SPACESHIP

Wet N' Wild is said to likely be closing when construction is underway. The current and surrounding land for that property will be used for addition resort expansion. I welcome it, especially if the theming is top notch and slides and are on the cutting edge of technology (advanced Proslide models instead of standard slides).

If so, fair enough, but there's no way around that. The Potter lands are subject to Rowling's incredibly high standards for approval, and the bar has been set by the incredible work by Stuart Craig and the production design from the films. Other than Lord of the Rings, there isn't a property out there that can truly compete on that level of detail (maybe Star Wars, but I bet we don't see that sucker open until 2018 - 2020). EDIT: I see what you did there.

Sure. Since 2011, we've seen the following done/upcoming at the parks: Universal Resort -Rooms at Hard Rock Cafe Hotel, Portofino Bay, and Royal Pacific Resort renovated in the past 4-5 years -New value resort, Cabana Bay, opened -New restaurants and entertainment facilities open throughout Citywalk, replacing less effective and profitable ventures on-site -Miniature Golf attraction added to Citywalk -Blue Man Group show replaced the former, then-unused Nickelodeon Studios building Universal Studios Florida -New trains on Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rocket for a more reliable ride -Turned a vacant studio building into Transformers: The Ride 3D -Built Diagon Alley in the old Jaws land -Jimmy Neutron replaced with Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, including the awesome post-show dance party with the minions -Additions to The Simpsons Ride, namely rounding out Springfield with exclusive eateries (Moe's Tavern/Krusty Burger) and the Duff Beer Garden -Spongebob Squarestore opens in Kidzone -An family-friendly parade is added during the daytime hours -A nightly show with lasers, fireworks, and projections is added -Improvements to screens and animatronics of Revenge of the Mummy -Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue updated in 2014 with a new setlist Islands of Adventure -Consistently updated ride profile for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (most recently when USJ's version opened) -Suess Landing (buildings and walkways) repainted -Hulk repainted -Toon Lagoon facades repainted and water/foam surface treatments replaced yearly -Major 4K and visual upgrade for The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman -Major, weeks-to-month long refurbishments to the Jurassic Park, Dudley Do-Right, and Popeye's water attractions in the cooler months -Still pristine conditions for the theming in Lost Continent, namely around Mythos and Poseidon's Fury -Continued attention-to-detail paid to the Talking Fountain in front of Sinbad (water effects work, stereo still good, conditions excellent) Are there areas that could be improved? Sure. -Fear Factor Live needs to go -Toon Lagoon amphitheater should be used for an E-ticket in either Toon Lagoon or Marvel Super Hero Land -Jurassic Park needs another attraction to round out the area -Kidzone needs to be completed revamped (which I believe is already planned) -Twister replaced (which I believe is to happen very soon) -Terminator 3D needs a 4K upgrade and improvements to the show (which rumor has it was planned for some point, this one I'm iffy about) But I think it's pretty clear that, once Comcast purchased Universal Studios in 2009 from Blackstone, investments in the park, on new additions, maintenance, and general upkeep, have been up considerably. I don't think there's been any doubt as to the improvements to the resort on whole whole, helping lead to its meteoric rise since 2011.

Against them in general. They artificially increase the time for the general queue. Many parks have been very guilty of allowing a disproportionate number of people in the FastPass line to the point of making that general queue increase dramatically.

I'm sorry, nice trip report and all, but your criticism that Comcast/Universal has neglected most aspects of the resort outside of Potter is very debatable, and looking at the R&D numbers provided in the annual reports, inaccurate.