Does anyone go to Universal (Orlando)?

Any topic that doesn't fit elsewhere.
User avatar
blackcauldron85
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16456
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
Gender: Female
Contact:

Does anyone go to Universal (Orlando)?

Post by blackcauldron85 »

So, there was apparently a commercial during the Super Bowl about signing up to try to get a free 7-day 2-park ticket for Universal Studios. Bobby signed me up, since he didn't want the opportunity to go to waste, and he doesn't ride many rides. I just got an email saying that I was one of the first 100,000 people to sign up, so I'll be getting the 7-day 2-park ticket. I was less than thrilled when Bobby told me that he signed me up, and I'm kind of less than thrilled now. I love Disney, I don't love Universal.

I was wondering, though, if any of you have a Universal (Orlando) annual pass or if you also won the free ticket. If so, maybe we could go together?
Image
User avatar
xxhplinkxx
Collector's Edition
Posts: 2769
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:34 am
Location: Your mind.

Post by xxhplinkxx »

*grins*


It's a date.
Image

"Hip hop frightens you, doesn't it....Hmmm...Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate. Hate leads to endlessly posting threads about stupid white people. Hmmmmm....."

I love Siren!
User avatar
blackcauldron85
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16456
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
Gender: Female
Contact:

Post by blackcauldron85 »

Yay! It says that it's valid from Mar. 1- Dec. 31...I guess I'll have it mailed to me? I didn't read the whole email...
Image
User avatar
drfsupercenter
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1267
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:59 pm
Location: Michigan, USA
Contact:

Post by drfsupercenter »

Universal Studios was actually pretty cool... I was there in February.

And hey, where else can you get a picture with the Simpsons? (I have that picture as the background of my cell phone... everyone thinks it's pretty awesome!)
And really, I just walked in to buy tickets and noticed a line for taking your picture with The Simpsons. I don't know if they're there all the time.

And I also got a video of them filming the newest Beethoven movie... if I ever find that memory card I'm totally uploading it :D
Image

Howard Ashman:
He gave a mermaid her voice, a beast his soul, and Arabs something to complain about
Arabian Nights (Unedited)
Savages (Uncensored)
If it ain't OTV, it ain't worth anything!
User avatar
xxhplinkxx
Collector's Edition
Posts: 2769
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:34 am
Location: Your mind.

Post by xxhplinkxx »

Haha. Well let me know when you get it. (You probably should read the whole e-mail :p)

My pass expires March 25.
Image

"Hip hop frightens you, doesn't it....Hmmm...Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate. Hate leads to endlessly posting threads about stupid white people. Hmmmmm....."

I love Siren!
User avatar
blackcauldron85
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16456
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
Gender: Female
Contact:

Post by blackcauldron85 »

I just read the whole email:

You will receive your Universal Orlando Park ticket confirmation code in the mail within the next 4-6 weeks. The ticket confirmation code mailer will be sent to the address you provided in your registration. You will need to present your ticket confirmation code mailer and a valid form of identification* at the ticket windows of either Universal Studios Florida or Islands of Adventure theme parks. Your Universal Orlando® 2-park Unlimited Admission Ticket is valid March 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009.

March 26 is my birthday, so maybe we could hang out as an early birthday present!!! Since it didn't work out for your birthday. :(
Image
User avatar
blackcauldron85
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16456
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
Gender: Female
Contact:

Post by blackcauldron85 »

Bobby's aunt, uncle, and cousins have been down for the past week or so, and although they're on a WDW vacation, they did spend two days at Universal, and I spent those days with them, since my Disney pass has expired and I have the free Universal 7-day pass.

