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

[Wes]

Pleeeeeease serve Flaming Moe's. Oh my god. Yes.

[Jew]

^They already having a flaming moe's packaged energy drink, so hopefully it makes the menu at this rumored place too!

[cfc]

Pleeeeeease serve Flaming Moe's. Oh my god. Yes.

 

"Where liquor in a mug/Can warm you like a hug . . ."

[ernierocker]

It's good to hear that they are finally addressing the issues that IOA was having. I'll probably wait until all these expansions/new attractions are finished before I visit Universal again. Sounds like it will be an almost new place when I finally visit again!

 

As far as the ticketing goes, we had discussed this some when the Potter 2 expansion was first rumored. They would probably require you to have a park hopper for both parks before you could get on the train ride. With the hordes of people that go through the existing Potterland, I couldn't see them making the two Potterlands a separate ticket option or add-on. They have a hard enough time with crowd control now, imagine an employee trying to make sure everyone has the correct ticket to enter.

Edited November 17, 2012 by ernierocker

[Double0Kevin]

It's good to hear that they are finally addressing the issues that IOA was having. I'll probably wait until all these expansions/new attractions are finished before I visit Universal again. Sounds like it will be an almost new place when I finally visit again!

 

As far as the ticketing goes, we had discussed this some when the Potter 2 expansion was first rumored. They would probably require you to have a park hopper for both parks before you could get on the train ride. With the hordes of people that go through the existing Potterland, I couldn't see them making the two Potterlands a separate ticket option or add-on. They have a hard enough time with crowd control now, imagine an employee trying to make sure everyone has the correct ticket to enter.

 

It would be cool if they had the train station was set up with RFID or Contactless Smart Card turnstiles like some public transportation train systems are, and people that want to ride the train just tag the sensor and get on assuming they have the park hopper ticket. It would help with operators having to check every ticket as it comes through to the ride (seems like they would have to staff both parks with essentially second admission gates).

[Chroniq]

Courtesy of the nice folks over at Orlando United (and Brice for posting a link to this earlier)... So the tubes are filled with rumors saying this is an Intamin designed roller coaster. Unforunately, I'm not an expert on track design like many of you, but based upon the cursory search I just did of track designs; To me this could just as easily be a premier designed track.. Thoughts?

[cfc]

Hard to say. I'm leaning toward Premier, mainly because of the Mummy rides (but that's hardly a sure thing).

[Chroniq]

This is how I formed my opinion.. (Photo courtesy of theme park guy.. Again thanks )... I can't stress enough about how I'm probably the last person you should talk to when it comes to track designs, but these do look similar. Photo is of Premier rides Mummy installation at Universal Studios Singapore.

[Justice]

Its definitely not the same track as Mummy firstly because the cross ties are flat between rails.

 

Coroflot has an amazing gallery of track renderings but the flat cross ties leave me thinking that its most nearly between Intamin and Vekoma. I'm leaning towards Intamin due to the sheer width of the track itself.

 

 

 

Link to images.

[Gav]

And a photo of the Gringott's coaster track! Just scroll down to the bottom of the page. What manufacturer could this be?

 

Gringott's Coaster Track

 

I thought it was confirmed to be premier who were making this coaster. Also, the track is the same style as the mummy ride.

I wonder if this means they are taking out the Mummy ride soon as this will the same ride?

They'll also take out Spiderman when Transformers opens because they are the same ride.

 

True story.

[aroberts]

the track is premier but with the drop part like verbolten so mabye it's a new concept from premier on the drop coaster

[Swimace]

I am going to chime in and vote Intamin on this one, based mostly on the cross-ties. That seems like a single-spine version of I-305/SkyRush track to me.

 

But who knows? I'm excited to see how this project develops.

[Wes]

"Harry Potter And The Curse Of The Intamin Cable"

[SLUSHIE]

I was under the impression based on the concept art that this was going to have vehicles pretty similar to mummy and was probably going to be made by premier. I know concept art isn't always accurate, especially old concept art for an attraction we know very little about.

 

What we are looking at though is station track, and I would say the most telling part of that photo is the little knobs on the end of the rails.

