Universal Orlando Resort (USO, IOA) Discussion Thread

[brattius]

OH! Just announce Springfield already!! I wanna be able to actually walk into and order a Flamingo Moe!

 

If you're nice, maybe they'll give you a "Flaming Moe" to go with that "flamingo."

Lol!

[necoastergp]

The Hogwarts Express will most likely be only available to those with park to park tickets which would be available to those who need to upgrade at the entrance to the HE. I'd love to see a conductor punch your ticket as in the films. It's just easier to have the train require park to park tickets instead of a turn around as both stations are in the park's boundaries so you are actually leaving and entering both parks on the train. I'd be shocked if its any other way, just my two cents. Really excited about this as a fan of the series. Can't wait to see the finished project, love the concept art.

[Jew]

I think Robb has the right idea---it's a train station! Like any other train station, they can either check the tickets before you board or after you exit (which is actually what I suspect, so the train attraction can add a little extra capacity to each park). Either way it's not a very complicated system.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

There's a small problem in that forcing people who don't have park hoppers to ride the train back decreases capacity on both ends. In order to maximize capacity, there can't be a round-trip option of any sort for anyone. Want to ride the train back? Get in the other line. It becomes a sort of park-to-park Skyway.

 

So I'm leaning more towards the Disneyland monorail-esque checking tickets before boarding, probably before entering the queue if I had to guess. The amount of people wanting to ride is going to be insane. I'd doubt they'd do anything to increase wait times that didn't maximize revenue.

[Jew]

^Unless the queue is already configured to handle such a setup. The train stations could serve as "neutral zones," like how you are not officially in a country until you clear customs. Just have the exits covered with turnstiles, and food/retail options inside each station. Not saying they will do that, but it is just one of the many possibilities.

[TXman308]

^That's exactly what I was thinking. You leave either park to get on the train, and when you get to the other side you may either enter the other park, or get back in the line that will take you back (where you can then reenter the park you departed from).

[Schibbles]

This is insane.

 

Park A and Park B.

 

If you want to go from A>B or B>A you buy an A+B park ticket, park hopper, whatever you want to call it. With an A+B park ticket, you get on the first three carriages of the train via an A+B turnstyle and queue. When you leave the train at the park you have travelled to, you exit through a new set of turnstyles serving as the PARK ENTRANCE for the A+B park ticket.

 

If you are wanting to do a round trip, just to experience the train ride, you get a round trip ticket (I assume this will be free). You pick up your ticket from a ticket booth letting you know your ticket is for the round trip at _____ o'clock. You then enter the train via the round trip queue and turn styles, which lead you into the last three carriages of the train. THESE CARRIAGES DO NOT ALLOW YOU TO EXIT AT THE OTHER PARK. The doors of the carriage will not open, meaning no one can make the mistake of accidentally getting off. Instead, you wait until the next group people have boarded and take the train back to the park you originated from.

 

There may be separate trains for round trips and A+B park ticket holders, and there may be different configurations on train time tabling and carriage set up in order for the most efficiency of round trip ticket holders.

 

How they theme these, I don't know. It is not complicated how this system should work, or will work. Just because there is a train doesn't mean anything changes to how A+B park tickets work.

[RCT3Bross]

While rereading the paper on page 192.

You'll be able to travel between the two parks, from King's Cross station in London to Hogsmeade, aboard the Hogwarts Express with a park-to-park ticket

My best guess will be that only people with the park-to-park tickets are able to board the train. How they're going to check this, only time will tell.

[CoasterLover]

Not to mention, I'm sure there will be PLENTY of information when entering the park that you need the park hopper ticket to see the entire Wizarding World and I'm sure that the people at the ticket booths at the front of the park will have some sort of script about "are you sure you don't want to upgrade to the two-park ticket for just..." spiel which should help minimize/prevent much of the confusion.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Not to mention, I'm sure there will be PLENTY of information when entering the park that you need the park hopper ticket to see the entire Wizarding World and I'm sure that the people at the ticket booths at the front of the park will have some sort of script about "are you sure you don't want to upgrade to the two-park ticket for just..." spiel which should help minimize/prevent much of the confusion.

 

Right. That's what I was referring to when I mentioned maximizing revenue. It doesn't make sense for the park to have any seat on the Hogwarts Express not occupied by anyone who didn't buy the upcharge park-to-park access given the insane demand there will be to ride it. Allowing for 1-park'ers to either get back on or not get off at all fruitlessly decreases the amount of park-to-park paying guests who can ride the Hogwarts Express in any given day, and diminishes the increased value of park-to-park access that Hogwarts Express brings.

 

Now, will there be a way to ride round-trip? I'm still leaning towards the Skyway-style one way trip, get back in line at the other station if you want to ride round trip. From the park's perspective that way makes the most sense.

 

Of course guests would love a way to ride Hogwarts Express round trip for only the cost of a 1-park ticket, but given the insane demand there will be for Hogwarts Express, there is zero incentive for Universal provide such an option. They'll undoubtedly be able to fill every seat of every train every day with park-to-park ticket holders, and will probably increase their Universal Express' value by working that into Hogwarts Express as a kind of priority boarding as well.

