Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <a href="http://voiceofthejungle.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://voiceofthejungle.wordpress.com/</a> Just wanted to post this here. I did a blog post on some of the myths Disney fans seem to have about UOR. Figured everyone would be interested in reading it.
Originally Posted By dshyates You know the rumor about the mini WOC show coming to DtD and you saying BOTH UniParks need a nighttime show....well, what if since everyone from both parks have to exit around the CityWalk Lagoon, they put a really big spectacular in there? Kills 2 birds with one budget.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper While I think that'd be a great idea, you need to worry about the boat traffic there.
Originally Posted By ChiMike Yeah, the boats would prevent anything from occuring. It's too bad Fireworks are out. The next best thing are nighttime lagoon shows, like Universal 360. The parks would need to be open later year round to justify the capital expense of setting them up. More than likely it would occur only at IOA. Always thought Universal 360 could be seriously plussed. Perhaps a switch to a fountain show with movie scores would work real nice.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<More than likely it would occur only at IOA.>> At this point I'd be completely okay with that. Build a viewing deck near Port of Entry for it, and do it up.
Originally Posted By dshyates I still think there is a way to use the CityWalk lagoon. Line the edge of the lagoon on the Hard Rock side with fountains. Use building mapping tech and digital projectors to project movie scenes on the Hard Rock and NBA Cafe buildings, have giant high tech steerable torches around the lagoon. Heck without any real fireworks you could rum the boats during the show, but you would probably want to suspend the boats for 15 mins so as not to distract from the show.
Originally Posted By dshyates You could even include low level air launched pyro if you suspended the boats during the show.
Originally Posted By DlandDug While I can appreciate the intent of this blog post, it seems to defeat its own purpose... >>MYTH #1: There isn’t as much to enjoy in the parks as Disney.<< This is followed by an analysis pointing out that Uni has 44 attractions in two parks and Disney has 95 attractions in four parks. >>MYTH #2: There isn’t much to do outside of UOR’s parks when staying at UOR.<< And the "much to do" includes International Drive, Wet 'n Wild, and SeaWorld. Why not include the many, many amenities included on property just a little further down the road in... Walt Disney World? There is a lot to do at the Universal Resort, but (despite the fact that Pleasure island is effectively gone) nowhere near what is offered on property at Disney. Uni has nothing comparable to Disney's water parks, golf courses, shopping district, Wide World of Sports, etc. etc. That's just statistical fact. >>MYTH #3: Universal’s team members are terrible at customer service.<< And this is supported by: "...both company’s hire from the same talent pool. Both employers have similar workforces. And guess what… a LOT of cast members(Disney’s workers) work at Universal as well!" (P.S. The WORST customer service I have ever received was at the front desk of Islands of Adventure. And I have seen some pretty bad customer service, at Disney and elsewhere, over many years. But this is just anecdotal information.)
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Dug, you completely missed the point of the post...but I'm not surprised. The myth one dealt with saying compared 1 on 1, Universals parks compare favorably to the Disney parks. Not all of them grouped together...which I mention right in the post. Wet'n'Wild is Universal's water park, of course I'd include that. As for including SeaWorld, when you can get a ticket to there, Aquatica, Busch, and Uni's parks for way less then Disney's parks, of course I'm going to list them. Why shouldn't I? Why would I mention WDW when that's not the point of the post at all. It's to open people's eyes to what is in Orlando OTHER than Disney World. or did you not really read it. As for the customer service thing, it's to point out how blind most Disney fans are to the fact that they're the same people working at each park, and you can find poor workers at both.
Originally Posted By DlandDug And here I thought this was a blog post comparing the two resorts, for those who are unwilling to leave the Walt Disney World Resort and try out the Universal Orlando Resort. No problem at all that people should try to expand their horizons (as I do myself). But I don't find the three examples given all that persuasive. Perhaps just concentrate on what is so cool about Uni (WWoHP, Spidey, CityWalk, Portofino, etc.), and leave the comparisons aside. 'Cause ultimately, WDW always comes off as bigger, better, more popular and so on, even with all its drawbacks.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<And here I thought this was a blog post comparing the two resorts, for those who are unwilling to leave the Walt Disney World Resort and try out the Universal Orlando Resort.>> Nope. I've given up on Disney fans giving Universal its fair shake. This was just to inform them the next time they want to bash Universal's offerings, they'll actually know something about the resort and what it offers.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> WDW always comes off as bigger, better, more popular and so on, even with all its drawbacks. << WDW: more stuff, much of which is average and stale. UO: less stuff, much of which is more cutting edge, exciting, and fresher. Numbers can be misleading. If you measure the experience offered by WDW and UO by the size of the resort only, then of course WDW will win. But I'm more interested in the quality of that experience, and for that UO has eclipsed WDW for me.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 "(P.S. The WORST customer service I have ever received was at the front desk of Islands of Adventure. And I have seen some pretty bad customer service, at Disney and elsewhere, over many years. But this is just anecdotal information.)" And it's just confirmation bias, as well.
Originally Posted By ChiMike I will say, while I have my own opinions on things, I find fault with arguing that WDW is still better due to its size. How many times, on how many threads, is the conclusion that the reason X is now bad, or Y can't be offered anymore, is because WDW has been overbuilt and too big to manage and fund? That is one of Universal's unspoken strengths for me. It's isn't too big. Transportation within the resort is a pleasure, you can walk as well, Universal only has to manage two, compact parks, and they don't have to worry about revPar or occupancy loads, since they were smart enough to partner with a top hotelier. The parks get their. To me, Doug brings up great points, but what gets lost is the baggage that comes with being that big. As a paying guest, I appreciate the smaller nature of Universal as long as like Leo and Hokie have pointed out, the content stays up to the level I expect as a consumer. What is even better is that these places do not exist in a vacuum. I can be a Universal guest and still run over to Epcot for a night if I want to.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>And it's just confirmation bias, as well.<< Bias? The bias is in stating that someone's anecdotal information is "confirmation bias." It's sad but true that the worst customer service I have ever received at a theme park was at the front desk of IOA. That's all.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>I will say, while I have my own opinions on things, I find fault with arguing that WDW is still better due to its size.<< Me too. I would never do that.
Originally Posted By brotherdave In my opinion, Jurassic Park River Adventure is fun, but it is not better than Splash Mountain. Both are good rides in their own right, but the overall theming and ride length of Splash Mountain continues to make that my favorite water attraction.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper I didn't say it was better. I said the scale of JPRA out trumps the scale of Splash Mountain.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 You're not saying bigger scale is better, are you? <runs and hides - I have no intention of getting in the middle of a WDW/Uni fanboi fight>
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <You're not saying bigger scale is better, are you?>> They're very different attractions, and I enjoy them for different reasons. I'd call it a tie, personally.
