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

[Usf geek]

 

So sad

[ChrisFL]

 

So sad

 

Hello EBAY!!

 

[tacoking]

Im pissed I won't get any last rides on it (that is if it's closed during HHN which I think it is). I think an update of it would have been better than a new simulator, especially the Simpsons.

[ChrisFL]

Dont forget the USH and USJ versions are still open

[tacoking]

Yeah, but it's not like I am going to those parks any time soon. I wanted it to stay open here. So I am a little selfish....

[stingrock23]

I knew this was coming, but it still sucks. I'll be there in just over 2 weeks; I was so close. I wonder if any of those could end up at Mousesurplus, or do they strictly deal with Disney stuff?

[okinawaboy11]

Dueling rocket coasters themed to The Fast and the Furious would be sweet!

 

About a year ago, I participated in a supervisor training program in which we were each given two hours to come up with a new ride for either USF or IOA and then pitch it to a panel of upper management types. Of course, it was just "for fun." Nothing that would ever get built. But it was still the coolest training exersize ever.

 

Anyway, of the dozen or so people in the program, three pitched almost identical "dueling rocket coasters themed to The Fast And The Furious," and all placed them behind BTTF.

 

Me, I pitched an indoor swinging ship with a Viking theme between Mythos and the Enchanted Oak, and emphasized how affordable it would be to build.

 

I won, too. (At least, that part of the program.)

 

I have no real point. Except maybe that the whole "dueling rocket coasters themed to The Fast and the Furious" thing is a bit pedestrian.

 

I came up with a different idea...F&F Drifting ride....take something like "the whip" where your car is on a track and at different points it whips around, or drifts for a few seconds on every turn...could make for an interesting ride.

 

 

OR, get the drifting coaster from Maurer Söhne

[Jew]

^^^^^^

 

More like "Hello USH and/or USJ!" if those attractions are going to stay open.

[cobra_roll06]

If it is a simpsons ride that takes over what is ging to be the "Storyline"

[Wes]

^ The basic story is this:

 

At the start of the ride, Homer goes to his mother's funeral, where he does not express any emotions and is almost entirely unaffected by it. The ride continues to document the next few days of his life, through the first person point-of-view. In these days, he befriends one of his neighbors, Ned Flanders. He aids Ned in dismissing one of his Arab mistresses. Later, the two confront the woman's brother ("the Arab") on a beach and Ned gets cut in the resulting knife fight. Homer afterwards goes back to the beach and shoots the Arab once, in response to the glare of the sun. The Arab is killed, but Homer fires four more times at the dead body.

At the trial, the prosecution focuses on the inability or unwillingness of Homer to cry at his mother's funeral, considered suspect by the authorities. The killing of the Arab apparently is less important than whether Homer is capable of remorse. The argument follows that if Homer is incapable of remorse, he should be considered a dangerous misanthrope and subsequently executed to prevent him from doing it again, and making him an example to those considering murder.

As the ride comes to a close, Homer meets with a chaplain, and is enraged by the chaplain's insistence that he turn to God. The novel ends with Homer recognizing the universe's indifference for humankind. The final lines echo his new realization: "As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself - so like a brother, really - I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate."

[Homer]

^Wait, I am some emotionless blob? Awesome.

[obeygiant]

While I’m only going to call this a rumor right now, we’ve heard from one of our sources that the plans for the Simpsons ride fell through due to the inability to come to financial terms with one of the actors that provides a major character’s voice. If the information is entirely correct, we’ve been told that plans are underway to return the removed Deloreans back to the closed dome and reopen the closed half until they come up with a new replacement concept. If anyone knows differently, please let us know.

Wait, so now theres not going to be a simpsons ride??? This is either good or bad...Universal could come up with a way better idea than the Simpsons OR just come up with something thats even worse...

It was almost a waste of money to even remove the cars in the first place..Now they have to spend more money to put them back in...

Lets hope this is just a rumor...

[BarryH]

I've heard so many things about BTTF that I won't believe anything until there's an official annoucement from Universal. Everything else is "interesting fiction."

 

Besides, I'm hoping for "Law & Order: The Ride."

