Universal Orlando Resort (USO, IOA) Discussion Thread

[robbalvey]

Yeah, that was a horrible video. It's really a pet peeve of mine when someone tries to go out of their way to post the "first" video of an attraction and the video is horrible. If you're going to do something...DO IT RIGHT! Don't post pure crap.

[RCFreak]

So... Spiderman 2.0? It even has the same basic plot ("travel along with your favorite character in special vehicles as things go awry") I'm not sure if I'll want to wait that long for this (less then 30 minutes I suppose), unless a better video comes out that shows me something amazing (I did like the dragon animatronic though).

[SharkTums]

^Totally. And as someone who has NOT been following this project I really thought they would do more with the robo-arm technology. Especially when I saw the vehicles and OTSR's. It seriously doesn't look like it does much more 'ridewise' than Spiderman or DarKastle.

[manakin]

I died when i saw Aragog...OMG It's terrifying! and I read that a spider does something to you....and that doesn't sound nice for a person who hate spiders....

[RCFreak]

^It's Universal, 95% sure it sprays water on you.

[Wes]

^ I heard they built a pop-up stick into the seat bottom, so when you get to the spider, it feels like he's anally violating you.

 

I also heard the Dementors take your wallet and you have to go the Margaritaville at the end of the day to get it back.

 

PS: This video is really good, I don't know what any of you are complaining about. It's a DARK RIDE, so obviously 87% of the video should be pitch black. DUH!!!!

Edited May 31, 2010 by Wes

[OldJJman]

A "professional" magazine puts up a really crappy video. Surprise, surprise. They probably went to the new "Harry Potter" themepark, and not IOA.

 

I'm not going to watch the video because I want to be surprised about the fate of Dumbledore.

 

Who the hell is Dumbledore?? On second thought, don't answer that. I really don't care about HP, and knowing even less MIGHT make this ride enjoyable. But, I doubt it.

[RctInfinity]

On another forum, the guy that made the video said that he could only bring a standard camera on the ride and that he had to tweak the video so you could see it better, so that's why it looks pixelated at some parts.

 

I appreciate the video, even though I'd love to see higher quality in the future.

 

I can't wait to come this September!

[downunder]

I'm not going to watch the video because I want to be surprised about the fate of Dumbledore.

 

The fate of Dumbledore was revealed at The Hanging at Knott's Scary Farm last October, he outed himself with a musical number backed by the village people, and now Dumbledore and the Village people live happily ever after in one of those share houses that says "must be open minded" when advertising for new housemates.

 

It looks like it will be really great attraction even though I have no interest in Harry Potter, I'll definitely be taking full advantage of my resort privilieges to check this out when I'm there in October.

[Wes]

Ok this is actually kinda rad, not even gonna lie if I was a kid this would make my vacation.

 

Edited May 31, 2010 by Wes

[robbalvey]

^ I saw this video yesterday and I don't get it. I'm assuming it's because I don't know anything about Potter. I think it's cool what they are doing, it's a really nice touch, but what I don't get about it though is why everyone was going crazy about it. To me, this video looks just like the Sword in the Stone ceremony, but with a different theme. What about it makes it different or special? Other than it's Potter?

 

I'm not asking to be obnoxious, I just really don't get it.

 

I see a lot of stuff in the updates so far that I go "this looks cool and all, but it all looks like something I've seen before...just re-dressed as Potter."

 

So far, nothing I've seen from the photos and videos of the area look ground breaking in any way to me. For the amount of money they spent, I honestly was expecting to see some REALLY. COOL. SH!T. In comparison, the photos and images of the amazing stuff being added to the new Disney Cruise Ships makes me go "HOLY CRAP! WOW!"

 

I was expecting to be even more WOWed by the ground breaking technology put into the entire Potter area, even if I'm not into the franchise. But so far, I've yet to see anything that WOWs me, and I fail to see how someone who isn't into Potter can get excited about it or wouldn't feel a bit lost.

