Disney "Money Grab" and the future of Universal

[ClapYourHands]

You mean Cheapek...totally agree he has squeezed every bit of joy out of the parks for me.
Eiger spent far too much on properties that they then ruined. How do you mess up Star Wars it was so simple - but no let K Kennedy do whatever she likes. Yeah lets base a land on a character\movie no one cares all that much about and that sells almost zero product compared to the original trilogy. *(&^ the fans this is what we want.



Be very careful with DVC - do not buy well you are there - Ive had too many friends buy in while they were there and then regret it. The COVID situation and the way Disney handled it did not help things. Most of my friends who bought in the last 4 or 5 years are trying to get out now.
I almost bought in myself way back when it first started - Im glad I did not because within a few years Disney was on the road to what it is today and I started going less and less. Back then you got free Disney tickets with DVC up until 1999 I think - and still after adding it all up and the fees - it was cheaper to book trips when you want to go with the various deals you can get.

If you are going to buy do the research and look into the secondary market - Im no expert but do your due diligence - sounds like you get that - but I figure its worth mentioning for others that might read this.

There is a DVC section on this site if you scroll down on the main forum page. The folks there give good advice. If you are committed to buying DVC, they’ll help you strategize how to do it. If you have questions, they’ll answer them. If you post a bit about your family and travel style, they’ll give you their opinion if DVC is right for you. Often they will tell newbies NOT to buy, which might surprise you, given that most of them are owners, but that also means they know the pitfalls and mistakes people make regarding DVC.

I had the most fabulous trip in 2018, and was seriously looking at DVC, but my 2019 trip was canceled for a family death, and 2020 rescheduled trip was canceled for COVID shutdown, and I haven’t been willing to rebook at the current state of higher prices and lower offerings. Given that, I am glad we didn’t commit to years of WDW vacations. I know others feel differently, so doing research and carefully considering your own situation is key.

 

[ClapYourHands]

It amazes me that universal have not offered all the things Disney is taking away.

If I was universal as soon as Disney removed the magic express I’d offer free airport transport.

Disney is happily showing them where and his to steal guests

They don’t need to. UO is closer, so self transportation is cheaper. Disney dropping DME automatically puts UO in a stronger position without lifting a finger or spending a dime.

 

[Pooh's World]

I was always surprised they did not add this when Disney did.
They do have the superstar shuttle - and it 15 each way per person - and it seems to be very underutilized.
I have also had issues with it - like waiting 2 hours at 11PM before they put me in a taxi to get to the hotel.

I think because of the size of Universal and location people prefer to rent a car or Uber - if it was free they might take advantage of it - but I think with Universal there is less of a bubble.
This is coming form someone who does 10-12 day trips to Universal and rarely leaves property.

Universal is alot easier to take the $2 LYNX bus to from the airport.
The 42 bus will go straight to the IHOP/Endless Summer area. Then you have to transfer to the 37 or walk over the bridge.

With Disney, you have to take LYNX 111 Express to Sea World and then switch to the LYNX 50 bus.
Which is a little more complicated and time consuming.

 

[heresabe]

Universal is alot easier to take the $2 LYNX bus to from the airport.
The 42 bus will go straight to the IHOP/Endless Summer area. Then you have to transfer to the 37 or walk over the bridge.

With Disney, you have to take LYNX 111 Express to Sea World and then switch to the LYNX 50 bus.
Which is a little more complicated and time consuming.

Unless one is staying @ Endless Summer or Dockside, in which case one gets off the Lynx42 Bus and simply walks across I-Drive. And those two Resorts offer continuous (free) bus transportation to Universal Parks & CityWalk.

I have been hoping that Lynx extends the 111 bus route to Disney.

 

[Edeyore]

I was one of those "this is the last straw" when FP became a pay to play feature. I promptly cancelled our April 2022 trip to WDW and booked us a 6 night stay at Universal

Sorry, but I have gone to both and there still is not that much of a comparison. Universal definitely has some cool rides, but overall it is a most a two day experience, even less
if you are not a big roller coaster fan. I really do like Universal, but it is a much smaller resort overall with fewer options, again, especially if you are not a roller coaster fan.
Thank you for making more room at WDW.

 

[darcyt]

We used to have annual passes to Disney, then switched to the (sorely missed) non-expiring tickets we bought in 10 day increments and stretched into three or so trips, but we haven't been back since Jan. 2020.

That pause has made us think about how much more it costs than it did a few short years ago, and how much more crowded it was than previous January trips.

Good for them if they have people willing to pay, but the value just isn't there for us anymore. There are too many other fun places to go.

