Which Is the Superior Park, DCA or Universal Studios, Hollywood?

[larasound]

DCA may not be a GREAT park but it's better than USH! I am not a fan of the tram and find it to be quite boring, so that really leaves only a handful of attractions and shows, most of which have not changed since I was a kid. Waterworld? Really?

There seems to be more to do in a day at DCA (which is scary) and MUCH more that is geared towards families with children.

[KISSman]

For one full-day visit, Universal is probably better, but after a day there, I have no interest in going back for a while.

DCA is much better in terms of presentation and having attractions that remain fun after going in/on them many times over.

When I spend a week at DL Resort, I visit DCA every day for hours at a time. I enjoy being in DCA. At Universal, I like doing the attractions, but I really don't enjoy the park itself that much. I never have a desire to go back right away. Once a year is usually enough for me.

There are probably only two attractions at Universal that I enjoy doing more than once and they are quite a pain to get to (Jurassic Park & The Mummy). There are at least a handful of attractions at DCA that I enjoy doing multiple times and never grow tired of.

So, considering my overall enjoyment, I have to side with DCA.

[techskip]

I'm waiting for "Which is better DCA or a day at the mall?"
I really can't submit an informed opinion on DCA vs USH because I have only been to USH a handful of times and while it was fun I don't remember much about it. The same could be said of DCA vs SFMM... I haven't been to SFMM in years!

All this comparing of DCA is interesting though. Hopefully as the quality of the park improves the comparisons become less frequent.

[Rex Dopey24]

i would go with the mall on that one lol.

[TwilitWings]

USH is excellent in many aspects, but the overall package falters in comparison to DCA. USH gains points for being an actual movie studio, but the studio tour is somewhat lacking now, plus the fact that if you do not want to see many of the shows, there's little to do. I don't even like going on one of the rides (Mummy coaster, which was very good in Florida--I have yet to ride the one in USH) because I hate queues with people jumping out at you. : S

DCA, while lacking in its own ways, has a great deal of atmosphere for what its worth and a lot more to do if you don't like coaster-esque rides.

[In the Parks]

Well, first off, if you look at the amount of money each park brings in, USH wins hands down.

The amount of Front of the Line Passes ($119) and VIP tours ($199) sold are more than you think.

Plus a lot of planned tours (mainly international visitors) make USH part of their plans, bring in a lot of single day admission sales.

Yes, USH does have a popular Annual Passholder program, but that is designed to get more money upfront from the local visitors than a discounted 1 day ticket.

But USH sells MANY more one day tickets (currently $67 for adults) than DCA.

But Universal Studios is a much different type of park than say, Six Flags Magic Mountain or Islands of Adventure.

USH is different, because its main focus is making movies and not rides or attractions, even though it has brought in a few to help try and draw in locals.

But there are some folks that would rather go to Universal than a Disney park, especially some international visitors (that don't like rides).

Of course, the classic is the Tram Tour, which is really, IMHO, a bunch of different attractions that you get to see with only standing in line once. (And you get to sit down and relax during the entire experience). If you are a film and/or TV buff, it is a chance to see the locations in person, plus get some "surprises" (things like Earthquake, Jaws, etc.). Heck back decades ago, when they first started to expand, everyone was forced to start with the Tram Tour, and the plaza (known know as the Upper Lot) opened later in the day. The Tram Tour was the star, and IMHO, is still the star of the park.

Now, this makes a few things fairly clear, first off, the Park isn't really for little kids who won't like sitting fixed for about 1 hour, but is a favorite for Adults, especially those past their 20's (but some of the younger generation loves it).

Now the park has grown and changed over the decades, but once again, IMHO has focused on Adults, with an attempt to draw in some of the younger and/or thrill fans. (Remember, USH cannot build many types of Thrill Rides, as the working studio can't have folks "screaming" in the background, ruining the sound tracks of the active shooting on the outer lots. So that leaves mostly indoor attractions as a choice, with some creative use of angles and design features, some outdoor stuff.

Expansion also brought with it some unique problems and solutions, which creates the park we have today (split level).

But originally the lower lot area was accessed as part of the tram tour, where everyone got off (as a group) and went to what is currently known as the "Special Effect Stages" as part of the actual tram tour, and is how everyone got to the area (no escalators).

As part of a major expansion, the escalators were built, the Special Effect Stages stopped being part of the tour (and also a mid-stop break, which featured restrooms, food, drink and merchandise and a few extra large props, plus a second queue for boarding the trams for the second half, currently closed, but still standing, basically above where the Fast and the Furious Dancing Car part of the tour is today). Since the originally 2 hour Tram Tour was shortened to less than 1 hour, Universal felt they didn't need the restroom break. The Tram Tour loading area was even brought downstairs (where Jurassic Park is today) for awhile while they worked on the Upper lot (new Tram Tour loading area, and Back to the Future - Original Tram Tour location is basically where the Gibson amphitheater and Waterworld is today, right next to the original Main Entrance.

Anyway, enough history, so the current Lower Lot features the Special Effect Stages (used to be offered in duplicate, to handle the tram tour volume), the second version area being converted to Backdraft, an amazing show (heck Disney built something similar in Paris, and looked to build it in DCA at one point). Also added decades ago, E.T. to bring a major attraction to the Lower Lot. Currently home of Revenge of the Mummy, and indoor Roller Coaster built inside a large sound stage (designed to keep the sound inside the building). Alas, not a top ten coaster, but for the footprint they had, not a bad ride with some fun surprises.

And then there is Jurassic Park, a combination indoor/outdoor attraction, with the first outdoor segment "mellow", and then brought indoor for the "scream" portion. And most of those screams are contained in the building, and those that escape are facing the city street and not the Back Lot area (clever design). While somewhat of a Thrill ride, it is more a story telling attraction, with amazing AA's and a fun story line with special effects along the way. Best Water based attraction by far in Southern California, nicely themed queue area with misters and shade to deal with hot summer days, a pre-show video to keep you entertained while waiting for the boat. Nothing at DCA comes close to this attraction.

When the upper lot was finally finished getting its remodel, you got the new Tram Tour loading area (now a "standard" attraction with a nice queue). History of the Tram Tour was that you used to enter the park and be forced into the Tram Tour queue (Heck, scheduled Tour Companies such as Gray Line could drive their buses to a secondary entrance, and they got to load their own Shuttles with their own queue area), then when the park was getting too popular, the first type of Fastpass was offered, where instead of being forced onto the Tram Tour, on very busy days, selected guests (when the main queue was getting too long) were handed a return time voucher, printed in advance that had a specific one hour return time in the afternoon to take the Tram Tour). That ended when they started to use the lower lot as a loading area, since the tram tour was shortened and the bathroom break issue no longer needed to be addressed.

Back to the Future was great and lasted decades, until it just got rethemed to the Simpson Ride, which I love, especially with all the inside jokes referring to the Back to the Future ride, and its storyline. My favorite new attraction in 2008 for the SoCal area.

Terminator 2 3, an amazing attraction, a bit dated, but still an amazing blend of Live Actors and a 3-D movie, nothing like can be found at any other non-Universal Theme Park in the world.

Shrek 4-D, a fun, well made production, with an emphasis on quality, both in the cast and production, to the multiple digital projectors used, and the moving seats. Once again, nothing of this quality can be found at DCA.

Water World, the stunt show is very well done, lots of actors, amazing plot with lots of special effects and stunts. One reason that this works as an outdoor event, first off, most of the sound is designed to stay in the theater, or be sent to the CityWalk area. And the big explosion at the end is on a set schedule, and all the filming on the lot knows in advance that it will happen a few times a day, and at a very specific time. Once again, I am a big fan of it, and prefer it over Aladdin, but than that is partly due to my personal preferences, I much prefer an Action-Thriller movie to a Musical.

Animal Actors is a minor show, but still fun and cute. Same as the Blues Brothers Show.

The Curious George and Coke Zone play areas are designed for the younger ones to let their steam release, and to get cool on a Hot Summer day.

So to recap, USH has less attractions than DCA, but the few they have, for the most part are true E ticket attractions, or in case of the Tram Tour, multiple E tickets.

USH is more for adults and/or Movie/TV buffs than for families with little kids and Thrill seekers.

USH is also designed more as a one-time visit location, than other SoCal parks who have more attractions and repeatability.

But if someone said they had to choose between a one day open park ticket, USH or DCA, unless they have little kids who couldn't handle the sitting on the Tram Tour, it is clearly USH IMHO.

I have a No Blackout AP for USH (got a good discount), and think a visit every 2 to 3 months is good, but I would probably go a bit more often if it was closer to where I live, as it is a bit of a pain with the LA freeway traffic to get to most of the time.

[Datameister]

Shrek 4-D, a fun, well made production, with an emphasis on quality, both in the cast and production, to the multiple digital projectors used, and the moving seats. Once again, nothing of this quality can be found at DCA.

[bold mine]

It's tough to be an underappreciated bug.

That point aside, I agree with what you're saying, Monday In The Parks. And I appreciate the fascinating look at how USH has changed over the years.

[Legacy]

[QUOTE=Datameister;3175732]
It's tough to be an underappreciated bug./QUOTE]

I'll second that. I found the moving seats in Shrek 4D to be waaay too distracting.

[Madison]

I visited California Adventure, Knott's and Universal Studios Hollywood the weekend before last -- so they're all pretty fresh in my mind. I've been to DCA a number of times before, but hadn't been to Knott's or USH in more than twenty years.

DCA is a much more engaging park on many levels. It doesn't have the number of thrill rides at Knott's -- though most of Knott's thrill rides leave a lot to be desired -- but it succeeds on those terms anyway. California Screamin' is a great roller coaster by most any standard, and is quite a bit more fun to ride than anything at Knott's. Tower of Terror is significantly more fun than Supreme Scream, even if stripped of its theming. DCA offers more variety, generally. In fact, in comparison, the only thing Knott's has working in its favor was a single ride operator that described their Chance Wipeout as "The Barfmaster" and himself as "The Barfmaster General". That man made that ride do things you could never have imagined.

Universal Studios is small and its rides -- of which there are few -- are pretty lackluster. Revenge of the Mummy is incoherent. Jurassic Park: The Ride is much less interesting than its counterpart in Florida and is a bit too static and stagnant for its source material. The Simpsons Ride, however, is tons of fun.

[mickeyandme67]

DCA. UniStu is poorly maintained and is shoddy by comparison. It feels very amateurish and everything there that is good, feels borrowed from a Disney park somewhere.

[Darkbeer]

Originally Posted by mickeyandme67

DCA. UniStu is poorly maintained and is shoddy by comparison. It feels very amateurish and everything there that is good, feels borrowed from a Disney park somewhere.

Have you ever been on the DHS Backlot Tour???

Backlot Tour - Disney's Hollywood Studios

Talk about being amateurish...... That thing is just awful.

And talk about being borrowed, looks like Disney clearly took the long running USH tour and tried to copy it before Universal Orlando could open up....

[OldSchoolMickey]

^^^^^

I agree.

The whole "studios" theme was a direct knock-off of USH...

For a one-day experience, I vote for USH.

[brand42]

Originally Posted by Datameister

I have similarly ambivalent-but-favoring-DCA feelings, BC_DisneyGeek. Neither is an amazing theme park, IMO, but they each have their own advantages. Universal, of course, benefits enormously from being a real movie studio, and the associated tram tour is a big draw. The few other attractions can be enjoyable, but they're nothing too special. DCA, on the other hand, is more consistent and of higher quality when it comes to theming, and it has a few more worthwhile attractions. But it still entirely lacks the magic of a real Disney park.

I guess if I had to pick just one of the two to visit right now, I'd pick Universal, simply because it's been a longer time since my last visit there, and I'd be interested in seeing what's left of the courtyard square in person. But objectively speaking, I'd probably rank DCA as a superior theme park.

Here's what the courtyard square looked like when I went a few weeks ago on 9/4

[Datameister]

Thanks for the photo! Yeah, I've seen a few, but I'd definitely be interested in seeing it in person. Heck, I'd still be interested even if not for the fire.

[OldSchoolMickey]

We were just there last w/e and they have begun marking off the spots for the new sets. When you view it from above, you can easily tell where the new sets will be.

The angle in your picture as you go up the grade in the Tram is nice too, but they aren't as noticeable (now).

Our Tram host said that they are hoping for next summer for completion of the facades.

Also, word is that they will build a new Kong attraction based off of the latest movie.