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

[Swimace]

I honestly don't think it's ruining the parks as much as a lot of people say. Frankly, I think the Potter thing is such a big craze that it's polarizing enthusiast's opinions to "omg excited" to "Universal is dead to me".

 

Am I the only one that doesn't think that IoA got drastically worse after Potter? Hulk, Poseidon, Dudley Do-Right, Jurassic Park, and Spiderman all got rehabs and now run better than before Potter came in. I mean, sure it's annoying that the GP now think of this as the "Harry Potter theme park".... and yeah I was bummed we lost the Lost Continent and Dueling Dragon's original queue line... but I don't think the loss of one queue line and a couple of huge statues "ruined the park"

 

And for the record, I'm sad Jaws is going. But if we're going to get an indoor coaster with theming that's on par with Forbidden Journey? We may be getting another one of the best themed thrill rides ever created. Again, I don't really get how that's going to ruin the park.

 

Honestly, I haven't read any of the HP books, I saw most of the movies and enjoyed them, but am far from fanatic about them. But if this is increases attendance and guest spending to the point that Universal wants to go ahead and add new $100 million+ attractions? Sure, go for it!

 

Just my opinion at least...

[andyuk200523]

If Universal linked the two parks, wouldn't they be shooting themselves in the foot? At the moment, one group of tourists visit the Studios, one visit IoA and some will visit both (Great Income) If they link the two parks, aren't they just going to reduce their income? Either that or the ticket price will double?!

[Jew]

^Or they'll just get everyone to buy the park-hopper ticket and make even more money. They'll probably just scan your ticket before you are allowed to board.

 

^^One area I noticed that has changed is the food and retail locations. It felt like it was impossible to find somewhere good to eat at IoA unless you eat before 4pm. This is obviously a business decision to match the crowd flow, but it was annoying for me personally.

 

They also raped Mythos menu to the point Dan and I chose not to eat there because none of the signature items were on the menu anymore, replaced by more generic items...

Edited December 6, 2011 by Jew

[Meteornotes]

My last two visits to the parks presented me with horrible operations and customer service, so much so that I really have no desire to return to these parks any time soon. It's blazing hot in FL, yet it's almost impossible to get something to drink early in the morning. Mythos's menu has been destroyed. Ride operations were pathetic (I was thinking Universal might have outsourced their employee training to Mount Olympus), and in general the parks seemed to be staffed by people that just don't care, especially at food locations.

 

One would hope that they would take the increased profits from Pottertown and put them into the upkeep of the parks and making sure they're staffed with quality employees instead of lining the vaults of corporate executives, but so far this does not seem like it's the case.

 

dt

[DBJ]

It's an Orlando theme park war! Disney, Sea World, and Universal all going for big expansions.

 

The linking of IOA to the Studios via Potter is certainly going to be one of the more interesting challenges. Can't wait to see how it is handled.

[ginzo]

It's widely acclaimed by Potter fanboys as the best dark ride ever built.

 

Fixed!

[SharkTums]

^No offense meant to Jake or any of you but...

 

Jake, you're 20 years old, that means IOA opened when you were 8 years old. There is no way you have memories of the place back then the way us 'old folks' do.

 

The park outside of Potterdump is worse now than it was then and it's sad for a lot of us.

 

I just hope all of you can understand and stop questioning those of us who have been visiting regularly since 1999. Paint and rehabs are great and all, but it's just not the same.

 

You want a concrete example, look at the Mythos building. Forget how they've dumbed down the menu, or don't fill the restaurant anymore, just look at the building. They are letting it rot away, it's moldy and disgusting on the outside.

[Meteornotes]

^This. IOA when it opened was like DisneySeas. It was stunning. There was nothing else in the US like it. Now, it's really sad how they've let the place go. This is what annoys a lot of us. The park should really be in better shape than it is, given the money they're making. They shouldn't just focus on Potter, but the whole guest experience.

 

dt

[robbalvey]

The message in Jake's post is both alarming and depressing. What it tells me is that "The dumbed down IOA that new visitors are seeing today is 'good enough' to impress, that they don't need to bother making it look like the IOA of 1999."

 

That sucks. But it's the reality.

 

It's kind of like today's youthful adults will never truly be able to appreciate 80s porn.

Edited December 6, 2011 by robbalvey

[BeemerBoy]

I'll just echo the last three posts. Actually, this sums it up:

 

Paint and rehabs are great and all, but it's just not the same.

 

Even though I may disagree with some of Disney's moves over the years, at least there's still plenty at each park that gives me that "comfortable, feels like old times" vibe. It's become clear to me over the last five years or so that IOA will always just be a "bottom line" park with no real "feel" to it anymore.

Edited December 6, 2011 by BeemerBoy

[Swimace]

I've been going to the park since it's opening season, and here's my view on this.

