Going Beyond The Castle
Going Beyond The Castle is your ultimate travel podcast that takes you beyond the magical gates of Disney. Join hosts Fred and Lori as they explore a world of vacation possibilities, diving into the best experiences from Universal Studios, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Virgin Cruise Line, Sandals Resorts, and so much more. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just dreaming of your next getaway, tune in for expert tips, in-depth reviews, and insider secrets to make your vacation truly unforgettable.
Going Beyond The Castle
Ultimate Ride Showdown: DIsney vs Universal
The ultimate theme park showdown unfolds as we pit Disney and Universal rides against each other across 13 categories. Prepare for passionate debate, surprising verdicts, and a deep dive into what makes each park's attractions uniquely special.
From classic experiences to cutting-edge thrills, we evaluate everything from dark rides to water attractions, themed areas to nighttime spectaculars. The results reveal fascinating patterns about how these theme park giants approach attraction design. Disney consistently delivers immersive storytelling and emotional resonance with experiences like Rise of the Resistance, where "the queue itself makes the ride what it is." Meanwhile, Universal excels with adrenaline-pumping experiences like Velocicoaster, which edges out Expedition Everest in our high-speed coaster category.
The most heated debates emerge when comparing iconic experiences. Would you choose Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure or Pirates of the Caribbean? Is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind truly the ultimate coaster experience? Our perspectives illuminate how personal connection to franchises and individual preferences for thrills versus storytelling shape our theme park experiences.
By the final tally, both hosts independently selected ten Disney attractions and three Universal attractions as category winners—but numbers don't tell the whole story. Universal's strengths in specific categories highlight its competitive edge, while Disney's dominance across multiple categories showcases its broad appeal. As we conclude, "It's dependent on the experience that you want. If we just want to go thrill ride, then I'm gonna go to Universal...but if I want the experiences, Disney."
Join us next week for our special Earth Day and Animal Kingdom episode featuring guest host Ashley, followed by our Halfway to Halloween celebration before our month-long break. Subscribe now to continue going beyond the castle with us!
Stay up to date with all things Going Beyond the Castle at beacons.ai/GoingBeyondTheCastle
I'm going to go Happily Ever After for one of many reasons. One I've seen Happily Ever After. I have not seen Sensational. Two Sensational is more of like the projection on a water thing, which I'm not necessarily a fan of personally, whereas like the fireworks, the you know, the Main Street projections, the Cinderella Castle projections, the music, but really just does it for me. And happily ever after. I've said it before, I'll say it again, I will cry every time happily ever after starts like no, it's happening. Like that, it does something. So it's just really well put together.
Speaker 2:So I have to go happily ever after hands down yeah, I would too, and even though I know we're not we talk about it all the time that we're not really the fireworks to show people but I mean, like that is that first time that we went and we watched it with the kids sitting there it's just, it's a memory that you won't forget, just because we didn't know like again, I didn't research a lot of things even back then before I went. And so you know, you go and you experience this for the first time and you know it's on the castle and you get all the feelings and it's definitely, I feel, like it's more of an emotional attachment than you would get watching the sensational one.
Speaker 1:You bring up a really great point. Like you know, I think you helped me make the decision for the overall round.
Speaker 1:But like happily ever after really is, like you know, a couple weeks ago, when we were talking with that family that's going to disney in the middle of may, just like the, their kids like talked about cinderella's castle and like showing the pictures and things like that, like that is the icon that when people go to disney, that's what they think of, like, and disney does do a really good job of bringing the emotion and really making it a poor memory between the castle and the story that they tell. So, like you like I mean, you really do bring up a point Like that really does kind of seal it in for a lot of people, whereas, like you, go to Sensational, and Sensational may be a great show, like again, I've never seen it. It really could be a great show, but I can't see Sensational having the impact that Happily Ever After does on a lot of people. Right, what is up and welcome back to what episode are we on 27? 27.
Speaker 1:Welcome back to episode 27 of Going Beyond the Castle. I am your host, fred Riley, and with me, as always, is the fabulous podcast princess, lori Talamo. That's me. Tonight we're breaking down Disney vs Universal. This is going to be an interesting episode, especially because I am you know, I am obsessed with Disney. So we'll see. There's definitely some Universal rights that may take, take the cake, so we'll see. But yep, tonight we are, we're going to do a breakdown of Disney versus Universal rights and we're going to talk all things, all things right. So, yeah, not much. There's not much announcements this week. I don't think it was pretty deadly.
Speaker 2:No, I looked and yeah, I think because we hit so many announcements last week with the what's new, the only thing I did see and I didn't even put it in the notes was there is a Disney Plus promotion out right now for the summer.
Speaker 2:So if you're a, Disney Plus member and you're looking to go over the summer, they have some really low rates like $99 a night at some of the value resorts. But that was about all the new stuff that came out. I mean, there's a ton of stuff coming out about Epic, but I feel like we can't really announce that yet because it's all too new.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll see more Epic stuff to come in the coming weeks. Yeah, so lots of exciting things happening at epic universe. Seems like every other day. They're making announcements in the, the universal group, so definitely things to get excited about as we start seeing more footage of epic universe and things like that. So, yeah, definitely more to come for Epic. Gotta be fun. And then we're going to have to redo this whole thing and compare Epic rides.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know Cause. Well, it's funny because when I was looking at some you know when I was doing some research and of course you know we use I use AI sometimes and it was like throwing in rides.
Speaker 1:I'm like no we can't use those rides yet. So, yeah, fun times. Make sure you guys stay tuned for the end of the episode, because we do have some things to announce in the upcoming weeks um exciting stuff, yeah. So we got some things coming up in the next couple weeks that we're going to talk about at the end, um, but yeah, I say we just I'm gonna let you lead the show and I'm just gonna vote disney the whole way.
Speaker 2:It's crazy because I tried to be neutral, so I didn't want to like schedule or like pick the rides myself on all of it. So that's why I used a lot of like just research and asking questions, because I didn't want to skew the way I felt. But as I'm looking at some of them, I'm like gosh, this is going to be so hard.
