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

[Woodie Warrior]

Kinda bummed the Jekyll and Hyde thing didn't happen. That would be perfect for the "Themed atmosphere" of Orlando.

 

I thought that was only a rumor because a Screamscape reader saw the architecture and thought it looked similar to the Jekyll and Hyde restaurant facade. I didn't think any real sources had ever said anything about it.

[Jew]

Magic Kingdom-17.5 million attendance

IoA & UO Combined-14 million attendance

 

I doubt Disney is concerned about how slow things are going with the Mine coaster...

[cfc]

Dodger Dogs in Orlando is always a good thing!

 

The real question is, where can one get a real beer that's not one of the big three at Uni now? Before answering, do your homework to see how many so called "craft beers" really aren't as they're made by the big three under an umbrella name!

 

Both the Hogs Head brew @ WWoHP and the Duff Beers are brewed by a local Florida microbrewery.

 

Duff is better than the usual mass-produced brews (such as Bud).

 

Magic Kingdom-17.5 million attendance

IoA & UO Combined-14 million attendance

 

I doubt Disney is concerned about how slow things are going with the Mine coaster...

Yep--even when Fantasyland is a construction zone, MK alone still draws more people than Universal. But I imagine the new Potter stuff will be a big draw.

Edited December 16, 2013 by cfc

[Hercules]

Magic Kingdom-17.5 million attendance

IoA & UO Combined-14 million attendance

 

I doubt Disney is concerned about how slow things are going with the Mine coaster...

 

Exactly. Disney does things to enhance the experience and draw more money out of people's pockets. Universal has to do things to attract people just to get some kind of money out of their pockets. I doubt Disney is worried about the mine coaster deal. Nobody is going to cancel their trip to Disney because it isn't built.

[Garet]

Magic Kingdom-17.5 million attendance

IoA & UO Combined-14 million attendance

 

I doubt Disney is concerned about how slow things are going with the Mine coaster...

Nobody is going to cancel their trip to Disney because it isn't built.

 

I think Alton Towers customer services wished people had cancelled their trips when their coaster wasn't ready on time.

[TPDave]

^ I think they should have realised that their park can't open a ride successfully and planned accordingly

 

But yeah, Disney hasn't got anything to worry about, they're already ahead of the competition.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Exactly. Disney does things to enhance the experience and draw more money out of people's pockets. Universal has to do things to attract people just to get some kind of money out of their pockets. I doubt Disney is worried about the mine coaster deal. Nobody is going to cancel their trip to Disney because it isn't built.

 

More than that, a very small minority of WDW guests even know a mine train ride is being built before they showed up and found it there. By then, everything's purchased and there's no turning back. I don't recall ever seeing the Snow White coaster in any New Fantasyland publication or advertisement. But, once they get there and see the ride under construction with a 2014 opening posted, that will entice a return visit to see it once it's open.

 

Those who'd base an entire WDW trip around riding that thing would do their research to figure out exactly when it will most likely be open, and then schedule their trip well beyond that just to be safe. At least, I certainly hope they would. Otherwise they'd be rather irresponsible with their travel budget.

[Jew]

One thing I will say is that if Universal continues to add new attractions at the rate they are going, the gap will close. Universal will NEVER be able to offer the complete resort package that Disney can, but if they can just get people to spend 1 more day at Universal than the currently do on their Disney trip…it's a win for them. They'll never be able to match Disney.

[ernierocker]

^Agreed. The percentage of people that only go to Universal Studios and skip Disney on their vacation will always be very low. Universal will always be a place that the majority of tourists will go to in addition to their Disney vacation.

Edited December 18, 2013 by ernierocker

[Rollercoaster Rider]

One thing I will say is that if Universal continues to add new attractions at the rate they are going, the gap will close. Universal will NEVER be able to offer the complete resort package that Disney can, but if they can just get people to spend 1 more day at Universal than the currently do on their Disney trip…it's a win for them. They'll never be able to match Disney.

 

 

But since they are rumored to add more hotel rooms, more rides to both theme parks, and a third theme park, They could provide even higher competition to Disney.

[arby]

I doubt Disney is worried about the mine coaster deal. Nobody is going to cancel their trip to Disney because it isn't built.