On Tuesday, we went to Islands of Adventure. The one time I had been to Universal in the past (in 2003), we went to IoA, but we only did 2 things (I visited my uncle during spring break that year, and one evening through the next day, he stuck me with his then-girlfriend's-son's best friend and his (then-pregnant) wife. They had me use her annual pass to get in and then we went back around to give her her pass to use...it wasn't my idea, but I'm still thrilled that I've never had to pay Universal...I don't remember if they paid or I paid for my food that day, if we ate there, but yeah...besides that, which I don't remember, I've never given the Universal park a penny of my money!): Dueling Dragons and the Atlantis show (which we walked past on Tuesday, but I can't find it in the guide map...). Yesterday, we went to Universal Studios. My thoughts follow:

I was very underwhelmed with both parks. That was my all-encompassing thought.

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls: I really liked this attraction. I said after riding it that it was no Splash Mountan, which is extremely true, but you get pretty wet, and it was fun. The non-animatronics (I don't think they moved?) were not that great, but the ride itself was fun.

Popeye & Bluto's Blige-Rat Barges: Extremely similar to the Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom- if you like one, you'll like the other. Bobby's aunt and cousin said that you get more wet on this one, though.

Jurrasic Park River Adventure: The absolute worst theme park attraction I've ever been on in my life. It was boring. There was one drop(?). The animatronic apatosaurus (?) in the beginning made me think there would be hope (I was already bored at that point, though), but no. The falling box (?) made me scream, but it was just boring.

Dueling Dragons: I hadn't remembered anything about this ride from the last time I was on it, besides the fact that there were two sides. It was alright. All of us (minus Bobby's uncle) rode it twice, and then 3 of his cousins rode it who knows how many more times (his aunt, cousin, and myself opted not to ride it any more). I hadn't slept well the night before and it was making me dizzy, so that's why I didn't re-ride it more. It's not a bad ride at all. Not great, but it was fun enough, I guess.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man: Bobby's uncle claims that this is the greatest ride in all of Orlando. He had hyped it up- I think a few of them were hyping this up. I was very underwhelmed- I just didn't like it. I liked the spinning aspect. I mean, the technology wasn't bad or anything, but it wasn't as awe-inspiring as they made it out to be. Part of it could be due to story- I don't care about Spider-Man and his villains (sorry, Chris!), and so my non-interest could've factored in to my thoughts. Also, we re-rode it a few times (thanks to the downpour outside), and it took a few walks through the queue area to understand the story. I just didn't enjoy it much.

Doctor Doom's Fearfall: Extremely pathetic. I have been on non-Tower of Terror attractions like this, most recently at California Adventure last year (and I've been on the Superman one at Six Flags in Massachusetts), but this was horribly pathetic. I thought there was promise when we got flung in the air, but that was it. No multiple flingings. Pathetic. We waited longer than we should have for this attraction, and it was not worth it.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster: This was awesome. It was really fun. We were going to go on this in 2003, but it was down when we were going to ride it. It was very thrilling.

The Cat in the Hat: I also loved this ride. It was themed extremely well. It was the only attraction that I applauded at the end- it was pretty magical.

For lunch I had cheese pizza from the Comic Strip Cafe (I think that's where it was). It was not the best pizza I've ever had, but it was pretty yummy.

That's all we did at that park. Thoughts on yesterday:

Shrek 4-D: This was the last attraction we got to do before the park closed. I had said Jimmy Neutron, but I guess more people wanted Shrek. If you know me at all, you know that I despise DreamWorks. Apparently Bobby's aunt doesn't know me at all (but she really does), because while we were in line, she asked, "Do you like Shrek?", and you know my answer. Bobby's uncle said, "Did you seriously have to ask her that question?". lol. Anyhoo, they played clips from the Shrek movies (unless some clips were just for the attraction- I'm not sure) while waiting outside the doors to get in. I always enjoy something to do in line, so that was appreciated, even though I was mad at their rips on Disney. We walked in and there was a preshow. I was not impressed at that point. Then it was time for the attraction. I wasn't expecting anything great, but I actually enjoyed it. I liked the technology- the seats move, which really added to the attraction. The movie itself wasn't bad, either, surprisingly.

