Anyone done both Disney and Universal since re-opening?

[fredandkell]

Sorry if this is a repeat question, but I haven't seen many comparisons....anyone do both since re-opening? (Preferably in the past month or so?) Wondering how Disney compares to Universal and vice-versa on crowds, distancing, lines, etc. Thanks!

 

[Makmak]

Universal had major issues with people walking around eating and drinking. Some people were just carrying a drink and letting their mask hang from an ear or chin strapping it. We left this last September after one hour because the crowds were insane, there was very poor social distancing in lines, entire families pulling masks down and crowding right up on us in line. We asked at universal if it was allowed to walk around eating and drinking and we were told “as long as you are distanced.” We tried again on a Saturday which was probably not smart and we saw the same behaviors but more people. We also saw two different people walking around smoking cigarettes.....it was crazy. We left and went to Magic Kingdom where we were much more comfortable. We are AP holders both places but will not return to Universal any time soon. I’m not “overly paranoid” I just cannot stand people not following rules. (I’m a teacher).

 

[fredandkell]

Universal had major issues with people walking around eating and drinking. Some people were just carrying a drink and letting their mask hang from an ear or chin strapping it. We left this last September after one hour because the crowds were insane, there was very poor social distancing in lines, entire families pulling masks down and crowding right up on us in line. We asked at universal if it was allowed to walk around eating and drinking and we were told “as long as you are distanced.” We tried again on a Saturday which was probably not smart and we saw the same behaviors but more people. We also saw two different people walking around smoking cigarettes.....it was crazy. We left and went to Magic Kingdom where we were much more comfortable. We are AP holders both places but will not return to Universal any time soon. I’m not “overly paranoid” I just cannot stand people not following rules. (I’m a teacher).

Thanks. When were you at Universal?

I was there yesterday and thought they did a great job. So I was asking, I guess, in the context of thinking that Universal was doing it right, and wondering if Disney could match it, lol! Maybe more about the length of waiting in line aspect, especially. I hardly waited at all for anything at Universal yesterday (to be fair, I did have Express passes.)

 

[Makmak]

We were there in June (it was great), August (little less great), September the week after Labor Day (first instance of madness) and the last Saturday in September (total chaos). I do know that a lot depends on when you go, like there are good days and bad days and I feel September was maybe a time when crowds increased beyond what they were ready for kind of suddenly, and maybe in the last weeks they’ve been able to get it under control. We generally have Express but chanced it without. The waits weren’t the problem
It was the behavior. We have had much much better experiences at the Disney parks in terms of behavior. We also didn’t have terribly long waits bc we rope dropped the Disney parks and got in before they opened and ride things before official park opening then did other things and caught the end of the day short lines for rides we missed or wanted to do again. I have heard varying reports of Disney in the past few weeks in terms of lines. HS seems to be the most problematic and just in the past few days there are reports that they weren’t running rides an hour before opening as they had been when we visited last.
Edited bc autocorrect changed a month name. And to add that if you are used to express passes and fast passes (we are) then Disney parks might be a disappointment in terms of waits.

 

[Kestryl]

Yes- we spent a week at Cabana Bay, spent three days at Disney (MK, AL, HS), five at the two Universal parks. This as Oct 10-17.

Universal felt chaotic. The last time we were there was late May 2015. This October felt just as busy then. Queues are marked well, but people don’t pay attention in the slightest, and there weren’t many TMs around to enforce the rules.

Mobile food ordering was a disaster at the Harry Potter locations. We would place a mobile order, then get in line to get a seat, and then wait at a table. The entire process from arriving to the Three Broomsticks took an hour and a half from arriving to getting food. (I felt this as an insult because they claimed mobile ordering made things faster, but we literally saw a larger party without a mobile order get seated, order, and get their food half an hour before we did while we sat there waiting.)

Wait times were long, sometimes excessively. (180 minutes for Gringotts? 120 for Dudley Doo Right? Come on.) Waits were great in the last hour or so though. We arrived Sat Oct 10 and got dinner and did the two haunted attractions, ET, Men and Black, and Gringotts in the last two hours.

Disney felt much more empty and spaced out. Most people seemed to follow the signs. CMs were everywhere- there was only one time where I saw a group have masks off for significant times (in the PotC line).

Disney mobile ordering was always efficient. We waited at most 10 minutes for food. Many times it was practically immediately.

Standby times seemed shorter than standby for the last time we were there (May 2019). MK was probably the “worst,” but we still did a lot. (Splash Mountain was long- I assume cause people think it’s going to close soon.) Animal Kingdom was wonderfully empty. Other than everyone rushing to Pandora in the morning, waits were low.

