Universal Orlando Resort (USO, IOA) Discussion Thread

[Hilltopper39]

One other note, it looks like the Express Pass will not be valid on the Krakatau Aqua Coaster.

Wait, what??? Isn't the WHOLE POINT of buying the Express Pass to bypass the lines on the more signature attractions??? I really hope that's not actually the case.

 

Yeah, it's kinda buried under the "more info" on the express pass page, and Krakatau Aqua Coaster isn't listed on the "participating Locations" tab. So, yeah.

 

It says your Express Pass will be pre-loaded into your Tapu Tapu and you will immediately enter the attraction instead of being issued a return time.

[robbalvey]

One other note, it looks like the Express Pass will not be valid on the Krakatau Aqua Coaster.

Wait, what??? Isn't the WHOLE POINT of buying the Express Pass to bypass the lines on the more signature attractions??? I really hope that's not actually the case.

 

Yeah, it's kinda buried under the "more info" on the express pass page, and Krakatau Aqua Coaster isn't listed on the "participating Locations" tab. So, yeah.

 

It says your Express Pass will be pre-loaded into your Tapu Tapu and you will immediately enter the attraction instead of being issued a return time.

That seems REALLY odd! Granted I have not used the Universal Express pass system in years, but I don't think I would buy a front-of-the-line pass if it didn't include the most major ride with probably the longest line in the park. At least with the Six Flags systems they will include "one ride" on the most recent new big attraction, which I still don't quite agree with, but I at least accept that as a compromise. Not including the most popular ride in the park seems really dumb to me.

[Hilltopper39]

Yeah, I mean Cedar Fair even offers different levels that include more popular or new attractions, leaving off what will probably be the best ride in the park seems strange.

[Pseybert]

Oh wow - 3 park Florida Resident AP is over $600? No thanks, I'll stay at home and watch 3D movies.

[robbalvey]

Oh wow - 3 park Florida Resident AP is over $600? No thanks, I'll stay at home and watch 3D movies.

Well, to be fair, that's the "Premier Pass" which includes a bunch of random stuff (None of which I would ever really use.) The pass that most people would probably get is the Preferred Pass which is $448 .99

[coasterbill]

Granted I have not used the Universal Express pass system in years, but I don't think I would buy a front-of-the-line pass if it didn't include the most major ride with probably the longest line in the park

 

I agree that it makes the passes far less appealing, but to be fair there is a similar situation with their other parks. We were looking into the Express Passes for our upcoming Florida trip and we were pretty surprised to find out that the Express pass isn't good for any of the Harry Potter attractions. I don't know if those rides generally have the longest lines in the park since they all have solid capacity but they're undoubtedly their biggest draws. I'm sure the fact that they're not included definitely turns a few people away from buying them.

[robbalvey]

we were pretty surprised to find out that the Express pass isn't good for any of the Harry Potter attractions.

Wait...REALLY??!?! SMH. I don't understand that! I just looked and WTF you're right!

Not valid at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ™, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts™ and other select attractions

Not valid at Hogwarts™ Express

Universal Express is $115 during the summer and it's NOT good on two of the most popular rides in the park??? I'm sorry but that's just wrong. I mean I get that those two rides also have a single rider line which helps, but if you're paying over ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS per person IN ADDITION to the cost of your park ticket, you had better put me in the front of the line for every major ride in the park at least once.

 

I would not buy the Universal Express pass knowing it does not include the most popular rides in the park, sorry.

Edited March 30, 2017 by robbalvey

[necoastergp]

Granted I have not used the Universal Express pass system in years, but I don't think I would buy a front-of-the-line pass if it didn't include the most major ride with probably the longest line in the park

 

I agree that it makes the passes far less appealing, but to be fair there is a similar situation with their other parks. We were looking into the Express Passes for our upcoming Florida trip and we were pretty surprised to find out that the Express pass isn't good for any of the Harry Potter attractions. I don't know if those rides generally have the longest lines in the park since they all have solid capacity but they're undoubtedly their biggest draws. I'm sure the fact that they're not included definitely turns a few people away from buying them.