 

Mummy is an oldish ride and Premier has changed up their track a bit since then, I wouldn't say the straight bits between rails is strictly a Intamin thing because, well...

 

Edited November 18, 2012 by SLUSHIE

[cfc]

"Harry Potter And The Curse Of The Intamin Cable"

 

"Cableius Snapatronis!"

[Justice]

I would read to much into the vehicles because if what we hear is true, the vehicles are going to be completely unlike anything we've seen on a coaster before so no matter what the manufacturer is, its going to be entirely separate from everything they've ever done before.

[Bryce]

I hope I'm allowed to post trip-reports here...

 

November 17th, 2012

 

I returned to Universal Orlando with my mother, step-father and little sister, just after being there a few weeks earlier for HHN 22... Hahaha. We had a very full day at both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios and it proved to be one of the best times I've had at either Disney or Universal.

 

 

Islands of Adventure

 

All of the Christmas decorations are up! I don't know how long these have been up, but I sure do love Islands of Adventure during Christmas time.

 

 

The Port of Entry looked amazing, as usual. I seriously love the entrance to Islands of Adventure. It's a seamless transition from the loud music of CityWalk to the tranquil and epic soundtrack that Islands of Adventure has. And seeing the lighthouse and hearing The Incredible Hulk's roar always gets me so excited. And all of the details in Port of Entry are just amazing. All of these things help make Port of Entry my favorite theme park entrance ever.

 

 

Seuss Landing

 

 

All I have to say is that Seuss Landing looked amazing. The new, vibrant colors really "popped" compared to the last time I visited where most of Seuss Landing was faded. The Christmas decorations really added to the vibrance and atmosphere of Seuss Landing. The theming in Seuss Landing is among the best in the world, just like the rest of Islands of Adventure.

 

The Cat in the Hat was running very well and with a zero minute wait time. It had been a while since I'd ridden this and I have to say it is up there with all of the Fantasyland dark-rides. Though my 3 year old sister got terrified once it got a little darker.

 

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish was an interesting ride that I'd never cared to ride before. I know it's the same type of spinner that Dumbo is, but it was interesting with the song and the water, which successfully soaked me because I couldn't follow those directions for some reason...

 

The Lost Continent

 

The Lost Continent will always be one of my favorite islands at Islands of Adventure. Though it lacks attractions, the theming is always a redeeming factor for me. I could just sit and marvel at all of the awe-inspiring structures and rock formations in the Atlantis area. Even my step-dad turned and looked at the facade for Poseidon's Fury and said "wow". The Arabian area is also impressive with all of the details and little touches. There was a lot of construction happening in this area, which is obviously for the Harry Potter expansion.

 

I was sad we didn't do Poseidon's Fury which I haven't done in a very long time. I know I heard it's not that great these days, but it's something I wanted to do (though my sister would have freaked out). I also hope Harry Potter doesn't completely destroy The Lost Continent. I seriously love the theming here and it's one of the very few islands in Islands of Adventure not based off of a franchise. You can tell that the park designers really let their imaginations run wild with The Lost Continent. Plus... I love Mythos and the talking fountain.

 

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

 

 

My breath is almost always taken away from me when I enter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The detailing and theming is so wonderful and it really just takes you right into the books, which I am a huge fan of. Once again, my step-dad stopped and looked around and said "wow". My mom was giddy about seeing this area because the last time she went to Islands of Adventure, WWoHP just opened and the crowds were immense. We immediately headed over to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

 

 

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey had a 15 minute wait posted, but it was far less. The queue for this ride is amazing, clearly the best queue ever made. Now, a few days ago I could have argued that The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror's queue was better, but walking through Hogwarts once again really put it above Tower of Terror's queue for both me and mom. We basically walked through the whole queue without stopping once, which was nice, but we didn't go too fast because we were in such awe with our surroundings. We eventually made it to the Room of Requirement, where our benches awaited us.

 

Here are a few notes about the ride...

 

- The green orb that follows you at the very beginning is much more effective than flying through the floo network or whatever that was supposed to be. The green orb really helps to show that you are flying due to Hermione's magic.