 

I've cancelled plans to go to Disney twice because the mine coaster wasn't built... I know, you were referring to the GP and not us enthusiasts but I thought I'd mention that.

[ernierocker]

^It has been known since at least summer of 2012 that the Seven Dwarves Coaster wasn't going to open until 2014. Were you thinking it was going to soft open in 2013 or something? I must be missing something since nothing has changed with the schedule in 18 months yet some people in this thread are acting like this is another Flying Turns.

[cfc]

^Yeah, I don't understand all the complaining, either. This whole Fantasyland project is pretty big, and the mine coaster is the final piece. They've simply been doing the work in stages as necessary.

[Woodie Warrior]

The entire Fantasyland expansion was elaborate with all the scenic work and rockwork. Those things take longer than just building a ride building and giving it a facade. Not saying Universal slacks off with their themeing, because they don't. I'm also not saying Universal doesn't work faster to get rides done, because that's also not true.

 

The reason Universal is rushing to get their projects done is because they want to keep the hype up over their attractions. Universal needs to keep updating their rides because eventually most of the movies and TV shows they use go out of date (probably not Harry Potter, but Barney, Jimmy Neutron, Woody Woodpecker, etc.). But Disney can take however long they want because no matter what people will still support them and get excited over them, and the movies they use are classics and continue to stay popular.

[Mrlittle]

The reason Universal is rushing to get their projects done is because they want to keep the hype up over their attractions. Universal needs to keep updating their rides because eventually most of the movies and TV shows they use go out of date (probably not Harry Potter, but Barney, Jimmy Neutron, Woody Woodpecker, etc.). But Disney can take however long they want because no matter what people will still support them and get excited over them, and the movies they use are classics and continue to stay popular.

 

I disagree. The reason Universal is rushing to build the new projects is because the new owners liked the profit that come with it. Don't get me wrong, there are rides and areas of the park that need to be updated. But if you go by that theory, you pretty much have a half a park that needs to be upgraded. I remember reading somewhere that Comcast is going to spend millions each year at Universal and in return make millions in profit. I think they realized the concept of "you spend money, to make money". When its all said and done the new attractions, resort and restaurants will bring a load of profit to Comcast.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Mrlittle

[Woodie Warrior]

The reason Universal is rushing to get their projects done is because they want to keep the hype up over their attractions. Universal needs to keep updating their rides because eventually most of the movies and TV shows they use go out of date (probably not Harry Potter, but Barney, Jimmy Neutron, Woody Woodpecker, etc.). But Disney can take however long they want because no matter what people will still support them and get excited over them, and the movies they use are classics and continue to stay popular.

 

I disagree. The reason Universal is rushing to build the new projects is because the new owners liked the profit that come with it. Don't get me wrong, there are rides and areas of the park that need to be updated. But if you go by that theory, you pretty much have a half a park that needs to be upgraded. I remember reading somewhere that Comcast is going to spend millions each year at Universal and in return make millions in profit. I think they realized the concept of "you spend money, to make money". When its all said and done the new attractions, resort and restaurants will bring a load of profit to Comcast.

 

I totally agree that they are doing this to make a profit, but they also have to focus on updating their parks more often than Disney because while Disney movies are passed down from generation to generation, some of Universal's films don't retain their popularity. People go to Disney for the "Disney experience" that will always be there and many will only go to Universal if something new is added (although that may change as Universal continues to create Harry Potter attractions, because that is one franchise that will always stay relevant).

[Mrlittle]

^But you have to take note that a lot of the classic Disney rides are not based on a film. Thus you do not need to change the ride. In fact anytime, a ride gets a major change, the Disney tribe attacks. It comes down to profit for Comcast. Its the only reason they are building like crazy, not that I am complaining. It brought in new life to the park.

[Hercules]

One thing I will say is that if Universal continues to add new attractions at the rate they are going, the gap will close. Universal will NEVER be able to offer the complete resort package that Disney can, but if they can just get people to spend 1 more day at Universal than the currently do on their Disney trip…it's a win for them. They'll never be able to match Disney.

 

 

But since they are rumored to add more hotel rooms, more rides to both theme parks, and a third theme park, They could provide even higher competition to Disney.

 

The difference is that they don't have nearly the expansion ability due to land, and they won't be able to offer the complete family friendly atmosphere that Disney does.