Look into getting a room at Royal Pacific for a night,the cheapest of the 3 hotels that come with unlimited express. One night there gets you two days of express, the day you check in and the day you check out. It's a beautiful hotel and the cost of express for two is almost the price of a room anyways. We always stay there when visiting Universal, it's definitely worth it.

[Randomman295]

Are these light packages or trims?

 

They popped up sometime in the last 3 months and I haven't heard anything about it.

[gerstlaueringvar]

Screen that follows the train during the first drop bc Universal.

[DirkFunk]

Are these light packages or trims?

 

They popped up sometime in the last 3 months and I haven't heard anything about it.

 

Trims? Hell, that thing needs LIMs to ensure it makes the course.

[Satans Hockey]

I'm really curious to see how volcano bay turns out, that picture above doesn't show I-4 at all. just from driving by the place these past few days I'm very curious to see how they try to cover it up. Just seems like you're going to see i-4 from most of the higher staircases for the different slides. The volcano itself is so much bigger than I expected. I can't wait to go there at some point but I doubt I make it back down here this year.

[DirkFunk]

1. Volcano Bay seemed like it would be worth a visit some time, at least due to the decent looking theming, some good slides, and a lengthy water coaster. I think water park lines are absolutely dreadful with the low capacity of rides so I would have done it with Express Pass. However, learning that the Express Pass does not include the water coaster turns me off from the idea of the whole thing. Seems like it would mean you will have to get there super early and go straight for that ride, but I'd probably pass on buying the Express Pass for the rest of the rides now. Trip Reports from this place will definitely be....interesting.

 

Go straight to the ride and do what? Wait in line? Everything is reserved with Accesso bands, remember?

 

2. If those are really trims on Rockit's drop, they can't be for normal operations. Doesn't it sometimes roll back reaching the first block? Maybe this is some sort of safety net to stop a train if a roll back occurs?

 

I recall the roll backs being later on in the ride, but I could be wrong.

[Hilltopper39]

^Run straight to the ride and get your return time for an hour later duh. I can't wait to see how long the return times for the big drop slide get, imagine if 1000 or so people per day at Blizzard Beach had Express passes and go go on Summit Plummet whenever they wanted.

[coasterbill]

If those are really trims on Rockit's drop, they can't be for normal operations. Doesn't it sometimes roll back reaching the first block? Maybe this is some sort of safety net to stop a train if a roll back occurs?

 

I mean, if a train valleys between the first drop and the non inverting loop it would saddle in the same spot regardless of whether or not the brakes were there wouldn't it? The only thing the brakes would accomplish is stopping it from rolling back and fourth a few minutes faster.

[DirkFunk]

^Run straight to the ride and get your return time for an hour later duh. I can't wait to see how long the return times for the big drop slide get, imagine if 1000 or so people per day at Blizzard Beach had Express passes and go go on Summit Plummet whenever they wanted.

 

If the bands are anything like the other similar systems, you won't run to the ride. Also if you can only ride one thing, then do you want to get get in the "queue" for the water coaster instead of all the other slides if it is 6-7-8x longer a wait?

[Pseybert]

^Run straight to the ride and get your return time for an hour later duh. I can't wait to see how long the return times for the big drop slide get, imagine if 1000 or so people per day at Blizzard Beach had Express passes and go go on Summit Plummet whenever they wanted.

 

If the bands are anything like the other similar systems, you won't run to the ride. Also if you can only ride one thing, then do you want to get get in the "queue" for the water coaster instead of all the other slides if it is 6-7-8x longer a wait?

 

Can someone explain how this will work? If I am first in line at rope drop, and make it to the water coaster before the other guests, I will not be allowed to ride? I'll still have to reserve a time?

 

 

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[DirkFunk]

Can someone explain how this will work? If I am first in line at rope drop, and make it to the water coaster before the other guests, I will not be allowed to ride? I'll still have to reserve a time?

