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All things Universal Studios Hollywood
- Thread starter Darkbeer1
- Start date
Rich T
Well-Known Member
Some theme park fans online are cracking me up with all the analysis and over-thinking about the Texas project. Guys, unless you are the parent of a small child and also have Peppa Pig Park on your must-do list, Universal Kids Resort is not for you! Like… AT ALL!!!
When I was 5, my favorite DL attractions were Tom Sawyer Island, Dumbo, Casey Jr., the FL toy shop and a bare-bones off-the-shelf playground near DL Hotel. I did not enjoy dark rides at that age. I enjoyed crayons and chalk and big cardboard boxes.
I loved climbing on the giant mushrooms at Santa’s Village.
I think most small kids brought by their parents to UKR are going to have a blast with the announced attractions.
When I was 5, my favorite DL attractions were Tom Sawyer Island, Dumbo, Casey Jr., the FL toy shop and a bare-bones off-the-shelf playground near DL Hotel. I did not enjoy dark rides at that age. I enjoyed crayons and chalk and big cardboard boxes.
I loved climbing on the giant mushrooms at Santa’s Village.I think most small kids brought by their parents to UKR are going to have a blast with the announced attractions.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Some theme park fans online are cracking me up with all the analysis and over-thinking about the Texas project. Guys, unless you are the parent of a small child and also have Peppa Pig Park on your must-do list, Universal Kids Resort is not for you! Like… AT ALL!!!
When I was 5, my favorite DL attractions were Tom Sawyer Island, Dumbo, Casey Jr., the FL toy shop and a bare-bones off-the-shelf playground near DL Hotel. I did not enjoy dark rides at that age. I enjoyed crayons and chalk and big cardboard boxes.
I think most small kids brought by their parents to UKR are going to have a blast with the announced attractions.
Thats fair but the parents have to want to bring them there. Not sure I could do annual passes for a kiddie park with no dark rides unless it's very convenient, priced attractively and there are no other viable options. If the theming, aesthetics and food are good though that could help. Make it a park full of trees and greenery that happens to have rides and themed lands.
Going back to your original point I wouldn't say that young kids don't enjoy dark rides, I'd say they don't enjoy scary dark rides even if many are still intrigued by them and they end up planting the seeds for lifelong Disney parks fandom. I don't think many kids would be scared of Pan, Alice or Secret life of Pets unless they ve already been conditioned to know that when a vehicle enters a building it's going to be scary. AKA you already took them on Pinocchio or Snow White haha.
Rich T
Well-Known Member
The pricing’s an unknown at this point, but the convenience and no-other-similar-option checkbox (for that age group) is what they’re going for. Remember, this is being designed as a little regional park for the locals within a few hours’ drive. This is Universal testing the Peppa Pig/Legoland market in a part of the country lacking that kind of experience.
I grew up with 2 fun little regional parks in Northern CA: Santa’s Village and Frontier Village. Both were aimed primarily at families with small children and were packed with kiddie rides, whimsy and charm. I have a lot of great memories of our family visits to those parks, all done as day-trips. I miss those two long-gone treasures, and I hope the Universal Texas park resurrects a bit of that kind of fun.
Frontier Village did have an awesome “Lost Dutchman Mine” dark ride (which was decently scary) and Santa’s Village had a dark Alice in Wonderland walk-through fun house, but if the park designers had asked 6-year-old me if I would prefer they build those 2 dark attractions OR two more big, themed twisty slides I definitely would have picked the slides.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Peppa Pig Park is less than an hour away.
Rich T
Well-Known Member
Whoops, my mistake. Alter that part of my post to “… a part of the country their research identified as yadda yadda yadda perfect for this.”
I kinda feel bad for Peppa Pig Park… I hope they survive this.
truecoat
Well-Known Member
Some theme park fans online are cracking me up with all the analysis and over-thinking about the Texas project. Guys, unless you are the parent of a small child and also have Peppa Pig Park on your must-do list, Universal Kids Resort is not for you! Like… AT ALL!!!
