The Great Disney vs. Universal Debate

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Disney and Universal have been in a constant battle to out-awesome each other since tourists first started overrunning central Florida. It’s been hard to compete with the dazzle of Disney, but Universal has really cranked up the heat with all that Hogwarts business. Was it enough to let them take the lead? Or is that behemoth Disney still the king of the hill? Here’s our assessment:

Sore foot potential: Disney is HUGE. Like, spread out huge (and multiply that by 4 parks) so it just takes a lot of walking to see everything. Even with the use of a touring plan you can only reasonably expect to average a park a day if you don’t want to whittle your feet down to bloody stumps and want time to sneak in a quick nap (or a swim) in the afternoon. Universal has a respectable number of attractions and rides and is super compact making it way more foot friendly. It’s also awesome that the Royal Pacific hotel (where we stayed) was such a close a walk from the park. Advantage: Universal.

Wheeeeeee!!!!! Factor: Universal has some shockingly fun rides and does anything with 3-D unbelievably well, and dare I say it, better than Disney. Check out the Simpsons, the Amazing Adventures of Spider man, Revenge of the Mummy - all excellent with only moderate puke potential - and of course, the magnificent Forbidden Journey.

Disney’s got tons of fun stuff, slightly lower on the thrillometer than Universal’s exhilarating offerings, but great fun nonetheless. Shout out to Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest (which we rode THREE times in row with no waiting thanks to those extra magic hours) and my eternal Disney favourite: Splash Mountain. This is what I like about Splash...it has everything - it's long (a standout at over 10 minutes of ride time), it's got all the cheesy stuff I love (animatronic animals, classic Disney music, fantastic attention to detail) and a respectably scary plunge at the end.

Universal's rides will whip you into frenzy, but Disney has the "easy fun" factor down pat and does offer up some classic thrills. Can’t call this one - it’s a draw.



Schmaltz level: There is no contest. Disney is the master. Pure magic.



Souvenir temptation: Point Universal. Almost everything in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter looks like it came off a movie set. I dare *any*of you to resist the Hufflepuff hat.



Snacks abound: Nobody is ever going to declare any theme park fare gourmet level, but Disney easily gets this one. From some of the posher repas you can get at Epcot to some simple treats that kick it hard (Hollywood Studios has a killer chilli cheese dog (maybe wait until after you ride Tower of Terror, though) and awesome churros. Yum yum. Universal was passable, but not even the restaurants on their CityWalk was anything to write home about.



Best overall ride: Universal’s Forbidden Journey in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (or as we most often refer to the ride: the Hogwarts one). It is utter perfection (except for it’s high puke potential, but you can take some meds beforehand or don’t make the mistake of eye-googling all over - you’ve all been warned). Dinsey's on notice.

Non-ride stuff: For those that are so inclined, there are other things than rides at a theme park (so I’ve been told) like “4”-D movies and musical shows. The pickins is slim at Universal to start but even what they do have won’t hold a candle to what Disney’s got in the bag. Want proof? Check out a Bug’s Life and the Lion King show at Animal Kingdom. Oh, and the night parade at Magic Kingdom. Oooh - and one more - Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios if that's still running.

The solution?: They each have their appeal so if you've got the time - do both. Now that I’ve experienced the thrills at Universal, they’d be hard to pass up, and it would be equally hard to be so close to Disney and not take in all my favourites (I can hear Spash Mountain calling me now…everybody’s got a laughing place, a laughing place, to go-o-o).

The only adjustment we’d make for a future trip is maybe the amount of time at Disney. T and I have finally conceded that maybe pushing the next visit to a full week (instead of the usual five days) will give us the extra time to go do some other Disney stuff (like the water parks) that we don’t otherwise have time to do. Plus it will give us time to work in some extra naps. (Mmmmm….naps)



Coming up: "…also, the penguins are very cute, but bring extra batteries".

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Photos

The excellent Tower of Terror
in Hollywood Studios park at WDW

Splash Mountain
in Magic Kingdom at WDW.Still my favourite WDW ride.

It's a small world
Epic schmaltz

Inside the Tower of Terror
The details are amazing