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View Full Version : DCA vs. Universal (long)



wonderful
08-05-2001, 07:27 PM
I visited USH the other day for my first time since it was ONLY a tram ride and a few shows, and I just had to do this:
For all the flack that DCA gets for lack of rides, I must admit USH had only Jurrasic Park, ET, and Back to the Future (not counting the tram tour... I'll get to that) and let's compare:
JP is cool, but there are only a couple of animatrons that look half way beliavable and the ride is short... Grizzly River Run is more ride for the wait and I say no aniatrons is better than ones that have to lean their heads in wierd positions...
ET is also "cute" but, man, the human figures are HORRIBLE, manequins look better! Dare I say... might as well... Superstar Limo gives that one a run for its money... I do like the ride system (Peter Pan rip off)
These two attractions were in the "Lower Level" which is horribly themed (a small neon bike indicates ET... one of their 5 or 6 rides!)
Back to the Future is a nice ride, doesn't really show its age... very similar to Soarin' Over CA's screen affect, but comparing those two is just plain mean!
As far as shows, USH has a bunch.... funny, so does DCA! DCA's Bug's has no rival at USH, Muppets might compare to the entertainment value of ET, and Golden Dreams is much more interesting than the Lucy Tribute (which was one of the things I actually liked... but it has a very specific audience)... on the other hand, I'd love to see a Waterworld type show at DCA...
DCA gets bad press about kid friendliness... USH is not only largely about concepts kids don't get or care about (it's whole lore of the place is it's a historicaly significant backlot)The Splash Zone is very nice for kids but more hellish for adults than Toontown... the kids seemed to be either crying because they had to leave this kiddie haven (to the pretty scary rest of the park) or laughing away as their parents watched on in drunkenness/exaustion...DCA has Redwood Creek, the Sun Wheel, Muppets, Bugs (which is a cake walk for kids seeing as I saw toddlers being happily shuffled into Terminator and Backdraft), Jellyfish, Soarin', etc, etc... The Rugrats show was very nice and the cast was great, I would suggest watching where you sit since the stadium was pretty messy
Backdraft was, in my opinion, the best show and I'd love to see DCA pick up something comparable. Terminator was somewhat like Muppets where you get a better pre-show and side action than the actual show itself which is mostly like watching the movie...
Let me round off the comparison by saying the tram tour is the heart of USH and has no rival at DCA, but then again DCA has the Animation building and Screamin' which have no USH rivals...
The CMs (and I am NOT being biased here, even the people around me agreed) of DCA are 100times more guest oriented than USH's "technicians and assistants" in general (there were some gems), the food at DCA is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better than the stuff I had at USH, and the prices are very comparable, the overall look and cleanliness of DCA is miles above USH...
This all said, I had a good time. I spent 43 bucks on my ticket and I didn't run to their guest relations and bitch that I didn't get my money's worth... I was there from 10am to 10pm and found plenty to do... in a park that is:
NOT as child friendly as DCA
NOT filled with as many attractions as DCA
NOT as clean or beautiful as DCA
and didn't have one darn parade (we have TWO)!
And there were throngs of folks there, too, enjoying it all for their 43 bucks, too! So, I like what USH has become over the years, I'd encourage anyone to go see it... then I'd encourage them to come back to DCA and tell us they didn't get their money's worth!

SimpTwister
08-05-2001, 10:05 PM
Here's one area where USH blows away DCA: The VIEW!!

I just love the views at USH, from on and near the Starway escalator, and just above the tram loading area.

DCA will never match Uni on this point.

I'm a bit surprised at the above comments on T2-3D. That's one of my all-time favorite attractions!

I really want to like ET, but must admit that the best part is the queue- the forest just before the loading area.

I also like JP, but it's true that the animatronics (actually 'Cinebotics') could be better, to say the least.

Backdraft is cool - here's hoping that DCA gets Armageddon (have to point out once again that the movie BEYOND SUCKED, but it would make a good attraction).

Oh, and CityWalk blows away DTD, by sheer size alone.

wonderful
08-06-2001, 06:29 PM
The view at Universal IS absolutely amazing and I DID feel the need to point this out to my friends throughout the day
Terminator WAS good and I wouldn't mind seeing something like it take over fantasyland theater... an interactive type of show with some special effects (by the way, have you heard about the Magic Lamp Theater at Disney Sea?... It seems like it's going to be something like Terminator
Overall, I liked Universal... a lot. I would've bought an annual pass (they do make em CHEAP) if I weren't going to DL Paris next year...
City Walk is great, too... I'd like to see DTD grow into something like it
I guess my main point was to show that a lot of folks make a big deal out of DCA because they compare it to DL, but they don't even get that DCA is a viable competetor to ALL CA theme parks... most of which charge the same rate that DCA does =)

DisneylandKid
08-06-2001, 06:45 PM
I haven't been to USH that many times, but it seems like DCA is bigger. I do like DCA better, as well. The themed-lands, etc.

disneyhead
08-06-2001, 08:00 PM
I've only been to Universal once, on a beautiful day in May. All I can say about the view is ,what view, all I saw was a truly impressive wall of smog. I love L. A.