When I was 5, my favorite DL attractions were Tom Sawyer Island, Dumbo, Casey Jr., the FL toy shop and a bare-bones off-the-shelf playground near DL Hotel. I did not enjoy dark rides at that age. I enjoyed crayons and chalk and big cardboard boxes.
I think most small kids brought by their parents to UKR are going to have a blast with the announced attractions.
Universal is building this park, not Six Flags. This looks like any local amusement park. The theming is barely there and it looks like it was built on the cheap. Would Disney get a pass with this park?
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
So if I’m understanding correctly, this place makes Legoland CA feel like Disneyland? No dark rides is one thing but barely themed and built on the cheap is another. They must feel that they can get away with it in that part of the country or in that part of Texas. I’m guessing this place probably won’t feel like a lush park either. New parks rarely if ever do and the fact that it’s located in Texas makes it even less likely.
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
Looking at that map, it reminds me of Legoland California when it first opened. It's the kind of place where the local mom's club would take the kids. The kids play in the playgrounds and rides while the moms gossip.
Not every park should be a Epic Universe or Magic Kingdom where adults with Peter Pan syndrome wish the park had age restrictions on who can enter the park.
Not every park should be a Epic Universe or Magic Kingdom where adults with Peter Pan syndrome wish the park had age restrictions on who can enter the park.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
Crazy drop in attendance for USH in 2024. Guess SNW was front loaded …
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Wish it would reflect in the wait times when I’m there on Sundays. I’m guessing weekdays are probably fairly empty? Hopefully we get an announcement soon on what some of the expansions for the park will be.
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Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
When we were there last year in June, weekday, it wasn’t too bad. We barely waited for Forbidden Journey, never had to use single rider. The longest wait was Simpsons, and Secret Life. (Wild)
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Good to know. Don’t see me taking a weekday off to go to Universal though. Maybe after they add some new stuff … when of course the park won’t be “empty” anymore haha.
For me and my family Super Nintendo land didn’t move the needle at all. And my son has about 7 Super Mario Nintendo Switch games in his room. Don’t get me wrong - he enjoys the land and the ride but he’s not exactly begging us to go there. And we’re ok with it. The land is too cramped, the wait times for the mini games/ attraction are not worth it and the food at Toads Cafe is awful. But it’s a step in the right direction and one of (hopefully many) necessary expansions at the park.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
^ should say, never for Forbidden Journey. And we rode it 4 times throughout the day.
We used single rider for second rides on Jurassic and Mummy
We used single rider for second rides on Jurassic and Mummy
agree. NintendoLand is super small and the games are meh with lines and the main attraction is a miss imo. Looks nice though!
Rich T
Well-Known Member
It looks like any local amusement park? Seriously? From the concept art… no, it doesn’t. I disagree completely that the theming is barely there compared to an average local kiddie park.
A) We haven’t seen the finished park yet. Let’s
hold off on judging the quality until then.
B) This not a “cheap” kiddie park. It’s a very expensive kiddie park.
C) I’m gonna say it again: Kiddie park. Kiddie park. Kiddie park. This is for the age group that would rather blow bubbles, draw on their faces, and run around play areas than experience big budget dark rides.
Disney has, in the past, opened a small kids & parents-only facility as a possible start for a country-wide series of small, lower-budget local Disney play sites. They eventually shuttered it and never took it further.
So I’m curious to see how this experiment works out for Universal. I’ll never visit the place: It’s not for me. Because… Kiddie park. I’m perfectly happy if they keep the budget kiddie-resort reasonable and put the bigger budgets toward expansions for USH and UOR, the destinations that ARE for me.
truecoat
Well-Known Member
A-What in this artwork says this is a Universal park and not Six Flags or Nickelodeon Universe?
B-Very expensive? It will be to go to this park.
C-Who said anything about big-budget dark rides? I mentioned dark rides, but they don't have to be big-budget.
Yes, we all know it's made for kids and have known since they announced it. The question is, what is special about this park? Nothing. There isn't anything here you can't experience at a Six Flags or Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America. If there wasn't a Universal sign on the front, how would you know it's a Universal park?
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
There are Six Flags parks with entire water parks within them.