Universal Orlando Resort (USF, IOA, Epic) Discussion Thread

[taytig]

I really hope to see coaster this when I arrive in Orlando next week. I am not counting on riding it, but I think it is a coaster you really have to see to appreciate. Glad the r!ng things are up and lit!

[JT3000]

any news on opening?

 

I'd just like to reiterate that this ride is running behind schedule. There is no announced date for opening, and there likely won't be one. Universal just wants this thing open as soon as possible. You'll know when it's open as people will post about it. Until then, all we can do is guess.

[WFChris]

Regarding the park closing at 7pm on the 16th....I remember hearing a long long time ago that the ride was built in a location where it would continue to operate into the night as a CityWalk upcharge attraction. Am I just being weird or was that still (or ever) going to be the case?

 

Chris.

[JT3000]

It's a possibility.

[H.P.Scream]

Well there is a park exit right between Jimmy Neutron and Blue Man Group that could be used as an entrance for HRRR.

 

 

Guess you can do it after the park closes, but it would make things weird. Then you'd have people just coming late for the coaster instead of getting a park admission. A new attraction should bring more park guests who buy overpriced food, drinks and gift shop items. And how much can you charge for 1 ride? Not close to what you can charge for a park ticket, possibly a 2 park pass since you'd want IOA as well and perhaps an express pass for shorter lines. And with HHN coming up... well there's your opportunity to ride it at night.

[Homeboy23]

Wouldn't most of the people on City Walk be there for the parks atleast one day anyway? If they are already there for the parks why not let them ride at night for a fee. It is only extra money.

[H.P.Scream]

Wouldn't most of the people on City Walk be there for the parks atleast one day anyway?

 

Nope. That's why it wouldn't be extra money, it would be less money. Parks want you to spend your day there. By allowing the option of paying less to try out the new attraction and leave, they'd lose money. If you have to buy the park ticket, then you'll probably spend a little more for the 2nd day and stay all day spending money. It really doesn't make economic sense for Universal.

 

If they required that you have a park ticket in order to purchase an after hours ride (like an add-on), then it would be extra money. We are talking about something that is a complete rumor, though. Maybe someone could ask the guard at that exit about this.

[King_K.]

Little mini-update..

 

-All the anchors for the Banner on the lift have been added.

-The debris nets under the track have all been installed.

 

Typical last minute touches, only thing missing is the lift banner. The coaster was cycling all late last night, as well as the night before..I believe things are on track for now. Finally.

[nomorefloor]

I was at the park when they were testing the ride and it was absolutely silent. Do you think that this would allow universal to operate the ride during Halloween horror nights or would they still have to close the roller coaster down early due to the contract they have with the surrounding public. ( please correct me if i am wrong about the contract ) they did build the ride close to the middle of the resort too if that helps at all with sound level.

[King_K.]

Coaster's run till 11pm at Universal during HHN, it's usually not cause the noise the ride itself makes..it usually for the noise the RIDERS make. Lol.

[Swiminn6]

MAJOR UPDATE

 

You heard it here first! My friend just got back for Universal Orland and said the banner was up on HRRR! I sent him an animated picture of what the banner would look like just to make sure and he said it looked EXACTLY like that! I will be posting picture tomorrow as he is going back and said he will take pictures for me!

[ryno1986]

Regarding the park closing at 7pm on the 16th....I remember hearing a long long time ago that the ride was built in a location where it would continue to operate into the night as a CityWalk upcharge attraction. Am I just being weird or was that still (or ever) going to be the case?

 

Chris.

 

There are plans to do this, but not at first. For opening they want people to actually pay the park admission to ride it. In a few years, they will charge for single rides for City Walk guests after the park has closed.

 

For everyone else, I would not get too excited about this thing opening any time soon. There are some serious issues to work out.

[King_K.]

..There currently AREN'T any current major issues with this coaster, all of the one's that have occurred have been fixed. The only major issue it really had was the anti-rollback they had to install, since the dual lift chain idea didn't work as well as they had planned. There were some other little issues like the Firehouse Fail and our beloved rings, but all have been fixed.

 

All the rings light up, same as the lift, and the coaster track floodlights have also been tested and work.

 

The ride is currently just testing to work any last minute kinks out and working on scenery and that's great news to hear about the banner! I can't wait to finally see it on.

[Swiminn6]

Yup hopefully I get those pictures tomorrow!