Twister...Ride It Out: Disappointing. I don't know what they could've done better, but they could've done something better. (I was disappointed, just like I'm disappointed to find out I ate all my Pop-Tart when I was just going to grab a bite.) I wasn't expecting much, though- we walked into a room with screens, and I had heard someone say that you stand up during the attraction, so I thought that that was it, so I guess I was pleased to find out that there was more to it than that. Maybe if I was in the front row, it would've been cooler, since I would've been able to see better. It just didn't feel much like I imagine a tornado feels like (although I'd like for that to be the closest I get to feeling what a tornado feels like).

Revenge of the Mummy: This was alright. I mean, I liked it, but it wasn't wicked special or anything. My favorite part of this was just riding a roller coaster with which I wasn't familiar with the track. It's not a straight-up roller coaster- there is a lot of themeing (theming?), and parts of it felt like a dark ride. The queue area heavily reminded me of the Indiana Jones ride queue area at Disneyland (or is it California Adventure? I think it's at Disneyland).

Disaster!: Ugh, stupid. I had read that Universal had something that was somewhat similar to the Backlot Tour at Disney-MGM, and I'm not sure if this was that attraction, but my guess is yes. It was just pathetic. There was even a "3 way" joke. Not very family-friendly. It just was stupid. The subway shaking wasn't even scary at all.

Jaws: This wasn't horrible, but it wasn't as neat as it could've been. We had a good skipper, so he made it better, I'm sure. It was better than many other attractions. It was just alright for me.

Terminator 2: 3D: The only thing I enjoyed was the fact that while Arnold and the boy were on the screen, actors playing them were on stage- I thought that that was neat. But that was all I liked. The 3D effects were kind of poor, at least compared to Disney (but Bobby's aunt said that the attraction is pretty old now). I feel that Terminator is a strange choice for an attraction at a family theme park. I've never seen the movies and am not interested in them, so that could've affected my experience, but I just didn't enjoy it.

E.T. Adventure: What a letdown. Ugh. Seriously, not very enjoyable. I used to watch E.T. somewhat often while growing up, and I had almost forgotten all about it (hence it not being on my non-DVDs-to-buy list...I need to revisit it again). E.T. is cute, so I thought the ride would be cute. Sure, he's in your basket, but you can't really see him, and he's not even in the ride. I don't recall his home-planet friends being in the movie (but, again, it's been YEARS since I've seen the film), and that's what the ride is. I mean, sure, there are cops and what-not. Just not impressive at all. It was kind of boring, although some of the aliens were cute. It was just confusing, like, what is the point? Sure, Steven Spielberg had said in the pre-ride video that we're helping E.T. save his home-planet and friends; is it sad that you have to watch Steven Spielberg say what the point of the ride is? Should've you be able to figure that out from the ride itself? It just made no sense.

Men in Black: Alien Attack: Ugh. Pretty bad. First off, the sign said that there was a 20 minute wait. I'm going to branch off here and rant about the locker situation. At the Disney parks, rides have pouches for your belongings, so you can safely put your items in the pouches while you ride so they don't fall out. Universal doesn't believe in pouches. You must either leave your belongings with a non-rider or rent a "free" locker for the duration of your ride experience. There are lockers located near the attractions that don't allow you to take loose items on board with you. Bobby's uncle sometimes had trouble getting his lockers open. For Men in Black, the wait time said 20 minutes. An hour and fifteen minutes later, we exited and returned to the locker. We're not sure if the lockers were reset and everyone who came off the ride got to get their locker rental for free or not, but we got both of ours free, due to it saying 20 minutes and it took a lot longer than that. I asked Bobby's uncle after riding the Mummy ride if the locker problems would deter him from coming back to Universal, and he said yes. I was pleased. It's so stupid to force you to rent a locker; they give you a set time (30, 35, 40 minutes) of how long you can rent for free; after that, it's $3 per half hour to rent a locker. It's just stupid. Anyhoo, back to the ride. I much prefer the Buzz Lightyear rides (I prefer the one in California due to the gun being different and easier to maneuver, but I do like the ride). This just wasn't as fun, maybe due to the world of Buzz being more fun for me than the world of Men in Black. I liked the fast spinning aspect- that was fun. It was underwhelming, and we had waited for so long (after the sign saying it'd be a 20 minute wait), it was even more underwhelming.

