things like Mission Space, etc. I think Disney World parks are more *attractions* than theme parks - most of the time is spent walking around looking at stuff... when you aren't waiting in hour long lines to buy food.

As far as roller coasters, nobody tops Cedar Point. As much as Space Mountain and some of the Islands of Adventure ones are cool - Millennium Force is by far my favorite roller coaster ever, along with a lot of other ones at Cedar Point. (plus, it's a lot closer to me!)

[PeterPanfan]

My family and I were going to go to Universal Orlando this summer, but since I'm such a huge Harry Potter fan, we decided to wait until The Wizarding World opened. I have never been to Universal, but just seeing commercials and reading about it makes it look really fun. I also do not believe that most Disney fanatic's bias towards WDW is fair. I am a MUCH bigger Disney fan than I am Universal, yet I still admire and appreciate the studio. The movies entertain me, and are just as fun, deep, comical, etc. as any Disney movie.

Sorry if I am cluttering this thread, I just needed to say that.

[blackcauldron85]

I get that some people just think that Disney fans are biased to begin with when it comes to Universal. I had been that way. BUT, again, having spent time there, to me, Disney is just more magical. If people LOVE Disney and all the Disney magic, then chances are they'll LOVE the Disney parks more than the competitors, since the competitors don't have the Disney characters or music or the special, unique Disney attractions, all which combine to form the Disney magic.

[David S.]

EXACTLY, Black Cauldron!

I approach every park I visit with an open mind. I just honestly prefer Disney! It doesn't make me "biased", just that I prefer one over the other.

It goes both ways, too. I have seen "biased" Uni fans slam Disney as being "childish" and "outdated". I have had aquaintences tell me about how they were going to Florida for vacation and just doing Uni and skipping Disney because Uni was "hip" and Disney was for "little kids".

As far as Disney fans who compare Uni to Disney and then say they prefer Disney; this is only natural because Universal all but invited this comparison when they decided to build in the SAME METROPOLITAN MARKET where Disney had already established themselves! (No doubt to cash in on the fact that there was already a large tourism base of theme park-goers in Orlando, thanks, of course, to Disney!)

And they openly ENCOURAGE people to compare their parks to Disney by constantly flaunting how "cool" and "hip" they are compared to Disney, and how Disney is "outdated". See the link below, taken from the official Uni webpage:

http://www.universalorlando.com/disney_comparision.html

Notice they tout themselves as having "Today's hottest entertainment" and portray Disney as "yesterday's classic fairytales". Never mind the TODAY'S success of Pixar films which ARE represented in WDW, and the TIMELESS nature of Disney's characters and films which never date.

The irony is, when I look at their head to head comparison of properties, Disney is the one that looks far superior for my taste, the one I'd actually want to visit the most! Under their headings for "hottest entertainment", "roller-coasters", "thrilling rides", "water rides", and "water parks", IMO Disney wins them all. So their ad is a total misfire for me, and not just because they are slamming Disney!

While it's true that this is "only advertising", the fact remains that Disney does not stoop to these lows to attack Universal. They don't even mention Uni in their ads, because, frankly, they don't have to!

So it's not like Uni is this poor victim that can't get any love because all the big bad Disney fans have it out for them!

PS. They're also touting that their version of Fastpass is just for their resort guests, like that's a good thing. Disney's Fastpass system is free, fair, democratic, and available to ALL guests, whether you have a Premium Annual Pass or a one day ticket; whether you're paying hundreds a night for a deluxe Disney resort, $19.99 a night on Hwy 192, or live in the area. FP at Disney is for EVERYONE!

The ONLY category Universal clearly "wins" IMO on that page is the pet-friendly access in their hotels, I'll give them that - if, in fact, it is true that Disney's policies are unfriendly.

PPS. Re: "yesterday's classic fairytales" - 100 years from now, people will STILL be watching Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Toy Story, and Monsters Inc, and no one will even remember that "Fear Factor" existed! It's already "outdated"!

[blackcauldron85]

David, I agree with everything you said. Every single thing. Thanks for showing us that comparison chart.

Yes, definite props for having hotels rooms where you can bring your pet(s)...how many are allowed? Would they let all 3 of my dogs stay in one room?

FREE EXPRESS RIDE ACCESS FOR ON-SITE HOTEL GUESTS

On-site Hotel Guests receive
FREE Express ride access...All Day Long


Disney's Hotel Guests — No

What a joke. Yeah, just what you said, David- it's free for EVERYONE. Trying to mess with people's minds, huh, Universal?

