All things Universal Studios Hollywood

[mickEblu]

Tatsu makes me throw up. I can't stand laying on my stomach while doing flips in the air. I think I had my eyes shut for most of it

I haven’t been to Magic Mountain or on any coasters of that intensity in 13 years. Tatsu I thought was more psychologically scary but fun and smooth. X was a one and done. I’m not sure I want or need Goliath like G forces anymore in my life.

 

[Too Many Hats]

If Disney had built Velocicoaster or a coaster like it in the way Universal did, they would have been crucified online.

At Magic Kingdom or Disneyland, yeah. But at, say, DHS? Is there a meaningful difference between Velocicoaster and Slinky Dog Dash? I’m cool with both, to be clear.

I understand not wanting a bare steel coaster roaring through New Orleans Square or Fantasyland, but I think we’re being a little overly precious when we suggest they should always be prohibited, in any type of themed environment (not that you’ve suggested anything like that, but it’s a sentiment I’ve been surprised to see around this message board in recent discussions about Epic).

 

[Rich T]

… Monsters Unchained and Battle at the Ministry seem to be the most exciting new theme park attractions in the U.S. since Rise, by far.

I absolutely think they are. Ministry actually outdoes Rise in the scale/awe dept., which is something I wasn’t expecting. I actually like Monsters even more, though; having so many lifelike, incredible AAs getting so close to your vehicle is startling and wonderful. It’s possibly the most insanely fun dark ride on Earth.

And Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is right up there with Hagrid’s and Big Bear Mtn. as one of the best and most thrilling family coasters ever.

And Stardust Racers… I’d say it’s Velocicoaster’s equal in its own way. Not the prettiest coaster during the day (dazzling at night) and the layout isn’t as interesting… but the airtime is crazy good, the racing/dueling is exhilarating, and the Celestial Spin element is like an out-of-body experience.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Kinda surprised by the Universal hate around here. Velocicoaster is awesome! Even with its (IMO) very negative impact on IOA’s sightlines.

I’m stoked for the F&F coaster. I imagine the buzz has been minimal only because the coaster doesn’t open for another year.

Also, Epic looks fantastic. Yes it has issues related to capacity and reliability and sightlines. But c’mon, it’s a brand new park. As a fan of themed entertainment, it’s a super exciting new offering. Monsters Unchained and Battle at the Ministry seem to be the most exciting new theme park attractions in the U.S. since Rise, by far.

I don't think anyone's genuinely been hating on Universal in this thread. I'm very much looking forward to the new coaster and Epic, and I imagine most are.

I’m more or less numb to coasters at this point, but I think I greyed out during the consecutive loops on Viper a couple years ago lol. I have never experienced that before (or since). That coaster is nuts, and so so fun.

In bringing up Viper, the intent was to allude to a difference between old school and new school intensity. Viper is a great representation of old school intensity, where it's all about the raw power of the experience, made all the more potent by the imperfect, pre-computer engineering. Viper is one of the last example of rides like that built-among the last that survive, anyway.

Whereas something like Velocicoaster is new school intensity. It is intense, but the coaster is engineered in such a way that the experience is smooth and relatively frictionless compared to the rides of old. Both have their time and place, and I'm sure sooner or later Viper will join all of its megalooping siblings in the great coaster park in the sky. That's why I'm happy it's still around, and I hope I get to ride it at least a few more times before it inevitably departs.

At Magic Kingdom or Disneyland, yeah. But at, say, DHS? Is there a meaningful difference between Velocicoaster and Slinky Dog Dash? I’m cool with both, to be clear.

I understand not wanting a bare steel coaster roaring through New Orleans Square or Fantasyland, but I think we’re being a little overly precious when we suggest they should always be prohibited, in any type of themed environment (not that you’ve suggested anything like that, but it’s a sentiment I’ve been surprised to see around this message board in recent discussions about Epic).

I don't think I was suggesting that bare coasters were always prohibited in themed environments. Just that putting Velocicoaster where they did kind of mucked up sightlines in that specific area.

