Universal Studios Florida

This is about my experience December 19 – 22, 2022 at Universal Studios Florida.  I will be comparing aspects of the resort with Walt Disney World (WDW) which, in a sense, is an unfair comparison, yet is inevitable. I stayed on Universal property at Cabana Bay Beach Resort, took their provided transportation and ate in their restaurants. I went to two of their three parks. I went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. They count their water park, which I did not go to, as their third park. I did a review of Cabana Bay in a previous post, so in this post I will focus more on my general experience of the parks. (I am by NO MEANS going to rate and review every attraction and restaurant. That would be a different kind of post entirely.)

Since Universal does not have the blessing of land that WDW has, it makes sense that things are a little more compact. “Compact,” however does mean “small.” It is ingeniously designed to be functional and efficient. No matter how you arrive (by car, or bus) you arrive at a central walkway that takes you through City Walk. It is a “Y” configuration; walking through City Walk (which is a shopping and dining district) and choose to go left or right, taking you to Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios respectively. This kind of configuration is extremely efficient for security screening, and finding your way around.

City Walk

City Walk is often compared to Disney Springs. I understand the comparison; both are dining and shopping districts, both have movie theatres, etc. But, Disney Springs is a well thought out (if rambling) themed shopping and dining area. It is quite expansive, well themed, and boasts some of the best restaurants in Florida, including art shops and a spectacular Cirque de Soliel show. City Walk is a collection of mostly chain restaurants that people will be comfortably familiar with and a few restaurants that a slightly more upscale. There are no places to eat in City Walk that even come close to the variety of world class dining that you have at Disney Springs. And, City Walk has no definable theme other than an outdoor shopping mall that you have to walk through to get to your destinations. So really, there is no comparison. The experience of City Walk is much better if you just take it as it is.  I was sitting at the hotel bar next to a man and his wife from Ohio who (completely unsolicited) told me how much better City Walk was than Disney Springs. And, he continued to attempt to “wow” me with his knowledge and taste in bourbon.  Let’s just say he had a drinking problem: he had no idea how to drink.) It was at this point that I realized that we had nothing to talk about.  

Universal Studios

Universal Studios is the original Universal park in Florida and pushed Michael Eisner at Disney to hurriedly put together what was then called Disney/MGM Studios. Disney/MGM Studios was so quickly slapped together that it had hardly any attractions to speak of when it opened. It has come a long way since then. Universal Studios has changed over the years, too. But, it continues to present as a well thought out park with room to grow.
Some observations:
It is extremely handicapped, wheelchair, and ECV friendly.
However, it grossly fails at accommodating people of size as most of the attractions cannot accommodate larger people.
There are no restaurants that I would look forward to eating at. The food, overall, is lackluster at best, and is every bit what you would think of as “theme park food.” It’s not terrible. But, it’s not great, either.

There were far less strollers than I expected. This may be due to the targeted demographic being slightly older than the perceived demographic at WDW. (To be clear, I think that assuming that WDW is only for small children is wildly incorrect.)
Street performers were back in force and it was wonderful to see. (Disney might take note of this.)
The seasonal parade was well done. It was refreshingly a little less “in your face” than Disney parades (and I am a fan of Disney parades.)
The star of the park, in my opinion, is Diagon Alley. The only word I can think of to describe it is brilliant.

Islands of Adventure

Their second park, Islands of Adventure is really clever and absolutely delightful. It is circularly shaped. Each “land” is themed to various books/stories: Mythology, Dr. Seuss books, the Harry Potter books, Michael Crichton’s  Jurassic World books, old newspaper funny pages, and comic books. Of course, all of these books have their cinematic counterparts. As you walk through and experience the books come to life, the idea that reading can be an adventure is refreshing, immersive and fun.

All of my observations of this park basically mirror my thoughts on Universal Studios, with the exception that the food options are slightly better. The only real “sit down” restaurant is Mythos, which is a fun place to be in and the food is pretty good. Although it does not have a stand alone bar that you can sit at, it is my choice for resting in air-conditioning, eating decent food, and enjoying a martini that is not served to me in a plastic cup.

Annual Passes

One thing that sets Universal parks apart from WDW is that Universal still has Annual Passes. This may not seem like such a big deal, but it is. Annual passholders are an essential part of the Universal ecosystem (as it used to be with WDW.) They appreciate their passholders by offering them discounts and perks that actually make sense.

What both parks are missing is the magic and storytelling that are essential components of the Disney experience. There is no grounding vision, like that of Walt Disney, and certainly no central iconic figure like Mickey Mouse. I do not think that this makes one better or worse. I think they are different. Like I said at the outset, although people do it, I think that comparing the two experiences unfair.  They are not the same – or even similar. And the experience of the Universal Orlando Resort is a fun and delightful one. I am looking forward to returning.