WDW vs. IOA

[THECHILLER]

I know this has been a long debate for a while now, but which one do you think is better as the whole environment, or feel to the park. Not so much as rides, but the whole feeling you get when you enter.

[Zach]

I love Islands of Adventure. The theming there is amazing and its easy to say I like it better because it has better coasters but when you are in the themed lands it really feels like you are there not some corny theming like Six Flags. It also looks much cooler when you first see it. I do say Disneyworld gives you a better feeling when you walk out because of all the characters and parades and fireworks. Everyone there is so happy <IMG SRC="/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif"> its just crazy. The bad part is you are so happy there that when you leave you are so sad. When I was leaving WDW for the last day I was like I just want to see one person start smoking in line or one ride op being rude to someone to make me feel better that I was leaving. You must think I sound high round now, but oh the memories of Florida they were great. <IMG SRC="/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">

[coaster man098]

well, just entering the park i feel more about IOA because of seeing hulk there, and knowing spidermans there. also, i started to love disney after i went last time, so i never got the disney feeling

[Natelox]

i would say IOA because of its rides and buildings. WDW has some really beautifull gardens.

[Amy]

I like WDW better only because it has a special place in my heart. I love the whole Disney atmosphere, which I feel that IOA could never duplicate. IOA does have it's own unique, mystical feel when you enter the park. They are both quality theme parks.

[Ioa Master]

Oh Please.This Is So Obvious.Ioa Is The Best Theme Park On Earth.WDW Just Wants To Kill Adults With Bordum.

[Amy]

IOA Master, not all adults are coaster enthusiasts like we are <IMG SRC="/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">

[viperlord]

IOA is totally better then WDW.
<BR>
<BR>The Layout of IOA is so easy to follow,eveything is right where you can get to it.
<BR>
<BR>Also the employees actually wear clothes to match the theme of the ride at IOA.
<BR>
<BR>The crowds aren't everywhere at IOA,When I went to WDW the crowds were rediculous.The paths are so tiny,and they cram aeveryone into the park.And this wasn't on a weekend either!When I went to IOA their wasn't any crowds at all hardly.
<BR>
<BR>The theming is so much nicer and cooler at IOA.
<BR>I also noticed the prices for IOA merchandise was alot cheaper then Disney's merchandise.
<BR>
<BR>When we went to WDW the employees were really not the best.This one lady said she was going to call security if we came back and rode Space Mountain one more time.And That was only are 2nd time,But she was a real Whinch.
<BR>
<BR>

[Nosk8er]

i think that IOA is better for many reasons but the easiest to describe is cost, im sure that if disney got their hands on IOA they would have a separate gate for every island, it wouldnt be the first time disney made a couple attractions into an entire park...

[Honan Beetch]

Walt Disney World is too overrated nowadays. Universal's Islands of Adventure is a lot better because it has better theming and better rides. Plus, no Disney theme park can compare to its two amazing B&M coasters, The Incredible Hulk and Dueling Dragons.

[wahooskipper]

Why is it necessary to compare the two? Whether they admit it or not the two parks are good for each other and great for us. I think IOA has great theming...they should because they took a page from Disney and improved on it.
<BR>
<BR>No park will ever give me the same feelings at WDW. For a complete, immersive experience there is nothing better. I will say that I look forward to the improvements over time at IOA. I still think this park is lacking in attractions for the park. Sort of like MGM in the earlier days.

[robvia]

People post topics like this one because we're frustrated that Disney has lagged behind in the thrill ride department, thinking the "magic" will carry them.
<BR>
<BR>IOA is the clear winner. Schools are making it their field trip destination. Avoid IOA on a Friday near the end of the school year.
<BR>
<BR>Sure Disney is great, it has "magic", but many of us want thrill rides. Disney has become a kiddie park ages 4-8. After that, the kids want thrill rides. I also don't like the fact that to go on all the Disney rides, you have to visit 4 parks to do it. IOA has everything in one place. Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong, but my daughter is 10, and we have no plans on visiting Disney for a long time. There's no reason to go back until they build a huge roller coaster or something new to thrill us.

[disneysweans]

Hey, howabout everyone who mentioned "RIDES" in their post delete them. The original post said not to compare "rides, but the whole feeling you get when you enter." Maybe two people mentioned a feeling. Everybody else used the same lame excuse to pass IOA off as better than WDW. How about this: Don't visit any theme parks in Orlando for five years. Then go to WDW, to the Magic Kingdom. As you sit on the oposite end of the Seven Seas Lagoon waiting for your ferryboat, try and describe what you feel. You feel different, right? You feel like a little kid again, right? Now wait another five years before going back to Orlando. This time go to IOA. What do you feel? You feel like you're going to a Six Flags or Cedar Point. Fun? Yes. Magical, better than Disney? NO. No one can copy what Disney has in terms of feelings. That's what makes posts like this ridiculous.