Is it the worst thing ever? No (What HRRR and the Transformers building have done to the Studio park next door is much worse IMO). Am I personally bothered by it? Not really, I would much rather have Velocicoaster and the current sitelines than what was there before. But I don't think it's overreaching to say that it's not the cleanest looking visual in the world.

I have not actually been back to DHS since Slinky Dog was built, so I have yet to see it in person. It does look tacky based only on pictures I've seen IMO.

If I have any frustration with Universal, or to be more specific, discussions about Universal in the past 3-4 years or so, is that it seems like there are two main thoughts, and only two main thoughts, that people express about Universal over that time period:
1.) (when Universal does something good) "See, SEE!!! Look at that! Universal's doing amazing and making Disney look bad! Universal rules and Disney drools!"
OR
2.) (when any criticism of Universal is offered at all) "Well what do you expect, they're not Disney, of COURSE it's going to have __________ (insert less good element here)! Be reasonable!"

Like, if Disney changes a lightbulb to a slightly different hue, it's treated like Disney did it on purpose because Disney KNEW how you and/or the fanbase felt about the lightbulb so OF COURSE they had to screw it up to spite you and all fans, just because they could and they wanted to show that they were smarter than all you dumb fans!!111 But if people say anything remotely negative about Universal, especially if a sweet new ride and/or theme park just opened that might help punish Disney for its real or perceived sins, people rush to defend them and give them all the benefit of the doubt in the world.

Which, as someone who is generally a fan of both Disney and Universal, I find a little bit bewildering. Both are theme park companies that have done plenty good and plenty bad in the last decade or so, but the way they're treated is so different. Like, I genuinely don't think anyone has said anything that harsh about Universal in this thread recently, but people are rushing out to defend them as if they were slandered. It makes me wonder if I'm missing something or if some people have just had too much kool-aid.

 

[Touchdown]

I’ve ridden hundreds of roller coasters, it takes a lot for me to be genuinely thrilled by them and turn me into a young enthusiast again. My first ride on Veliciocoaster did. You only have a lap bar, usually my hands are up or just in my lap doing nothing. The first half of that ride is very nice, and I enjoyed it but that second half is where the magic is folks, that top hat is the coasters first attempt to buck you off of it, the airtime at the top of that hill was so intense I grabbed the restraints, it then does about a half dozen maneuvers that feel the same. It’s amazing.

 

[Rich T]

I don't think anyone's genuinely been hating on Universal in this thread. I'm very much looking forward to the new coaster and Epic, and I imagine most are.

In bringing up Viper, the intent was to allude to a difference between old school and new school intensity. Viper is a great representation of old school intensity, where it's all about the raw power of the experience, made all the more potent by the imperfect, pre-computer engineering. Viper is one of the last example of rides like that built-among the last that survive, anyway.

Whereas something like Velocicoaster is new school intensity. It is intense, but the coaster is engineered in such a way that the experience is smooth and relatively frictionless compared to the rides of old. Both have their time and place, and I'm sure sooner or later Viper will join all of its megalooping siblings in the great coaster park in the sky. That's why I'm happy it's still around, and I hope I get to ride it at least a few more times before it inevitably departs.

I don't think I was suggesting that bare coasters were always prohibited in themed environments. Just that putting Velocicoaster where they did kind of mucked up sightlines in that specific area.

Is it the worst thing ever? No (What HRRR and the Transformers building have done to the Studio park next door is much worse IMO). Am I personally bothered by it? Not really, I would much rather have Velocicoaster and the current sitelines than what was there before. But I don't think it's overreaching to say that it's not the cleanest looking visual in the world.

I have not actually been back to DHS since Slinky Dog was built, so I have yet to see it in person. It does look a bit tacky based only on pictures I've seen IMO.