The Simpsons Ride: This was the first attraction we did, due to pretty much the rest of the park not opening until 11am. I loved how the queue area has TVs playing Simpsons cartoons on it- very fun. I hated the fact that the theme was a Midway- just like Toy Story Mania. I get that Krustyland is on the TV show, but really? Midway? Ugh. Copy much? Anyway, the ride itself was alright. I had no idea what kind of ride it was, so I had no expectations. I mean, I guess it was better than alright...it was neat. It didn't blow my mind, but it was fun.

For lunch I had a cheeseburger and fries and a vanilla milkshake at Richter's Burger Co. It was yummy enough. I had a tummy ache an hour or so after that that just built up during the day, but my stomach is like that anyway.

So, that's it. Very underwhelming. My favorite attractions were Dudley Do-Right, The Hulk, The Cat in the Hat, and Shrek 4-D. I wouldn't recommend a trip to Universal. Disney parks all the way. I know that I would've said that even if I hadn't gone to Universal, but this just proves how superior Disney is. I think that part of it is the fact that I care about Disney characters; not so much about Spider-Man or Terminator. Disney is just more magical; that's something that all of us agreed with.
Image
User avatar
Daisy Duck
Gold Classic Collection
Posts: 194
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 9:16 am
Location: Left the forum.

Post by Daisy Duck »

I really enjoyed reading your review of Universal Studios, blackcauldron85! I've never had much interest in visiting the Universal Parks, but would if I also had a free pass, just to check out the competition. I did go to the Universal park in California several years ago, but must have been underwhelmed since I don't remember much of it. It certainly was not the magical experience that Disney is.

Disney seems far superior in its attention to detail, cleanliness, endearing characters, quality of attractions, customer service and in ensuring that its guests have that "magical" experience. But I'm a little biased! :ears: That hassle with the lockers and the inaccurate posted waiting times, for example, definitely would have put a damper on my experience at the park.
User avatar
bradhig
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1109
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:59 pm
Location: Olathe , Kansas

Post by bradhig »

We went to Universal studios when on our vacation. They had a nighttime parade that looked like the main street electrical parade but we didn't stay to see it. Disaster is really earthquake the ride redone. We didn't make it to Islands of adventure.
User avatar
blackcauldron85
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16456
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
Gender: Female
Contact:

Post by blackcauldron85 »

Thanks, Daisy! :) I think that there could be a lot of reasons for Universal's parks not being as memorable as Disney's:

lack of themeing (theming?)
I put the guide map back in the other room, but the lands weren't very memorable if there are set lands. The only thing that stood out theme-wise was the classic Hollywood street near the opening of Universal Studios. Writing my next response made me come back to this point. The Dr. Seuss section was themed very well- as I had mentioned about the Cat in the Hat ride, that ride was themed extremely well. We didn't do much in the Dr. Seuss section, due to rain, but it was very nice.

a jumble of characters from different sources
It makes sense to have Snow White, Brer Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland, and Goofy in the same park. The original Walt Disney World characters (such as from POTC and Haunted Mansion) are Disney originals, so they fit well in a Disney park. What is the tie between Spider-Man, Dudley Do-Right, Popeye, and the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park? It's kind of a random jumble of characters from various sources.

employees
Costumes and getting in character: The Haunted Mansion and Tower of Terror come to mind- those cast members (for the most part- I've seen some smiling maids at Haunted Mansion before, for example) do such a great job at keeping the show atmosphere. There just aren't memorable costumes and themes for employees to be in character at Universal. The skipper on the Jaws ride was great, but an attractions hostess at The Mummy wasn't helpful when I asked for help with the lockers- she didn't care and said find the guy in shorts. :? Luckily, another girl she was working with helped me when I walked back for help. I don't know anything about how Universal's employees are trained, but I was told during my WDW training that you never tell a guest "I don't know"; you always go and find someone who can help.

