Universal vs. Disney

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
Remember, I'm just talking about the restraints. Not the wing rider train itself.

What I am hearing is they want to install the advanced lap bars so you can wave your hand around. For me I like hanging on to the shoulder restrains so it remains to be seen if those are an improvement over what they have. Great time to be a park fan - lots happening!
 

cba

Well-Known Member
What I am hearing is they want to install the advanced lap bars so you can wave your hand around. For me I like hanging on to the shoulder restrains so it remains to be seen if those are an improvement over what they have. Great time to be a park fan - lots happening!
Yeah, I've also heard lap bars are what they may be installing on the trains. Curious to see how they'll do it, as B&M has only had lap bars for their mega (non-inverting) coasters. I'm getting very curious about this refurbishment...
 

Lynn Stephens

Active Member
"Has the advantage of nostalgia" and "uses nostalgia as a crutch and an excuse to not build and innovate at an acceptable pace" are alarmingly interchangeable to management.
I don't disagree. When you have been the champ for so long, you forget what got you there. Often it takes that contender to come up and punch you in the face to remind you why you worked so hard to be champ. That's exactly what happened with Universal and now Disney has the budget, the space and now the opportunity to strike back. Hope they do, consumers win during product battles.
 

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I've also heard lap bars are what they may be installing on the trains. Curious to see how they'll do it, as B&M has only had lap bars for their mega (non-inverting) coasters. I'm getting very curious about this refurbishment...

I hear there will be new trains so that may be how they can change the restraints
 

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
What I am hearing is they want to install the advanced lap bars so you can wave your hand around. For me I like hanging on to the shoulder restrains so it remains to be seen if those are an improvement over what they have. Great time to be a park fan - lots happening!

That's more plausible. Both Mauerer and Gerstlauer have an advanced lap bar design that they use on coasters that do all kinds of crazy inversions and other maneuvers.
B&M uses lap bars all the time too on their hyper and giga coasters, but I'm not immediately aware of their being used on something that does a cobra roll or corkscrew like Hulk's.

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Bairstow

Well-Known Member
So now that we're all adjusting to the fallout of Disney's atypically vigorous D23 announcements, I'm left to wonder- what sort of implications will the impending Star Wars expansion(s) have for Universal? This is obviously looking many, many years off into the future, but I do think we're looking at a coming escalation of theme park investment in Florida. Universal obviously set the bar for theme park quality and ambition in Florida with the two Potter expansions, and barring Carsland in California, Disney has had no answer. Because of its success with these expansions, Universal has recently built a growing reputation both with theme park fans and the general public for delivering a bigger, more dynamic product than Disney is currently known for, drastically increasing its attendance at both its parks and edging closer and closer to developing its own lucrative 4-day resort destination status to truly compete with Disney. Announced plans both to open its own water park and feature some sort of expansion in partnership with Nintendo and their intellectual property looked to continue that trend.

Now though, with Disney pledging to spend close to $3 billion dollars upgrading DHS, and the Avatar expansion supposedly nearing completion, is Universal going to have to step up their game once again? In the face of decades of family vacation tradition, its sprawling resort and park system, and the long-respected public belief in "Disney magic" pervading its customer service and mindset, Universal has not had the leisure to simply match Disney's design offerings and get the respect of guests- they have had to far exceed them, particularly as of late. Universal's fans and repeat guests are drawn away from Disney not because the Potter attractions have been more impressive than Disney's latest offerings, but because they have been much more impressive If the new Avatar and upcoming Star Wars attractions Disney has in store are even almost as good as what Universal can do, Universal's foothold in the minds of theme park customers will quickly erode.

So, must Universal redouble their efforts in the face of a resurgent Disney? Comcast has certainly shown itself willing to bankroll Universal Creative's desire to build on the successes of Potter 1 and 2, and is already spending 300 million to build sapphire falls, and will be following Disney's suit in building its own 3-billion dollar park in mainland China. But looking at the Florida parks themselves, do they now know that whatever they do with the Nintendo properties must not only match Disney's Star Wars projects, but far exceed them?

I'm honestly a little surprised Universal hadn't planned some sort of stage-stealing stunt for last weekend, like when they perfectly timed the unveiling of the Gringott's dragon to steal some of the thunder of the opening of the Mine Train attraction.
 

Disneyhead'71

Well-Known Member
So now that we're all adjusting to the fallout of Disney's atypically vigorous D23 announcements, I'm left to wonder- what sort of implications will the impending Star Wars expansion(s) have for Universal? This is obviously looking many, many years off into the future, but I do think we're looking at a coming escalation of theme park investment in Florida. Universal obviously set the bar for theme park quality and ambition in Florida with the two Potter expansions, and barring Carsland in California, Disney has had no answer. Because of its success with these expansions, Universal has recently built a growing reputation both with theme park fans and the general public for delivering a bigger, more dynamic product than Disney is currently known for, drastically increasing its attendance at both its parks and edging closer and closer to developing its own lucrative 4-day resort destination status to truly compete with Disney. Announced plans both to open its own water park and feature some sort of expansion in partnership with Nintendo and their intellectual property looked to continue that trend.

