15 things you would do to improve UOR

[sambahat]

My $0.02 regarding the Harry Potter expansion:

absolutely a great idea. I can't tell you how many of my daughters friends go around talking about Harry Potter and daydreaming about it.... what I *used* to do as a kid with the Disney parks.

 

[gboiler1]

Care to elaborate? What's wrong with Disaster?

I recall visiting UH years ago and they had what I'm sure was a bit of a predicessor to Disaster.

This was the 70's and they took a scene from a popular tv show or movie, I recall the show Emergency being used one time. They filmed audience members and cut them into the actual show scene. Very funny stuff and they gave the people that participated a chance to buy the clip if I remember correctly.

Also if I were running the park, I'd update Toon Lagoon. I personally enjoyed all the comic characters I used to read, but my 13 year old hadn't a clue.

I also love the UH backlot tour. Would love to see that too and perhaps incorportate Jaws, Kong and the like in smaller portions to pay homage to classic attractions that are gone.

Finally a cheaper onsite hotel would be wonderful too.

 

[Pete C]

Their pizza is significantly better than Disney's.

And where have you been eating quick service? Three Broomsticks is phenomenal, Blondie's is really good, and Thunder Falls Terrace is also pretty good.

USF could use some updates in this department, and there could be a better selection resort wide, but quality wise I'd give the edge to Uni.

I totally agree with this. Universal at least has decent quick service. The pizza is mall quality while Disney's serves downright embarrassing high-school cafeteria pizza. Uni has (or had) Nathans hot dogs. Disney serves something that looks like a Costco dog but with half the flavor. Three Broomsticks gives you some good quality roasted chicken and sides. Where can you even find quick-service like that anymore at Disney? Animal Kingdom used to have exactly that at the Tusker House, but they turned that into a $25 buffet! Aside from their sweets, Disney serves mostly prison food at their counters.

 

[Moving Forward]

I've never been to any Universal park, so I have a unique perspective. However, Universal can pique my interest if they did the following:

~ Lower ticket and parking prices, especially for those who live over 1,000 miles away. They have Florida discounts, so why not have discounts for those travelling from the other side of the country? Or better yet why not build a theme park in the middle of the country for those who'd like to come, but can't afford it? The same things goes for the Mousetrap.

~ Create an on-site campground with full hook-up sites for a reasonable price.

~ Diversify their rides more. DH and I are not remotely interested in thrill rides, and with all the concussion talk around pro sports I also suspect that some thrill rides are not safe for the human body. The kiddie attractions are of no use for us since we don't have children. There's just not much for us to do at Universal, and thus we can't jusify the ticket prices.

~ Get rid of old movie themes. I have no interest going on rides that are associated with 30 year old movies. Quit living in the past Universal.

~ A Lucille Ball walk-thru attraction. There is a musuem in Lucy's hometown that I can visit.

~ Get rid of the Purple Nightmare that they call Barney. Yes, I am a member of GenX

~ Quit copying Disney and talking down to guests in attraction descriptions. The description on Universal's site for Twister is quite comical, "What it's like to be a real storm chaser, looking a tornado right in the eye and braving the worst nature can throw at you. . ." It gets even worse for the description of Harry Potter

Gimme a break Universal, I'm not going to "experience" Hogwarts and Hogsmeade village because at best it is simply a recreation, and a bad recreation at that. I normally don't care about details, but when was the last time it snowed in Florida? When was the last time Florida had a cold and frigid summer or winter for that matter? Harry Potter would work much better in a colder climate where is actually snows and guests would actually have to wear winter clothing like they do in the movie.

It's bad enough that Disney talks down to guests, I was suddenly a "Space Ranger" for the Buzz Lightyear ride and a Becky Thatcher for Tom Sawyer Island , and from Uni's ride descriptions I'll presume Uni does this as well. While some guests might enjoy that I feel embarrassed for myself and especially for the employees. Like Winnebago Man said, "do you believe any of that ___" :ROFLOL:

 

[Moving Forward]

I've never been to any Universal park, so I have a unique perspective. However, Universal can pique my interest if they did the following:

~ Lower ticket and parking prices, especially for those who live over 1,000 miles away. They have Florida discounts, so why not have discounts for those travelling from the other side of the country? Or better yet why not build a theme park in the middle of the country for those who'd like to come, but can't afford it? The same things goes for the Mousetrap.

~ Create an on-site campground with full hook-up sites for a reasonable price.

~ Diversify their rides more. DH and I are not remotely interested in thrill rides, and with all the concussion talk around pro sports I also suspect that some thrill rides are not safe for the human body. The kiddie attractions are of no use for us since we don't have children. There's just not much for us to do at Universal, and thus we can't jusify the ticket prices.