TODAY’S HOTTEST ENTERTAINMENT


Spider-Man®
The Incredible Hulk®
The X-Men®
Shrek®
Jimmy Neutron™
Fear Factor
The Mummy


Yesterday’s Classic Fairytales


Snow White
& the Seven Dwarfs
Peter Pan
Cinderella
Toy Story
Monsters Inc.

Um, the first thing besides that entered my mind was that did Shrek come out in 2001, just like Monsters, Inc.? Just because they're continuing to make sequels that many people don't like doesn't mean that it's a hot property.

And, um, compare Snow White to Jimmy Neutron? Compare Cinderella to Fear Factor??? Did you write that to make people laugh, Universal? Definititely a WTF moment right there.

And under "Roller Coasters", Disney's are so quality, there's no way they can say that Disney's sucks. Not that they necessarily do, but we know that they're trying to imply that. Same with "Thrilling Attractions". And I was under the impression that Pteranodon Flyers is a Dumbo-style ride; am I wrong? And same with Water Rides. Ooh, wow, Universal has one more than Disney does. But, wait, Popeye is practically a clone of Kali River Rapids, and, at least to me, the Jurassic Park ride sucks.

And I haven't been to Wet 'n Wild, but Disney has 2, thank you, and you can get an all-encompassing ticket that includes the 4 theme parks and the water parks, and I think DisneyQuest. So, , Universal. You're pathetic. You wish you could be like Disney.

[David S.]

David, I agree with everything you said. Every single thing. Thanks for showing us that comparison chart.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Amy!

Yes, definite props for having hotels rooms where you can bring your pet(s)...how many are allowed? Would they let all 3 of my dogs stay in one room?

I'm not sure, and I have a hunch you won't be booking a room there anytime soon to find out! (even if you didn't live in Orlando)

And I was under the impression that Pteranodon Flyers is a Dumbo-style ride; am I wrong?

Actually, it is a small junior coaster in which riders ride suspended below the track. It's very tame, and due to it's extremely poor capacity and resulting long lines, anyone over 56 inches tall must be accompanied by a child! (So, it's basically something you can't even ride unless you're with a kid) Here are links to facts, photos, and a youtube POV:

http://www.rcdb.com/id559.htm
http://www.rcdb.com/ig559.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy9L7HWW3IU&NR=1

And same with Water Rides. Ooh, wow, Universal has one more than Disney does. But, wait, Popeye is practically a clone of Kali River Rapids, and, at least to me, the Jurassic Park ride sucks.

Not to seem "biased", but IMO, none of these can touch the pure happy bliss of my "Laughing Place", Splash Mountain!

And I haven't been to Wet 'n Wild, but Disney has 2, thank you, and you can get an all-encompassing ticket that includes the 4 theme parks and the water parks, and I think DisneyQuest.

I much prefer Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. They have incredible Disney theming, with the slides incoporated into mountains and such, whereas Wet and Wild is not themed as well, and the slides are more out in the open where you see all the structure and supports. Also, Disney has a higher percentage of single-person slides, which I like. Wet and Wild has been focusing more lately on multi-person raft-type slides, which are fun if you're in a group, but if you're by yourself (or with someone who isn't riding) it can be awkward finding someone to go with.

Of the Disney waterparks, Blizzard Beach is my favorite. They have more slides, and I think the way it's themed to a melting ski resort (complete with ski-lift) is EXTREMELY creative and fun. They even have the Alpine yodeling music in the background!

[blackcauldron85]

And same with Water Rides. Ooh, wow, Universal has one more than Disney does. But, wait, Popeye is practically a clone of Kali River Rapids, and, at least to me, the Jurassic Park ride sucks.

Not to seem "biased", but IMO, none of these can touch the pure happy bliss of my "Laughing Place", Splash Mountain!

I was being sarcastic, of course! Hence the "Ooh, wow" part...that's why I mentioned their Kali clone- that doesn't count as one of the 3 for me, since they ripped off Disney. And I LOVE Splash Mountain. It could be the best-themed attraction in all of WDW...?[/quote]

Oh, and, no, I won't be checking into a Universal hotel anytime soon. With or without my doggies. Although a couple years ago, Bobby's company's Christmas party was held at a Universal hotel, and the company pays for people to sleep over, so I did stay in it. But I didn't have to pay!

[David S.]

Not to seem "biased", but IMO, none of these can touch the pure happy bliss of my "Laughing Place", Splash Mountain!

I was being sarcastic, of course! Hence the "Ooh, wow" part...

Yes, I know I knew you wouldn't think I was unfairly biased. I put the "biased" in quotes as a reference to the idea that Disney fans have an unfair "bias" against Universal. Splash Mountain is my favorite "water ride" of all time, and a big part of the reason is because it's my favorite animatronic ride thru/dark ride!