 

- The dragon was not working properly. Instead of the "flames" coming out of his mouth, it was just a weird red glow with no flames.

 

- The Whomping Willow was working.

 

- The soul-sucking Dementor effect was properly working.

 

After riding Forbidden Journey twice, we decided we would come back later for Dragon Challenge, so we headed into Jurassic Park.

 

Jurassic Park

 

Jurassic Park is such a beautiful island in Islands of Adventure. I really feel as if I'm walking through what the "real" Jurassic Park was supposed to be. However, entering at the right side from Harry Potter is it's only downfall. I love seeing the epic entrance gate to Jurassic Park and hearing the film score, however it's marred by Hogwarts and the Forbidden Journey's massive white show building. Once I'm past this, I end up really loving the rest of Jurassic Park. My mother and I headed to Jurassic Park River Adventure while my step-dad took my sister to Camp Jurassic and the Discovery Center.

 

Jurassic Park River Adventure is one of my favorite rides at Islands of Adventure. Last time I visited it February, it was down for refurbishment, which was a bummer. This time it was open, and it had a 5 minute wait time posted! However, it was basically a walk on, which was really great. Every single effect on the ride was working, and working well. I do agree that some of the outside dinosaurs, particularly the stegosaurus and ultrasaurus, need some work. The interior dinosaurs were great, as usual. One thing that many will disagree with me on is that I find the crate effect much more effective than Hollywood's car effect. The crate feels more intimate than the car effect, and garnered quite a few screams out of my boat. However, it's probably not right for me to say that because I've only seen videos of the Hollywood version. The splash got me quite wet, which was unexpected because I don't ever remember getting that wet from the splash.

 

After Jurassic Park River Adventure we went looking for my sister and step-father in Camp Jurassic.

 

Camp Jurassic was amazing. I've never taken the time to explore this, but wow. I was at awe on how expansive this is to explore. It's really beautiful too with the caves and the rock-work and the waterfalls. I could have explored for hours. We never found them (they were at the bathroom) but we did find this creepy, creepy cave. We both stumbled upon it and I was scared to walk through it! It was massive and there was an eerie fog and a waterfall and the fog was purple. Plus, there was some creepy dinosaur sounds in there. Small details like this always impress me when I visit Universal and Disney.

 

We regrouped and exited Jurassic Park for Toon Lagoon.

 

Toon Lagoon

 

 

I love Toon Lagoon as it is just like stepping into the bright and colorful pages of the Sunday comics. I think the theming is marvelous throughout the whole island and it always keeps me smiling. My sister was enthralled watching Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, which is a very photogenic and eye-catching ride. Sadly, we didn't this ride or Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges as we didn't want to get soaked.

 

 

Instead, we just ate a quick lunch in Comic Strip Cafe, which was okay. The food was just normal theme park fare, with a few Asian options thrown it. But that's okay, we didn't want a huge sit down meal, so quick service was completely fine. After this, we explored Toon Lagoon a little longer and let my sister play with all of the interactive things you can find in Toon Lagoon. After this, we headed to Marvel Superhero Island.

 

*The pictures in Toon Lagoon didn't turn out so well due to the sun... Blah.

 

Marvel Superhero Island

 

 

This is one of my favorite islands at Islands of Adventure. A lot of people don't like the theming here, but I don't see what people don't like about it. It's like stepping into the pages of the comics, with comic-like buildings and stores that are named generic things like "Comics" or "Food". The buildings are very eye-catching and fun. Plus, there is a lot happening in this island such as The Incredible Hulk Coaster roaring over-head, screams from Doctor Doom's FearFall and action-packed music. All in all, I think the theming is great here and with the new paint-job, it looks better than ever.

 

The first thing we did was head for the The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man while my mother stayed with my sister.

 

b]The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man[/b] is one of my favorite rides in the world and I was very anxious to ride it since I last rode it in February and it wasn't yet in HD. The wait was posted as 25 minutes, but we did single rider, so it was yet another walk-on. And all I have to say is WOW. This ride is better than ever with the HD screens. The transition between set and screen is now flawless and at some parts I had a hard time deciphering what was real and what wasn't. Honestly, this ride blew my mind when it wasn't in HD. This time, I basically had a brain aneurism because it was SO AMAZING.