quality
Tower of Terror vs. Doctor Doom's Fearfall
Splash Mountain vs. Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls
Backlot Tour vs. Disaster!
MuppetVision 3D vs. Terminator 2: 3D
Peter Pan's Flight vs. E.T. Adventure (for lack of a better comparison)
Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters vs. Men in Black: Alien Attack

The Disney attractions listed above are just so much better than the Universal comparisons. I mean, it's pathetic to compare Doctor Doom's Fearfall to Tower of Terror, but that Fearfall is so darn pathetic anyway. And as I had said, I really did enjoy the Dudley Do-Right ride, but the theming looked cheap.

When in the line for Men in Black, talking with Bobby's aunt about how long the line was taking, she said that at Tower of Terror the day before, the sign had said 10 minutes, but that the line was 50 minutes long, but that was noticable from walking to the back of the line, so they didn't have to stay- that was just technical difficulties, she had said. At the Men in Black ride, we had been in line for over 20 minutes, surely, and then there was an announcement that the wait was now 45 minutes; we weren't sure where the wait time of 45 minutes started- from the back of the line, or from where we were. So, we were stuck- they hadn't previously told us. And, by not previously telling us, they would've made money on our locker rental (but we got help with that)...I am a conspiracy theorist when it comes to Disney's competition, and Universal is no different- I thought that they were looking to not give "free" locker rentals as the signs suggested but that they would make things take longer so you'd have to pay; from not posting correct ride times to making it so difficult to retrieve your belongings from the lockers.

characters
Children grow up knowing Disney characters (not all the characters, obviously- how many children know Gurgi or Johnnie Fedora?). Woop-de-doo at being able to meet some lady and some guy from "The Mummy"?!? Who knows who they are? There was some guy, I guess from Spider-Man, avaiable to meet, too. We did walk past some characters from Madagascar, which obviously is not magical to me, but they're better than the characters from "The Mummy", for example. And even just in the ride; spend a long time watching a 3D movie visiting the Muppets, or visiting the Terminator?
Image
User avatar
Daisy Duck
Gold Classic Collection
Posts: 194
Joined: Sun May 06, 2007 9:16 am
Location: Left the forum.

Post by Daisy Duck »

Those are interesting observations, Amy.

I agree about Universal's lack of theming in general. When I was at the Universal park in California it seemed like rides were haphazardly put whereever they had space for it. We just went from ride to ride without having anything particularly interesting or thematic to look at in between. It's apparent that Disney spent much time planning the layout of their parks and how best to let the experience of the parks unfold as visitors make their way through them. So even if you didn't go on any rides, you could still appreciate the atmosphere at the Disney parks. For example, I love the attention to details, like how the trashcans in Frontierland look different than the trashcans in Tomorrowland and any other land at Magic Kingdom. I also love all the flower gardens that Disney parks are famous for.

I think I would still have fun at the Universal parks (so I don't mean to offend any Universal lovers! :) ) but the characters don't mean as much to me as the Disney characters do. The Cat in the Hat area sounds nice and I like the character of Dudley Do Right (I had to look him up to remember who he was!), so I'd probably enjoy those attractions. However, many Universal characters I just don't care about. I've never seen a "Terminator" movie (I know, gasp), so that ride wouldn't draw me...
User avatar
DarthPrime
Collector's Edition
Posts: 2520
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2005 10:55 pm

Post by DarthPrime »

I haven't been to Universal in ages (went in 1998), but I remember having a lot of fun. Wouldn't mind going back and seeing the new rides/attractions.
User avatar
PrincePhillipFan
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1099
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:32 pm

Post by PrincePhillipFan »

I hope I don't offend anyone, particularly you Amy, but I just wanted to make my stance here. :p

I'm a bit tired of always hearing Disney fans complain about how much they don't like Universal when they go. It makes me wonder a lot why do they bother even go if they're bent set on hating it from the get-go. Hell, I wish I had the money where I could just plop down and waste 80 bucks to just whine and be miserable the entire time. (Again, I'm not directing this to you at all, Amy. I'm talking about a lot of other Disney fans in general that I've read on message boards). To put it simply, Universal is not Disney, and it never will be. But that doesn't make it any less of a more enjoyable park, and a lot of times it has just as much quality theming as Disney does at times.