Speaker 1:I peeked at some and that's going to be challenging them. I'm like gosh, this is gonna be so hard.
Speaker 2:There's I peaked at some and that's gonna be challenging, yeah. So because of course we're both like die hard disney, but universal does have some of my favorite rides and so, and then when it, when it kind of populated them against each other, I'm like I wanted to change them and I'm like, no, I'm not gonna do that, I'll let it be, I'll let it be a fair, a fair thing. And another thing that was difficult to kind of pairing them, because you know like there was categories of like best classic ride, best iconic ride, and they could all kind of go in different categories. So just roll with us and we'll just we're just putting them, I think, in just the best category that I felt like they would fit in.
Speaker 1:That's fair.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the way we're going to do it is um, each category has two rounds, and so we'll put up our in round one, we'll put up our disney against universal ride, then we'll do round two, do the same thing, and then at the end of that round we'll say, out of the two winners which one we feel like would be the top ride. And I'm going to take notes so that way I can see at the end how many disney and how many universal rides we each pick I'm glad you're taking notes, because I was not prepared for that at all this evening.
Speaker 2:Yeah well, hey, that's, that's, that's my job. You do all the the fun technical stuff. So I gotta do I gotta do something that's fair okay, so category one is best classic ride, and so we're for round one. We're doing Disney ride, haunted Mansion. I already know where you're going. Disney ride is Haunted Mansion, universal ride is ET's Adventure.
Speaker 1:ET's Adventure is literally the very last ranked ride I would ever put on anything. It is essentially the remake of Peter Pan's's flight. But yeah, which don't get me wrong, loved et growing up. I did watch et um, and I have ridden the et adventure ride. But if you gave me the option to pick between haunted mansion and et's adventure, I'm going to haunted mansion every single time. Yeah, I mean yeah, down.
Speaker 2:I mean yeah, and we've talked about it before I make my family ride ET with me. It is kind of a weird ride, it is, but it's something that it's almost like a small world. It's something I feel like I need to do. When I go, however, up against Haunted Mansion, you can't, definitely can't, pick ET, so that would be a Haunted Mansion one for me as well.
Speaker 1:Also, small World is not something I feel I need to do each time. I would just like to put that out there. Really, no Haunted Mansion, for sure. If I don't write Haunted Mansion, I'm going to cry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, my family doesn't care to write ET or it's a Small World, but that would surprise me. Although I am excited to write.
Speaker 1:It's a small world at disneyland because yeah, because it's different totally different, so we'll see. Yeah, that'll be, fun round. One goes to haunt a mansion easy all day.
Speaker 2:Okay, haunt a mansion, haunt a mansion, all right. So for round two, for best classic ride is it's a small world, in for universal hogwarts express hogwarts express is not a ride.
Speaker 1:I.
Speaker 2:I know I mean it's an attraction, but I'm going to vote for it, like I am All day.
Speaker 1:It's just the coolest feeling in the world to ride the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts Like sorry.
Speaker 2:All day. Yeah, and I'm going. It's a Small World.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I like Hogwarts Express but again, since I guess I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan, I'm not a Potterhead it's not as important to me. I mean, obviously I like it, you know, if we're going to ride it to get park to park and it is cute, but I got to go. It's a small world.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, hogwarts Express. There's just something about walking out and seeing the Hogwarts Express that will always do it for me over walking out and seeing. It's a small world boat, so I get it, I get it.
Speaker 2:So now is the question of do you pick Haunted Mansion or do you pick Hogwarts Express?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I'm fine without writing Hogwarts Express. I again I will go home mad the whole way if I don't ride Haunted Mansion. So Haunted Mansion, hands down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I would pick Haunted Mansion too. I mean, again, I like you know, I mean I do it's a small world but it's more of just one of those. Oh, you know, like I mean, I like to ride Dumbo when we come to. Oh, yeah, you know, I mean it's like one of those kind of things. Yeah, we went one time when we took my in-laws. Nobody wanted to ride it, but my mother-in-law had never been, so her and I rode Dumbo together.
Speaker 1:I'm taking Jamel on Dumbo when we go next month?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you have to.
Speaker 1:I mean, although no offense to the individual who created these rankings, but can we really say hogwarts is a classic ride?
Speaker 2:well, that's what I'm saying. They there was. There was other ones that fit in like iconic or best themed. That's fair. But also I let it generate some of these right, right, right, right again no offense to the creator no, no, thank, no offense taken.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Haunted Mansion was going to win regardless. I know what's not going to win on the next one.
Speaker 2:Oh, I know what's not going to win too. It's funny because as I looked at some of them, I'm like I know what Fred's going to pick, yeah. So the next category is Best Dark Ride, which I don't really know. I guess, I don't know. Realm 1 is Disney's Rise of the Resistance over in Galaxy's Edge or over in Universal Skull Island? Reign of Kong.
Speaker 1:I have very faint memories of Skull Island Reign of Kong. It's pretty intense. I have very clear memories of Rise of the Resistance hands down, top ride. Memories of rise of the resistance hands down, top ride like disney, like rise of the resistance, like the queue in itself, like I'd be fine just doing the queue and walking out, like yeah, that's your, oh yeah you like, you know, between riding the spaceship and then getting intercepted and you know, going through interrogation like all that.
Speaker 1:It's just the queue itself makes the ride what it is. So yeah, that one's like easily handed down all day Rides of the Resistance.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this one actually populated in a few different categories and I'm like, no, we want to have different, you know, to give different rides options. But yeah, definitely I remember the first time we went. Again, I don't watch the star wars movies, so I mean I knew enough about the character so like I knew who, but just the whole experience it was, I was blown away top notch. I mean, I feel like we're not going to give spoilers because at this point if people don't know what it is, it's been open forever no but if I say something, it was just.
Speaker 1:If I tell you something about a ride at this point and you get offended, that's on you Like, right? All of these rides have been open for a hot minute, so sorry if you don't go to Disney two times a year like some of us. Yeah.
Speaker 2:But the the whole room with the stormtroopers.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:It's like the part right there.
Speaker 1:That's a great ride. It does have a downfall in that it constantly random parts of it break down and it takes forever to get fixed. But that's technology. That's you know, when you have a multi-million dollar ride, yeah, you're going to have some issues.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that little drop will get you every time.
Speaker 1:Every time.
Speaker 2:I'm not telling Jamel about it. Yeah, I don't think we told my in-laws either, like when we took them. I don't think we, because I don't want things spoiled for me. I want to experience it for the first time. Yeah, you know. Yeah, all right, so round two is over in Disney, which will soon be there.
Speaker 1:No more A dinosaur or over at Universal Revenge of the Mummy. You really should have put that dinosaur somewhere else and at least given it a chance, like I want you to go first, because I want to hear yours, because I know you love Revenge of the. Mummy, I know you also love Dinosaur.
Speaker 2:Yeah, actually I think I'm going to go. Revenge of the Mummy.
Speaker 1:You should have given it a solid chance.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, do that with ET and then let's have a like True and D won. Yeah, no, I mean, I love dinosaur. It is fun, I think. Honestly, I think what I like about dinosaur is how much olivia doesn't like dinosaur yeah so I think that's the fun part of it.
Speaker 2:It is very jerky, you know, and so it's a kind of a rough ride. I mean it's cool though, but I think that's more of the. It's open to the end of the year. It says it's I don't think they gave a date, but I think it's a kind of a rough ride. I mean it's cool though, but I think that's more of the. It's open.
Speaker 1:It says it's I don't think they gave a date, but I think it's closing at the end of this year maybe I'll go ride it one last time you should maybe I'll take your ball on it, just so he can experience it and get whiplash yeah, I already told olivia I'm like well, be prepared, because dinosaur is still open.
Speaker 2:So we're gonna ride it in may. We're going to do it. We're going to do it one more time. Yeah, but I am going to go Revenge of the Mummy, because that ride was super awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to vote Revenge of the Mummy like easily all day. It's just such a great ride. You know it's based off a classic movie. It really is just top tier ride. The effects on it are fabulous too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and what's crazy is, I don't even know if I saw that movie. I feel like I might. I must have. There's like 20 of them so just pick one. Yeah, probably not then, but yeah, it's super cool.
Speaker 1:Now I'm going to watch the movie series.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm still trying to get through the first Harry Potter movie.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:Because I want to be able to sit down and watch it and focus, and not watch it while I'm working or doing other stuff and it's very rare that I'm sitting on my sofa and I'm not working. But I definitely want to watch them before I go in May because—.
Speaker 1:I'm going to have to talk with Rachel and we're going to figure out a Harry Potter day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we have a marathon. Yeah, all the movies.
Speaker 1:You have to start about 6 am.
Speaker 2:Yeah, or at least get to. I was told that I need to go up to at least the fifth movie.
Speaker 1:You have to do all of them, including the Fantastic Beasts series.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, I don't know. Hopefully they don't stay super weird.
Speaker 1:We have like 10 movies to watch. Oh gosh.
Speaker 2:And they're like two hours, I mean if I stay home all day, one day, and just you know.
Speaker 1:Every day is a half day if you leave early, true, alright.
Speaker 2:so now Rise of the Resistance or Revenge of the Mummy.
Speaker 1:Rise of the Resistance Yep, same Like Revenge of the Mummy is great and, like I said, you know the effects on that one are great. But you know, rise of the Resistance big Star Wars fan didn't used to be, but you know am now it's just, and the effects on that one are just mind-blowing easy all day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is where the fun one's gonna come in, see and now like disney's winning let's see the problem is right.
Speaker 1:Like disney has, disney and universal have different rides, right, disney just tends to do the Universal's really good at the ride, disney's really good at the experience. So it's hard to compare the two, but Disney all day.
Speaker 2:Yep, it is. Yeah, it is totally different. So it was kind of hard pairing some of them up. That's why I tried to just let it generate and I was just like we'll just roll with it, all right. So category three is best high speed coaster, which I feel like I know who's going to win this one, maybe I don't know, I'm torn.
Speaker 1:Hands down. I already know.
Speaker 2:Okay, so round one. Disney ride Expedition Everest Universal ride, velocicoaster this is a hard one for me, because I love both of those rides.
Speaker 1:I've never ridden Velocicoaster, However it looks like a top-tier ride. It does. It looks like a fabulous ride.
Speaker 2:Which is crazy, because when I rode it the first time, I was like I'll never ride this again. And then last summer, Olivia and I rode it and we're like, oh my gosh, it's so amazing, I want to do it again.
Speaker 1:I think I'm going to have to go with Velocicoaster, even though I've never ridden it, Just because it really just does look like Expedition Everest is a great ride. Don't get me wrong. The different aspects of Expedition Everest going to backwards and all that stuff really it makes it a great ride. But Velocicoaster, if you're really talking that high-speed coaster, Velocicoaster is the top-tier coaster between those two. Yeah, for sure. Between the corkscrews between you know, upside down, like that that's going to be of those two. Yeah, you can't stop Velocicoaster.
Speaker 2:It's funny because I saw a TikTok and they were like, what do you mean? And it was like you know, I don't know what they're called, but where you can, or like on what's that other app, capcut? And like you can like. It's the person they kept saying over and over like what do you mean, what do you mean? And then the text. It was like when you find out that Velocicoaster is a lap bar and not an over the shoulder.
Speaker 1:I the show there. I'm like yeah, it's, I didn't know that scary that.
Speaker 2:Oh yes, it's a sign me up, sign me up, I'm down. We kept like pulling on it. I'm like, okay, I'm not gonna fall out of this thing, but uh, it's pretty secure, so all right. Round.