 

--Robb

Edited May 31, 2010 by robbalvey

[triggernel]

Honestly, I thought the FJ video was a great teaser. Now, I understand that that's not what it was meant to be, but I would love to see more.

 

As for the wand shop, the Potter freaks are gonna eat that up. So in effect it looks like they nailed it. I know the average enthusiast is going to think its lame, but I have no gripes against it.

[TheRapidsNerd]

Neat video and cute show. I got a laugh or two. Of course, the World of Warcraft/Morrowind/D&D side of me took to the fantasy portions of it, much like the rest of WWoHP. Not being a hardcore Harry Potter fan however, I'm sure there's a bunch of other little stuff to the area I'd appreciate more if I was.

 

I'd like to see this finished area in person for final judgement, but from what' been shown so far, agreed with Robb.

 

Even so, I still want some Butter Beer and a wand from Olivander's.

[gnewton34]

Parade, the magazine insert that comes in newspapers, has a cover story on "the new Harry Potter theme park in Orlando".

[themeparkman25]

Deleted by author

Edited January 20, 2011 by themeparkman25

[SharkTums]

^First off, it's not 'TPR' that doesn't get it. We 'get it', we just don't like it. There are plenty of other people who don't care about Potter either. I hope it succeeds and brings them lots of money so they can build stuff I actually care about.

 

Plus I highly doubt Universal A) Looks at this video and B) would be remotely happy that it's out.

[themeparkman25]

Deleted by author

Edited January 20, 2011 by themeparkman25

[robbalvey]

Did you see that line of people waiting in Ollivanders?! Who cares if TPR doesn't know what this video is about, Universal looks at this video and sees walking money.

Well, like Elissa said, I'm not sure you quite understand our point. Here's my take on it...

 

I'm not a Potter fan. But only because I know absolutely nothing about the franchise, and I'm not into "fantasy" at all. I'm also not a hater. I'm just completely indifferent to it. That being said, I really want to be able to "like" this new land in one of my all-time favorite parks. I mean, I liked Lost Continent just fine and I wouldn't normally be into any of the themes that land represented either.

 

So even if I'm not into the theme, that doesn't mean I can't still find something else about it that really gets me hooked. I was hoping there would be some amazing new theme park technology, but so far I haven't seen that surface either. Really, it seems that in order to fully appreciate this new land, you HAVE to be into Potter.

 

I feel like this is the Potter version of the "Star Trek Experience" that used to be in Las Vegas, and to be honest, that didn't make much sense to me either because it was targeted to "Star Trek Fans" and not really to the general public. To your average Trekkie, they went apeshit over it, but to random people, they didn't seem to get it. They would go "well, it was a pretty cool simulator, I guess, but I'm not into Star Trek." They focus on all the little details as opposed to emphasizing the concept.

 

People may be lining up NOW, but what about 5 years from now? Or even 10? Is Potter the kind of franchise that has the staying power and the wide audience that something like The Simpsons does? It's easy to answer "yes" to that question now, but as popular as the franchise is from book sales and box office receipts, like the Star Trek Experience, is this going to appeal to someone who hasn't read any books or seen the films?

 

I'm not into comic books at all, but the Spider-Man ride makes sense to me. Men In Black is pretty easy to follow for people who have never seen the films. Even Twister, by the very name of the attraction alone is easy to understand even if you never knew a movie by the same title existed. Attractions such as those seem to have taken a step back and tried to appeal to the masses, not just to people who have seen the films or read the comics. These attractions emphasize the concept, not just focus on little details.

 

Bottom Line...

 

I guess what I'm saying here is, Wizarding World is such a perfect opportunity to be able to "introduce" people to the world of Harry Potter who know absolutely nothing about the franchise. But everything I've seen so far, just like the Star Trek Experience, does NOT speak to that person, but instead speaks directly to the die-hard fan.

 

I'm not dissing the idea or saying what has been created doesn't look cool. Just saying that it seems like they may be missing out on a great opportunity to widen their audience.