 

Everything is supposed to be reservation only. There are supposed to be no queues. They'd need a cutpoint for live guests trying to do a running of the bulls, which, seriously, good luck with that and not totally bulldozing the reservations later. The entire idea is to create a scenario where there is no rope drop. If everything is reservation only, you can force that a couple of ways. The easiest and most likely, in my mind, is hand out the wristbands only after entry to the park, which would then prevent anyone from going anywhere to ride anything (other than the pools/lazy rivers) without one. This also makes the most sense IMO because individuals entering via single day tickets, resort passes, and the like would all pass through the same turnstiles and then collect their Accesso band inside. Is that exactly what will happen? Dunno.

[robbalvey]

^Run straight to the ride and get your return time for an hour later duh. I can't wait to see how long the return times for the big drop slide get, imagine if 1000 or so people per day at Blizzard Beach had Express passes and go go on Summit Plummet whenever they wanted.

 

If the bands are anything like the other similar systems, you won't run to the ride. Also if you can only ride one thing, then do you want to get get in the "queue" for the water coaster instead of all the other slides if it is 6-7-8x longer a wait?

 

Can someone explain how this will work? If I am first in line at rope drop, and make it to the water coaster before the other guests, I will not be allowed to ride? I'll still have to reserve a time?

Yeah, exactly. It makes absolutely no sense. If you read everything that Universal has posted or the reports from the test they did at Wet N Wild, even if there is no line you still will get a return time, even if there is no line at all, and your return time is in 5 minutes. I just don't understand why I can't be at rope drop, go right to the attraction of my choice, and get right on. I'm hoping this is how it's going to work, but everything that I've seen published so far tells me that's not the case.

 

I'm going to make the assumption right now that WILL end up being the case as soon as pissed off guests complain that they aren't allowed to ride something RIGHT NOW that clearly has no line.

 

So either this system is completely flawed or Universal has done a really poor job of communicating how it's going to work, because I still don't get it.

[kenban]

First, a little history, the original design for Rip Ride Rockit was that there would not be anti-roll back mechanisms on the lift hill and they would evac the lift by just putting it in reverse. Universal was required to change this before the ride opened to add anti-roll backs which is why the lift hill was built twice.

 

About a year or two ago the ride had a problem where a train was stuck in an MCBR preventing a train which was on the lift hill from continuing. Universal ended up having to call the fire department who had to lower the guests one at a time by rope. Typically when something like this occurs and the park needs outside assistance to evac a ride they are required to change the ride to prevent the issue from reoccurring.

 

This is complete speculation but we might actually be looking at magnetic brakes not just trims. When these are enabled they could be designed to slow the train so much during the drop that it would immediately valley at the bottom of the lift hill. That way guests can be removed from the ride by a cherry picker instead of by the fire department.

 

Because I just cannot see lining the whole drop with trim brakes. It would be complete overkill to put that many on the ride to make what would likely be minor adjustments.

[coasterbill]

I remember that, and that actually makes a ton of sense. You may very likely be on to something.

[A.J.]

I'm going to make the assumption right now that WILL end up being the case as soon as pissed off guests complain that they aren't allowed to ride something RIGHT NOW that clearly has no line.

There has be a threshold worked in. I'm actually doing a project where I'm analyzing the ups and downs of this sort of system. The only way I personally have made it [theoretically] work is to allow for standby guests until the queue length reaches a certain point (I've designated ten minutes) to then switch it to reservation mode with return times based on how many people are experiencing the attraction over a period of time.

 

In reality though, I'm definitely skeptical (yet optimistic) about how this will work in a water park, where you have to hike your way up a billion flights of stairs anyway. It's not like a theme park with a roller coaster or flat ride, which you could theoretically just walk right onto. Perhaps they want to deliberately keep less people in the queue to make the queue / show experience a little more intimate or quiet.

[Canobie Coaster]

^ The Rockit was the surprise hit of my visit a few years ago. I wasn't expecting much out of it, but the drops had really good airtime, the turns had good forces, and the ride was smooth.

[Guy T. Koepp]

^Agree! When me n' tha fam were there a couple years ago, it was the surprise hit for us all.

[cfc]

I like Rockit, too--especially the non-inverting loop.