Disney vs. Universal: The Never Ending Debate WDW Theme Parks Discuss Disney vs. Universal: The Never Ending Debate in the Vacation Planning forums; ok... lemme see what i got here about this... WDW vs. Universal... when i was young lad (i hope this doesnt turn into a book) my family and i would ...

[JNota0005DakMC]

ok... lemme see what i got here about this...

WDW vs. Universal...

when i was young lad (i hope this doesnt turn into a book) my family and i would got to Orlando, Fl. not the WDW Resort or to Universal Studios... everything... we did Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, Busch Gardens... we hit all there was back in the early 90's... as the years past things were struck from the list... Busch first, then Kennedy...

now i always liked WDW and Universal... I was a huge fan of riding the movies... Jaws and Kong, Hanna-Barbera, things like that...

But WDW had my favorite movie ride in Star Tours... and as the years have progressed my like for WDW grew, while my feelings about Universal are relatively unchanged...

so in conclusion, i am a fan of both, but WDW holds a place in my memory, and my mind that Universal can never really penetrate... that would be my word on the debate... and it wasnt even a book... well maybe a novella...

[MartianCrab]

i go universel and i like this

i go disney and i like this

[Rick Blaine]

I think Universal has one of the best rides anywhere with Spiderman. First off, talk about the theme, you don’t get any better than this. Then you add the combination of 3D effects and the ride itself. For people who don’t think Universal does anything right, just try this ride. I think it is up there with anything at WDW.

[MartianCrab]

i been on that spider man ride what is the big deal
i like disney better
you can like bug if you want but not me

[Creambunni]

I really love Disney, but I also like Universal. I remember as a child riding E.T. over and over loving it so much.
I think people let their feelings and loyalty to Disney get in their way of enjoying Universal. Let's be honest, how many people go to Universal before Disney or skip Disney and go to Universal? I know I don't, and I imagine most don't.
Basically Universal is a pretty good theme park. I still have Disney as my favorite, but Universal is a very worthy competitor.

[MartianCrab]

i never saw et because it didn't interest me so the ride was of no interest ether
universal would be all right if there was no disney near it but there IS a disney near it
so peoples will compares them you can like and i can not like
its all good

[JNota0005DakMC]

E.T. does have a place... but Peter PAn's Flight is better... first off there is no exit walkway next to the ride track (a safety issue that was necessary when they made E.T. but not back when PPF was created) this is how you know that PPF will never have a major refurb...

[disneyfreak0001]

I have never been to Universal but I'm hoping to go next summer. All I know is I love Disney World & Disney Land

[Monorail Orange]

Universal has some good rides... really good rides. You'll get more inversions on their coasters than you will find in Disney. That being said...

Walt Disney World is in a completely different league. At WDW, you are completely immersed, wherever you are. Each section is completely isolated from the others, where you get a consistent feel of where you are. Disney has an insane attention for detail, whether it be the sounds you hear in the background, the way they cover up the ride/show buildings, or the backstories behind practically everything in the park. At Universal, it seems as though the rides are just inserted as they come up with them. They don't really seem to pay as much attention to detail.

Both are great, and I enjoy each. However, I've been to Universal 5 times and WDW 25+. This is not by coincidence.

[Rick Blaine]

Originally Posted by MartianCrab

i been on that spider man ride what is the big deal
i like disney better
you can like bug if you want but not me

Good question. The following are the criteria I use to evaluate rides/attractions at theme parks:

Intent and execution: What was the intent of the designers of the attraction? Did they want to thrill you, scare you, make you laugh, make you cry, make you fall asleep? Did they achieve that end?

Immersion: To what extent does the attraction make you forget where you are? When you are in Spaceship Earth, are you thinking about getting on the next ride at Epcot or are you immersed in the experience of SSE?

Ride vehicle/personal space: How well designed and comfortable are the ride vehicles? For those attractions that do not have ride vehicles (American Adventure for example) how comfortable and well designed are the seats?

Pre and post ride area: You stand a good chance of being in line for the attraction a lot longer than you are actually in the attraction, so how distracting is the line? Did the time go quickly due to a nicely designed pre-show? Also, although many attractions do not have them, if there is a post-ride area, how well is it designed? Do they offer interesting stuff for sale, etc?


In all of these categories, except for maybe post-ride area (I don’t remember it if they had one) I think Spiderman is one of the best attractions. First off, I believe the intent is to provide the rider with an exhilarating ride without being “freefall” thrill level. They achieved this perfectly by combining a moving ride experience with projections that make it seem you are moving a lot more than you are. Sort of like “Star Tours” except on a much more elaborate scale. The experience is both distracting and immersive. I’m sure most people are not yawning and thinking about the Incredible Hulk coaster while riding Spiderman. The ride vehicle is certainly comfortable, without having any more restraint than is necessary. As I said, all in all for me the best ride in the Orlando area!!

[MartianCrab]

do you like spiderman...i'm guessing you do
i don't like superheroes so i can't appreciate the detail
imagine the greatest artists, musicians, special effects people, technicians, electricians and architects working together to make a ride
lets say the theme is "my little pony" a preteen girls toy
would you enjoy it simply because its immersive?
i wouldnt because "my little pony" doesnt interest me in the least
for me, its the same with spiderman
i'd rather get a snack while the people im with go on it

[HauntedGabe]

And I don't put that much thought into the rides at either park. Either I enjoy them or I don't. If I don't they are off my Must Do List for next time. Can't tell you the last time I was on Star Wars/Tours or the Mermaid at DHS (just examples)

[zippitydoodah]

Hm... I'm not a huge superhero fan, I mean I've seen the Spiderman movies but I don't own any and I've never read any of the comics, and I thought the ride was FANTASTIC. Even my boyfriends mom who couldn't care less about superheros loved that ride. In fact, she doesn't like thrill rides normally.... it really does provide a big thrill without having a whole lot of REAL movement like a roller coaster. It's very, very well done. The only reason I can see for not liking it is if you HATE spiderman for some reason and you also hate any sort of thrill ride.

I've heard that the new Harry Potter ride rivals Spiderman... has anyone been on it yet? I've heard it described as Soarin' combined with Spiderman which sounds great to me!

As for "i been on that spider man ride what is the big deal. i like disney better"... I'm puzzled by why people think that loving Disney World means they aren't allowed to like Universal? Of course we all like Disney more, we wouldn't be on this forum otherwise. That doesn`t mean we can`t also appreciate the rides that are well done at Universal and have fun when we`re there.... it`s not like Disney World is going to be offended that you`re at the "other park"!

[zippitydoodah]

Originally Posted by HauntedGabe

And I don't put that much thought into the rides at either park. Either I enjoy them or I don't. If I don't they are off my Must Do List for next time. Can't tell you the last time I was on Star Wars/Tours or the Mermaid at DHS (just examples)

Ya I agree with that. I once went to Disney with a bunch of friends who went to school for technical theater stuff and after some rides they would go on and on about details and effects that I have NEVER paid attention to or noticed. To me I either enjoy the ride or not! There are lots of Disney rides that I don't enjoy at all (some that if I were to list, I think I would get hate mail from fellow Disney fans haha)

[HauntedGabe]

Originally Posted by edwardsfire

We like Universal....but it is NO WDW or DLR for that matter.
Different leagues they are.
I consider Kings Island in Ohio to be the BEST non Disney theme park one can goto.
Disney has em all beat though...for all the obvious reasons.

And my DS will be staying on sight at Cedar Point in Ohio this weekend. He was a Disney College Program student and yet he will likely have a great time this weekend at Cedar Point.

V-you are correct, apples and oranges!