I admit that Studios really falls short in theming, but the attention to theming in Islands of Adventure always astounded me, especially when I first saw it in the first year that it opened. I love the tropical Mediterranean theming to the Port area, and the visitors center in Jurassic Park was incredibly detailed and looked like it just jumped right out of the movie. I love Seuss Landing, but to me the topper was probably The Lost Continent. Sadly, so much of it has been demolished thanks to Harry Potter (ugh), but in its original incarnation it was so incredibly beauitful. The theming around Poseidon's Fury with the ancient Greece architecture is lovely, and the old Enchanted Oak Tavern (now ripped out thanks to dumb Potter again) was beautiful in its stained glass medieval windows. It makes me sad that so much of this beautiful land is now being ripped out.

As for the attractions, I never thought they fell short. The Incredible Hulk and Dueling Dragons to me are some of the best roller coasters I have ever been on, and are the top in their design. Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls beats out Splash Mountain way far to me in terms of its flume thrill, and I enjoy the story a lot more than Splash Mountain. But then I just may be biased because I'm a big Jay Ward fanboy, and Dudley Do-Right was always my favorite Jay Ward character. :p

Also, about the characters, to me it doesn't really make any difference than Disney. Snow White and Aladdin come from completely different universes, but they don't seem out of place simply because they're Disney properties. Hence why Jurassic Park and Spider Man don't seem out of place to me at Universal - they're Universal properties. It makes just as much sense to me personally.

I hope you don't think I'm taking it as a slam against you Ames, since I really don't intend it to be. I'm just expressing my own opinions of the park and how tired I am of seeing people complain about Universal isn't Disney. As I said before, Universal isn't Disney and never will be. And I think once you try and stop comparing the two parks together, and simply try to enjoy each one for its own attractions and theming, Disney fans will be able to enjoy it a lot more.
-Tim
Image
User avatar
xxhplinkxx
Collector's Edition
Posts: 2769
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:34 am
Location: Your mind.

Post by xxhplinkxx »

I'm gonna have to agree with Tim. I wish I could sit here and comment on every single thing you talked about, but that would take me forever.

In short, I love Universal and Island of Adventure. I think there are more adult rides, but kids also have a blast on them; I know I did when I was younger. You just can't appreciate it as much cause you're a Disney fangirl. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and I hope you don't take offense to it, but it's true.
Woop-de-doo at being able to meet some lady and some guy from "The Mummy"?!? Who knows who they are? There was some guy, I guess from Spider-Man, avaiable to meet, too. We did walk past some characters from Madagascar, which obviously is not magical to me
Who knows who they are? Millions of people do. I watched The Mummy movies growing up, along with the Terminators and all these other films that are presented in the parks. Like I said, it may be a "whoop-de-doo" thing for you, but it's fun/cool for fans of the movies.

And as much as much of a thorn in my side as Madagascar may be, it is one of the most popular kids movies today. So, it may not be magical to you, an adult Disney fan, but it's magical to today's kids. I know my younger cousins all love the Madagascar movies.

As for Terminator being an odd choice for the theme park, I don't think so at all. Universal Studios is all about the movies and c'mon, it's the freaking Terminator! Just because it's not some cutesy little cartoon doesn't mean it shouldn't be in a family park. I hate that about today, everything is so censored and watered down for kids. I grew up watching all the great action films of the 90's as a kid, and we watched them as a family.

And I think the parks are definitely themed well. IoA has all these different "islands", if you will, that have all these different movie themes. I LOVE Marvel Island (duh, lol). I also was really amazed by Seuss Landing as a kid.

Oh, and to quickly comment on the 3-way joke and it not being family friendly... In Pirates they're drunk and auctioning off whores. How's that for family friendly?