If I have any frustration with Universal, or to be more specific, discussions about Universal in the past 3-4 years or so, is that it seems like there are two main thoughts, and only two main thoughts, that people express about Universal over that time period:
1.) (when Universal does something good) "See, SEE!!! Look at that! Universal's doing amazing and making Disney look bad! Universal rules and Disney drools!"
OR
2.) (when any criticism of Universal is offered at all) "Well what do you expect, they're not Disney, of COURSE it's going to have __________ (insert less good element here)! Be reasonable!"

Like, if Disney changes a lightbulb to a slightly different hue, it's treated like Disney did it on purpose because Disney KNEW how you and/or the fanbase felt about the lightbulb so OF COURSE they had to screw it up to spite you and all fans, just because they could and they wanted to show that they were smarter than all you dumb fans!!111 But if people say anything remotely negative about Universal, especially if a sweet new ride and/or theme park just opened that might help punish Disney for its real or perceived sins, people rush to defend them and give them all the benefit of the doubt in the world.

Which, as someone who is generally a fan of both Disney and Universal, I find a little bit bewildering. Both are theme park companies that have done plenty good and plenty bad in the last decade or so, but the way they're treated is so different. Like, I genuinely don't think anyone has said anything that harsh about Universal in this thread recently, but people are rushing out to defend them as if they were slandered. It makes me wonder if I'm missing something or if some people have just had too much kool-aid.

Lots of good points here. And I’ll just say that I’m aware that I cut Universal way more slack than Disney, mainly because of how I feel (which isn’t great) about what Disney has become as a corporation compared to what they used to be.

I have no such emotional ties to Universal. I just love the direction they’re going, and I love seeing them be as creative and risk-taking as Disney once was. For now, UOR can have ALL of my park spending as long as they keep building things I like.

I just want to see great things at theme parks. I think Epic’s debut is, potentially, the start of a whole new era for Universal and a much-needed wake-up call for Disney.

 

[lazyboy97o]

But at, say, DHS? Is there a meaningful difference between Velocicoaster and Slinky Dog Dash? I’m cool with both, to be clear.

Slinky Dog Dash is often criticized for just being a coaster.

I think Epic’s debut is, potentially, the start of a whole new era for Universal and a much-needed wake-up call for Disney.

Universal has already aggressively pulled back from being that ambitious. They think they spent way too much and aren’t interested in spending like that again. People are only starting to recognize that Kids is much smaller in scale and scope and even the UK park is more Diet Beijing than something big and new. Even Horror Unleashed is about leveraging the team that still consistently gets things done cheaply.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I just love the direction they’re going, and I love seeing them be as creative and risk-taking as Disney once was. For now, UOR can have ALL of my park spending as long as they keep building things I like.

I just want to see great things at theme parks. I think Epic’s debut is, potentially, the start of a whole new era for Universal and a much-needed wake-up call for Disney.

But what people often forget is that Universal has not just been making straightforward, wholly positive choices from Potter onward. It's been much more scattered in reality. But while people harp on stuff like Webslingers endlessly, they don't really talk about any of Universal's misfires except FATF, because that attraction's badness has become a meme.

The same Universal that built Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley put in stuff like Jimmy Fallon, the aforementioned Fast and the Furious, replaced several beloved attractions with physical sets/props/attributes with screens, Villaincon Minionblast, etc. They completely gutted the Studios park in Florida in particular of many of the attractions that gave it a personality.

The same Universal that put in cool new foods and shows at Epic has been content to let their food scene languish in their other parks and skimp on shows even more than Disney has. No one ever talks about how Toon Lagoon has a giant arena that just sits empty, that USF had an arena that they gutted, that Poseidon's Fury and Sindbad just sit there unused, that distinctly Universal entertainment like the Special Effects Show and the Animal Actors are just gone now, not to be replaced with new entertainment.

The same Universal that has made groundbreaking new attractions has put unnecessarily restrictive restraints on a simple dark ride.

The same Universal that "put the park back in theme park" in Celestial Park has apparently forgotten that parks have shade and trees. (And yes, it takes time for new trees to grow in. Could they not have imported mature trees in as other parks have done?)

The same Universal that made Epic beautiful at night likes to close its parks well before sundown most of the year.