[ryno1986]

..There currently AREN'T any current major issues with this coaster, all of the one's that have occurred have been fixed. The only major issue it really had was the anti-rollback they had to install, since the dual lift chain idea didn't work as well as they had planned. There were some other little issues like the Firehouse Fail and our beloved ringy dingy ding-a-ling dings, but all have been fixed.

 

All the ringy dingy ding-a-ling dings light up, same as the lift, and the coaster track floodlights have also been tested and work.

 

The ride is currently just testing to work any last minute kinks out and working on scenery and that's great news to hear about the banner! I can't wait to finally see it on.

 

Not correct. There are other issues that are even more serious. The issue has never been the r1ngs, or the banner. Yes the lift hill was an issue, but there are new issues that arose a couple Sundays ago. Even though they are testing, it isn't necessarily a good thing.

 

I understand if you want to doubt me, but a month from now when the coaster still isn't open, you'll probably see that I was right.

[King_K.]

The only other issues that I've heard about was a problem with the train dispatch the first time they ran four trains simultaneously and I've heard that this problem has already been fixed. I've heard this other ridiculous rumor around the internet saying that the X-Car train's floor is cracking, and I just find that one to be complete bull.

 

I give it two weeks before softs start.

[ryno1986]

The only other issues that I've heard about was a problem with the train dispatch the first time they ran four trains simultaneously and I've heard that this problem has already been fixed. I've heard this other ridiculous rumor around the internet saying that the X-Car train's floor is cracking, and I just find that one to be complete bull.

 

I give it two weeks before softs start.

 

Why do you find it to be bull? For our sake, I hope you are right, but I'm still going with my source.

[Fork]

I hope you realize that the person who said the X-Car's floor was cracking was the same person who speculated that one of the major issues was with dispatch timing. Stop believing everything you read on other message boards and then coming here and touting their blind speculation as fact. It just makes you look silly in the long run.

[ryno1986]

I hope you realize that the person who said the X-Car's floor was cracking was the same person who speculated that one of the major issues was with dispatch timing. Stop believing everything you read on other message boards and then coming here and touting their blind speculation as fact. It just makes you look silly in the long run.

 

Again, why do you think it is blind speculation? It hasn't been proven wrong. The coaster still isn't open.

 

It IS the fact, whether you like it or not.

[Fork]

Again, why do you think it is blind speculation? It hasn't been proven wrong. The coaster still isn't open.

 

It IS the fact, whether you like it or not.

 

What? I'm not disagreeing with you, ryno. Obviously the coaster isn't open. That's the only proven fact out there.

 

I'm talking to King_K. All he does is paraphrase posts from other sites and comes here acting like what he's read was fact. Like talking about no current major issues and everything being fixed. That's all pure speculation. The dispatch timing being of was also pure speculation from the same person who said the floors on the trains were cracked.

[ryno1986]

Again, why do you think it is blind speculation? It hasn't been proven wrong. The coaster still isn't open.

 

It IS the fact, whether you like it or not.

 

What? I'm not disagreeing with you, ryno. Obviously the coaster isn't open. That's the only proven fact out there.

 

I'm talking to King_K. All he does is paraphrase posts from other sites and comes here acting like what he's read was fact. Like talking about no current major issues and everything being fixed. That's all pure speculation. The dispatch timing being of was also pure speculation from the same person who said the floors on the trains were cracked.

 

Oh okay, I'm sorry then. I thought you were addressing both of us.

 

The truth as far as I have heard it is that the dispatch thing never really was an issue, but the train fractures are very much real.

[nomorefloor]

I don't understand how the company could have messed up these trains when they have them in operation in other parks around the world grant it they did add a sound system and LED's but is that enought to cause this?

[DiSab]

^That's what I was wondering. Do other X-Cars have the floor-cracking problem? I suppose the fact that HRRR's layout does a lot more than other X-Car layouts could contribute to that problem (from the various stresses that HRRR's trains encounter), but aside from that, I don't see how the fractures could've happened...

[ryno1986]

Most of Mauer's coasters are smaller though. That might have something to do with it (I honestly don't know though).

 

EDIT: What ^ said.

 

I'm not going to act like I work for Universal or anything, but I do have access to an incredibly reliable source. Unfortunately I don't want to say too much on here or I could get in trouble with him.

 

I also don't want everyone to continue to build their hopes up, only to be disappointed again when the coaster remains closed.

[JT3000]

MI'm not going to act like I work for Universal or anything, but I do have access to an incredibly reliable source.

 

9 out of 10 posters on a theme park message board have a "reliable source." Or so they say.