All in all, I think Islands and Universal are great parks with some pretty awesome rides that anyone, with out any biases, can enjoy.

P.S. I also love the Lucy store in Universal Studios!! :D
Image

"Hip hop frightens you, doesn't it....Hmmm...Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate. Hate leads to endlessly posting threads about stupid white people. Hmmmmm....."

I love Siren!
User avatar
blackcauldron85
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16456
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
Gender: Female
Contact:

Post by blackcauldron85 »

No offence taken, Tim! I like honesty!

For me, I would've bashed Universal anyway, just because I don't like Universal and DreamWorks on principle. :P But now having actually spent time at the parks, I'm justified. I gave props to the 4 attractions that I really enjoyed (one being Shrek 4-D, which is both Universal and DreamWorks!). Part of the way I feel is because I'm such a big Disney fan- Disney = magical, Universal = not so much, at least to me. I don't care about Spider-Man or Terminator or Men in Black, so those attractions didn't hold the same interest for me as Philharmagic, MuppetVision 3D (I care about the Muppets!), or Peter Pan's Flight, for example.

So, now that I'm justified, my complaints weren't just to complain, but were just my observations and feelings. And the locker fiasco is just stupid, plain and simple. I wasn't miserable the entire time, but I sure did complain! :) I only went because I had a free pass and Bobby's family was going anyway, and I wasn't able to spend time with them at the Disney parks. I would not have wanted to spend the $12 on parking if I went by myself! And Bobby was the one who signed me up for a free pass- I would not have done that on my own!

The Incredible Hulk was incredible, I agree with you. I still say that California Screamin' could be the best coaster (if one says that Splash Mountain isn't a coaster, since it's a flume ride). Dueling Dragons was just alright for me. It wasn't memorable enough for me to remember all these years later (since I rode it in 2003), and it did make me overly dizzy.

I love the theming on Splash Mountain so much; the theming of Dudley Do-Right sucks compared to Splash Mountain, sorry. A few non-moving (right?) animatronics with no backgrounds do not compare to the wonder that is Splash Mountain. No offense! But the ride was a fun flume ride, and you do get wet, which is the point.

About the characters: As I had said, I care about Disney characters, and not so much about most of the ones at Universal. And, Snow White is in Fantasyland and Aladdin is in Adventureland, so they're allowed to seem out of place, if indeed they do seem out of place. I'm going to get my guide map to see what "lands" each attraction is in at Universal.

Toon Lagoon: Dudley Do-Right and Popeye. That makes sense.
Jurassic Park: Jurassic Park and Pteranodon Flyers. That makes sense.
Marvel Super Hero Island: Spider-Man, Dr. Doom, Hulk. That makes sense.

I guess I didn't notice the theming when I was there. Like, I didn't get a super hero vibe from "Marvel Super Hero Island". I couldn't tell that I was on a Super Hero Island, versus when you're in Frontierland, you can tell that you're in the Old West. I could tell that I was in Seuss Landing, but I've already praised the Dr. Seuss section! Basically, I couldn't tell by the theming that I was transported to another place and time. When you're in Fantasyland, it has that medieval feeling to it, and when you're in Tomorrowland, you see Space Mountain and the Astro Blasters- it looks pretty futuristic. Liberty Square makes you feel like you're in 1700s New England or Pennsylvania, or someone in the 13 Colonies!

Now here's the Universal Studios (above was IoA) guide map:

Production Central: Jimmy Neutron, Shrek 4-D. Um, I thought that there was a Nickelodeon section- I didn't know that Shrek was a part of that section. Theming fail.

Hollywood: Make-Up Show, Terminator, Lucy- A Tribute. The Hollywood section was themed like old Hollywood, so I'll give them some credit here.

New York: Twister, Mummy, Blues Brothers. I didn't know that I was in New York. I saw the Blues Brothers in passing, and they were performing on front stairs (?) of a building, but I still didn't know that I was in New York. Poor theming.