~ Get rid of old movie themes. I have no interest going on rides that are associated with 30 year old movies. Quit living in the past Universal.

~ The Lucille Ball walk-thru attraction needs to be removed. There is a musuem in Lucy's hometown that I can visit.

~ Get rid of the Purple Nightmare that they call Barney. Yes, I am a member of GenX

~ Quit copying Disney and talking down to guests in attraction descriptions. The description on Universal's site for Twister is quite comical, "What it's like to be a real storm chaser, looking a tornado right in the eye and braving the worst nature can throw at you. . ." It gets even worse for the description of Harry Potter

Gimme a break Universal, I'm not going to "experience" Hogwarts and Hogsmeade village because at best it is simply a recreation, and a bad recreation at that. I normally don't care about details, but when was the last time it snowed in Florida? When was the last time Florida had a cold and frigid summer or winter for that matter? Harry Potter would work much better in a colder climate where is actually snows and guests would actually have to wear winter clothing like they do in the movie.

It's bad enough that Disney talks down to guests, I was suddenly a "Space Ranger" for the Buzz Lightyear ride and a Becky Thatcher for Tom Sawyer Island , and from Uni's ride descriptions I'll presume Uni does this as well. While some guests might enjoy that I feel embarrassed for myself and especially for the employees. Like Winnebago Man said, "do you believe any of that ___" :ROFLOL:

 

[Skip]

I've never been to any Universal park, so I have a unique perspective. However, Universal can pique my interest if they did the following:

~ Lower ticket and parking prices, especially for those who live over 1,000 miles away. They have Florida discounts, so why not have discounts for those travelling from the other side of the country? Or better yet why not build a theme park in the middle of the country for those who'd like to come, but can't afford it? The same things goes for the Mousetrap.

~ Create an on-site campground with full hook-up sites for a reasonable price.

~ Diversify their rides more. DH and I are not remotely interested in thrill rides, and with all the concussion talk around pro sports I also suspect that some thrill rides are not safe for the human body. The kiddie attractions are of no use for us since we don't have children. There's just not much for us to do at Universal, and thus we can't jusify the ticket prices.

~ Get rid of old movie themes. I have no interest going on rides that are associated with 30 year old movies. Quit living in the past Universal.

~ A Lucille Ball walk-thru attraction. There is a musuem in Lucy's hometown that I can visit.

~ Get rid of the Purple Nightmare that they call Barney. Yes, I am a member of GenX

~ Quit copying Disney and talking down to guests in attraction descriptions. The description on Universal's site for Twister is quite comical, "What it's like to be a real storm chaser, looking a tornado right in the eye and braving the worst nature can throw at you. . ." It gets even worse for the description of Harry Potter

Gimme a break Universal, I'm not going to "experience" Hogwarts and Hogsmeade village because at best it is simply a recreation, and a bad recreation at that. I normally don't care about details, but when was the last time it snowed in Florida? When was the last time Florida had a cold and frigid summer or winter for that matter? Harry Potter would work much better in a colder climate where is actually snows and guests would actually have to wear winter clothing like they do in the movie.

It's bad enough that Disney talks down to guests, I was suddenly a "Space Ranger" for the Buzz Lightyear ride and a Becky Thatcher for Tom Sawyer Island , and from Uni's ride descriptions I'll presume Uni does this as well. While some guests might enjoy that I feel embarrassed for myself and especially for the employees. Like Winnebago Man said, "do you believe any of that ___" :ROFLOL:

I get the impression you just don't enjoy theme parks... :shrug:

 

[JT3000]

~ Create an on-site campground with full hook-up sites for a reasonable price.

Universal is a relatively dense development in the middle of the suburbs. Not exactly a camping sort of place.

~ Diversify their rides more. DH and I are not remotely interested in thrill rides, and with all the concussion talk around pro sports I also suspect that some thrill rides are not safe for the human body.

Universal's rides are not going to give you a concussion.

~ Get rid of old movie themes. I have no interest going on rides that are associated with 30 year old movies. Quit living in the past Universal.

Universal isn't living in the past. In fact, they don't show nearly as much regard for their older attractions as Disney does. Disney still has attractions based on movies more than 50 years old.

~ A Lucille Ball walk-thru attraction.

Like this? http://www.universalorlando.com/Shows/Universal-Studios-Florida/Lucy.aspx

Gimme a break Universal, I'm not going to "experience" Hogwarts and Hogsmeade village because at best it is simply a recreation, and a bad recreation at that.

You're welcome to visit the real Hogwarts if Universal's recreation isn't to your liking.

I normally don't care about details, but when was the last time it snowed in Florida?

December 28, 2010

 

[celluloid]

I've never been to any Universal park, so I have a unique perspective. However, