What do Hollywood fans think of Orlando?

[Jon Fu]

I stumbled upon this tweet today, and I wanted to get our overall take on it. Pay attention to the last tweet:

I'm not sure about you, but I've never seen anyone from the Hollywood community hate on Orlando. I've seen the conflict between Disney communities, but never with Universal. If anything - and I'm speaking for myself - the "hate" I always express is always based off of jealously and sarcasm.

We love to joke about Hollywood getting the short end of the stick, but boy, not sure where this person got that generalization from.

What do you think? Am I missing something? Have you seen anyone from Hollywood hate Florida?

 

[steve]

I went to USO before I went to USH. My first visit to USO was in 2003 and I did really enjoy myself. At that point in time USO had a lot of heritage and charm and it didn't take much for me to fall in love with it. I went again in 2005 and had an even better time.

When BTTF closed I lost all respect for Uni but regardless when I first visited California in 2008 I had to see USH. Like a cupid with an arrow I fell in love with USH. I love the local feeling of USH. I don't feel like I'm in a big tourist trap. I love the fact that most of the visitors are locals and I fit right in. I moved to Cali in 2009 and recently I've been trying to make it to USH as much as I can. I love our version of JP much more than IOA's. We have accurate narrations, accurate Dinosaur sounds, and two Tyrannosaur scenes. I love Mummy and I think Transformers is pretty good. I love the studio itself as well. All of my favorite films were shot there and to be on JP while only a few steps away from where they shot some of the movie is just a joy.

While my heart breaks whenever I pass the awful Simpsons attraction, it doesn't damper my day too much. I think USH needs work, but I would hate the idea of themed lands because I like the fact that USH is just a big gumbo of anything it wants to be. One minute you can be in Egypt, and the next you can be in Jurassic Park. 

USO feels a little too touristy. I know that's it's purpose, but I hate crowds. When I go to USH, I don't feel that I have to do everything because I'll never have the chance to come back. There's not as much to do as USO, but it's a nice laid back atmosphere and I love the employees.

If Uni brings back BTTF (or makes a new attraction) you can guarantee I'd be an AP for the rest of my days.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I've never seen any Hollywood fans hate on Orlando. Like you, I've always just expressed extreme jealousy of Florida's Universal parks but I never hated USO, I wanna visit it so bad! Apparently USO fans poke fun at our smaller park sometimes and kind of dismiss it completely because of the size and ride count. But for us USH fans, I don't ever see negative comments about USO. They have an amazing resort and 90% of the time have better "cloned" rides.

For Disney fans it's very different. There's lots of rivalry between DLR and WDW....not 100% of the time but Disney fans are EXTREMELY protective of their home resort. I'm guilty of that, but that's also partially due to WDW's parks having been neglected recently and a few rides that are clones being inferior compared to our DLR versions. Also, DLR fans are more local and frequent the parks more. Very very protective lot. WDW fans also tend to poke fun at DLR for being so "tiny".

Fans of both Disney and Universal resorts need to realize that each resort is different and great for its own reasons and they each have negative and positive qualities. And theyre for different target audiences.

 

[Jon Fu]

I've never seen any Hollywood fans hate on Orlando. Like you, I've always just expressed extreme jealousy of Florida's Universal parks but I never hated USO, I wanna visit it so bad! Apparently USO fans poke fun at our smaller park sometimes and kind of dismiss it completely because of the size and ride count. But for us USH fans, I don't ever see negative comments about USO. They have an amazing resort and 90% of the time have better "cloned" rides.

I agree. Even when you do find light competition and jabs, it's always in jest.

Odd that you mention the Disney rivalry on both coasts. I thought both parks are fine, but (admittedly), I do enjoy Disneyland more. After all, it's contained in two parks and our overall weather is better. Haha.

I just never got the notion that you needed to hate one park in order to like another. I've never approached theme parks with that motto.