 

--Robb "Do you guys get where I'm coming from?" Alvey

Edited May 31, 2010 by robbalvey

[Mechanic]

Did you see that line of people waiting in Ollivanders?! Who cares if TPR doesn't know what this video is about, Universal looks at this video and sees walking money.

Well, like Elissa said, I'm not sure you quite understand our point. Here's my take on it...

 

I'm not a Potter fan. But only because I know absolutely nothing about the franchise, and I'm not into "fantasy" at all. I'm also not a hater. I'm just completely indifferent to it. That being said, I really want to be able to "like" this new land in one of my all-time favorite parks. I mean, I liked Lost Continent just fine and I wouldn't normally be into any of the themes that land represented either.

 

So even if I'm not into the theme, that doesn't mean I can't still find something else about it that really gets me hooked. I was hoping there would be some amazing new theme park technology, but so far I haven't seen that surface either. Really, it seems that in order to fully appreciate this new land, you HAVE to be into Potter.

 

I feel like this is the Potter version of the "Star Trek Experience" that used to be in Las Vegas, and to be honest, that didn't make much sense to me either because it was targeted to "Star Trek Fans" and not really to the general public. To your average Trekkie, they went apeshit over it, but to random people, they didn't seem to get it. They would go "well, it was a pretty cool simulator, I guess, but I'm not into Star Trek." They focus on all the little details as opposed to emphasizing the concept.

 

People may be lining up NOW, but what about 5 years from now? Or even 10? Is Potter the kind of franchise that has the staying power and the wide audience that something like The Simpsons does? It's easy to answer "yes" to that question now, but as popular as the franchise is from book sales and box office receipts, like the Star Trek Experience, is this going to appeal to someone who hasn't read any books or seen the films?

 

I'm not into comic books at all, but the Spider-Man ride makes sense to me. Men In Black is pretty easy to follow for people who have never seen the films. Even Twister, by the very name of the attraction alone is easy to understand even if you never knew a movie by the same title existed. Attractions such as those seem to have taken a step back and tried to appeal to the masses, not just to people who have seen the films or read the comics. These attractions emphasize the concept, not just focus on little details.

 

Bottom Line...

 

I guess what I'm saying here is, Wizarding World is such a perfect opportunity to be able to "introduce" people to the world of Harry Potter who know absolutely nothing about the franchise. But everything I've seen so far, just like the Star Trek Experience, does NOT speak to that person, but instead speaks directly to the die-hard fan.

 

I'm not dissing the idea or saying what has been created doesn't look cool. Just saying that it seems like they may be missing out on a great opportunity to widen their audience.

 

--Robb "Do you guys get where I'm coming from?" Alvey

 

I feel EXACTLY the same way. The Star Trek Experience analogy fits perfectly from what I've seen of Potterland so far. I want to see something that blows me away, but all I see is stuff that looks like it's probably cool, but I don't fully understand it because I'm not into the intricate details of everything Potter. You can see there was a lot of work put into making the area exceptionally detailed. The trouble is that all that detail is going to be lost on people that have no idea what any of it means. Not that I still wouldn't want to check it out. I just feel that I'd be missing a large part of what it was they were going for.

 

As for the staying power of the franchise, I imagine only time can tell. With as many kids as there are all gaga over Potter, I'd have to think that they'll introduce their children to the stories and movies when that time comes. I could see it carrying a substantial following for some time to come. Obviously, Universal must have thought so as well, and they're in a better position to judge such things than I am.

[rosscoe]

Has anyone seen the cost for this ?

[krazekiddd]

I'm actually looking forward to this, probably since it was literally announced 3 years ago today and I've seen the progress going on.

 

With that being said, why would you post that video? I watched it, tried to get interested, but it's horrible. If you are going to post a POV of a ride, at least make sure the quality is there so that the person watching it actually keeps interest. I probably made it about 30 seconds in before I started skipping to find anything of quality to watch. I understand that videos usually don't do the ride justice, but I just didn't see the point of posting it unless you just wanted to claim that you were the first to post a crappy POV.