Universal, too, eventually fell victim to the current economic cycle and once people couldn't crow about how Universal was eating Disney for lunch attendance, ops, and new attraction-wise (when it was very, very obvious to anyone who looked that basically the entire industry was struggling and Universal, not Disney, was the anomaly), people suddenly, conveniently stopped talking about Universal as much until Epic came along.

Obviously, there's overlap with Disney here in many areas, and in some places each operator has its own unique issues. But sometimes it's genuinely hard to tell if people are actually enthusiastic about Universal OR if they're just rooting for Universal because they're hoping Disney will struggle, realize its real-or-perceived sins, and immediately revert back to how the parks were run at Insert Personal Golden Age Here, something that almost certainly will not happen in any universe other than the fantasy one people have constructed in their heads.

If all Universal means to some people is that they're the operator that may one day cause Disney to fail or change its ways, I'd argue that person doesn't actually value or appreciate Universal for what it is. They've just made Universal a pawn in their own personal proxy war.

 

[mickEblu]

I’m kind of fascinated with the psychology behind suspension of disbelief and all of the nuance that comes with it. Obviously Slinky Dog isn’t Disneys best work but I think for me that reason that it works better thematically than Velocicoaster is that Toy Story is animated and Jurassic Park is live action. The end result of bringing this cartoon world to life is a land that feels a bit plasticky which works in the coasters favor as one’s expectations are automatically lowered. “It’s just the plasticky Toy Story Land for kids” You’re almost just happy the park has a new kid friendly coaster. Then of course I think the Andy’s play set concept I think is more believable in relation to the IP and land it resides in than the story they came up with for Velocicoaster.

With Velocicoaster the setting/ theme park land has already been established with the River Adventure ride. It’s a theme we have experience with. A jungle like setting on Earth… that happens to have dinosaurs. So in that context and juxtaposed with the rest of the land the fairly large and exposed coaster going through a Velociraptor paddock isn’t as believable and breaks the world building a bit. Not to mention that Jurassic World is live action and based in the real world and it’s just nothing we’ve ever seen. Perhaps if there were such a coaster in one of the movies it would work better.

In the end Slinky Dog Dash’s “lackluster” execution benefits from a more believable story as it pertains to the IP and land execution as a whole while Velocicoaster does not receive that assistance. Velocicoaster on the other hand receives some assistance from more lax expectations of Universal by the theme park community.

 

[Rich T]

Slinky Dog Dash is often criticized for just being a coaster.


Universal has already aggressively pulled back from being that ambitious. They think they spent way too much and aren’t interested in spending like that again. People are only starting to recognize that Kids is much smaller in scale and scope and even the UK park is more Diet Beijing than something big and new. Even Horror Unleashed is about leveraging the team that still consistently gets things done cheaply.

I disagree sooooo much. I think Universal is going to keep expanding and creating awesome attractions and lands in Orlando. The days of Disney getting by with dragging their heels and letting their guest experience deteriorate are—hopefully—over. Or at least… improved? Somewhat?

The Texas and Vegas projects are experiments to test the market for those kinds of smaller attractions. I don’t know if they’ll succeed—I have doubts—but at least they’re innovating.

The UK park is most likely going to be awesome. Haters can call it whatever they like… It’s happening, and it’s a great time to be a theme park fan!

 

[mlayton144]

I disagree sooooo much. I think Universal is going to keep expanding and creating awesome attractions and lands in Orlando. The days of Disney getting by with dragging their heels and letting their guest experience deteriorate are—hopefully—over. Or at least… improved? Somewhat?

The Texas and Vegas projects are experiments to test the market for those kinds of smaller attractions. I don’t know if they’ll succeed—I have doubts—but at least they’re innovating.

The UK park is most likely going to be awesome. Haters can call it whatever they like… It’s happening, and it’s a great time to be a theme park fan!

