Universal Orlando Resort (USO, IOA) Discussion Thread

[sonoma15]

The new ride will probably be a dynamic attractions SFX coaster. Should be exciting, it will also be universals most highly themed coaster according to the announcement.

[coasterbill]

I've sort of said my piece on this and I know I'm the minority in this community but I'm absolutely thrilled by this news. As soon as I saw it I texted Brit who's also ecstatic.

 

We visited Universal a few months ago (for the first time in years) and even with Express Passes we almost passed on these coasters in favor of re-rides on something else. The only reason we rode them is because we knew they might be on their way out. At this point these rides just feels like shadows of their former selves. They no longer duel, the awesome queue is no longer awesome and the metal detectors are really annoying since the locker area isn't big enough to keep up with the demand (though they could have corrected that pretty easily if they cared to do so). To be fair I did really enjoy my ride and despite it's age I felt like it was the smoothest coaster on Universal property but it was still a one-and-done for us. We didn't pay $179 per person for one day to ride unthemed B&M inverts (that aren't even as good as the one 90 minutes away in Tampa). We paid that to ride the awesome Harry Potter stuff and great themed attractions like Transformers, Spiderman, Mummy, River Adventure, Ripsaw Falls (I can't help myself, lol) and Kong. Dragons was never a big draw since our Florida trips always include Busch Gardens and we knew we'd be able to ride the best invert in America the next day, generally with absolutely no line and no need to deal with annoying metal detectors or a 7 mile walk to the station.

 

I completely understand why others don't share in our excitement. We're big Harry Potter fans and I know a lot of people aren't, but selfishly I'm absolutely ecstatic at the prospect of another attraction on the level of Gringots or Forbidden Journey. I can't wait.

[cfc]

May the vengeful ghost of Jaws smite them. While I agree that it's a drag that the Dragons no longer dueled, they were the best coasters Universal had.

[coasterbill]

This will be the first B&M coaster to go to the scrap yard- a true testament of the quality of B&M coasters.

 

I'll admit, the fact that the first B&M coaster to go to the scrap yard isn't Apocalypse / Iron Wolf just feels wrong.

[DirkFunk]

Dragons being a shell of itself is entirely the result of the way Universal ran it. The refusal to allow dueling even after banning all foreign objects on riders was preposterous. A Harry Potter motorbike coaster is probably a one-and-done for me.

[jarmor]

This will be the first B&M coaster to go to the scrap yard- a true testament of the quality of B&M coasters.

 

I'll admit, the fact that the first B&M coaster to go to the scrap yard isn't Apocalypse / Iron Wolf just feels wrong.

Technically, hulk is the first to be scrapped as it's a new coaster up now.

 

And I'm a little leary of them saying thrill ride but then says for the whole family.

[coasterbill]

Dragons being a shell of itself is entirely the result of the way Universal ran it. The refusal to allow dueling even after banning all foreign objects on riders was preposterous.

 

I mean, you're not wrong. Even if they did go ahead with this locker policy I'd have been totally okay with it if they added more lockers and allowed the rides to duel again. If they had done those things then I wouldn't be nearly as happy about the prospect of them being removed for another Harry Potter attraction.

[CPmillenia94]

Dragons was never a big draw since our Florida trips always include Busch Gardens and we knew we'd be able to ride the best invert in America

 

This is obviously just a difference of opinion, but I have found my latest rides on Dragons to be as good if not superior to the most recent on Montu. I never thought I would see the day that a top tier B&M was scrapped. To me this would be the same as if Montu or Kumba were being scrapped..

[DirkFunk]

Dragons being a shell of itself is entirely the result of the way Universal ran it. The refusal to allow dueling even after banning all foreign objects on riders was preposterous.

 

I mean, you're not wrong. Even if they did go ahead with this fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo policy I'd have been totally okay with it if they added more fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo and allowed the rides to duel again. If they had done those things then I wouldn't be nearly as happy about the prospect of them being removed for another Harry Potter attraction.

 

Exactly - think of it like this too. Universal made the ride bad, and in doing so, the ride is now going away for something else. Why won't Universal just run that poorly too? Is there reason to think if this passes over people that it won't have metal detectors? How amped are you about being searched like you're entering a courthouse to ride something akin to the Coney Island Motocoaster?

[Themonerd]

So glad my group chose to ride this than forbidden journey when I went on April. RIP to one of the only airtime moments on a B&M invert

[Shut It Down]

Got to ride back in 2005 when it was still dueling and it was amazing. When you're going head on with the other train just before the loop was unreal. RIP

[KarlaKoaster]

It feels like they're throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I don't mind Harry Potter, but I am getting a bit fatigued with Harry Potter this, Harry Potter that. I wish they had just built a third park* that Rowling could have used for her sandbox instead of slowly eating away at what used to be my favourite theme park.

 

(* I realise this wouldn't make as much commercial sense as building it across two existing parks, it's just a personal wish)

[VegasBaby]

I too have mixed feelings about this move. I visited IOA for the first time back in 2000 and absolutely loved the dueling. We rode the dueling dragons more than any other rides during that visit. On my last visit to IOA a few years ago, I still rode the inverts and really enjoyed them, but it just wasn't the same without the dueling. I am heading to the park next week and taking my kids for the first time, so I'm glad they will get a chance to ride them and I will get some final rides in.