Darkbeer
08-06-2001, 09:16 PM
Charging the same rate Disney does..... you must pay full price when you shop in Tijuana:D

Yes, Disney does set the pricing for the rest of the parks in California, if Disney raises, so does everyone else. But, that is for full price, without discounts. Disney has normally not offered much, if any, discounts. Sometimes a special promo or off-season local price, on the other hand, coupons and discounts are easy to obtain for the other parks. Tourists not in the know pay full price, locals and smart tourists pay a lot less. Knott's was recentely offering $20 adults and $10 kids price with advance purchase.

Now, with DCA, Disney had to match Universal's promotion of Adults at kids price, and children free. This was an ongoing promo for Universal, that Disney picked up to help DCA attendance.

I think some users think most of us hate DCA and that there is nothing of value there. That is not true, but when Disney opened the place, their marketing and pricing was saying, DCA is the same, if not better than Disneyland. And that is NOT true either.

While DCA is not the same as Knott's, Universal, Sea World or Six Flags Magic Mountain. Most people would put those parks at approximently the same value. (SFMM rates higher with non-family roller coaster buffs, the other four are about equal, I think Knott's has much more for the younger set with Camp Snoopy, Universal isn't bad for pre-teens and above, and Sea World is good for the whole family.)

The biggest problem is trying to compare DCA and DL. Yes, DCA will grow, get more attractions and become better, and most of us hope for more "quality" E-attractions in the future.

P.S. I think Terminator 3-D with it's blending of live-action, movie and simulations is better than anything DCA has with the exception of Soarin'. And I still think Terminator is better, just that Soarin' was more of a new experience. (Heck, you get about a 30 minute show with Terminator, instead of a 5 minute ride with Soarin')

Gemini Cricket
08-07-2001, 01:14 AM
Universal is great but when you're there and those escalators are not working, it's a long hike up those stairs. I've done it twice. Once for fun and once because the up escalators were broken.

80S ERA
08-07-2001, 07:30 AM
I personally like Universal Studios and think that it has improved drastically over the past decade or so. I hear that more and more former WDI employees are heading over there for the better treatment, higher wages, and less political B.S. nowadays, and it is evident in some of their new attractions.

To compare the 2 parks just would not be comparing "apples to apples." I think both parks would be part of a great So. California theme park vaction. One could buy a 4 day hopper pass for the Disney Resort and go to either Knotts or Universal on another day.

One major thing no one has mentioned in the comparison between the 2 parks is the quality and value of food available. Although I had a good 7-hour visit to Universal, I was very disappointed in the food. We ate at Doc Brown's chicken next to the Back to the Future ride and felt ripped off. I ended up paying $25.00 for 2 fried chicken sandwhich combos! Whoa, I thought Disney food was expensive! DCA has many dining options.

amynicole22
08-07-2001, 08:02 AM
Just visited Universal for the first time in 5 years last Saturday. We had friends in town and took advantage of the free So. Cal children's tix (kids 15 and under free w/adult admission). Five of us gained entry into the park for $126 - not bad.

Later in the day, DBF and I upgraded to their celebrity annual pass for $6 more - again, not bad. Now for a total of $49 each we have close to a year's worth of possible admission days, plus 10-25% discounts at a variety of vendors both inside the Studios and at Citywalk. Since we live 30 minutes away, it's enough of an incentive to drive out for a couple rides and dinner.

With all the various discounts, I do feel like I got my money's worth. I still prefer Disney parks, but we (young adults with no kids) have fun at USH. And - we can afford AP's easily. For our demographic - it's a great value.

That being said - Once I have kids, I won't bring them here until they're pre-teen or so. There's nothing for them to do. We had a 10-year old with us who was scared of all the rides. She *loved* the Nickelodeon Blast section - but the rest of us sat around bored while she played.

ralfrick
08-08-2001, 02:04 PM
I'll be there this time in exactly a week for the first time since '82; lot's of changes. We'll have the 6 year old with us. I'm not taking him on T2-3D, but Ma and I can take turns doing that while he runs around in the play area. We did splurge for the VIP pass where you instantly learn rule ONE! in Hollywood-Money Talks! We just saw a show about the joint on Travel Channel last night and he can't wait for the Waterworld show.
We'll be in DCA for the first time next week as well, so I'll see how they compare. I know that for DCA I'm reminding the boy to adjust his usual theme park expectations to be more towards films, parades and shows since DCA has only 11 actual RIDES, 3 of which he can't ride. Don't even get me going on how asinine it is that the Stinger is one of the three..............