I will say that I did appreciate the ability to remove masks for photos at Universal. At one point I was getting my picture taken by the Delorean and a TM let me know I could remove my mask cause there was no one else within 20 feet or so. And for the most part people taking photos were away from others. Queues remained the biggest issues.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

We went to both a few weeks ago and stayed at Hard Rock for Universal and Contemporary for WDW. Here is a link to my report. https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...id-19-and-a-trip-report.3815574/post-62386746

 

[fredandkell]

We were there in June (it was great), August (little less great), September the week after Labor Day (first instance of madness) and the last Saturday in September (total chaos). I do know that a lot depends on when you go, like there are good days and bad days and I feel September was maybe a time when crowds increased beyond what they were ready for kind of suddenly, and maybe in the last weeks they’ve been able to get it under control. We generally have Express but chanced it without. The waits weren’t the problem
It was the behavior. We have had much much better experiences at the Disney parks in terms of behavior. We also didn’t have terribly long waits bc we rope dropped the Disney parks and got in before they opened and ride things before official park opening then did other things and caught the end of the day short lines for rides we missed or wanted to do again. I have heard varying reports of Disney in the past few weeks in terms of lines. HS seems to be the most problematic and just in the past few days there are reports that they weren’t running rides an hour before opening as they had been when we visited last.
Edited bc autocorrect changed a month name. And to add that if you are used to express passes and fast passes (we are) then Disney parks might be a disappointment in terms of waits.

Thank you for such a detailed reply!

 

[fredandkell]

We went to both a few weeks ago and stayed at Hard Rock for Universal and Contemporary for WDW. Here is a link to my report. https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...id-19-and-a-trip-report.3815574/post-62386746

That was great! Thanks for sharing!
This is giving me pause about a planned December WDW trip. I really felt that universal was excellent yesterday. Hardly anything missing from “normal.”

 

[Makmak]

That was great! Thanks for sharing!
This is giving me pause about a planned December WDW trip. I really felt that universal was excellent yesterday. Hardly anything missing from “normal.”

I am glad to hear about your positive Universal experience bc it’s making us consider going back sooner than later!

 

[fredandkell]

I am glad to hear about your positive Universal experience bc it’s making us consider going back sooner than later!

https://www.disboards.com/threads/j...4-visit-details-inside.3816765/#post-62417827Here’s my write up re yesterday FYI

 

[revdon64]

Certain central Florida vloggers go to both parks on the regular. The one channel I'm thinking of is a pretty cautious couple with a very young child. If they're not comfortable they'll say so. Assuming it's OK to mention - try watching The Tim Tracker to get an idea what it's like right now.

 

[LSUfan4444]

To be clear, while some people may not like Universal's policies there is no evidence they have been any less effective than Disney's. Using terms like "poor" and "not smart" doesnt paint an accurate and clear picture but really just an opinion.

Both places require masks, both allow them to be removed when you are eating or drinking but Universal does not force you to stand still or sit off to the side when doing so.

One thing that I don't think gets enough credit is how universal dispenses hand sanitizer to everyone before getting on an attraction.

 

[soniam]

Anecdotally, I have also heard people who got reprimanded more at Universal than Disney. I think Universal employees in the past have felt more empowered to enforce the rules. We went in July, and I didn't get to the parks much. July was a different beast though.

 

[yulilin3]

Sorry if this is a repeat question, but I haven't seen many comparisons....anyone do both since re-opening? (Preferably in the past month or so?) Wondering how Disney compares to Universal and vice-versa on crowds, distancing, lines, etc. Thanks!

I think both are on par, mask compliance fluctuates depending on time of day and temp, cm/tm policing is stricter now at Disney, especially for pictures, social distancing can be accomplished in both

 

[emtgirl4]

We went in September. I had the opposite experience from what I have heard others say universal did great(I am a huge Disney fan so that saying alot coming from me? Most days at disney were fine but mk was chaos. People not wearing masks in line, not staying on there markers. Getting right up on you. We might have hit universal on good days because we had walk on for most rides. Even all the Harry Potter rides.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Anecdotally, I have also heard people who got reprimanded more at Universal than Disney. I think Universal employees in the past have felt more empowered to enforce the rules. We went in July, and I didn't get to the parks much. July was a different beast though.

Interesting... We’ve been to WDW in Aug and a lot in Oct. In oct we’ve come across some overzealous CMs — telling us that we need to put our masks back on bc we weren’t actively eating or drinking while we were 1) literally in between sips holding a bottle of water, and 2) sitting in an area by ourselves with NO ONE anywhere near us except the CM reprimanding. Makes me wonder: is there now an acceptable between-sip time limit? A tad much.

We’ve also noticed the CM’s telling other guests to have their masks fully cover their nose etc are often less polite and quite a bit more pointed than they were in Aug.