 

[William]

I think jealousy is a major factor. Some people have the mentality that if Universal Orlando or Walt Disney World has something we don't, it's mandatory to hate them. Honestly, I'm jealous too, but there are days where I think to myself, "The feeling you get when walking through Universal Studios Hollywood is like no other." I'll always stand by that motto.

 

[raven24]

The only person I've witnessed express disinterest in USO is my brother. I asked him if he plans on ever visiting Universal Orlando, and he answered "Screw Universal Orlando." He's biased, since he works at USH.

I haven't been to USO, yet, but I very much doubt I will hate the place.

 

[k_peek_2000]

Hey guys,

Let me start by saying that I was the one who tweeted the comment under discussion. I am a close follower of this site so it would only have been a matter of time until I joined. I figured now would be better time than any really, I do hope to stay and be an active memeber. I grew up at USH, came for special occasions birthdays, any chance I could and I am visiting Universal Orlando Resort in January. In all honestly I am looking forward to that part of my trip more than any other. 

I do regret using the word hate, but It is quite difficult keeping my origional thoughts under 140 charecters, that could have been the reason why I used that word. Hate is indeed a very strong word and was very much so used incorrectly. What I meant to say is that there is a bit of competativeness between the coasts, some people take it more seriously than others. My thoughts were more focused on the Disneyland vs. WDW rivalry since Universal fans from each coasts tend to ignore each other for the most part unless things are getting announced that effects both parks.

But when Transformers was announced to be built at Universal Orlando, there were some USH fans that were indeed very upset and felt robbed, it's not often USH gets a super high-end ride like Transformers. Not that they hate UOR or anything (again wrong word used), but there was a bit of disappointment, at least for a little while. It doesn't take long to get over bad/discouraging news as i've noticed being a SoCal theme park fan my whole life. The same sentiment existed in Orlando, when WWoHP was announced to come to USH. Many of the Orlando fans were again very upset about this, they felt as if they were being robbed of something unique to them and continued to remind me (being the only USH fan in my circle of theme park fans) that our version was going to suck. Based on rumors and ramblings it certanily doesn't sound like our version will suck the least bit. But that is what I meant when I say competativeness/disappointent/bitterness/all the words i've used to justify my wrong use of the word hate. It's like when your older brother gets a new toy that he plays with infront of you. You don't hate him for it, but you are jelous and disappointed.

Anyway, that's enough of my rambling. I just wanted to share my thoughts further and to thank Jon for not bashing me to bits when he clearly had the oppertunity to do so.

 

[Jonathan]

Welcome TheTFReview,

I totally agree with you on the competiveness of theme park fans in general. I remember being quite bummed when I heard USF was getting Transformers and then really excited when they announced we were getting WWoHP. I realize that is very hypocritical of me. But heck who cares! .

 

[Miss Betty Juice]

Hello there and welcome! Glad to have you aboard!  ^_^

And don't even worry about it, it's led to great discussion! I do hope you'll be sticking around and chatting us up more. 

 

[Allen The Actor]

Yeah, same reaction here about Potter and Transformers

There's definitely a competitive side to being a west or east coast fan. Welcome aboard though!

For Universal fans, I feel like there's more jealousy for a little while. But never hate. And it's never permanent. I sincerely look at UOR as our sister resort The big brother comparison was spot on.

With Disney fans, there's occasional actual hate. And very unhealthy sh$t talking :/

As guilty as I am of the occasional jealousy, I've learned to understand one thing: most of the population is NEVER going to travel to both coasts. So if there are clones of popular attractions, it's a positive for both coasts and visitors. The only group of people it's a bummer to is usually the fans/families who can afford to travel to both coasts and would like to see different stuff.

 

[raven24]

The "competition" between the two American Disney resorts will never end.

I must say, I've never been jealous of USO or IoA. I like that they're different from USH. I'm not a fan of clones... Honestly, I wish we were getting something different than Potter, but what's done is done. I don't blame USO for being mad, I probably would have been mad as well. I like fresh, new ideas for theme parks from the same company. With that being said, I'm very pleased that our Minion Mayhem will be differ from Orlando's (not the ride itself, just all the extra stuff we're getting).