[golfburner1]

That secret!

[BeemerBoy]

I just hope the tickets aren't in wristband form. I hate tan lines.

[ernierocker]

I actually didn't realize "Park-to-Park Tickets" is what USO called their Park Hoppers now. Case closed.

 

I'm still waiting until Harry Potter Phase 8 is announced before I add USO to the itinerary again.

[paiging_jen]

I just hope the tickets aren't in wristband form. I hate tan lines.

[Gnome]

What if they just set up the attraction to serve only guests with park hopper tickets? If you only have a single park ticket, you wouldn't be allowed access to the Express. Sure it would rustle some jimmies, but it seems like the most efficient way to handle such a process. We shall see how its handled by next summer. Ultimately, its just a minor detail anyways.

[robbalvey]

OMG!!! Why is this still being discussed?!??!

 

Here is what a train station looks like:When you enter the train station, I'm sure you'll go through some sort of ticket check. Whether it's a turnstile like this one, or a human checking the ticket, or JK Rowling out there stamping tickets with a wand, or whatever the theming is, but essentially the train station IS A PARK EXIT!!! (or entrance, or however you want to look at it)

 

If you don't have a multi-park ticket, when you go through the ticket check, it beeps RED and you're not allowed past the turn stile. If you have a multi-park ticket, it beeps green and you board the train.

 

Maybe that's what people aren't getting. The train station is just another park exit. And the actual train, is basically another park "entrance." When you board the train, you're basically "in the second park" because that train will dump you right out into a place that won't require a ticket check, because it was already done before you even entered the station.

 

Am I just not explaining this correctly?

Edited May 9, 2013 by robbalvey

[David H]

I really hope it's JK Rowling stamping tickets with a wand!

 

Or even better, make that an upcharge!

[Millionaire2K]

OMG!!! Why is this still being discussed?!??!

 

Here is what a train station looks like:[attachment=0]chatelet_les_halles_turnstiles.jpg[/attachment]When you enter the train station, I'm sure you'll go through some sort of ticket check. Whether it's a turnstile like this one, or a human checking the ticket, or JK Rowling out there stamping tickets with a wand, or whatever the theming is, but essentially the train station IS A PARK EXIT!!! (or entrance, or however you want to look at it)

 

If you don't have a multi-park ticket, when you go through the ticket check, it beeps RED and you're not allowed past the turn stile. If you have a multi-park ticket, it beeps green and you board the train.

 

Maybe that's what people aren't getting. The train station is just another park exit. And the actual train, is basically another park "entrance." When you board the train, you're basically "in the second park" because that train will dump you right out into a place that won't require a ticket check, because it was already done before you even entered the station.

 

Am I just not explaining this correctly?

 

 

I think people on here like to make a lot of things over complicated. You have explained this very simple system very well. Anyone else who is confused will never get it until they are exiting the train. Heck even then I'm sure people will be confused.

 

Also maybe it will help people if they stop thinking of it as a "ride" and more as a quick way to enter the other park. Just pretend Universal put a shuttle in the back of the park to bus you over. NO way would they let 1 day tickets take a quick ride to the other park.

[futureman]

It's an interesting park exit/entrance. It will also be more themed than other park exit/entrances. It's interesting to discuss. No one is saying they don't understand how you will be able to go from park to park, they are just wondering how it will be themed.

Is it known if the restaurant will be counter or table service?

[OCJ48]

Is it known if the restaurant will be counter or table service?

 

Probably counter. Universal, for whatever reason, has been moving away from table service for awhile now. Also, the Three Broomsticks in the other park is Counter.

[djrappa]

I'm with Robb. After reading through several pages and trying not to stab myself I just see it as any other train station, albeit themed to potterness.

It'll have gates to enter and gates to exit and people checking tickets and I could care less when and what tickets they require. I'd be much more interested in how they create the 'journey' and make it convincing.

 

Major attractions have multiple entrances and tickets required for entry (single rider, fast pass, etc) and dealt with it just find. Can hardly see the system to be used here to be any more complicated OR interesting.

[cfc]

Yeah, I don't see why this is such a difficult conept to grasp, either. It's a smart move on Universal's part, too, as it'll increase traffic between the two parks and staisfy JK Rowling's requirements.

[djrappa]

I'm no Potter fan at all, but I can only imagine that for a child that is, actually getting to board the train from london and end up at Hogwarts has got to be about the most amazing experience ever.

 

I know it's in the marketing hype but it's true, most theme park experience start and end with a line and an exit, but the two lands combined with the train make for one pretty damn immersive experience.

[triggernel]

Besides the obvious issues with capacity, how would they fit a round trip into the storyline? Tell you the school is closed and you have to spend the school year at a Muggle school? Just time travel thru the entire school year?

 

Not that a lot of parks wouldn't just do this, but not with J.K. Rowling in charge.

[CoasterFEV]

Yeah, I don't see why this is such a difficult conept to grasp, either. It's a smart move on Universal's part, too, as it'll increase traffic between the two parks and staisfy JK Rowling's requirements.

 

....it's also brilliant marketing to increase multi-park ticket sales!