While I’m sympathetic to how tough their jobs have to be, it’s a tad much in some cases now, IMO - feeling more un-Disney to get snippy in the ways I’ve seen. I wonder if some CMs getting used to the reprimanding and leaning in a bit too much, frankly.

Reading study after study since the start of this pandemic, with my scientific background, I don’t think this overzealous approach to masks OUTDOORS is warranted by the science (INDOORS is a different story). If Universal is not quite as overzealous as what I’ve seen recently in WDW, I’ll welcome it.

 

[fredandkell]

Interesting... We’ve been to WDW in Aug and a lot in Oct. In oct we’ve come across some overzealous CMs — telling us that we need to put our masks back on bc we weren’t actively eating or drinking while we were 1) literally in between sips holding a bottle of water, and 2) sitting in an area by ourselves with NO ONE anywhere near us except the CM reprimanding. Makes me wonder: is there now an acceptable between-sip time limit? A tad much.

We’ve also noticed the CM’s telling other guests to have their masks fully cover their nose etc are often less polite and quite a bit more pointed than they were in Aug.

While I’m sympathetic to how tough their jobs have to be, it’s a tad much in some cases now, IMO - feeling more un-Disney to get snippy in the ways I’ve seen. I wonder if some CMs getting used to the reprimanding and leaning in a bit too much, frankly.

Reading study after study since the start of this pandemic, with my scientific background, I don’t think this overzealous approach to masks OUTDOORS is warranted by the science (INDOORS is a different story). If Universal is not quite as overzealous as what I’ve seen recently in WDW, I’ll welcome it.

I didn’t feel like they were rude or overzealous at all at US/IOA on Friday. Saw polite reminders and nose taps from team members and guests immediately complied without arguing. Of course everything depends on the individual. You can always get a grumpy CM or argumentative guest on any given day.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I didn’t feel like they were rude or overzealous at all at US/IOA on Friday. Saw polite reminders and nose taps from team members and guests immediately complied without arguing. Of course everything depends on the individual. You can always get a grumpy CM or argumentative guest on any given day.

Absolutely! It’s an employee by employee thing! We just didn’t see ANY snippy-ness by CMs in Aug and a fair bit of it so far in Oct while in the parks for many days — just feels like an obvious shift as they lean into their roles.

I’d say most CMs are still very pleasant. And as a family, we ALWAYS have our masks on — and on properly — never had a warning about that, but noticing how they’re approaching others is more aggressive now in our experience. Our two issues have been while we were literally in between sips and sitting down with no one around — that’s ridiculous IMO.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I think both are on par, mask compliance fluctuates depending on time of day and temp, cm/tm policing is stricter now at Disney, especially for pictures, social distancing can be accomplished in both

Stricter has become too much IMO. Saw a CM sprint over at park closing to prevent a maskless photo by the castle with NO ONE anywhere near them... except the CM who had just sprinted over... ... it’s starting to be silly.

Saw a CM raise their voice - while on their little portable PA — to tell two kids not to run... they were barely “running” and their parents were right there.

Another CM raised their voice to tell people not to “cross the queue” outside of RnRC... he was standing with his “end of the line” sign FOUR SPOTS away from the end of the line... I’m sure they had NO IDEA they were crossing it - they looked really confused.

These examples were all in a span of 3 days. Saw nothing like this in Aug, and very little of this aggressiveness in 15yrs of going to WDW A LOT.

I think the CM complaints are going to rise as Disney sets their employees up to be too antagonistic with guests and perhaps not leave them room for them to exercise judgment (or maybe they have some employees who as it turns out aren’t great at doing that)... it seems to be spilling beyond COVID rules.

 

[yulilin3]

Stricter has become too much IMO. Saw a CM sprint over at park closing to prevent a maskless photo by the castle with NO ONE anywhere near them... except the CM who had just sprinted over... ... it’s starting to be silly.

Saw a CM raise their voice - while on their little portable PA — to tell two kids not to run... they were barely “running” and their parents were right there.

Another CM raised their voice to tell people not to “cross the queue” outside of RnRC... he was standing with his “end of the line” sign FOUR SPOTS away from the end of the line... I’m sure they had NO IDEA they were crossing it - they looked really confused.

These examples were all in a span of 3 days. Saw nothing like this in Aug.

I think the CM complaints are going to rise as Disney sets their employees up to be too antagonistic with guests... it seems to be spilling beyond COVID rules.

Disney has always been lax with their rules, not providing enough support to front of the line cm. Now ir seems management is actually pushing for this type of enforcement a "better safe than sorry" attitude. I don't think cm enforcing rules will put people off from returning unless obviously they cross the line. All the instances you posted are supposed to be monitored just we, as guests, are not used to Disney enforcing things so forcefully.
If you allow one person to take a pic without a mask it will become a problem. Better try to set the standards so everyone does it