 

On the flip side, I am happy to see that they will be replaced with a coaster and I'm really excited to see what the Universal team can dream up. It's just a shame that they couldn't add this new ride and leave the dragons intact.

[jynx242]

I have to say that I am very disappointed with this news. They will probably put in yet another attraction (coaster section or not) that requires me to wear special glasses and look at screens. I liked the Dragons a lot. Besides being great (in my opinion) coasters, but they were also actually thrill rides.

 

I like Harry Potter well enough, and understand the need for "thrilling family attractions," however not at the expense of one of the things that made the original park great.

 

I just really makes me disinterested in getting seasons passes again. Instead of switching my Busch/Seaworld passes for Universal passes, I may just skip it.

[Bubba]

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, so much that it prompted my first trip and plane ride ever to Orlando 3 years ago. But if I had it my way Dragons would be staying over Potter. Dragons is truly a unique roller coaster & I was never disappointed by the ride due to my first ride being after they stopped the dueling aspect. Can't hate what I never experienced. It didn't stop my brother & I from riding repeatedly until our locker was out of time. We love our thrill rides & this was our favorite ride to do at night. I hope they keep in mind what they're replacing when building this new Harry Potter rollercoaster. RIP

 

On another note, the queue will be gorgeous if they keep the entrance path intact. Looking at the castle from up there was always a treat. Hogsmeade is much smaller than Diagon too, so hopefully we'll get more room to walk around. I'm curious if this new ride is being designed with the other parks in mind.

[CaptainUnknown]

F**K F**K F**kity F**K!!!

 

At least I got a dueling experience back in 2010.

 

And now my biggest question is: will the new screen-based attraction be themed around the main series, or the Fantastic Beasts series.

[jarmor]

I've read it will follow the spiders. . .

[CPmillenia94]

For those of you who are planning on getting their last rides in, you cannot miss riding in the back row edge seats for both sides. Especially at night.. simply on another level!

[XII]

Ugh. Universal Orlando has pretty much over the past few years, done absolutely everything in their power to piss me off and always do the wrong thing. Seriously, this has to be the worst announcement any theme park has made since...since...ever. Seriously, F*ck this!!

[robbalvey]

For those of you who are planning on getting their last rides in, you cannot miss riding in the back row edge seats for both sides. Especially at night.. simply on another level!

This is 100% correct. Both of those rides at night in the back are most certainly still top tier coasters. And even when they dueled, it's not like you could really see that much of the other train in the back at night anyway.

 

A Harry Potter motorbike coaster is probably a one-and-done for me.

This is also 100% correct. Or I should say that is where my expectations are currently set. I've heard two possible rumors. The motorbike coaster or an "Arthur" style family dark ride. Neither of them sound appealing to me.

 

That being said, I thought Flight of Passage was also going to be a "one and done" and it pisses me off how much I like that ride, because I should hate it.

 

I'm not into Potter just like I'm not into Avatar. I'm also not into media-based 3D rides at all, but for whatever reason I could ride Flight of Passage all day long (not really, being figurative) but both Gringott's and Forbidden Journey were both "one and done" rides for me.

 

Regardless of the IP, I just didn't think those rides were very good.

 

I would hope that whatever it is that Universal is cooking up, it would have to be SIGNIFICANTLY better than both of those attractions *AND* Dragons for it to hold my interest.

 

Again those are just my expectations and who knows? Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and maybe it will make me want to go to Universal more than just a couple of times a year.

Edited July 24, 2017 by robbalvey

[coasterbill]

switching my Busch/Seaworld passes

 

Woah woah woah, let's not get crazy.

[DirkFunk]

 

I would hope that whatever it is that Universal is cooking up, it would have to be SIGNIFICANTLY better than both of those attractions *AND* Dragons for it to hold my interest.

 

Again those are just my expectations and who knows? Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and maybe it will make me want to go to Universal more than just a couple of times a year.

 

I'll be stunned if it is any more exciting/big/whatever than Universal's equivalent to 7DMT. And that's a fine ride (with an acronym close to DMT-7, a choice hallucinogenic, dunno why thats never come up), but basically a non-factor in the scheme of being a "hory shet" kind of experience. I have no idea why I should be excited about an E-ticket, one-of-a-kind ride being replaced with something that's gonna be a C/D ticket style family ride where I can hear, "Harry, over here!" for the one millionth time.

[thrillrider]

Looks like we are going to pass up going to Universal in the spring. This is one of my favorite rides in Florida. I just can't justify spending $100 per person x 5, to go into a park with a bunch of screen based dark rides. We are not big Harry potter fans, so that don't appeal to us. It seems like they are alienating all non Harry Potter fans from there parks.

 

Extra days at Busch gardens and seaworld for us!

[robbalvey]

It seems like they are alienating all non Harry Potter and Jimmy Fallon fans from their parks.

FIXED!

[KBrylczyk]

When was the last time we saw a ride of that great caliber removed?

 

Clearly you're forgetting that fateful day Phantasialand closed Silbermine.