 

So far the queue looks more interesting and I'm surprised UO hasn't had the video taken down yet.

[timfreeman]

I don't put much stock into sneak peeks like this. If I just looked at pictures of most areas, it's not going to make me have to visit the park. A singing frog? Really? It's going to look great if it's half of the other IOA standards. The issue I see with Potter is that it's *ALL* thematic with the re-purposing of 2 existing rides with one new ride for the whole area. With this, people are making it out to be the second coming of Mickey Mouse.

 

It's like Suessland, it looks great, especially the first time you see it. Once done, is there really a "must-do"? I'd say yes to Potter with the existing coasters, but we'll see with the new ride. With Suess, we'll walk through it every time we are there, but only ride anything if it's not busy. Look at the other lands now, are there more than 1 or 2 good rides? Marvel has Hulk and Spidey, Toon has Ripsaw and Bluto, and Jurassic has no must do for my family. We'll ride the boat if it's not busy, and we haven't rode the flyer in a couple years. The things we tend to do are the non-rides. The kids play on the nets and in the water for a while. We always have to visit the activity center at Jurassic. Potter will be different in that it already has 2 popular rides and now it has all the Potter theme.

 

Going back to the new ride, they are really limited in what they can do without alienating demographics. If they start putting flips and high amounts of motion sickness inducing elements, they limit the age (height limit) and the amount of people to ride. I'll admit I didn't watch the video, but I'm guessing it's an average ride that will appeal to most people, but the hard-core will eat it up. You never know what's going to catch on either. Who would have thought a hang-gliding ride would have taken off? It's basically just a "theater-in-the-round" from the 80s with cool seats.

 

My family are not Potter fans, so we didn't make any special plans as we already planned on visiting in the fall. We have passes since we ended up going down early for our vacation last month, so we can stay our normal 4 days or have the option of sticking around if we want.

[Gav]

Am I obliged to put this post in spoiler tags if I'm discussing the ride?....Ah well, skip over.

 

Despite the crappyness of the video, I think this actually looks like a blast. I loved Spiderman, but to have a similar approach where your legs are flapping about as you spin through the air (With a higher amount of movement) seems incredibly fun....Spiderman managed to be really immersive even though the vehicles only tilt a few degrees, I can imagine this being much more so. Plus the switching between projected images and real life effects seems pretty cool too (Eg the bit with the dragon seemed like a good suprise)

 

Reportedly you only go onto your back during the ride and don't flip which is a bit of a shame. If it were up to me I'd have taken a similar approach to Mission Space and offered two versions of the ride,

 

-The version you can 'see' (lol) at the moment, for 'everybody'.

 

-An intense version. The way it would work is that a second set of footage would be used in a couple of the scenes that would have a slightly crazier flight path with barrel rolls etc. Obviously it would be timed to be exactly the same length as the less intense versions, and would have identical start and end images so the flow of the ride would be the same. Then it would just be a case of assigning vehicles, and the vehicles would know which 'show' to run.

 

I'm daydreaming a bit, but even so, it seems like they've got a nice balance of thrills/accessibility with what they came up with.

[dandaman]

I'm not going to watch the video because I want to be surprised about the fate of Dumbledore.

 

^ I heard they built a pop-up stick into the seat bottom, so when you get to the spider, it feels like he's anally violating you.

 

I also heard the Dementors take your wallet and you have to go the Margaritaville at the end of the day to get it back.

 

PS: This video is really good, I don't know what any of you are complaining about. It's a DARK RIDE, so obviously 87% of the video should be pitch black. DUH!!!!

 

Twister > Harry Potter

 

The general public will like it and they will also probably think Dragon Deck and Hippogriff Hurricane of Horniness are all new coasters.

 

I love Theme Park Review. So very, very much.

[testtrack321]

Has anyone seen the cost for this ?

 

I've heard in the $200 million area, but that seems a little low. Of course they probably saved some money by reusing existing infrastructure.