I think it’s great that Disney now has true competition on the east coast for a decent slice of the demographic they cater to - though anyone can see it’s clearly still not apples to apples. Universals prime demographic is still teenagers and young adults. If you don’t like hanging upside down or going 60 miles per hour through hairpin turns there is still very little to consume a vacations worth of entertainment that an all ages family wants. Can universal truly become a multigenerational vacation experience without tacking on Disney or a cruise to the itinerary ? Not convinced just yet , but they are clearly upping their game

 

[mickEblu]

I think it’s great that Disney now has true competition on the east coast for a decent slice of the demographic they cater to - though anyone can see it’s clearly still not apples to apples. Universals prime demographic is still teenagers and young adults. If you don’t like hanging upside down or going 60 miles per hour through hairpin turns there is still very little to consume a vacations worth of entertainment that an all ages family wants. Can universal truly become a multigenerational vacation experience without tacking on Disney or a cruise to the itinerary ? Not convinced just yet , but they are clearly upping their game

It almost feels like they’re still operating on some outdated data or philosophies. They have the talent, resources and IP to compete with Disney for that market if they wanted too. You would think Super Nintendo World would be an example of Universal shifting to more family friendly entertainment but it’s really not when both of the main attractions have 40 inch height requirements. I guess it’s a start. Better than 48 inches.

 

[Disney Analyst]

But what people often forget is that Universal has not just been making straightforward, wholly positive choices from Potter onward. It's been much more scattered in reality. But while people harp on stuff like Webslingers endlessly, they don't really talk about any of Universal's misfires except FATF, because that attraction's badness has become a meme.

The same Universal that built Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley put in stuff like Jimmy Fallon, the aforementioned Fast and the Furious, replaced several beloved attractions with physical sets/props/attributes with screens, Villaincon Minionblast, etc. They completely gutted the Studios park in Florida in particular of many of the attractions that gave it a personality.

The same Universal that put in cool new foods and shows at Epic has been content to let their food scene languish in their other parks and skimp on shows even more than Disney has. No one ever talks about how Toon Lagoon has a giant arena that just sits empty, that USF had an arena that they gutted, that Poseidon's Fury and Sindbad just sit there unused, that distinctly Universal entertainment like the Special Effects Show and the Animal Actors are just gone now, not to be replaced with new entertainment.

The same Universal that has made groundbreaking new attractions has put unnecessarily restrictive restraints on a simple dark ride.

The same Universal that "put the park back in theme park" in Celestial Park has apparently forgotten that parks have shade and trees. (And yes, it takes time for new trees to grow in. Could they not have imported mature trees in as other parks have done?)

The same Universal that made Epic beautiful at night likes to close its parks well before sundown most of the year.

Universal, too, eventually fell victim to the current economic cycle and once people couldn't crow about how Universal was eating Disney for lunch attendance, ops, and new attraction-wise (when it was very, very obvious to anyone who looked that basically the entire industry was struggling and Universal, not Disney, was the anomaly), people suddenly, conveniently stopped talking about Universal as much until Epic came along.

Obviously, there's overlap with Disney here in many areas, and in some places each operator has its own unique issues. But sometimes it's genuinely hard to tell if people are actually enthusiastic about Universal OR if they're just rooting for Universal because they're hoping Disney will struggle, realize its real-or-perceived sins, and immediately revert back to how the parks were run at Insert Personal Golden Age Here, something that almost certainly will not happen in any universe other than the fantasy one people have constructed in their heads.

If all Universal means to some people is that they're the operator that may one day cause Disney to fail or change its ways, I'd argue that person doesn't actually value or appreciate Universal for what it is. They've just made Universal a pawn in their own personal proxy war.

I’d also argue, has universal done anything truly risk taking? Building a new theme park all about popular IP’s is pretty… expected? The scale is in line with their wizarding world offerings, and they’ve overall built something pretty fantastic.

If we want to talk risk taking, Disney shuttering the ROA for expansion is a risk. It’s bold. It’s shocking. No idea if it will payoff in the long run, but for me that’s taking a risk, even if I think it’s… crazy.