Speaker 1:Two is guardians of the galaxy cosmic rewind or the hulk guardians all day best roller coaster I've ever ridden in my entire life. If you ever try to compare anything to Guardians of the Galaxy, cosmic Rewind. I will pick Guardians of the Galaxy every single time.
Speaker 2:Yes it is so awesome.
Speaker 1:The smoothest, fastest like the spinning part, where you're going around the globe and you're just going around the Earth and it's just like you can't, like you're going around the globe and you're just going to going around the earth and it's just like you can't like you're spinning and you can't even tell like it's just yeah, it's crazy because I'm not a huge fan of space mountain.
Speaker 2:I used to love it, but space mountain just kind of, as I'm getting older, it freaks me out like I don't know. I mean, I'll ride it if I have to, but I do compare cosmicind to that a little bit, just because it's kind of similar as far as the track, but it's so much better.
Speaker 1:The difference between Guardians and Space Mountain is that Guardians meets the current safety standards, right, space Mountain doesn't. I can't put my hands up, because if I do, they're going get take it off, get chopped off. Like, yeah I am, I've wrote space about the very first time and I was like nope, yeah, like it's great.
Speaker 2:I mean like I legit get on there and I'm like why did I do this? And then I start praying like god, please don't let this thing fall apart, don't let us fly off, don't let my children die on this ride but I don't know how that ride's going.
Speaker 1:It's yeah. I don't know how somebody has not lost their hands on that ride. Which crazy is the? So? Disney world space mountain is one person, but space one at disneyland is two people per so yes, I decided, yeah, I feel like I would maybe like that better side by side.
Speaker 2:I remember when we first went, the kids were nine and six, yeah, and so I remember like I think it was olivia that sat in the middle and so I'm like reached, you know, I've reached up trying to hold on to her hands or whatever, because we were side by side, but she, she took it like a pro, I don't know how after she ever traumatized her, but but she rode it. So I guess I don't even have to ask this one Between. Guardians and VelociCoaster which one's going to win.
Speaker 1:Guardians hands down Guardians.
Speaker 2:Yep, I'm definitely seeing power here.
Speaker 1:I'm telling you, it's just although this next one, yeah the next one is not.
Speaker 2:I know this one's going to be tough for you, not for me. I already know where I'm going. Okay, so the next round, and this is why I said it's so hard the categories, because they could go in multiple categories, but category four is most iconic what do you define as most?
Speaker 2:I don't know well, because I the way I looked at it was like, of course, when you think Magic Kingdom, you're thinking Space Mountain, like that's one of the rides that Magic Kingdom is known for, so iconic in that sense, I guess, same as the other one in round two. And then same thing for Universal, round one Hagrid's. Of course, when I talk about Universal, that's one of the top rides that I talk about, so I guess that's why it fell under iconic. But, hands down, I already know where I'm going it's Hagrid's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean for round one. I'm going to say Hagrid's. I mean it's easily one of the longest waits at Universal.
Speaker 2:I'm glad it wasn't in the same round as guardians, because that would have made me really struggle.
Speaker 1:But also, like I, like I'm also trying to keep an like idea of like most iconic. Like hard to say what the most iconic between the four of these is, but you know for universal for sure, like I think when people go to disney they think of a lot of different rides for the most iconic, but really like universal, like haggard's has always been one of the top tier rides for universal, at least until epic universe opens.
Speaker 2:We'll see once epic universe opens, right, yeah, all right so round two disney's pirates of the the Caribbean, or Universal's Hollywood Rip Rocket.
Speaker 1:Pirates All day, yeah, same. Now when you ask me to pick between Hagrid's and Pirates, that's real, it's going to be like.
Speaker 2:Not for me. I'm Hagrid's all the way, see, I know.
Speaker 1:And it is more of.
Speaker 2:I don't know if it's because it's iconic I mean it is but it's just because it's my favorite I'm gonna go with haggard's.
Speaker 1:I have a passion for pirates of the caribbean. I do. That is also another ride that if I do not ride it when I'm at disney, I will be extremely butthurt. However, not everybody feels that way, but I can tell you a lot of people go to universal and look forward to haggards. Like it, it truly is, of the four, an iconic ride like, whereas pirates is like, it's more of an iconic ride for the like, I would say the older people like, because they know the movies, you know, they know the ride. Whereas, like you ask anybody, as long as they like roller coasters, haggards is going to be where it's at. Yeah, that ride is so awesome I got to give this one a universal.
Speaker 2:Yep, same, all right. So what is next Next? In some of these I haven't done, so we'll just roll with it. Best water ride so round one Tiana's Bayou Adventure versus Universal's Jurassic Park River Adventure.
Speaker 1:I've never ridden Jurassic Park Me Jurassic.
Speaker 2:Park River.
Speaker 1:Adventure. I've never ridden Jurassic Park Me either, but I have ridden Tiana's and I do love the movie Tiana's or not Tiana's, but Princess and the Frog. So I'm going to go with Tiana's Bayou Adventure Especially just because I really do feel like Disney did a really solid job with the storytelling in that one. Then I want to take into consideration the best water ride. So I've never really gotten that wet on Tiana's Bayou Adventure but, like Jurassic Park, river Adventure looks very different. So if, like, you're wanting to get soaked, like that may be the better ride, but then again, I've heard of people also getting soaked on Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Maybe I've just gotten lucky the handful of times I've ridden it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Tiana's still love it yeah, and so I haven't done either one. So I'm I'm basing tiana's really kind of on splash mountain as far as the ride itself, maybe not necessarily the theming, and that's the one that I would pick too. I know jurassic has the big drop as well. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Now I'm like you, I'm kind of questioning because like it's very easy to go off of and just be like to be honest because I've ridden it. It's a great ride. Yeah, but you have to take into consideration the whole aspect of best water ride actually I'm going to change mine.
Speaker 2:I'm going to change to jurassic because have looked at some, because I knew I wasn't going to ride that one. So I have looked at some ride videos and just riding through the water and then the dinosaurs coming out. I think that's pretty cool. So I'll give Jurassic that one, all right.
