-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Disneyland or Universal Studios Hollywood?
- Thread starter Thwomp
- Start date
If you're going to one or the other for the first time, I'd say Disneyland. It feels more like a coherent "special place" whereas Universal feels more like "a place with a bunch random rides thrown in there + Harry Potter Land".
Easily Disneyland. Universal feels like maybe a one day stop. Disneyland has so much more to offer.
I've never been to either, but I've always been under the impression that Universal Studios Hollywood ain't much compared to its Orlando location, whereas Disneyland is a pretty solid "greatest hits" of the best Disneyworld has to offer in addition to Star Wars Land.
Isn't Disneyland cheaper too?
Isn't Disneyland cheaper too?
Disneyland, no contest. It just "feels" magical-the experience of Disneyland is what makes it worth it. There's detail everywhere and hidden Mickeys galore. Everyone has their own little favorite corner of the park and restaurant, etc.
Universal is nice-it has some good rides but it feels like a theme park. Disneyland feels like magic, even though that sounds cliched.
Universal is nice-it has some good rides but it feels like a theme park. Disneyland feels like magic, even though that sounds cliched.
Harry Potter alone is worth the trip if you are a fan. Don't think I've seen any area/ride done so well. But both Orlando Universal parks can be easily done in a day.
Disney is a way better overall experience. Universal has better action rides. My teens prefer Universal and have no interest in going back to Disney. Depends on what you like.
disneyland, also if you want to drink.. (downtown Disney, disneyland hotel/GCH etc)
I really enjoy both and they're quite different but it's hard to compare the less than ~10(?) attractions at USH to the amount of stuff at Disneyland resort.
Citywalk is fun though lol f the haters
Edit: (interested to hear how Isla nu-bar turns out, especially compared to sams at Disneyland).
I really enjoy both and they're quite different but it's hard to compare the less than ~10(?) attractions at USH to the amount of stuff at Disneyland resort.
Citywalk is fun though lol f the haters
Edit: (interested to hear how Isla nu-bar turns out, especially compared to sams at Disneyland).
Didn't they just close down large parts of downtown disney because they were going to put the hotel in?
Disneyland, by far.
As was said a few posts back, Universal has relied on screens to handle most of their immersion, and to account for smaller footprints.
I'm WAY pro Disneyland.
Just some of the restaurants towards the end by the Disneyland Hotel... not much to miss, unless you were a diehard for ESPN Zone (closed a few years now) and the Earl of Sandwich.
As was said a few posts back, Universal has relied on screens to handle most of their immersion, and to account for smaller footprints.
I'm WAY pro Disneyland.
Just some of the restaurants towards the end by the Disneyland Hotel... not much to miss, unless you were a diehard for ESPN Zone (closed a few years now) and the Earl of Sandwich.
Universal is really small when you actually look around. Hogwarts is cool but if you are strictly looking at rides and stuff its not really all that much.
Universal has far less than Disneyland. By the time I spent one day at Universal I can safely say I have little interest to come back any time soon.
Yeah and then they didn't so now there are a couple of ornate empty buildings there
And Rainforest Cafe
Disneyland, easily.
Last year my wife and I got a pass for Universal that let us go three times. We figured it was worth it since it's a short drive from us, we went once and never went back.
The rides are largely just screens, which I hate, and I ended up getting motion sickness on a couple of them. Though the Mummy Ride is good fun.
Last year my wife and I got a pass for Universal that let us go three times. We figured it was worth it since it's a short drive from us, we went once and never went back.
The rides are largely just screens, which I hate, and I ended up getting motion sickness on a couple of them. Though the Mummy Ride is good fun.
The only thing that WOWed me at Universal Studios was the lot tour, I wish I would have went to Disney Land.
I went to Universal in Orlando and the Harry Potter section was worth it alone. It really was amazing.
Disneyland absolutely. Universal Hollywood has some good rides, but lacks any kind of immersion factor outside of Harry Potter, and most of the rides are just looking at screens. And you can do it in half a day and not miss anything (skip Minions - it's even more low effort than the other screen rides; in fact, skip the Simpsons ride, too - that shit just made me wish I was at Disneyland on the rides they were trying to make fun of).
It's not even a contest.
Universal Florida has some say in the conversation. But Universal Hollywood lacks in a lot of ways.
It's not even a contest.
Universal Florida has some say in the conversation. But Universal Hollywood lacks in a lot of ways.
It depends.
I think Universal Studios is superior than any one Disney park in Anaheim, so if I had one day to spend - I'd probably choose Universal Studios. If I had two days to spend, then the complete experience of Disney Land + California Adventure > Hollywood Studios.
Additionally, if I'm going on a weekend or a typically busy theme park day, I'm choosing Hollywood Studios because the Link Skipper / Express Pass is a fucking god send and infinitely superior to Disneyland's fast pass system. Disney Parks are fucking insufferable on weekends, the Summer, and holidays.