[viperlord]

Oh,Disney doesn't have any magic left in them,and if they did their magic would be over rated,over crowded,and over priced.
<BR>
<BR>Also Disney can charge whatever they want for their parks,because kids will bug their parents to go there,and most parents want to make their kids happy.

[coastergenius100]

What kind of question is this, the answer is obviously IOA.

[Chairman Clench]

What I find most amusing about these kinds of posts is the fact that people feel this "need" to compare everything. The bottom line here is that you can't compare WDW to IOA. Here's why...
<BR>
<BR>1. IOA is one single theme park, while WDW is a complex of 4 theme parks, 2 night-time districts, 20+ hotels, golf courses, 3 water parks, etc. Comparing the 2 is unfair to IOA.
<BR>
<BR>2. You really can't even compare Universal Orlando to WDW. The scope and size of WDW makes all comparisons unfair.
<BR>
<BR>3. Why does one have to be better than the other? Each park is trying to be something different. Disney doesn't advertise their parks as Thrill Ride parks because they aren't. The Magic Kingdom is about fantasy, Epcot about Discovery, Disney-MGM about show biz, and Animal Kingdom about conservation. Universal Studios Florida is about giving you the experience of being in scenes from movies and IOA is about thrills. The only 2 that even remotely overlap are Disney-MGM and IOA. Over the last few years they both have done a good job differentiating themselves.
<BR>
<BR>4. How about we stop the whole, "This is better than that" thing and instead rate the parks as to how well they achieve what they are trying to. Example, does Animal Kingdom give you an appreciation of nature and educate you about conservation? If the answer is "yes" then the park does what it set out to do. That doesn't make it better or worse than IOA, it makes it different. If Disney starts advertising Animal Kingdom as a thrill ride park, then we can compare it.
<BR>
<BR>5. Read about the parks before you spend your money to go there. If you want thrills, go to IOA. If you want fantasy, go to MK. If you want to drink around the world, go to Epcot <IMG SRC="/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif"> .
<BR>
<BR>That's my 2 cents. Thank you for reading.

[Medusa1861]

IOA because it has 2 great coasters versus 0 good coasters

[Amy]

Well done Clench, couldn't have said it better even if I wanted to. It isn't really possible to have a comparision, nor is it fair.

[Apollo's Chariot]

IOA

[ChrisFL]

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<BR>On 2001-07-02 14:59, Chairman Clench wrote:
<BR>What I find most amusing about these kinds of posts is the fact that people feel this "need" to compare everything. The bottom line here is that you can't compare WDW to IOA. Here's why...
<BR>
<BR>1. IOA is one single theme park, while WDW is a complex of 4 theme parks, 2 night-time districts, 20+ hotels, golf courses, 3 water parks, etc. Comparing the 2 is unfair to IOA.
<BR>
<BR>2. You really can't even compare Universal Orlando to WDW. The scope and size of WDW makes all comparisons unfair.
<BR>
<BR>3. Why does one have to be better than the other? Each park is trying to be something different. Disney doesn't advertise their parks as Thrill Ride parks because they aren't. The Magic Kingdom is about fantasy, Epcot about Discovery, Disney-MGM about show biz, and Animal Kingdom about conservation. Universal Studios Florida is about giving you the experience of being in scenes from movies and IOA is about thrills. The only 2 that even remotely overlap are Disney-MGM and IOA. Over the last few years they both have done a good job differentiating themselves.
<BR>
<BR>4. How about we stop the whole, "This is better than that" thing and instead rate the parks as to how well they achieve what they are trying to. Example, does Animal Kingdom give you an appreciation of nature and educate you about conservation? If the answer is "yes" then the park does what it set out to do. That doesn't make it better or worse than IOA, it makes it different. If Disney starts advertising Animal Kingdom as a thrill ride park, then we can compare it.
<BR>
<BR>5. Read about the parks before you spend your money to go there. If you want thrills, go to IOA. If you want fantasy, go to MK. If you want to drink around the world, go to Epcot <IMG SRC="/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif"> .
<BR>
<BR>That's my 2 cents. Thank you for reading.
<BR>
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<BR>
<BR>Well, I could say that Disney is marketing MGM as a thrills park (even with only 2 thrill rides), and IOA is much more than a thrill park. It's still got all the stuff that kids love, and plenty of beautiful scenery, without stepping foot on a ride.
<BR>
<BR>I don't see why you're comparing the Theme Park IOA to the Resort WDW. Why not compare the RESORT of Universal Orlando to the RESORT of WDW? Or just go with the subject and compare THEME PARKS.
<BR>
<BR>You said " The only 2 that even remotely overlap are Disney-MGM and IOA."
<BR>
<BR>Hmm, that's funny because I could have sworn that the Magic Kingdom and IOA both have carousels, spinning rides, indoor fun-house style dark rides, rollercoasters, exciting shows, highly themed fantasy areas, flumes, indoor shows, etc.
<BR>
<BR>disneysweans said:
<BR>"How about this: Don't visit any theme parks in Orlando for five years. Then go to WDW, to the Magic Kingdom."
<BR>
<BR>As you walk around Magic Kingdom and question why all the classic rides were torn down, replaced by low-budget rides, as you pay $20 for a soda and $40 for a hamburger, you sit and wonder where all the "magic" went.
<BR><BR><BR><font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ChrisFL on 2001-07-02 18:20 ]</font>

