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

[ytterbiumanalyst]

1 hour ago, tndank said:

Mask rules change again tomorrow.  Many can skip wearing them indoors now.

Thank you for being accurate!

[tndank]

47 minutes ago, ytterbiumanalyst said:

Thank you for being accurate!

I've been accurate every time on this subject.  I believe the Universal statement still uses the word required unlike many Six Flags parks. 

 

[pianojohn]

So far, I am up to 10 rides on VelociCoaster. My thoughts:

THANK YOU Universal for soft opening this ride after months of testing. I guess they learned their lesson after Hagrids and its 10+ hour wait on opening day. Since then, I have never waited more than an hour, usually closer to 20 minutes with their super fast and efficient loading and unloading.

The queue is awesome. Since there are so many different rooms and things to see, the time does fly by. I really don't mind waiting in the outdoor section since you get great views of the coaster. Once you get inside, those HUGE fans keep the air moving.  Then it's a few more rooms with videos and raptors and lots of stuff to look at. When you finally get your stuff in the lockers, there's the final room with that horrible acting on the big screen. At least they don't tell you that you'll......um..........fly. WORST. PRE-SHOW.  EVER!

Water fountains throughout the queue. Thank you!

The ride. It's pretty much perfect. Lots of speed, drops, airtime. VERY re-rideable and totally comfortable trains. I will take this over Maverick any day. 

Ride it at night. Totally different experience. If you ride in the front of each car, it's a better effect. If you're in the 2nd row, the bright blue train lights reflect off the head rests in front of you. Still cool, but cooler without the reflection.

A couple of wishes:

A restroom down on that level near the entrance/exit.  The nearest one is past the Discovery Center, and if you've waited and ridden for a length of time, you may not make it.

Build some sort of snack bar/drink stand down there as well. With summer crowds and heat, they have a chance to make a killing.
 

[ytterbiumanalyst]

47 minutes ago, tndank said:

I've been accurate every time on this subject.  I believe the Universal statement still uses the word required unlike many Six Flags parks. 

 

You can't even manage not to argue against a thank you....smh

[tndank]

A compliment by insinuating I wrong previously. And you couldn't stop from making yet another comment.  Could have just left it alone. But no, you're right. I just couldn't take a compliment. No idea of your agenda. Mine is to help deliver info and help people around here have fun.  That's it. Let's move past this.

 

[robbalvey]

Official Velocicoaster POV released!

 

[tndank]

Can't wait to get on that this winter!

[JJLehto]

Looks superb and I've heard nothing but great things from people who have ridden. Really thinking gunna try to get to Orlando later this year, maybe fall or winter, to snag this. Also Hagrid's which I've not done, (and yeah I think there's no doubt it will never be as good as Dragon's and still makes me sad, but I've processed it lol). 

I wonder when there may be a time that evades crowds but I forgot it's Orlando and there prob isn't really?

 

[tndank]

Anyone want to guess at lines on this thing this summer?  I think everyone was guessing hours and hours like Hagrids but this things seems to keep it moving.

 

[JJLehto]

What excites me is we all figured second half is where it's at, but from both some reviews and now the POV it seems like the first half is no joke either, and as some have mentioned plenty of airtime. Looks like a true winner Universal got here.

[Hilltopper39]

3 hours ago, tndank said:

Anyone want to guess at lines on this thing this summer?  I think everyone was guessing hours and hours like Hagrids but this things seems to keep it moving.

 

I'll play, sometimes it will be long, sometimes it will be short. The morning of opening day will look ridiculous but by the evening it'll be somewhere around or under an hour. Am I missing anything?

[thrillseeker4552]

I think Velocicoaster's reliability (due to months and months of testing, I assume), the higher capacity trains, and the month-long soft opening will all alleviate some hype on opening day and make it much less of a clusterf*ck than Hagrid's was. I'm going on the 16th and 17th, and given how smoothly everything seems to be running, I am hoping for at least a couple rides! Can't wait!

[Nrthwnd]

(After watching the video...)  Yes, yes, YES! 

[prozach626]

That looks freaking insane.