 

[Allen The Actor]

I personally don't mind getting an exciting cloned ride, considering I don't/can't afford to travel! Haha. But an original ride would of course be preferable.

 

[Jon Fu]

What I meant to say is that there is a bit of competativeness between the coasts, some people take it more seriously than others. My thoughts were more focused on the Disneyland vs. WDW rivalry since Universal fans from each coasts tend to ignore each other for the most part unless things are getting announced that effects both parks.

Welcome. It's good to see you on the forums, and I hope I wasn't too harsh with my comments. The online Hollywood community seems to be dispersed across numerous fan sites, so it struck me as odd as to why someone could cast a deep rivalry between Hollywood and Florida. I've personally witnessed some intense debates (like Allen mentioned) between Disney parks - but never for Universal, so I appreciate your clarification.

Given what I've heard, there is a sense of light animosity between Hollywood and Florida employees. For the most part, it's as if the child (Florida) is outpacing (and at times, dictating) the parent (Hollywood), so I understand where you got that sentiment. But I've always found that to be internal, rather than on the fansites themselves. Sure, both coasts have disagreements, but it's never heated or long lasting.

Anyhow, there used to be many more Universal fan sites on the web. We used to have Discover Universal, IOACentral and Universal Excitement that anchored east coast coverage - all of which have managed to sadly disappear. In contrast, Hollywood has had our site and theStudioTour.com for a number years. I'm not sure what the current status is with theStudioTour, but they don't seem to focus on covering the latest updates from Universal. They focus on historical detail very well, but not on the latest developments as a traditional site would. We've been doing it for a number of years, but we've recently gained traction after years of misfires.

But overall, there aren't too many Universal sites on the web. You mainly have Disney sites covering Universal, which is an interesting sight to see.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Oh gosh Jon I remember those sites! They were always fun reads, pity they're not around! Orlando United kinda took over, and boy are they informative for our east coast cousins!

And yeah, it's interesting seeing Disney sites cover Universal now. It wasn't always that way, I wanna say it's picked up since 2010 when Universal started picking up steam! Sites like MiceChat are actually praising UOR more than WDW, so it actually gives me pride to see hardcore Disney fans start noticing USH and UOR!

 

[William]

I think Universal's been waiting to take a swing back at Disney for a long time, and it's finally gotten to do that with an entirely new line-up of attractions. There's Transformers, Harry Potter, Despicable Me, The Simpsons, King Kong, and a lot more being added to our plate, and I think Disney sites haven't really had much to go on since the CA Adventure refurb. Most sites praise our additions rather than bashing on them, which is always nice to see.

 

[UniversalFan]

I still laugh at Disney fans (not to be rude) thinking Cinematic Spectacular is the exactly same thing as World of Color. But is nothing like it. I love ALL theme parks here, so I can't really hate any theme park.

 

[BehindTheTheme]

Im going to "Paula Dean" and say that i have said "I hate USO" but it was more of a jealousy thing. Orlando use to get all they best thing but it seems lately USH is finally getting some much needed love(mind you not the same love).

 

[Jon Fu]

I still laugh at Disney fans (not to be rude) thinking Cinematic Spectacular is the exactly same thing as World of Color. But is nothing like it. I love ALL theme parks here, so I can't really hate any theme park.

To be fair, I couldn't help but think of World of Color while I watched Florida's Cinematic Spectacular. Granted, they aren't the same (think Back to the Future and Soarin'), but I can see why the comparison would be made.

That being said, they definitely aren't the same type of experience.

 

[Allen The Actor]

World of Color is definitely superior in my personal opinion as a show (from a technical standpoint) but the Universal show has so much music and movies that I love that I wish Universal put more effort into the show.

 

[Jon Fu]

World of Color is definitely superior in my personal opinion as a show (from a technical standpoint) but the Universal show has so much music and movies that I love that I wish Universal put more effort into the show.

Hate saying this, but I have to agree.

Cinematic Spectacular is definitely a better experience than the movie balls, but it's hard to judge without referencing World of Color.