[Amy]

Exaggeration much? The prices at WDW are just as high as those in IOA. Face it, amusement parks rip us off, no matter what company runs them.

[disneysweans]

Chris FL, two things. I doubt that it costs $60 to eat a simple dinner but I do get your point. If we were to compare the two resorts, I think it's a no brainer which would win, so it's still unfair.

[CoasterMike]

Ive never been to IOA, its definitly a nice park from what I have seen though. But there is something about disney, I just get this feeling when im there that I dont get anywhere else.

[Honan Beetch]

I still think Universal's Islands of Adventure is better!

[Chairman Clench]

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<BR>On 2001-07-02 18:19, ChrisFL wrote:
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<BR>On 2001-07-02 14:59, Chairman Clench wrote:
<BR>What I find most amusing about these kinds of posts is the fact that people feel this "need" to compare everything. The bottom line here is that you can't compare WDW to IOA. Here's why...
<BR>
<BR>1. IOA is one single theme park, while WDW is a complex of 4 theme parks, 2 night-time districts, 20+ hotels, golf courses, 3 water parks, etc. Comparing the 2 is unfair to IOA.
<BR>
<BR>2. You really can't even compare Universal Orlando to WDW. The scope and size of WDW makes all comparisons unfair.
<BR>
<BR>3. Why does one have to be better than the other? Each park is trying to be something different. Disney doesn't advertise their parks as Thrill Ride parks because they aren't. The Magic Kingdom is about fantasy, Epcot about Discovery, Disney-MGM about show biz, and Animal Kingdom about conservation. Universal Studios Florida is about giving you the experience of being in scenes from movies and IOA is about thrills. The only 2 that even remotely overlap are Disney-MGM and IOA. Over the last few years they both have done a good job differentiating themselves.
<BR>
<BR>4. How about we stop the whole, "This is better than that" thing and instead rate the parks as to how well they achieve what they are trying to. Example, does Animal Kingdom give you an appreciation of nature and educate you about conservation? If the answer is "yes" then the park does what it set out to do. That doesn't make it better or worse than IOA, it makes it different. If Disney starts advertising Animal Kingdom as a thrill ride park, then we can compare it.
<BR>
<BR>5. Read about the parks before you spend your money to go there. If you want thrills, go to IOA. If you want fantasy, go to MK. If you want to drink around the world, go to Epcot <IMG SRC="/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif"> .
<BR>
<BR>That's my 2 cents. Thank you for reading.
<BR>
<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE><!-- BBCode Quote End -->
<BR>
<BR>Well, I could say that Disney is marketing MGM as a thrills park (even with only 2 thrill rides), and IOA is much more than a thrill park. It's still got all the stuff that kids love, and plenty of beautiful scenery, without stepping foot on a ride.
<BR>
<BR>I don't see why you're comparing the Theme Park IOA to the Resort WDW. Why not compare the RESORT of Universal Orlando to the RESORT of WDW? Or just go with the subject and compare THEME PARKS.
<BR>
<BR>You said " The only 2 that even remotely overlap are Disney-MGM and IOA."
<BR>
<BR>Hmm, that's funny because I could have sworn that the Magic Kingdom and IOA both have carousels, spinning rides, indoor fun-house style dark rides, rollercoasters, exciting shows, highly themed fantasy areas, flumes, indoor shows, etc.
<BR>
<BR>disneysweans said:
<BR>"How about this: Don't visit any theme parks in Orlando for five years. Then go to WDW, to the Magic Kingdom."
<BR>
<BR>As you walk around Magic Kingdom and question why all the classic rides were torn down, replaced by low-budget rides, as you pay $20 for a soda and $40 for a hamburger, you sit and wonder where all the "magic" went.
<BR>
<BR>
<BR><font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ChrisFL on 2001-07-02 18:20 ]</font>
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<BR>
<BR>FIrst of all, thank you for making a correction in my original post. I actually meant to say that the only 2 parks that remotely overlap are Disney-MGM and Universal Studios Florida since they are both about movies and TV. So, thank you for making that correction for me.
<BR>
<BR>As to why I compared IOA to the entire WDW resort, that's because I looked at the TITLE of this thread..."WDW vs IOA" not WDW vs Universal Orlando. Even such, I DID explain that it isn't a fair comparison and that even comparing Universal Orlando to WDW isn't fair. Perhaps you should re-read my original post items number 1 and 2 where I CLEARLY state this.
<BR>
<BR>It's OK that you obviously hate Disney... maybe Mickey hit you as a child and scarred you for life? <IMG SRC="/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif"> You are entitled to your own opinion and stating your opinions is what these board are for. I just wish that when people posted things on these boards that they would at least try to have an intelligent discussion about the topic instead of it always degrading to the "Disney sucks 'cause they don't have mega coasters" mentality.
<BR>
<BR>If you re-read my original post, you will see that I was trying to protect Universal from being compared to Disney because they shouldn't be compared, period. I enjoy all the parks here in Orlando for different reasons... because they are different products. One is not better than the other just because they are different. I love IOA for the rides, the MK for the child inside me, Epcot for the "beverage" sampling, Animal Kingdom for the rare animals, etc.
<BR>
<BR>If one of the parks is providing a product that you aren't interested in, then don't go. That doesn't mean it "sucks". Do you compare every movie that comes out to every other movie? No, of course not. We compare movies that are directly competing against each other, like a Dreamworks animated film vs a Disney animated film. Just because Titanic and Star Wars are both movies doesn't mean the two should be compared.