 

The park opened and it was great. I loved the original IOA, Dueling Dragons was my first major rollercoaster, Spiderman blew my mind, Mythos was omfg amazing, etc etc.

 

But, between the parks first few years and the Potter period, the park just sort of fell into a slow decline. There were no major additions and the park slowly started looking worse and worse. Frankly, I think IOA a year before Potter came into the park was just bad. The rides looked like crap, the place was hardly ever packed, and the operations weren't any better than they were now. It was a half day park at best.

 

Potter changed the park, and yeah it's not the awesome IoA we once had... but at least the company cares about the park again.

 

And also, just to add... my first visit to IOA was what turned me into a theme park enthusiast. Yeah, it was simply one of the best theme park experiences you could ever have. But that theme park was long gone way before Potter came into the picture.

Edited December 6, 2011 by Swimace

[gforce532]

Ive been looking alot at Google maps of the resort alot the last couple days. And I am wondering what is the area behind Simpsons and Men in Black used for. Because that can be room for another expansion that is actually a little bit bigger than Jaws.

[larrygator]

I honestly don't think it's ruining the parks as much as a lot of people say. Frankly, I think the Potter thing is such a big craze that it's polarizing enthusiast's opinions to "omg excited" to "Universal is dead to me".

 

Am I the only one that doesn't think that IoA got drastically worse after Potter? Hulk, Poseidon, Dudley Do-Right, Jurassic Park, and Spiderman all got rehabs and now run better than before Potter came in. I mean, sure it's annoying that the GP now think of this as the "Harry Potter theme park".... and yeah I was bummed we lost the Lost Continent and Dueling Dragon's original queue line... but I don't think the loss of one queue line and a couple of huge statues "ruined the park"

 

Just my opinion at least...

 

My opinion also.

[BeemerBoy]

Potterburg is to IOA as the US bailout money was to GM. Oh sure, it sustained them, but has their overall product improved? To me....no. Granted, I'm not a Potter fan, but beyond that, the rest of the place is just feeling "tired" these days. Compare that to the other major players in the region, and I see plenty of refreshing changes and improvements happening. There's the difference.

[SharkTums]

Andrew, I totally agree that Potter helped out a bit with some 'tired' areas of the park, but a lot of those were left to rot in the first place due to potter so it's kind of a no win situation.

 

IOA has been in decline for years, potterverse just put a decent bandaid on it.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

All of these maintenance issues seem to be with universal itself, not with Potter. You'd think with the influx of money they would have brought life back to IOA but I guess they are spending the money else where.

[robbalvey]

Granted, I'm not a Potter fan...

I think this is the biggest problem with Potterdump.

 

It seems like you have to be a Potter "fan" to really appreciate it. (ok, yes, obnoxious people, please post that you're not a Potter fan but you still enjoy it...but you know what I mean.)

 

For example, I'm not a Winnie the Pooh fan...but I *love* Pooh in Tokyo. I'm not a Star Wars fan, but I enjoy Star Tours. I'm not a Spiderman fan, but I like the attraction. People who aren't Jurassic Park fans don't need to know anything more than "Hey, there's a dinosaur" to get the attraction.

 

With Potter, I felt completely lost and the entire land meant nothing to me.

 

I went through it once, it didn't appeal to me, and I'm done. That's it. I personally don't have any reason to go back because I feel they designed that land for people who are casual Potter fans and up.

 

For the random person who hasn't seen the movies or read the books, it just doesn't play well to those people, and the responses you hear from the non-Potter fans even on this forum kinda reflect that.

 

I'm all for building a $200 million dollar ride and the equivalent expansion. But build something I can appreciate, even without having seen any of the movies.

 

That right there is my biggest issue with the Potter lands.

 

--Robb "It's built for the fans, not for everyone." Alvey

[SharkTums]

Potter fans are like B&M fans, you just can't argue with them!

[Jew]

^^That's definitely the downside of being so strict about sticking to the stories. All those rides you mentioned have something else in common: they tell you the story. I thought the WWoHP looked really good, the ride system was cool...but I didn't understand the story at all. The queue didn't tell me the story. The ride didn't tell me the story. It made no sense because it was apparently a really good re-creation of Hogwarts.

 

I hope in Hollywood's version they will make it easier for the non Potter fans to understand.

Edited December 6, 2011 by Jew

[Meteornotes]

^^That needs to be put on a shirt.

 

Robb's post is 100% correct. I've never seen a Potter movie or read one the books, and don't really know any of the story beyond he's a wizard. I think the land really does appeal to fans only, or at least people that have some knowledge of it ahead of time. While I admired the technology of Forbidden Journey, the story left me cold as I could not connect to it in any way. And despite what many think, I would guess there's a larger segment of the population that has little/no knowledge of Potter than those that do.

