Disney was Stupid

[djlaosc]

Also enjoyed the Simpsons ride quite a bit. Though ill be honest, I missed Back to the Future. But that's probably partially because I'm not a huge Simpsons fan. The area is very well themed though. Crazy fun colors. And I saw a lot of people getting into the games being offered there.

We missed BTTF as well - much preferred it to The Simpsons!

 

[djlaosc]

My last thing I did was the Universal Horror Make Up Show. Found it excellent. It's relatively short quite funny and pretty interesting to boot. And seeing all the clips of Universal's monsters made me wish that much more that there was a ride that featured them. I know they have the Beetlejuice Revue but man, if they had a Haunted Mansion so to speak that featured all their great monsters... Think that would just be spectacular

We have never seen either of these shows (or any show in either park apart from The Blues Brothers), but they are on our "must dos" for next time, especially as we'll hae FOTLP, so will have the time to see them!

 

[djlaosc]

One final note. The Transformers building is HUGE! I watched some workers on the side of it for a bit. Looked like they were doing some touch up paint job. And the amount walled off for the HP 2.0 area is very obviously quite massive. It was very exciting to see the construction area under Dragon Challenge in IOA and then to see the big construction area in Universal. I couldn't really see anything except the Gringotts show building which looked to my eyes bigger even than the Transformers building.

One thing that did surprise me... Very few people seemed to know that that huge construction zone was for HP. I talked to several CMs about it and quite a few were surprised I knew. I feel like it is the worst kept secret on the Internet but it would appear that to the average guest, the announcement, whenever it comes, will be quite the pleasant surprise to a good amount of people. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing though.

And this is why Universal can sit on the project and not announce it till they're ready (probably end of the year at the earliest, depending on a 2014 v 2015 opening - I'm hpoing for 2014) - and those that didn't know will be happy with the announcement, and us in the know will be happy with concept art/details!

 

[djlaosc]

Overall, a very good experience. And whenever I get back to Florida/Disney, I plan to keep including Universal as part of my trips

Good - now we just have to get you to SeaWorld/Busch Gardens/Aquatica/Discovery Cove!

 

[dave&di]

How it Despicable Me set up? Is it one big simulator like Star Tours or is it lots of smaller simulators like The Simpsons?

When you enter DM you get sent to one of 7 or 8 lines where TV screens show the characters telling you health and safety info, once that's finished you enter another room still in your lines, here there is one big screen where the characters set up the situation, you then enter the theatre still in your lines, there are rows of cars that seat 4 people, the ride is brilliant and very funny, it's become my favourite Uni attraction!

When you exit there is a minion waiting to dance with you to 'boogie fever' Excellent!

 

[djlaosc]

When you enter DM you get sent to one of 7 or 8 lines where TV screens show the characters telling you health and safety info, once that's finished you enter another room still in your lines, here there is one big screen where the characters set up the situation, you then enter the theatre still in your lines, there are rows of cars that seat 4 people, the ride is brilliant and very funny, it's become my favourite Uni attraction!

When you exit there is a minion waiting to dance with you to 'boogie fever' Excellent!

Thanks for the information!

 

[lazyboy97o]

Heck I'd tell people go see T2 because that is a very fun show even though it is most definitely dated.

One thing that did surprise me... Very few people seemed to know that that huge construction zone was for HP. I talked to several CMs about it and quite a few were surprised I knew. I feel like it is the worst kept secret on the Internet but it would appear that to the average guest, the announcement, whenever it comes, will be quite the pleasant surprise to a good amount of people. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing though.

I really do not understand the sentiment that Terminator 2 3-D is dated. Maybe they just need to do a better job of telling people it's the early-to-mid 1990s.

You should have seen the Universal Orlando Resort Facebook page the day Transformers: The Ride-3D was announced. Many people were upset that it was replacing Jaws.

 

[bubbles1812]

Like

I really do not understand the sentiment that Terminator 2 3-D is dated. Maybe they just need to do a better job of telling people it's the early-to-mid 1990s.

You should have seen the Universal Orlando Resort Facebook page the day Transformers: The Ride-3D was announced. Many people were upset that it was replacing Jaws.

Like I said, it seems like it is the worst kept secret on the Internet. But from talking to the average guest, it seems like a lot of people aren't in the know. I didnt meet that many people who were missing Jaws truthfully. It was a good ride but the new HP area will be bigger with better rides and theming. I'm sure some will always miss the Jaws ride but at the same time... It's replacement is pretty darn great.