[Anaconda]

For Thrilling Fun=IOA
<BR>
<BR>For Fun=WDW

[wahooskipper]

Does it really matter?

[ChrisFL]

<!-- BBCode Quote Start --><TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
<BR>FIrst of all, thank you for making a correction in my original post. I actually meant to say that the only 2 parks that remotely overlap are Disney-MGM and Universal Studios Florida since they are both about movies and TV. So, thank you for making that correction for me.
<BR>
<BR>As to why I compared IOA to the entire WDW resort, that's because I looked at the TITLE of this thread..."WDW vs IOA" not WDW vs Universal Orlando. Even such, I DID explain that it isn't a fair comparison and that even comparing Universal Orlando to WDW isn't fair. Perhaps you should re-read my original post items number 1 and 2 where I CLEARLY state this.
<BR>
<BR>It's OK that you obviously hate Disney... maybe Mickey hit you as a child and scarred you for life? <IMG SRC="/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif"> You are entitled to your own opinion and stating your opinions is what these board are for. I just wish that when people posted things on these boards that they would at least try to have an intelligent discussion about the topic instead of it always degrading to the "Disney sucks 'cause they don't have mega coasters" mentality.
<BR>
<BR>If you re-read my original post, you will see that I was trying to protect Universal from being compared to Disney because they shouldn't be compared, period. I enjoy all the parks here in Orlando for different reasons... because they are different products. One is not better than the other just because they are different. I love IOA for the rides, the MK for the child inside me, Epcot for the "beverage" sampling, Animal Kingdom for the rare animals, etc.
<BR>
<BR>If one of the parks is providing a product that you aren't interested in, then don't go. That doesn't mean it "sucks". Do you compare every movie that comes out to every other movie? No, of course not. We compare movies that are directly competing against each other, like a Dreamworks animated film vs a Disney animated film. Just because Titanic and Star Wars are both movies doesn't mean the two should be compared.</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE><!-- BBCode Quote End -->
<BR>
<BR>Never did I say that I hate Disney or say that it "sucks". I just think that most likely, the person who started this thread
<BR>did not mean to compare a theme park to a resort complex. That's blatantly obvious.
<BR>
<BR>I lived in Orlando for 17 years. My father worked at Epcot for 5 of those years. I know all about the workings of Disney. I also know of some current employees that agree that they're killing themselves. Disney is relying on marketing right now, plain and simple, not amazing high-tech attractions or projects, as IOA is.

[Kraken]

DisneyWorld has almost no enjoyable thrill rides, shoved won your throat commercialism.
<BR>
<BR>Disneyland, and moreso Disneyworld, has strayed far from the vision of The great Walt Disney. He would be very disapointed if he could see his whimsical park transformed into one big commercial, desgined only to maximise profits.
<BR>
<BR>Ioa is not.

[Amy]

This debate is going around in circles.