 

dt

[robbalvey]

^ The Potter fans will tell you differently Dave. Let's face it, if you don't live and breathe Potter, you're obviously dumb.

 

Elissa is right.

[Swimace]

IOA has been in decline for years, potterverse just put a decent bandaid on it.

 

I think this largely sums up a lot of my thoughts about IOA. I don't think Potter is totally to blame for the lackluster nature of IOA today, I think it more has to do with a decade of indifferent management and virtually zero investment. At least with Potter someone cares about the park again, and we can at least *hope* to see exciting things in the future.

 

 

For example, I'm not a Winnie the Pooh fan...but I *love* Pooh in Tokyo.

 

You're absolutely right, and I see what you're getting at with Forbidden Journey.

 

And this is sort of my hope for the Jaws replacement. If the Gringots (or however you spell that) coaster rumor is true, I think that'll translate more to the general park guest. "Hey, it's a big coaster through a bunch of caves and treasure chambers... cool". Like Mummy is awesome no matter who you are, *hopefully* this will be the same way.

[Philrad71]

It's kind of like today's youthful adults will never truly be able to appreciate 80s porn.

 

That is one of the funniest juxtapositions I have ever read and I'm not just saying that because it was from the leader of the pack.

 

Comedy gold, right there, Robb...not to sound like a fanboy, but that's one of the reasons why I love this site.

 

And yeah, I agree...eff Harry Potter.

[ernierocker]

I guess I am one of those rare Potter fans that could care less about Potter World. It may have something to do with me getting burned out on the franchise by the time the last movies were coming out, but the existing land just doesn't sound appealing to me. However, I am kind of excited about the expansion in the Studios park as the Gringotts Bank coaster has the potential of being amazing. Plus the London theming should be easier for you guys that didn't read the books to identify with. You don't have to know what a hippogriff or a dementor is to get it. It's London with some themed shops.

[The SETGO Guys]

Granted, I'm not a Potter fan...

I think this is the biggest problem with Potterdump.

 

It seems like you have to be a Potter "fan" to really appreciate it. (ok, yes, obnoxious people, please post that you're not a Potter fan but you still enjoy it...but you know what I mean.)

 

For example, I'm not a Winnie the Pooh fan...but I *love* Pooh in Tokyo. I'm not a Star Wars fan, but I enjoy Star Tours. I'm not a Spiderman fan, but I like the attraction. People who aren't Jurassic Park fans don't need to know anything more than "Hey, there's a dinosaur" to get the attraction.

 

With Potter, I felt completely lost and the entire land meant nothing to me.

 

I went through it once, it didn't appeal to me, and I'm done. That's it. I personally don't have any reason to go back because I feel they designed that land for people who are casual Potter fans and up.

 

For the random person who hasn't seen the movies or read the books, it just doesn't play well to those people, and the responses you hear from the non-Potter fans even on this forum kinda reflect that.

 

I'm all for building a $200 million dollar ride and the equivalent expansion. But build something I can appreciate, even without having seen any of the movies.

 

That right there is my biggest issue with the Potter lands.

 

--Robb "It's built for the fans, not for everyone." Alvey

 

Robb I cannot agree with you anymore!

 

I recently interviewed Gary Goddard (For Universal alone he was essential in the creative design of Jurrasic Park, Spiderman and T2-3D To name a few). We spoke for a good 45 minutes (Still editing that interview).

 

One thing Gary talked about was how he has worked on attractions that can cater to those "GIANT fans" of a franchise yet still appeal to any regular park guest. It really makes a difference!

 

Personally, the first time I saw T2-3D I had not seen any Terminator films before, nor really ever heard of the franchise. Yet, I really enjoyed the show! It had a storyline that I not only understood but loved! T2-3D easily became one of my favorite attractions. The next time I saw T2-3D (a few months later) I had the opportunity to watch the films and knew what was going on. However I still had the same level of enjoyment because know I was able to get all the references. Point being, you have to have a fine balance between the fans and the GP.

 

I have not seen any Harry Potter movies, nor have I read the books. To be honest I didn't care about HP until I learned that the main ride was going to feature a Robocoaster arm. I have not visited Potterland yet. I am very concerned however that when I do visit, while I will like the rides and shops, I won't be able to have the same level of enjoyment that I had with other rides (Such as T2-3D) It doesn't seem in Potterland that they really tell you "Hey this is what this is and this is what going on". Potterland just plops you in the middle of the movies/books and expects you to understand. That makes it hard for me as a visitor to get the full enjoyment.

 

I really hope that Universal can incorporate more of the techniques that Gary Goddard used in his attractions to tell the stories at an equal level of enjoyment to everyone. Thats what makes a good Theme Park Attraction to me.