Speaker 1:So we got to split way on that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, first one. Okay, so round two is going to be Disney's's cali river rapids versus universal's popeye and bluto's barges, which I have not rode that the barges, and I will not because I don't want to get that soaked.
Speaker 1:You literally get drenched on that ride which is why, like cali river rapids, you get a little wet yeah but that's also one of the rides that, like it's typically, your shoes get soaked and then you've got to be that one unlucky person that just goes under a waterfall, right. But other than that, you've got a solid chance of making it out. Yeah, but Popeye, they're getting drenched. Yeah, I'm going to go with Popeye.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I am too, and then it's cute. I was just going to say the little area is cute, and then this is the one where they have, where you can stand on the boat and actually spray the people going down with the water.
Speaker 1:So now, the fun one Between the three.
Speaker 2:Tiana's versus.
Speaker 1:Popeye for you. I think I'm going to do Popeye I do. Tiana's is a great ride story-wise, but I think popeye's is a is a better ride water ride.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then for me I'm gonna pick between the two, I'm gonna stick with jurassic, okay so either way, universal wins that one yep, so universal's getting up there give it time they'll go back down okay, so the next one and this one was so hard finding shows. Some of the shows. The first one populated very easily, the second one was a little bit more so. Category six is best show slash experience. Round one is festival of the lion king versus the born stuntacular festival hands down, like the born stuntacular fabulous show.
Speaker 1:Like don't get me wrong, they do such a good job with the storytelling and really pulling you in so like what it's like to be a secret agent and all that stuff and get to experience it. But hand festival of the lion king just does something to me every time, like it's just such a gorgeous. I mean I do love the lion king, so that helps. But yeah, just just the acting and just everything in that show is just fabulous.
Speaker 2:Yeah I'm actually gonna go born okay, maybe because our one experience with festival of the lion king was right after someone had a meltdown and it was a family feud right as we were going in. I don't know. I mean it was amazing. I love the show. It definitely is one that kind of pulls you in. But I don't know, when I went to Universal that time and did Born, it just kind of blew me away and I think since that one's more fresh. Maybe that's why that's fair. That was just an awesome show. And round two is going to be pure speculation for me because I haven't actually experienced either one of them. So Disney's Beauty and the Beast lives on stage or Universal's horror makeup show.
Speaker 2:I have never seen the Universal horror makeup show Me either, and I don't think I ever would, so I will by default pick Beauty and the Beast.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to pick Beauty and the Beast. Yeah, I'm gonna pick Beauty and the Beast because I've seen it like it is a really great show, like they do a really good job with it. I think this one ultimately comes down to what your preference is like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean that's kind of creepy against yeah if you are a Disney buff and you know you love beauty and the beast. It really is a great show. Like they just do such a good job with it, um, whereas you know if you're more on like the horror side of the house, like the horror makeup show, may be better for you. So really, like I would say this one is a tie, like it's hard to pick between the two because they're two very different shows and experiences. But I would have to stick with beauty and the Beast because I have seen it. I do enjoy it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sweet. So I'm sure this is a no-brainer between Festival of the Lion King and Beauty of the Beast. Lion King, yeah, lion King, that's down, and for me it would be Bourne.
Speaker 3:So look at me.
Speaker 2:I got one, two, three Disney and three Universal. I don't want to vote on this next one. I know, because I know which two you're gonna pick oh yeah, oh, it's probably gonna be the two that I would pick. But okay, so best nighttime show round, one happily ever after at disney for universal's sensational symphonic spectacular, which I think that's the new one it is that's out on the water, so which I'm gonna go happily ever after for one of one of many reasons.
Speaker 1:One I've seen happily ever after. I have not seen sensational. Two sensational is more of like the projection on a water thing which I'm not necessarily a fan of personally, whereas like the fireworks, the you know the main street projections, the Cinderella castle projections, the music, like really just does it for me and happily ever after. I've said it before, I'll say it again, I will cry every time happily ever after starts like no, it's happening. Like that it does something. So it's just really well put together.
Speaker 2:So I have, I have to go happily ever after hands down yeah, I would too, and even though I know we're not we talk about it all the time that we're not really the fireworks to show people but I mean, like that is that first time that we went and we watched it with the kids sitting there it's just, it's a memory that you won't forget, just because we didn't know Like again, I didn't research a lot of things even back then before I went. And so you know, you go and you experience this for the first time and you, you know it's on the castle and you get all the feelings and it's definitely, I feel, like it's more of an emotional attachment than you would get watching the sensational one bring up a really great point like I think you helped me make the decision for the overall round.
Speaker 1:But like happily ever after really is, like you know, a couple weeks ago, when we were talking with that family that's going to disney in the middle of may, just like the, their kids like talked about cinderella's castle and like showing the pictures and things like that, like that is the icon that when people go to disney, that's what they think of like and disney does do a really good job of bringing the emotion and really making it a core memory between the castle and the story that they tell. So, like you, I mean you really do bring up a point like that really does kind of seal it in for a lot of people. Whereas, like you go to sensational and sensational may be a great show like again, I've never seen it. It really could be a great show, but I I can't see sensationalational having the impact that Happily Ever After does on a lot of people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we watched bits and pieces of it because we happened to be there and we saw it going on, but then we ended up going ride stuff, so we didn't so round two over at Disney's Hollywood Studios Fantasmic or Universal Nighttime Lights on Hogwarts Castle.
Speaker 1:All right, Fantasmic theme song was going in my head Fantasmic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, same.
Speaker 1:Like Fantasmic. It's just such a great show. It is awesome and it's such a cool show between the pyrotechnics. The fun fact we got really good seats the first time that we took my parents. We had never really gotten that good of seats before, so we didn't know how wet we were going to get in that show and my parents were so mad. But it really is just a great show, especially all the characters that come out on the boats and the story of Mickey. I'm excited to see Disneyland's Fantasmic. I'm hoping our VIP tour can get us into that. We'll see. It was my pick. I would say that's the one thing she does for us.
Speaker 1:Fantasmic just really is a great show. One of my favorite things about Fantasmic is the punk disney music they played before the show and as you exit, like it really just does it for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, it was fun. We did um. I think I talked about it before too. We did a um dessert party there for one of my agency trips and that was super cool till it started raining and then we were all just soaked.
Speaker 1:But yeah, it was still fun I didn't get to see phantasmic my last trip, so I'm gonna be very salty if I don't get to see it on this next trip.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh yeah, yeah, I might try to get um, get the fam to. We can hang one night and do it again who knows?
Speaker 3:so if you had to pick between guys, right, yeah, we do the early one.
Speaker 2:If you had to pick between happily ever after and phantasmic, what are you picking?
Speaker 1:I think this is really hard for me at first, just because I do have a strong passion for both of these shows. They're easily my top two of the four nighttime shows. Well, now three. I'm getting mad at you. Get rid of their nighttime show. They're easily my top two. But I think, going back to the point that we mentioned earlier, like the core memory that Appli Ever After creates and so many people, makes it the best nighttime show gotcha.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I get it too. I guess I don't know. I guess I have more, more of a chance of us sticking around phantasmic than the other five.
Speaker 1:That's fair, like again, and I mean yeah, you know, you and I are on my trip when I go with my friends, though. Yeah, we go in december I mean you and I are prime examples that everybody does Disney differently. Like, of the thousands of people that bombard the center of Magic Kingdom an hour before the show starts to get a good seat, there is equally another thousand-something people that are like let's go catch rides.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:You know everybody does different disney different.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely all right, best family friendly ride. This was hard for universal because they don't have a ton right now. People mover so round one disney, peter pan's flight, or high in the skies, seuss trolley and, like you know, I'm not a big fan of peter pan.
Speaker 1:I don't see what the hype is behind peter pan, but it is a great kid ride and you know it's great for families, you know?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean I gotta go peter pan's flight like yeah, I do like it too, and um, and I think I guess, because we talk about stuff so much, I feel like I talked about this. But when we did the Lightning Lane with my in-laws, I'm pretty sure, or one trip, and like the Lightning Lane, you skip the whole queue and I'm like, which is great, because that queue is so long, because it's the ride. You know it takes a long time to load people in that ride, so it takes forever, but the queue is like really the, the fun part of it this is bottom of my head.
Speaker 1:I read somewhere I can't remember where I read it, but you know the new harry potter ride at epic universe. I heard it was made to hold people for up to seven hours. Like it can take you that long to go through the entire queue wow that is at full capacity. Sorry, you said the longest queue ever and I'm like I read somewhere that that ride can be up to seven at. The queue is up to seven hours yeah, I would never ride it no, I've gone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'd be like I'm done. That's why I needed to keep may and june, because that way between three days I could try to get all the stuff in but anyway, yes, best, yes Best, family friendly. Peter Pan. Yes, peter Pan. Okay, so round two, and I'm not going to lie, I threw this one in there because it didn't get picked for anything and I'm like we got to have this one. This could have really been one of the iconic rides too, or classics, is Disney's People Mover or Universal's Flight of the hippogriff.
Speaker 1:Hippogriff, I'm going. People mover that's one of my favorites. They're gonna go with people mover solely because solely I love flight of hippogriff. I do, I think it's a great. You know, start a roller coaster ride if you are. If you're trying to introduce your kids to roller coasters, I really do. However, it is compared very similarly to what's that one back in um barnstorm, in Barnstormer, barnstormer. It's compared to that. You know, both of my children were super excited to ride their first roller coaster. Then they got on Barnstormer and it hated me. So I can't really say it's a family friendly ride because it's not for everybody. So, like, keeping in the mindset of the best family friendly, like I don't see who could be mad about riding the people mover.
Speaker 2:Yeah no me either.
Speaker 1:It's such a fun, fun, cool little ride I love the people mover good memories on that one all right, we got a good bit left to go. Okay, best themed ride we didn't wrong one we didn't vote between the two. We didn't vote so round one, we didn't vote between the two. We didn't vote between the two?
Speaker 2:Oh no, we didn't, because I assumed what everybody was going to pick Peter Pan or People Mover, people Mover Yep, that's what I put. All right, I went ahead and I cheated.
Speaker 1:Well, we're also running on time. We're at 44. But I always edit so much of this out.
Speaker 2:We're fine, we got plenty of time okay um, all right, so best themed ride round one flight of passage over in pandora and disney animal kingdom or the amazing spider-man passage same like like amazing spider-man is a great ride if you are a big early comic book marvel fan, yeah.
Speaker 1:If you're not, it's just another ride. But avatar avatar is a whole nother experience of a ride. The smells that are pumped in 3d, you know the banshee breathing between your legs, like disney just really took that ride and knocked it out of the park all day yeah, that is.
Speaker 2:That is. That has been my top ride. Yeah, until guardians came along.
Speaker 1:Yeah and even my dad, my dad who's scared to death of heights, which I mean I personally am too so am I but I've you know I can cope with it on rides, just because I know there's a 99.9 chance nothing's gonna happen to me. He was like yo, let's do that again. Like that was awesome, like he absolutely loved that ride.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the first time we rode it I kept closing my eyes so I missed a ton of it. And then, when I finally was like, all right, let me just watch, you know. And now I keep my eyes open it's, it's awesome. So then, okay, so round two mickey minnie's runaway railway versus men in black alien attack.
Speaker 1:I don't know. I mean Men in Black. Alien Attack is a great ride. It's a classic ride. Mickey and Minnie's is really loud, that's. The only thing I hate about that ride is how loud it is.
Speaker 2:It is loud. The daisy part gets a little when you learn it to bolt.
Speaker 1:I feel like I have to say Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway solely learn until well. Like I feel like I have to say mickey and minnie's running rarely railway solely because the technology in that ride is way more advanced than men in black alien attack, which really does make it a better themed ride yeah, that's what I picked many minnies, mickey and minnies.