 

[lazyboy97o]

With Velocicoaster the setting/ theme park land has already been established with the River Adventure ride. It’s a theme we have experience with. A jungle like setting on Earth… that happens to have dinosaurs. So in that context and juxtaposed with the rest of the land the fairly large and exposed coaster going through a Velociraptor paddock isn’t as believable and breaks the world building a bit. Not to mention that Jurassic World is live action and based in the real world and it’s just nothing we’ve ever seen. Perhaps if there were such a coaster in one of the movies it would work better.

The River Adventure comes from the book which establishes that there are a few different rides through different habitats. More of these are then seen in Jurassic World.

 

[mickEblu]

The River Adventure comes from the book which establishes that there are a few different rides through different habitats. More of these are then seen in Jurassic World.

The original book? It’s been a while since I’ve read it. Either way, I think in terms of suspension of disbelief at a theme park, a few words in a book from 35 years ago or a back story can only go so far. The heavy lifting is obviously in the design. A huge exposed coaster in the world of Jurassic Park at a theme park that happens to have another very large exposed coaster across the lagoon makes it harder to suspend disbelief. It just reads as “minimally themed Jurassic Park coaster on this side of the lagoon and even more minimally themed Marvel coaster on the other side of the lagoon.”

 

[lazyboy97o]

I disagree sooooo much. I think Universal is going to keep expanding and creating awesome attractions and lands in Orlando. The days of Disney getting by with dragging their heels and letting their guest experience deteriorate are—hopefully—over. Or at least… improved? Somewhat?

The Texas and Vegas projects are experiments to test the market for those kinds of smaller attractions. I don’t know if they’ll succeed—I have doubts—but at least they’re innovating.

The UK park is most likely going to be awesome. Haters can call it whatever they like… It’s happening, and it’s a great time to be a theme park fan!

I didn’t say they’re not going to keep building new attractions. The want to spend a lot less on those attractions. It’s why they’re not rushing to clone anything from Epic Universe at Universal Studios Hollywood. If anything, they’re too committed to just having new stuff which is how we end up with a project like DreamWorks Land.

The UK park is going to have significant cloning from Beijing and they want it to be billions less expensive. You can like it, but it is clearly less ambitious.

 

[mickEblu]

It’s why they’re not rushing to clone anything from Epic Universe at Universal Studios Hollywood.

They re not? Do you know this for a fact? If true, that’s disappointing. Don’t get me wrong USH can use new attractions of any caliber but it’s a little harder to excited for potential additions at USH if not even one of them is on the level of Monsters or Ministry.

 

[Rich T]

But what people often forget is that Universal has not just been making straightforward, wholly positive choices from Potter onward. It's been much more scattered in reality. But while people harp on stuff like Webslingers endlessly, they don't really talk about any of Universal's misfires except FATF, because that attraction's badness has become a meme.

The same Universal that built Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley put in stuff like Jimmy Fallon, the aforementioned Fast and the Furious, replaced several beloved attractions with physical sets/props/attributes with screens, Villaincon Minionblast, etc. They completely gutted the Studios park in Florida in particular of many of the attractions that gave it a personality.

The same Universal that put in cool new foods and shows at Epic has been content to let their food scene languish in their other parks and skimp on shows even more than Disney has. No one ever talks about how Toon Lagoon has a giant arena that just sits empty, that USF had an arena that they gutted, that Poseidon's Fury and Sindbad just sit there unused, that distinctly Universal entertainment like the Special Effects Show and the Animal Actors are just gone now, not to be replaced with new entertainment.

The same Universal that has made groundbreaking new attractions has put unnecessarily restrictive restraints on a simple dark ride.

The same Universal that "put the park back in theme park" in Celestial Park has apparently forgotten that parks have shade and trees. (And yes, it takes time for new trees to grow in. Could they not have imported mature trees in as other parks have done?)

The same Universal that made Epic beautiful at night likes to close its parks well before sundown most of the year.