I think that would probably help if the emphasized the year more for the attraction. It is dated in the fact that that year has passed and that movie, well, it's now nearly 15 years old. I actually love the Terminator movies but you could tell some people didnt have a clue.

 

[bubbles1812]

Good - now we just have to get you to SeaWorld/Busch Gardens/Aquatica/Discovery Cove!

Haha. I have been to Sea World but not in a while unfortunately. And I have been to the Busch Gardens in Washington DC area but never the one in Tampa. Aquatics and Discovery Cove are definitely on my list though! I love dolphins

 

[djlaosc]

Haha. I have been to Sea World but not in a while unfortunately. And I have been to the Busch Gardens in Washington DC area but never the one in Tampa. Aquatics and Discovery Cove are definitely on my list though! I love dolphins

We've been lucky enough to always go on 2 or 3 week holidays (2002 - 2 weeks, 2005/2007/2011 - 3 weeks), so we have always done the 8 theme parks every trip (MK, Epcot, DHS, DAK, USF, IOA, SWO, BGTB) as well as Typhoon Lagoon (Blizzard Beach was closed for the winter in 2002). We have done Blizzard Beach every trip since 2005, Wet n Wild in 2005/2007, and Aquatica in 2011, and we all agree that Aquatica is the best waterpark. We have also done Discovery Cove every trip since 2005 (2005/2007 swim, 2011 non-swim).

So, to us, we have never done a "Disney holiday" - we've always done all three companies, and it's nice to see that others (not you, as you've done them before, but in general) are starting to look past the WDW Gates and experience the other parks that are out there (obviously I know that holiday lengths are different UK v US).

And I hope that you get to experience Aquatica and Discovery Cove (and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay), and return to SeaWorld Orlando soon. SeaWorld will have probably gone through some changes since the last time you were there (Manta, TurtleTrek, Antarctica, possibly even Kraken/Journey to Atlantis nevermind the shows). iscovery Cove is worth it even if you don't do the swim - it's an amazing day, but if you love dolphins, obviously you'll want to do the swim. For us in the UK, Discovery Cove Non-Swim is worth it as long as we are planning on going to SWO/AQO - the upgrade of a 2-week ticket to include non-swim Discovery Cove can be as low as £21 (in September), which is currently $32 - looking at the upgrade for US tickets, for September, it is $40-$50 to be able to go to Discovery Cove non-swim - which is not bad for all you can eat as well as being able to experience everything at Discovery Cove. And, as we said, we all thought that Aquatica was the best waterpark last time (not necessarily the themeing, but the rides, although someone that didn't do a single ride - just sunbathed all day preferred Aquatica as well)

 

[BryceM]

Did you ride Men in Black: Alien Attack?!

 

[disney fan 13]

We have never seen either of these shows (or any show in either park apart from The Blues Brothers), but they are on our "must dos" for next time, especially as we'll hae FOTLP, so will have the time to see them!

Both are definitely must do's.

 

[bubbles1812]

Did you ride Men in Black: Alien Attack?!

Of course! I really like the ride a lot. It's my second favorite shooter game behind Toy Story Mania (I know, I know... I will totally say that Men in Black is the better designed and better themed ride with a ton and ton of creativity... But I was better at you Story Generally which shooter is my favorite rotates each trip based on where I score highest )

 

[djlaosc]

Both are definitely must do's.

We will try to see them!

 

[maxairmike]

Of course! I really like the ride a lot. It's my second favorite shooter game behind Toy Story Mania (I know, I know... I will totally say that Men in Black is the better designed and better themed ride with a ton and ton of creativity... But I was better at you Story Generally which shooter is my favorite rotates each trip based on where I score highest )

I generally agree, except Toy Story is just flat out more fun for me no matter my score. Have you looked at the tips for getting a perfect 999,999? I can do that fairly regularly now (my average coming out of "training" is usually between 115k-150k). After you hit it once, its much easier to do it again, and more interesting and fun getting that score than on Buzz.

 

[JillC LI]

Off-Ride/In-Queue: 1:56
On-Ride: 3:00

Thank you so much for posting this link. I don't know if it was because I was sitting on the right side of the car or because I was so afraid at going up up up (yes I was scared on this kiddie coaster!), but I never saw the AA of the hippogriff. I asked DD who I rode with if she had seen it, and she replied, "Of course." LOL. Well, I saw it now - thanks.

 

[djlaosc]

Thank you so much for posting this link. I don't know if it was because I was sitting on the right side of the car or because I was so afraid at going up up up (yes I was scared on this kiddie coaster!), but I never saw the AA of the hippogriff. I asked DD who I rode with if she had seen it, and she replied, "Of course." LOL. Well, I saw it now - thanks.

No problem, happy to help!

 

[DaydreamBeliever]

Was I really the only one to have the worst theme park experience I've ever had in Islands of Adventure? I had a group of thirteen people (7 at 10+, 3 at 3-9, and 3 under 3.) The wait times were wrong on literally every ride we rode, Forbidden Journey was extremely grainy video and very disappointing (the whole time I was missing those extra little touches Disney would have added if they had made it), having to buy a wand outside of Ollivanders because Ollivanders is a show with an extreme wait time felt like poor design, and really, a bottle of pumpkin juice was $6? Everything about the entire park felt run down and dirty (guess I've been spoiled by Disney, I'm not used to seeing overflowing trash cans and trash on the ground), and I felt having to pay for Universal's version of FastPass was just ridiculous. (Again, spoiled by Disney I guess.) I was so looking forward to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and at the end of the day, my family found that the combination of lack of selection of rides in the rest of the park, the poor customer service, the broken down rides (the Seuss train ride broke down three times while we were in line and the paint was chipping away on the walls in the line), and the disappointing Harry Potter area will not justify us ever spending $800+ (when the three little ones get older, even more $!) on anything Universal ever again, regardless of what they add in the future. I've read the comments on here about how wonderful the WWoHP was, but being a long time fan of the books and movies and having read the entire series 10+ times, I was horrified that JK Rowling allowed and approved Universal's lackluster representation of something so loved by her fans. Yes, Disney could and would have done it better.

 

[BryceM]

Was I really the only one to have the worst theme park experience I've ever had in Islands of Adventure? I had a group of thirteen people (7 at 10+, 3 at 3-9, and 3 under 3.) The wait times were wrong on literally every ride we rode, Forbidden Journey was extremely grainy video and very disappointing (the whole time I was missing those extra little touches Disney would have added if they had made it), having to buy a wand outside of Ollivanders because Ollivanders is a show with an extreme wait time felt like poor design, and really, a bottle of pumpkin juice was $6? Everything about the entire park felt run down and dirty (guess I've been spoiled by Disney, I'm not used to seeing overflowing trash cans and trash on the ground), and I felt having to pay for Universal's version of FastPass was just ridiculous. (Again, spoiled by Disney I guess.) I was so looking forward to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and at the end of the day, my family found that the combination of lack of selection of rides in the rest of the park, the poor customer service, the broken down rides (the Seuss train ride broke down three times while we were in line and the paint was chipping away on the walls in the line), and the disappointing Harry Potter area will not justify us ever spending $800+ (when the three little ones get older, even more $!) on anything Universal ever again, regardless of what they add in the future. I've read the comments on here about how wonderful the WWoHP was, but being a long time fan of the books and movies and having read the entire series 10+ times, I was horrified that JK Rowling allowed and approved Universal's lackluster representation of something so loved by her fans. Yes, Disney could and would have done it better.

*...tries to refrain from typing a long, drawn out rebuttal...*

 

[GLaDOS]

Was I really the only one to have the worst theme park experience I've ever had in Islands of Adventure? I had a group of thirteen people (7 at 10+, 3 at 3-9, and 3 under 3.) The wait times were wrong on literally every ride we rode, Forbidden Journey was extremely grainy video and very disappointing (the whole time I was missing those extra little touches Disney would have added if they had made it), having to buy a wand outside of Ollivanders because Ollivanders is a show with an extreme wait time felt like poor design, and really, a bottle of pumpkin juice was $6? Everything about the entire park felt run down and dirty (guess I've been spoiled by Disney, I'm not used to seeing overflowing trash cans and trash on the ground), and I felt having to pay for Universal's version of FastPass was just ridiculous. (Again, spoiled by Disney I guess.) I was so looking forward to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and at the end of the day, my family found that the combination of lack of selection of rides in the rest of the park, the poor customer service, the broken down rides (the Seuss train ride broke down three times while we were in line and the paint was chipping away on the walls in the line), and the disappointing Harry Potter area will not justify us ever spending $800+ (when the three little ones get older, even more $!) on anything Universal ever again, regardless of what they add in the future. I've read the comments on here about how wonderful the WWoHP was, but being a long time fan of the books and movies and having read the entire series 10+ times, I was horrified that JK Rowling allowed and approved Universal's lackluster representation of something so loved by her fans. Yes, Disney could and would have done it better.

This is your first post on the first day of joining the forums? To bash Universal?

My troll sense is tingling.