[Zen Coaster]

Pfft. Married with Children: The Ride, more like.

[BarryH]

^I just hope we don't see Seven!

[exzantia]

Is there any significant differences b/w the hollywood one and USF's? Also, how old is hollywoods?

 

USH's Back to the Future opened in June '93, two years after Orlando's. USJ's opened in 2001 and such I can see it being around for a lot longer.

 

They are pretty much the same ride, but as far as my bones and head are concerned the USH version is quite a bit smoother than the older Orlando ride. The buildings are very different (I prefere Hollywood's, but then again I'm very biased towards the park).

 

I am sorry to see the ride go, but not very sorry. It has a lot of problems, horrific loading times, uncomfortable motion, the franchise isn't anything close to what it used to be (not to many kids are big BTTF fans anymore) and of course it's less than graceful aging.

 

I will miss the ride, and I will be highly irritated if it's replacement isn't a damn good one.

[coastermaniac]

I heard that the deal for the new ride failed and since they already tore apart half of the building, they will only open the other half until at least sometime next year.

[robbalvey]

This was posted on Screamscape today:

http://www.screamscape.com/html/islands_of_adventure.htm

 

Harry Potter / Lost Continent Transformation - (2/1/07) A Screamscape source has confirmed to us that the IOA project is indeed a real Harry Potter project. No more false rumors claiming “letters of intent” from J.K. Rowling to Disney and all that nonsense, it seems that Universal has sealed the deal at last. This has been a long time coming too since Universal has been trying to gain Harry Potter since way back when the first film was still being shot.

 

Click the Screamscape Link for more details.

 

What do you all think? Personally I kind of like the "non commercial" feel of Lost Continent the way it is.....or is it I'm just being afriad of change?

 

Thoughts?

 

--Robb

[Absimilliard]

I can't stand Harry Potter and personally, the Lost Continent was one of the 2 islands that I liked... The other is Jurassic Park. For me, its a major stepback.

[Wes]

Lame. Maybe if it was a Harry Potter ride in the land, but redoing it seems silly. The theming is so great. Hopefully they won't mess with it too much.

[robbalvey]

Yeah, thinking more about it....if the rumor is true and they are changing Sinbad (which suck so much ass anyway) and Posiden (which is only good for the water vortex and the final room) and they leave Dragons alone, it won't be THAT much of a change....

 

The idea behind it isn't as cool as Lost Contient is to me, though.

 

--Robb "Will wait and see...." Alvey

[DerekRx]

This seems pretty blah to me. I'm sure it will be a big hit, but like many things in pop culture, it'll become "old and stupid" in a matter of years. Lost Continent is my favorite island just the way it is. Oh well, hopefully this change will bring about some other cool things, like a Booster Bike themed to riding broomsticks.

[Shockwave]

^I'm pretty much the same as Derek. It's gonna be great for the park as the Harry Potter franchise is huge, and it won't look out of place with what they already have, but it's nothing that makes me go wow.

[Scaparri]

Wow, that's disappointing. Especially since Lost Continent is by far my favorite island. I mean, I'm sure it'll be huge for IOA as far as marketing, but as Robb said, I liked the "non-commercial" appeal of it.

 

So long as they still have amazing theming and Dueling Dragons remains fairly untouched, I won't complain too much once the change actually occurs. But I think Derek and Tom hit it on the head. Harry Potter may be huge now, but I don't see it being something that remains popular for a really long time.

[jedimaster1227]

As long as they don't remove/rethem Mythos or Dueling Dragons, I wouldn't mind a retheme as the land hasn't really changed since the park opened.

 

Super Hero Island recieved the Storm Force Acceleratron

Jurassic Park has yet to recieve a new attraction

Suess Landing has recieved the Sky Trolley

The Lost Continent has recieved the Flying Unicorn

Toon Lagoon has yet to recieve a new hard attraction.

 

I feel that either Jurassic Park or Toon Lagoon needs an update sooner, but an update to the Lost Continent wouldn't bother me as long as it was done well. Who knows, maybe they could turn the Sinbad theater into an enclosed building for a Harry Potter themed coaster in the style of X:/ No Way Out!