Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

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

P. 625: Harry Potter Ministry of Magic revealed!

Recommended Posts

I'll add my $0.02 about Forbidden Journey. It's also very dark and you can't really touch or look at the person next to you to see if your kid is alright.

Now that you mention it, that is a definite issue when taking children along. I completely forgot that each seat is walled on three sides. I was thinking Gringotts was "scarier" due to more big, scary things coming after you, but being alone is in some cases more scary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll add my $0.02 about Forbidden Journey. It's also very dark and you can't really touch or look at the person next to you to see if your kid is alright.

Now that you mention it, that is a definite issue when taking children along. I completely forgot that each seat is walled on three sides. I was thinking Gringotts was "scarier" due to more big, scary things coming after you, but being alone is in some cases more scary.

 

And if the younger child gets the "lucky" seat that has the dragon's head inches away from you when it blows fire at the car, well, that'd be traumatizing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ Use your discretion as a parent. Yeah, there's some scary stuff on both rides, to be sure, but if they're a fan of Harry Potter they'll likely come away happy. If they're clueless on the world, well, then you're sending them off in a closed box where evil things try to murder them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the Universal Orlando Parks Blog

 

Link

 

THE INCREDIBLE HULK COASTER BEGINS ITS RETURN

 

You’ve been waiting since September for the return of one of the world’s most popular thrill rides. Now, if you know where to look, you can see The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure starting to take shape. The first pieces of track went in just days ago and more will soon be visible around the park.

 

To find out a little bit more about this process, I chatted with Universal Creative about what it takes to rebuild a roller coaster from the ground up.

 

The short answer: a lot, a lot, and a lot of measuring.

 

Hulk-track-wide.thumb.jpg.19477d98e2cec7ad4f71fd88fec64d3f.jpg

 

The old adage “measure twice, cut once”? Here, it’s more like, “measure a bazillion times, install once”. An expansive network of laser surveying tools are employed at every step of the reconstruction process, ensuring that the final bolt goes perfectly into place.

 

More details are still to come about what the new experience will be like. But the new track will ensure an even smoother ride—without losing the thrills The Incredible Hulk Coaster is known for.

 

Keep checking back here for more news. And keep your eyes to the sky as more track gets installed in the weeks to come.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm pretty sure it'll be nothing drastic. There's been no groundwork other than to replace the existing footers so it will probably either be identical, or possibly slightly refined to smooth out some of the elements. I'm also sure the Universal marketing machine would be hyping it up if it was anything else

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, so I'm going to Universal Orlando and Islands on February 6-7th.

 

Does anybody know how the lines will be? Will Mardi Gras affect the crowds or can I go there and only have a 40 minute wait tops?

Here's a reference point for you. I went last Saturday, January 23. It was overcast and 40 degree weather which I thought would make the place dead. With the express pass, my waits looked like this:

 

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: 45 minutes (express pass not valid)

Dragon Challenge: 15-20 minutes for the front seat

Spider-Man: 15-20 minutes

Dr. Doom's Freefall: 15 minutes

Hogwart's Express: 40 minutes (express pass not valid)

Escape from Gringott's: A little over 1 hour (express pass not valid)

Revenge of the Mummy: 30 minutes

ET: 10 minutes

Men In Black: 10 minutes

 

Two lines I wasn't prepared for were the security line before park entry and the ahem.. securing valuables lines for HP Forbidden Journey, Dragon Challenge, and Escape from Gringott's. We arrived 15 minutes after park opening and had a 30 minute metal detector line. Securing valuables in the ahem.. safe rooms added another 10 minutes to the above waits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the trip down memory lane... I love Islands! Is Hulk missing the fibreglass cover on the zero car on the pic of it coming out of the tunnel? Was this so they could mount cameras there or something? Thanks again!

 

It is missing indeed. It seems likely that it was removed for camera mounting...

 

Oh and thanks for sharing the pics pianojohn!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Found some pics from my 1st visit to IOA back in 1999 BEFORE its grand opening.

Enjoy!

ioa2_3.jpg

 

*sighs*

 

Oh, the good ole' days.

 

Yep--it's still a very good ride, but it was great when it dueled.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The red one, Chinese Fireball. The Hungarian Horntail is really good, but Chinese FIreball is head and shoulders above this one in my opinion. The pacing is a lot better, I prefer the elements at the beginning with the airtime* hill and the second inversion, and the ending is better paced. Apart from that they're pretty similar.

 

(* There's not too much airtime**, so don't get too excited!)

(** This is not a general "B&Ms have no airtime" complaint!)

Edited by KarlaKoaster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You should be able to do both. The line is rarely more than 10 minutes, and you can re-ride without having to walk the entire queue.

Oh. Whoops.

 

Something to remember the next time I go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excited to find out if they'll do any drastic layout changes or mirror the old.

 

I don't think there will be much change to the actual layout of the ride. That (to me) is fine though. The Hulk, even when a bit rattly, was a pretty amazing ride as it was.

 

I do think that there will be upgrades to the station and story of the ride and perhaps some other peripheral upgrades as well. It's great to see it coming back together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/