[PKI Jizzman]

Less than 3 weeks for my visit! Honestly cannot wait. Reading the past few pages hesring 15 rides over a 3 day visit is great. I'll make sure to check out that Bourne show @JRice92

[pianojohn]

Memorial Day weekend and great weather here in Orlando.
Hagrids HAD a 90 minute wait before the virtual times ran out.
At the same time, VelociCoaster was 45 minutes! 

I am betting wait times will average 45-90 during the summer. But like I said earlier, I have been able to ride it multiple times in the evening. They usually post a 60 minute wait, but the line moves so fast, it's usually less than that.

[PKI Jizzman]

36 minutes ago, pianojohn said:

Memorial Day weekend and great weather here in Orlando.
Hagrids HAD a 90 minute wait before the virtual times ran out.
At the same time, VelociCoaster was 45 minutes! 

I am betting wait times will average 45-90 during the summer. But like I said earlier, I have been able to ride it multiple times in the evening. They usually post a 60 minute wait, but the line moves so fast, it's usually less than that.

Loooooooove this!

[MiABeta]

Anyone have bad experiences with the virtual lines? Today was crazy busy and the virtual line was a nightmare. I tried to get Hagrid’s virtual line passes at 2 and 4 and only got into the party size page once, and by then they were out. I guess it’ll be yet another year to ride that one. Velocicoaster also had over a 90 minute wait (also at 120 minutes for a while) so didn’t get to try that either. Got just about everything else but by the time we were by Jurassic park there was a storm coming, so it wasn’t worth it. Overall lesson learned, avoid Orlando Saturday crowds, and when the parks open at 8, use all that time.

[BravoStation229er]

Seeing Twister getting hate is rather disappointing. That was my personal favorite. However, I see why you folks don't like it. The attraction aged horribly, it didn't get proper refurbishments and never got those errors corrected whatsoever. But it was truly was something to experience when it was first brand new. The effects were extremely amazing to behold in person. The power was very unique!
The first thing to state that is kind of a bother was the name. Twister... Ride It Out. It wasn't ride, so it makes sense that people felt ripped off. If you knew any better and knew what the film was. Then that feeling wouldn't be a thought in the first place.
But seeing how Twister rotted away in that area is extremely saddening to see.  Even seeing the specials effects turn into nothing but garbage is truly dumb. Same for the audio. Being too quite and not even holding the power it once held.

I know the topic about twister was like 5 years ago. But I felt like replying because of the harsh throw back against the show. 

Plus, Twister was far better than Jimmy Fallon. That's a fact. Maybe if Twister was taken care of, or turned into an actual ride. Then I am sure the attraction would be enjoyed. 

[KBrylczyk]

Twister was a ton of fun, Ghostbusters was better.

[BravoStation229er]

I agree on that! They should bring Ghostbusters back!

[cedarpointer]

On my last trip to the park I hit a milestone! 

[thrillseeker4552]

Anyone wanna comment on the lines for Velocicoaster since opening day? Is it necessary to get to the park uber-early in the morning to guarantee a ride or are we seeing hour-ish, manageable lines throughout the day? We're heading to the park(s) for the first time tomorrow and Thursday.

[coasterbill]

The wait times have been incredibly reasonable. Everyone seems to rush it in the morning and then it’s somewhere between 45 and 90 minutes later on.

Per Queue Times (which pulls data from the Universal App).

Scroll to “Queue times for last week” and ignore the first day which was opening day.

[Hilltopper39]

1 hour ago, coasterbill said:

The wait times have been incredibly reasonable. Everyone seems to rush it in the morning and then it’s somewhere between 45 and 90 minutes later on.

Per Queue Times (which pulls data from the Universal App).

Scroll to “Queue times for last week” and ignore the first day which was opening day.

Yeah I was initially surprised by how reasonable the wait times have been but then if you think about it, at every park in Orlando the most popular attraction is never the most "thrilling" ride there, so really it's kind of normal. Families are still the majority of the business of these parks, and big intimidating roller coasters with vertical drops and barrel rolls over the water  (no matter how good they are) still aint for everybody.