Speaker 1:That one's super cute yeah, but between the two hands down flight of passage all day same, yeah, yeah that was a no-brainer on that one yeah, like I'm excited that disneyland is getting a pandora and that they're gonna get something similar to it. So because it really is just a top tier ride, so next category is best themed area.
Speaker 2:So we have round one toy story land versus Universal Springfield which, as we talked about before, is the Simpsons area.
Speaker 1:I'm just not a big fan of the Simpsons. Never have been. I also don't feel Universal does a great job with themed areas as well as Disney does. The Harry Potter areas are really well themed, but I feel like the rest of the park isn't really like. You can walk through it and you have no idea that it's themed area. And I do love toy story land, absolutely love toy story land so I'm gonna vote. I'm gonna vote.
Speaker 2:Toy story land me too yeah, yeah, I can't remember what episode it was that we did when we were talking about universal, and I'm like I didn't even realize that they classified areas as their themed lands, like San Francisco and New York, you know, because it's based on the rides that are there, but I'm like it's not like super themed like you were saying. So, yeah, definitely, disney has hands down wins on the themed areas. So I'm interested to see what you're going to say on the next round, which is Disney's Galaxy's Edge versus Diagon Alley.
Speaker 1:Diagon Alley. Really I'm a bigger potterhead than I am a star wars nerd. Star wars and start don't get me wrong star wars area, galaxy's edge is gorgeous. The detail that went into galaxy's edge really is top notch. But I just like I'm a potterhead, like yeah. So to me, going around and waving a wand and doing stupid spells is way cooler than going and building the lightsaber like that's. That's just where it is.
Speaker 2:For me it's diagon alley all day yep, sweet, I did go with um galaxy's edge and I guess well, I mean, I don't know a lot about star wars either um, but I guess maybe I don't get all the references to the castle and the different things in um diagon alley is where, or you know the buildings. Yeah, I don't remember which side the castle thing is in um hugs me hugs me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you know, at least with galaxy's edge, I know enough to appreciate the. Yeah, I don't even know what they're called. The galaxy vehicles, whatever the oh gosh, that's what we're gonna call them from now on galaxy vehicles galaxy vehicles. There we go all right, so you go on toy story land or diagon alley I already know yeah, I gotta, I gotta go with diagon alley.
Speaker 2:Yeah I'm gonna go with galaxy's edge, just because I do love toy story land, yeah, but I just feel like galaxy's edge is a little more themed, I I guess Because Toy Story is, you know, you've got the big characters, but it's mainly like the rides and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's a lot more themed things to look at in Galaxy's Edge than there is Toy Story. So yeah, I totally get that one.
Speaker 2:Yep, sweet, all right, I think I know who's going to win this one too. Okay, so now we into the funniest ride category category. So we have disney's jungle cruise versus universal's the simpsons ride simpsons ride just weirded me out.
Speaker 1:I was super confused the whole time I wrote it. I was like what is happening? Why isn't this ride over yet? I just I jungle cruise yeah, I was worried. I don't even find jungle cruise funny, like I don't, like it's clever, but I don't. I don't necessarily find it like ah, funny, like it's just like I had jungle cruise yeah, same.
Speaker 2:It's funny we would brayden when he was nine. The guy was trying to tell a joke and brayden answered it correctly, I think. I think he like blew the guy's mind. I think it kind of ticked him off. He was like wait a minute.
Speaker 1:Nobody was supposed to get it? You're not supposed to know the answer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was like what is a fish without an asset or something, or an eye? Oh, what a fish without an eye. And Brayden was like shh and a guy just looked. You just rocked his world because you ruined his joke. It was funny. What's the next one? Okay, so round two. Disney's Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor or Despicable Me, minion Mayhem.
Speaker 1:I got to stay with Monsters Inc on this one, yeah, especially because, like it's a great, like every show is different, because it's actual like comedians that are back there controlling the show, so it really is a pretty cool experience yeah, fun stuff.
Speaker 2:I like when, um, I like when I pick the random people out of the the crowd, like there was an older guy and he had no idea, like for the longest time. So jungle cruise or monsters inc monsters inc I think I'm gonna go with jungle cruise. Okay, I mean, I thought it's that funny. I just, I don't know, I think it's cute. I know it's not a cute category, but some of the stuff All right. So what's next? So best motion simulator Millennium Falcon, smuggler's Run or Race Through New York with Jimmy Fallon.
Speaker 1:So solely. I just like it has such great potential. But I always get salty on the Millennium Falcon because I'm always that one that's in the very back just pressing the button Same While the kids up front who don't know how to drive are the one that's steering the ship and I'm like this is dumb. But I mean it is a great ride. It really is, especially because it's like one of those ones that you can actually control. You have a little bit of control over the outcome of it. Yeah, I would go millennium falcon, especially also because it's just super cool how the whole system is built, like getting the behind the scenes. Look at that. It's just super cool and they did a really good job with that.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I'm gonna go with millennium falcon I um, I went jimmy fallon, josh and I actually talked about this one right before and he was like that ride gets a lot of flack about it not really being good, but we like it.
Speaker 1:I think it's super fun. I love the Jimmy Fallon ride Especially.
Speaker 2:I'm a big Jimmy.
Speaker 1:Fallon fan. Yeah, I thought it was a great ride. I just think best emotion simulator?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that one. Braden and I actually went back at the end of the night and rode that one, while Liv and Josh rode something else, because he liked that one too. It was fun. Okay, so Disney's Soarin' versus Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, and that one's like a coaster plus some simulation. Right, I didn't do that one. That's the one I will not do.
Speaker 1:This is hard for me because I do love Soarin' but I also love Forbidden Journey. I can't pick, can't do it. I'm definitely picking Soarin', soarin'. When I just think about what I would rather ride. Like it's just it's soaring, like the smells that they pump in, you know the whole, like leaning side to side, like it's just such a great ride.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we and I don't. You might do this too, but like we always, I say we, I'll get Josh to do it, but we asked to get in the middle and the top. Yeah, like that's the best ride, even though it's crazy, cause I'm scared of heights again, so I can't look down or look at the people's feet hanging on side of me.
Speaker 1:It's such a great ride.
Speaker 2:It is such a good ride.
Speaker 1:I don't think that's the one that's going to take it for this category. For me, to like Moline, power button is great ride, but Soren just is a classic.
Speaker 2:For me too, like millennium powerpoint is a great ride, but soarin just is a classic for me. Great motion simulator same. Yeah, that's what I picked as my top one too. All right, last one, last round category 13 best interactive attraction toy story mania versus men in Black Alien Attack. Toy Story Mania Same Great ride Great ride that is also in my top five rides ever. And then Buzz Lightyear, space Ranger Spin versus Villain Con. I don't think I've done Minion Blast. It's crazy. I'm going Buzz Lightyear because Buzz.
Speaker 1:Lightyear. It holds a special place in my heart of the competition. Yeah, buzz Lightyear, I mean it's. It holds a special place in my heart of the competition. Yeah, buzz Lightyear, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then the VillainCon is one where you actually stand on like a conveyor belt that moves and then you're shooting, like you have the gun and you're shooting at. It's like the whole, the walls, everything's like big screens. So you're like shooting at the targets but you're standing. So it's very similar, but yeah, and then of course, for me, between the two, Toy Story, mania, all the way Same, same same one.
Speaker 1:Like I, I feel like it went by super fast, but I do love like Toy Story, Midway Mania, Like it was. It was super cool.
Speaker 2:Sweet. Well, that was fun. I don't think we need to hit the bonus rounds because I think we I put those in there in case we didn't get through what we got through and we hadn't. We don't need a filler, so let's say we got. You have one, two.
Speaker 1:I picked Disney, I know, Five, six, seven, eight nine ten.
Speaker 2:So you have 10 Disney.
Speaker 1:Three Universal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's what I should have did, was just count the Universal ones. So let's see, I have one, two, three, six, seven, eight, nine same. So we each had ten Disney.
Speaker 1:Interesting, not really a surprise, disney's just like Disney's where it's at for me, like I've been to universal but it's just not and I would love to go back and you know I'm working on planning a trip for a family in in december right now like it's a super great park but just disney is where my heart at yeah, I mean, and that same.
Speaker 2:I love universal, the right. It's just it's dependent on the experience that you want. Like, if we just want to go thrill ride, then yeah, I'm, I'm gonna go to universal. Yeah, but if I want the experiences disney, like I feel like I could do disney twice a year and still go more times, but I wouldn't want to do Universal twice a year. Now, who knows, with the new Epic stuff, you know if that's going to change that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:But yeah, definitely definitely Disney at heart, I guess.
Speaker 1:Fun times. Do love Disney? Yeah, all right. So next week, lori's favorite Sunday, which she's been most looking forward to since she came up with the idea.
Speaker 2:Yes, next week we're talking Earth Day and Animal Kingdom, so that is going to be so much fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm excited for that episode. We have a special guest with us next week.
Speaker 2:Yes, we will have a special guest joining us next week, ashley, so we're looking forward to having a guest host with us that we haven't had on the show before.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exciting to have her. And then the 20th is what I'm looking forward to as we dive into halfway to Halloween.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that one's going to be fun too. I know my family was planning a. The men in my family were planning to go to one of the Noligo rugby games.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I'm like, oh, I can't. Well, olivia's got a cheer parent meeting, but I'm like we have the podcast and that's halfway to halloween, so I will, I am not missing that one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's gonna be fun that is our last episode before we head into our month off yes so I'm definitely not gonna miss it.
Speaker 2:But yeah, yeah, so fun stuff. I'm looking forward to both of those episodes. I think they'll be fun to talk about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's going to be good. Before we wrap up and I'm going to let you close us out this week, since your internet is working well, I know, don't jinx me, though Right Before we wrap up. I didn't say it at the beginning, I'll say it now. Thanks for tuning in and joining us on this episode and every episode that we do every week. You know we love going beyond the castle with you guys every single week, whether it's, you know, on Facebook, whether it's on YouTube, you know, whether it's on Twitch or whether it's on one of our audio only platforms. Like you know, seeing the views that you guys are tuning in every week, and just, you know, going beyond the castle with us. We absolutely love it. So we just want to thank you guys for the support and thanks for joining along with us.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you guys again, like Fred said, for joining us. As always, you can find us on our website at wwwgoingbeyondacastlecom, which is newly I don't want to not create it. Well, yeah, just created by Fred. New website looks amazing, so go check it out. You can find all of our social media information on there and actually you can click on different ways to listen to the podcast too. Right, and watch it through the website. Yeah, yes, you can also find us on our Beacons channel at beaconsai. Forward slash, going beyond the castle. Ai forward slash, going beyond the castle. And if you want to reach out to us for any reason, for a vacation quote or if you want to, you know, give us some ideas for an episode, have some feedback on an episode? Would like to join us, maybe one day. If you have a topic, you can reach us at our email, at info, at going beyond the castlecom, and we will see you guys next week.
Speaker 1:Yep, see you guys next week. Goodbye.
Speaker 3:Thank you for joining us on this magical journey. We hope today's episode brought a little extra spark to your day and inspired your next adventure, whether it's a thrilling escape to Universal, a dream cruise getaway or unforgettable memories at Disney. Have questions, a topic you'd like us to cover, your own magical story to share, or looking for travel assistance? We'd love to hear from you. Drop us a line at info at goingbeyondthecastlecom. Be sure to check out all our social media links and podcast platforms at beaconsai forward. Slash goingbeyondthecastlepod castle podcast and don't miss the fun in our facebook group going beyond the castle podcast lounge, where we share tips, updates and beyond the scenes moments. Until next time. See you real soon.