[Hercules]

^Yeah, I don't understand all the complaining, either. This whole Fantasyland project is pretty big, and the mine coaster is the final piece. They've simply been doing the work in stages as necessary.

 

The next set of complaints we will be hearing is the slow timeline and progress for Pandora and the blue people, even though the year for completion has already been announced.

[Meteornotes]

It's great that Universal is building all sorts of new stuff, but at the end of the day, I don't think they (or anyone else) will ever catch up to Disney. I'm sure the new Potter stuff will give them an attendance boost, though I'm really curious to see how the public reacts to having to buy two park tickets to experience all the Potter attractions.

 

dt

[AndrewRnR]

Universal is certainly playing for the long term - buying Wet N' Wild's land as well as building a new parking garage seem to be a pretty clear indicators to me that current management is already thinking far out and how they can expand. Will it ever overthrow Disney? No, but as others have said that's not the goal. I always thought people would do Disney than maybe do one or two other days - usually either SeaWorld, Universal or beach. With Harry Potter 1.0, Universal help people who were going to Disney to pick Universal for their non-Disney day. I think the goal with HP 2.0 is to steal another day or two from Disney.

 

If I had to guess we are going to see Universal focus on improving (not in the physical sense of saying their hotel rooms need updating) much like how Disney has done with the onsite resort experience with everything from MyMagic+ to Magical Express. Disney banks on guests staying at their hotels, eating at their restaurants when they arn't at their parks.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

One thing I will say is that if Universal continues to add new attractions at the rate they are going, the gap will close. Universal will NEVER be able to offer the complete resort package that Disney can, but if they can just get people to spend 1 more day at Universal than the currently do on their Disney trip…it's a win for them. They'll never be able to match Disney.

 

 

But since they are rumored to add more hotel rooms, more rides to both theme parks, and a third theme park, They could provide even higher competition to Disney.

 

The difference is that they don't have nearly the expansion ability due to land, and they won't be able to offer the complete family friendly atmosphere that Disney does.

 

 

Wasn't Universal trying to turn a bunch of land they used to own into recreational land?

[PeoplemoverMatt]

It's great that Universal is building all sorts of new stuff, but at the end of the day, I don't think they (or anyone else) will ever catch up to Disney. I'm sure the new Potter stuff will give them an attendance boost, though I'm really curious to see how the public reacts to having to buy two park tickets to experience all the Potter attractions.

 

dt

 

 

It's not something that comes across to me as any sort of potential problem. USO has been pushing park-to-park access for many years now. I see Universal pointing out that Hogwarts Express is only available with park-to-park access as no more a problem than, say, pointing out that tickets to IoA are needed to see Harry Potter when Hogsmeade Potter first opened. The public wants all the Potter they can get. All Universal need do is put out the information so people don't buy the wrong ticket.

 

For those who didn't quite get it at the admission booths, I'm sure there'll be opportunities right outside the doors of both King's Cross and Hogsmeade stations to juice up tickets with park-to-park access so they can ride the Hogwarts Express.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

It's great that Universal is building all sorts of new stuff, but at the end of the day, I don't think they (or anyone else) will ever catch up to Disney. I'm sure the new Potter stuff will give them an attendance boost, though I'm really curious to see how the public reacts to having to buy two park tickets to experience all the Potter attractions.

 

dt

 

 

It's not something that comes across to me as any sort of potential problem. USO has been pushing park-to-park access for many years now. I see Universal pointing out that Hogwarts Express is only available with park-to-park access as no more a problem than, say, pointing out that tickets to IoA are needed to see Harry Potter when Hogsmeade Potter first opened. The public wants all the Potter they can get. All Universal need do is put out the information so people don't buy the wrong ticket.

 

For those who didn't quite get it at the admission booths, I'm sure there'll be opportunities right outside the doors of both King's Cross and Hogsmeade stations to juice up tickets with park-to-park access so they can ride the Hogwarts Express.

 

 

I see Universal renaming the multi day 2 park pass; the Potter Pass to not confuse people and maybe increase sales.

[Ryan P.]

I honestly don't want to have to pay for a park-to-park pass if I want to go on the Hogwarts Express. I hope they have an option where you can go on the train round trip, but I completely doubt that for universal wants $$.