Now though, with Disney pledging to spend close to $3 billion dollars upgrading DHS, and the Avatar expansion supposedly nearing completion, is Universal going to have to step up their game once again? In the face of decades of family vacation tradition, its sprawling resort and park system, and the long-respected public belief in "Disney magic" pervading its customer service and mindset, Universal has not had the leisure to simply match Disney's design offerings and get the respect of guests- they have had to far exceed them, particularly as of late. Universal's fans and repeat guests are drawn away from Disney not because the Potter attractions have been more impressive than Disney's latest offerings, but because they have been much more impressive If the new Avatar and upcoming Star Wars attractions Disney has in store are even almost as good as what Universal can do, Universal's foothold in the minds of theme park customers will quickly erode.

So, must Universal redouble their efforts in the face of a resurgent Disney? Comcast has certainly shown itself willing to bankroll Universal Creative's desire to build on the successes of Potter 1 and 2, and is already spending 300 million to build sapphire falls, and will be following Disney's suit in building its own 3-billion dollar park in mainland China. But looking at the Florida parks themselves, do they now know that whatever they do with the Nintendo properties must not only match Disney's Star Wars projects, but far exceed them?

I'm honestly a little surprised Universal hadn't planned some sort of stage-stealing stunt for last weekend, like when they perfectly timed the unveiling of the Gringott's dragon to steal some of the thunder of the opening of the Mine Train attraction.
Universal has plenty on the horizon.
 

Evolution

Active Member
So now that we're all adjusting to the fallout of Disney's atypically vigorous D23 announcements, I'm left to wonder- what sort of implications will the impending Star Wars expansion(s) have for Universal? This is obviously looking many, many years off into the future, but I do think we're looking at a coming escalation of theme park investment in Florida. Universal obviously set the bar for theme park quality and ambition in Florida with the two Potter expansions, and barring Carsland in California, Disney has had no answer. Because of its success with these expansions, Universal has recently built a growing reputation both with theme park fans and the general public for delivering a bigger, more dynamic product than Disney is currently known for, drastically increasing its attendance at both its parks and edging closer and closer to developing its own lucrative 4-day resort destination status to truly compete with Disney. Announced plans both to open its own water park and feature some sort of expansion in partnership with Nintendo and their intellectual property looked to continue that trend.

Now though, with Disney pledging to spend close to $3 billion dollars upgrading DHS, and the Avatar expansion supposedly nearing completion, is Universal going to have to step up their game once again? In the face of decades of family vacation tradition, its sprawling resort and park system, and the long-respected public belief in "Disney magic" pervading its customer service and mindset, Universal has not had the leisure to simply match Disney's design offerings and get the respect of guests- they have had to far exceed them, particularly as of late. Universal's fans and repeat guests are drawn away from Disney not because the Potter attractions have been more impressive than Disney's latest offerings, but because they have been much more impressive If the new Avatar and upcoming Star Wars attractions Disney has in store are even almost as good as what Universal can do, Universal's foothold in the minds of theme park customers will quickly erode.

So, must Universal redouble their efforts in the face of a resurgent Disney? Comcast has certainly shown itself willing to bankroll Universal Creative's desire to build on the successes of Potter 1 and 2, and is already spending 300 million to build sapphire falls, and will be following Disney's suit in building its own 3-billion dollar park in mainland China. But looking at the Florida parks themselves, do they now know that whatever they do with the Nintendo properties must not only match Disney's Star Wars projects, but far exceed them?

I'm honestly a little surprised Universal hadn't planned some sort of stage-stealing stunt for last weekend, like when they perfectly timed the unveiling of the Gringott's dragon to steal some of the thunder of the opening of the Mine Train attraction.

I don't think Avatar will be that big of a draw. Impressive, yes, but not a big draw in the same way Harry Potter and Star Wars are. Star Wars won't even be open until 2021 anyway, which gives Universal plenty of time to significantly change the parks if they keep working at the speed they have been.

USF:
Fallon ride taking over Twister
Fast & Furious taking over Disaster
Nintendoland (& Phase II between KidZone & Men in Black)
Potter Phase III (Ministry of Magic?)

IOA:
King Kong
Hulk revamp
Avengers ride
Toon Lagoon revamp (& TL theater)
Seuss Landing expansion pad
Lost Continent revamp

I'm not saying all this will happen, but I think Universal could have 4-6 more E-tickets by 2021. Throw in Volcano Bay and Universal will be fine. It remains to be seen if Disney goes all out with the expansion. Just look at New Fantasyland.
 

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