I do think Disneyland / California Adventure is the more repeatable park though, and I really dig the culture around it. I feel like I could do Universal Studios once a year, while Disney parks I could honestly do once a month if not more.
I think Universal Studios is superior than any one Disney park in Anaheim, so if I had one day to spend - I'd probably choose Universal Studios. If I had two days to spend, then the complete experience of Disney Land + California Adventure > Hollywood Studios.
Additionally, if I'm going on a weekend or a typically busy theme park day, I'm choosing Hollywood Studios because the Link Skipper / Express Pass is a fucking god send and infinitely superior to Disneyland's fast pass system. Disney Parks are fucking insufferable on weekends, the Summer, and holidays.
I do think Disneyland / California Adventure is the more repeatable park though, and I really dig the culture around it. I feel like I could do Universal Studios once a year, while Disney parks I could honestly do once a month if not more.
In Florida this would be a tough question that depends on your preferences, in LA it's easy: Disneyland. Universal Hollywood is very small in comparison to Disneyland, only has one park compared to Disney's two, and vastly poorer attractions across every target audience.
Universal Orlando is much much better than Hollywood, but I would still say Disney World outclasses it easily. Disney just has a sheer amount of quantity + quality vs the competition.
Maybe if Universal goes hard into the Nintendo stuff it will be able to compete, but even if it's great, I'm a little skeptical.
The Hollywood park especially just doesn't really have a lot of space to expand and ever make it a real contender.
Universal Hollywood pales harshly in comparison to Orlando. Just about the only advantage Hollywood has over Orlando is the Studio Tour.
Disneyland's the way to go in this case.
Oh, I agree. I just think there's some great stuff in Universal Orlando to point out and commend, even if I think Disney World still beats it. I'm just saying Universal Hollywood doesn't measure up in any way.
I feel like you'd have to actively hate the Disney brand to enjoy Universal more. And even then some of my favorite rides at Disneyland are generic (Space Mountain and Small World)
Disneyland all day every day.
Went to Universal last year. Went to Disneyland last week. Yup. No contest.
Went to Universal last year. Went to Disneyland last week. Yup. No contest.
Agreed. I never understand people who prefer it, especially those who say "it's better for teens" or "has more thrilling rides" or whatever. I think that's a total false perception that has weirdly perpetuated. Both Disneyland parks have a ton of thrill rides -- more than Universal to boot.
Universal Studios is just thoroughly fulfilling for me, thanks to the Express Pass. I can be in and out of the park in 5-6 hours and feel like I got my money's worth. You can also move throughout the park in order, whereas with Disney Land I feel like I've walked a million miles since you're going back and forth based on whatever Fast Passes you can score.
I learned the hard way a few years back that Universal Studios Hollywood is maybe a day or day-and-half park (at best) if you go during the holiday/Christmas event. We ended up buying a 3 day pass and really had to force ourselves to get our moneys worth. As many have already said, it just doesn't feel like a coherent theme park experience but rather a bunch of random lands/rides with most of the rides being screen-based on 3D. Even the Harry Potter land was a bit disappointing since we had already been to the Florida/Orlando version - the Hollywood version is a big step down until they expand to have Diagon Alley.
I'm not even a big ride guy anymore but Disneyland still wins this fight easily. Just walking around Disneyland and being immersed in the different lands, watching some of the shows and fireworks, and with the addition of Galaxy's Edge... it's not contest, at this point.
I'm not even a big ride guy anymore but Disneyland still wins this fight easily. Just walking around Disneyland and being immersed in the different lands, watching some of the shows and fireworks, and with the addition of Galaxy's Edge... it's not contest, at this point.
Disney has Max Pass, which is an Express Pass equivalent. The thing is you can do everything in Universal in 5 - 6 hrs. You can't in Disneyland. And it isn't because of long lines, it is because it just has more. If you want to leave in 6 hours, you could, but you could also spend a lot more time there if you wanted.
Max Pass is not equivalent to Express Pass. Max Pass is just what they offer to you at Disney World for free, except that you can't do it ahead of time. Express Pass literally allows you to walk to the front of the line, once or more depending on the Pass you get, whenever you want with no limitations on rides.
Oh, I think I see what you're saying. Regardless, if the rides are worse it almost doesn't matter that you can entirely skip the lines. Disney does offer single rider lines on most of the big thrill rides as well, you can basically always walk straight on to something like Space Mountain.
Max Pass isn't like Express Pass, but its also not free. It costs 10$ a day, and you can do digital fast passes (which are free) and free photos
Universal is ok once in a while for a day, but Disneyland has more to offer and feels more special. Especially when it comes to food and drinks and feeling a part of a land and experience.
That's off-season so more than enough time to do everything in universal twice over