I have never felt this way before, and before 2020, we'd been traveling to Orlando several times a year since the 90s.

 

[Pooh's World]

Unless one is staying @ Endless Summer or Dockside, in which case one gets off the Lynx42 Bus and simply walks across I-Drive. And those two Resorts offer continuous (free) bus transportation to Universal Parks & CityWalk.

I have been hoping that Lynx extends the 111 bus route to Disney.

Well you get off #42 and then wait about 10 minutes at the same bus stop and #37 will come by assuming you are going to Universal.

I don't think Disney wants #111 to go all the way to Disney. So they make it hard by having you transfer to the #50 which takes you to Disney Springs and Disney Transportation Center. And that transfer wait time is much longer than #42-#37.

 

[bakerworld]

I get that Disney's a money grab so, aside from tickets, we tend not to buy park snacks, souvenirs, and don't expect to indulge in Genie+. Our Epcot days don't usually involve rides. Magic Kingdom we do every few years. The most rides we enjoy are in HS. Most of our vacation dollar is spent in the lounges. We really miss ESPN club.

I don't think Universal has much of a future with us. We went to Universal IOA once and there wasn't much for me to do there. We went on Harry Potter Hogwarts ride and it was cool but the second rollercoaster put me under the weather. We were able to do the Oleander's wand show but couldn't find anything else that wasn't a roller coaster. Maybe if we go to the other side I could find something to do.

 

[JakeAZ]

Be very careful with DVC - do not buy well you are there

There is zero chance we will buy while we are there...or when we are not there...or ever

It's a one way street with Disney and that's never been more obvious, than right now.

 

[kbelle8995]

I think whether Universal for you depends on you. I'm not a coaster person and always managed to find things to do. It's for some people for others not so much, same as Disney. I just think that now is the time for Universal to put their best foot forward and woo some people.

 

[tony67]

I think whether Universal for you depends on you. I'm not a coaster person and always managed to find things to do. It's for some people for others not so much, same as Disney. I just think that now is the time for Universal to put their best foot forward and woo some people.

I find it amusing that the argument seems to have gone from Universal is all Screens to Universal is all Coasters

But yeah as you point out its not for everyone - I did 8 nights at Universal on my recent trip - two at Disney and 1 at Sea world.
Honestly I could have used a couple additional nights at Universal and maybe on more at Disney.
Ill be back to Universal at least once if not twice this year - be a while before I go to Disney again - maybe when Tron is done.

 

[Pooh's World]

I get that Disney's a money grab so, aside from tickets, we tend not to buy park snacks, souvenirs, and don't expect to indulge in Genie+. Our Epcot days don't usually involve rides. Magic Kingdom we do every few years. The most rides we enjoy are in HS. Most of our vacation dollar is spent in the lounges. We really miss ESPN club.

I don't think Universal has much of a future with us. We went to Universal IOA once and there wasn't much for me to do there. We went on Harry Potter Hogwarts ride and it was cool but the second rollercoaster put me under the weather. We were able to do the Oleander's wand show but couldn't find anything else that wasn't a roller coaster. Maybe if we go to the other side I could find something to do.

Bourne Stuntacular is one of the best things going.

 

[TommyJK]

I find it amusing that the argument seems to have gone from Universal is all Screens to Universal is all Coasters

But yeah as you point out its not for everyone - I did 8 nights at Universal on my recent trip - two at Disney and 1 at Sea world.
Honestly I could have used a couple additional nights at Universal and maybe on more at Disney.
Ill be back to Universal at least once if not twice this year - be a while before I go to Disney again - maybe when Tron is done.

Absolutely. While everyone has different tastes, I think some heavily undercut Universal. While I get that Disney has double the parks that Universal has, If you tally up the rides, attractions and shows, Universal (USF & IOA) has approx. as many as Magic Kingdom & Hollywood studios when put together. And out of the nearly 50 rides, attractions and shows that Universal has, only 3 of them I would consider scary Big Coasters (for those who say there isn't enough to do because they don't like big roller coasters).

So when some say Universal is only a 2 day resort, are they also saying if you were going to Disney for say only MK and HS, it would also only be a 2 day experience (becasue the number of rides, attractions and shows is roughly the same)? Or that's just based on their perceptions. Would it be fair of me to say that Disney is only a 2-3 day resort becasue I don't really care for princeses or toddler rated rides and attractions I don't find thrilling?

 

[maverik85]

Yea a lot will just come down to what interests you. Disney still has more to offer but Universal has really increased in the last 5+ years. I would have said they were a 2 maybe 3 day trip when IoA first opened, 1 day trip prior. But now I could easily spend 5 days there if I wanted to. 3 days to enjoy the parks, one for the water park, and one to relax around the resorts and pool hop. Once Epic Universe opens it will be a week long destination easily.