I won't continue. You already said that the theming at Universal Studios is poor, and I agree.
Image
User avatar
PrincePhillipFan
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1099
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:32 pm

Post by PrincePhillipFan »

Well I can obviously see that I'm not going to change your opinion since you already said you're a foe of Universal from the get go. :p

I wasn't trying to pinpoint you and saying you were wrong for not liking it, or singling you out in particular. I've just read countless of posts from hardcore Disney fanatics who have plopped down the money to go to the parks just so they can complain and not have any fun at all, and state that Universal "isn't Disney." It seems like an incredible waste to me, and they aren't allowing themselves any fun at all. 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, but they never give them a try simply because "they aren't a Disney park."

Also, I'm a bit sad to hear that you didn't get to see Poseidon's Fury. It's one of my favorite attractions there at IOA, and some of the best special effects ever, as well as a beautifully detailed storyline. The water tunnel that you walk through alone (with real water swirling around in a circle all around) is incredibly beauitful.
-Tim
Image
User avatar
xxhplinkxx
Collector's Edition
Posts: 2769
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 7:34 am
Location: Your mind.

Post by xxhplinkxx »

PrincePhillipFan wrote:The water tunnel that you walk through alone (with real water swirling around in a circle all around) is incredibly beauitful.
YES! That is my favorite part of the entire show! :D
Image

"Hip hop frightens you, doesn't it....Hmmm...Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate. Hate leads to endlessly posting threads about stupid white people. Hmmmmm....."

I love Siren!
User avatar
Siren
Platinum Edition
Posts: 3749
Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2005 6:45 pm
Location: Florida
Contact:

Post by Siren »

I enjoy Islands of the Adventure the most. Also like Universal. Disney comes third. Sorry.

Consider that Universal/IOA is also a "more grown up" theme park. Characters don't generally stick around forever there. Madagascar will be a distant memory in 10 years. Where as Mickey Mouse is timeless. But really, who goes to Universal/IOA for characters anyways.

Though I admit, Donkey, who is located behind the Shrek 4-D is the BEST character in a theme park ever! He is a live audio-anamatronic, who is puppetted behind the scenes and he asks you questions and talks to you...its not recorded, it is a live voice actor.
The Magic Fountain in IOA is also a live actor behind the scenes. It makes it FAR more memorable than the regular, "stand and smile" with a character.
User avatar
bradhig
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1109
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:59 pm
Location: Olathe , Kansas

Post by bradhig »

In Sherk 4D there's an imitation of Tinkerbell that gets attacked by a frog and flies into a speaker at the end of the show I cracked up when I saw that.
User avatar
drfsupercenter
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1267
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:59 pm
Location: Michigan, USA
Contact:

Post by drfsupercenter »

Shrek 4D is the biggest joke ever

It's just Shrek 3D (I have it on DVD) with moving seats and stuff spraying in your face. They had a combo promo with the first Shrek (unfortunately, a barebones one that's 4:3 and no special features) and Shrek 3D together... so we have it.

I did like a lot of the rollercoasters though, that's one thing it has over Disney World. Plus, I got stuck on Jurassic Park for 30 minutes, they gave me and my parents "get on any ride without waiting" passes... and the people never collected them so I got on like 3 rides within 15 minutes :D

Overall I liked Universal Orlando when I went a little over a year ago... I haven't been to Magic Kingdom in ages though (Our band trip to Orlando went to the three other parks) so I have nothing to compare it against.

Not to mention, getting to take your picture with the Simpsons is an added plus!

I also saw them filming the newest Beethoven movie... I even took a video of them filming, but I don't know what happened to it. If I ever find the file I'll upload it to YouTube or somewhere.

--EDIT--

LOL, just realized I already posted that picture... but now you can see it again! :P
Image

Howard Ashman:
He gave a mermaid her voice, a beast his soul, and Arabs something to complain about
Arabian Nights (Unedited)
Savages (Uncensored)
If it ain't OTV, it ain't worth anything!
Post Reply