 

After the ride, we re-grouped with my mother and sister who had a very special surprise. For some reason, my 3 year old sister loves Spider-Man, and when I told her that Spider-Man was at Universal, all she wanted to do was meet him and... she did! She got to talk to Spider-Man and he asked if he was her favorite superhero, and she said yes. Then he showed her how to position her hands to shoot webs. She was enthralled and still talks about it! After this, we decided to take on The Incredible Hulk Coaster while my step-dad took my sister on Storm Force Accelatron.

 

 

The Incredible Hulk Coaster is definitely up there as being one of my all-time favorite roller coasters and once again it was a walk-on because we utilized single rider. The first launch into the zero-g roll is the most amazing roller coaster moment for me. It just feels so... Cool and exhilarating! Accompanied with lighting effects, audio, the iconic launch tunnel, 40 MPH launch into an inversion and a massive cobra-roll and loop over the park's lake, there is no other roller coaster like it. It's just so visually stunning and always fun to ride. I read complaints about it getting rough, but if you actually just keep your head against the head-rest, you'll be fine. I rode twice, in rows 6 and 2, with no head-banging.

 

 

After The Incredible Hulk Coaster, my mother ran to the bathroom and I headed to Storm Force Accelatron. My step-dad and sister were getting off their first ride (yes, that's how fast we were on and off Hulk) and she absolutely loved it. She had the biggest smile on her face as she got off and wanted to go again. My mother came out of the bathroom and we all went on as a family, which she loved! If they were to ever upgrade this ride, they should fully enclose it and add some cool lighting and simulated weather effects. It would be a lot better. Though it's still a fun "teacups" ride and my sister claimed it was her favorite ride.

 

I decided to not ride Doctor Doom's FearFall, as my mother and step-dad had no interest. Plus, I'm secretly afraid of it. I've been on it about 3 times before and I hate sitting there in the seat, not knowing when you're going to launch. I can do Tower of Terror all day, but not Doctor Doom. I do really like the queue though. It as around 1:00 and we decided to leave Islands of Adventure and head to Universal Studios!

[KoasterDan]

Just did some catching up with this thread. I'm a huge Simpsons buff, so this sounds amazing. The only problem is that I won't be of legal drinking age the next time I go to Florida. Sob, I always wanted to know what Duff tasted like.

 

And on the Potter topic, I'm going to vote Premier. It seems like a logical choice, based off their Mummy rides, and the track does look similar to the picture posted earlier of Superman: Ultimate Flight. This will be interesting. The future is looking very bright for Universal right now!

[jray21]

^^Great report! Thanks for the pictures. I always like seeing how other people view the parks. I've ridden Forbidden Journey a few times, and have never seen the Whomping Willow work.

[Bryce]

^^Great report! Thanks for the pictures. I always like seeing how other people view the parks. I've ridden Forbidden Journey a few times, and have never seen the Whomping Willow work.

It was the first time it worked for me, and that was probably my 10th time riding it. That was also the first time the soul-sucking Dementor worked for me.

[jray21]

What is the Dementor effect? I may not have experienced it as I don't recall anything.

[cfc]

^An animatronic Dementor gets in your face. Well, kind of a "Dementor on a Stick."

Edited November 20, 2012 by cfc

[jray21]

Ok, yeah, I've seen that one then. I didn't know if there was more to it that I was missing. Biggest disappointment in that ride to me is the movie picture quality. I was really surprised at how bad it was. It made it stand out way too much against the physical sets.

[cfc]

I prefer the physical effects to the projections.

[pianojohn]

Took some pics today of Transformers building (HUGE) and Harry Potter Phase 2 with track.

 

Also took some pics of the always nice holiday decor.

 

Enjoy!

Christmas decor

Transformers

Love this character from Despicable Me!

Harry Potter

And track

One last shot of Transformers from Twister

Happy Holidays!