I could probably still spend more time at Disney but agree that the price for what you get has become more unbalanced. It keeps going up will benefits are being pulled. I still have desire to go but know it won't be as frequent. I had thought about joining DVC in the past but that is no longer the case.

 

[RamblingMad]

I

Yea a lot will just come down to what interests you. Disney still has more to offer but Universal has really increased in the last 5+ years. I would have said they were a 2 maybe 3 day trip when IoA first opened, 1 day trip prior. But now I could easily spend 5 days there if I wanted to. 3 days to enjoy the parks, one for the water park, and one to relax around the resorts and pool hop. Once Epic Universe opens it will be a week long destination easily.

I could probably still spend more time at Disney but agree that the price for what you get has become more unbalanced. It keeps going up will benefits are being pulled. I still have desire to go but know it won't be as frequent. I had thought about joining DVC in the past but that is no longer the case.

I think of Universal as a weekend trip. I pretty much think the same for Disneyland. What makes WDW take so long is not so much the number of attractions but because everything is so spread out. I'd rather spend less on the hotel and see more over fewer days than see less per day over a longer time period. It's just how I vacation. Some want to spread it out, and for those that do, WDW works.

DVC isn't on my radar as I can't commit to Disney that frequently. I'd get bored with the repetition.

 

[kitkat4622]

Sorry, but I have gone to both and there still is not that much of a comparison. Universal definitely has some cool rides, but overall it is a most a two day experience, even less
if you are not a big roller coaster fan. I really do like Universal, but it is a much smaller resort overall with fewer options, again, especially if you are not a roller coaster fan.
Thank you for making more room at WDW.

Your welcome. For us it's time for something different. To each their own. Enjoy.

 

[tony67]

Your welcome. For us it's time for something different. To each their own. Enjoy.

Yup - always love the More for Me argument of the hardcore Disney fans.
I was among the first to start calling out Disney IMO - and as I have said before I took a lot of abuse for it on these boards.
I feel like many folks have finally caught up to me.

If I had a $1 for every time someone said good - more room for me - or I should just be happy to be at Disney no matter how overpriced and bad the food was - I could pay for another week at Universal.

I still recall a women arguing with me that I should be fine with a crappy burger at Coral Reef just because I'm at Disney and the theming is so great. Before the nemo retheme I had one of my best fish meals ever - anywhere - at Coral Reef - and I have been to almost every country in the EU. - one of her comments was "I would eat at coral reef even if all they served where burgers and chicken nuggets. It so nice”

Epcot and Disney have really gone down hill since the DDP started and I started calling this out pre 2009.

 

[maverik85]

I


I think of Universal as a weekend trip. I pretty much think the same for Disneyland. What makes WDW take so long is not so much the number of attractions but because everything is so spread out. I'd rather spend less on the hotel and see more over fewer days than see less per day over a longer time period. It's just how I vacation. Some want to spread it out, and for those that do, WDW works.

DVC isn't on my radar as I can't commit to Disney that frequently. I'd get bored with the repetition.

The repetition would get dull of the same place all the time. But at least at the time we had there was a lot of options for the points. They had their adventures, resort hotels at other places, cruise line, as well as the parks. We stayed onsite at Disney a few times as well when we went down to go to other places too like Universal, though a majority of the trips were Disney.
Disneyland I agree about being a long weekend. We went for 3 days and I was ready to go after that. I think part of it's issue is there just isn't much to do on property outside of the parks. That's where WDW excels and makes it a weeklong or so destination. They have 2 water parks, Disney Springs is huge and you could spend a day there (especially if going to a show at House of Blues or Cirque), golf/mini golf, horse back riding, pontoons, etc. I remember going multiple times when I was younger with family and we'd have multiple days on a trip that we hardly went to the parks and occasional days that we didn't at all.
Universal has been working it's way there with expanding offerings at CityWalk with their mini golf courses, and rumors of a comedy club and VR attraction will help. The resort offering has really expanded the last decade offering more pools and sites to wander around if you wanted, and Volcano Bay can add another day on to a trip. Hoping the Epic Universe addition will spur even more growth with an additional CityWalk type space over by it as well with other unique offerings.

 

[bakerworld]

QUOTE="Pooh's World, post: 63446009, member: 673559"]
Bourne Stuntacular is one of the best things going.
[/QUOTE]
It's not a roller coaster?

 

[mom2rtk]

It's not a roller coaster?

No, it's an indoor stunt show. And it's amazing.