Universal, too, eventually fell victim to the current economic cycle and once people couldn't crow about how Universal was eating Disney for lunch attendance, ops, and new attraction-wise (when it was very, very obvious to anyone who looked that basically the entire industry was struggling and Universal, not Disney, was the anomaly), people suddenly, conveniently stopped talking about Universal as much until Epic came along.

Obviously, there's overlap with Disney here in many areas, and in some places each operator has its own unique issues. But sometimes it's genuinely hard to tell if people are actually enthusiastic about Universal OR if they're just rooting for Universal because they're hoping Disney will struggle, realize its real-or-perceived sins, and immediately revert back to how the parks were run at Insert Personal Golden Age Here, something that almost certainly will not happen in any universe other than the fantasy one people have constructed in their heads.

If all Universal means to some people is that they're the operator that may one day cause Disney to fail or change its ways, I'd argue that person doesn't actually value or appreciate Universal for what it is. They've just made Universal a pawn in their own personal proxy war.

Yes. To almost all of it. And… the situation is SO MUCH FUN!!!

Personally, I’m rooting for Universal AND hoping Epic Universe wakes Disney the heck up. I know I’m never going to see Disney at its golden-age best again, I just want them to stop being so uncreative and timid!!!!! I want them to stop destroying their legacy to cram cartoons into a park that already has too many cartoons! I want them to stop diluting their identiy with purchased IPs, but I know that ship has sailed…

Yes, I think Universal Orlando’s Studios Park is a delightful mess right now— but I’d still rather go there than MK or DHS. Right now it’s UO’s “event” park, (HHN, Christmas, Mardi Gras, Summer Tributes), and if future plans call for it to get prettified but still keep filling that role… I’d approve.
And, as a quibble: I still think Villain Con is a brilliant filler attraction… and still a one-of-kind experience.

At IoA, everybody is unhappy about the 3 huge unused theater/attraction spaces… but the park is still a blast… again for me, more fun than WDW. The good things are SO GOOD.

And Epic… I love this park so much... and it JUST OPENED! It’s just going to keep getting even better! (Knock on wood).

Seriously, Celestial Park is so beautiful it’s surreal. What photos and videos don’t convey is the layered depth and scale of the views. In person, that land makes me happy, relaxed… and occasionally scrambling for a shady spot, but if something this beautiful’s only issue is that it gets hot midday… As opposed to Epcot’s multi-year super costly central “makeover” looking 24/7 like a state college quad… I’m ok with that. (Both Celestial and Epcot’s hub feature fantastic music scores, though).

Yes, Universal has a distinct advantage here when it comes to being criticized—And their comparative lack of pretension and cultural showboating certainly helps. Disney has brought all the criticism on themselves, particulary in the last several years. You can’t keep proclaiming “Magic! Dreams! Pixie Dust! Your Childood!” and then deliver a preschool-story-level TBA, Smellephants, Toy Story freaking 5, a proudly-announced RoA destruction and the live action Snow White movie. They’re an easy target. They’ll survive.

 

[Rich T]

I think it’s great that Disney now has true competition on the east coast for a decent slice of the demographic they cater to - though anyone can see it’s clearly still not apples to apples. Universals prime demographic is still teenagers and young adults. If you don’t like hanging upside down or going 60 miles per hour through hairpin turns there is still very little to consume a vacations worth of entertainment that an all ages family wants. Can universal truly become a multigenerational vacation experience without tacking on Disney or a cruise to the itinerary ? Not convinced just yet , but they are clearly upping their game

I think Epic is the start of Universal truly becoming a genuine entire-family destination. And I can’t wait to see what’s in store for IoA and Studios.

 

[Rich T]

I didn’t say they’re not going to keep building new attractions. The want to spend a lot less on those attractions. It’s why they’re not rushing to clone anything from Epic Universe at Universal Studios Hollywood. If anything, they’re too committed to just having new stuff which is how we end up with a project like DreamWorks Land.

The UK park is going to have significant cloning from Beijing and they want it to be billions less expensive. You can like it, but it is clearly less ambitious.

Let’s wait to see the final results. I’m very much in favor of cloning attractions for non-overlapping territories.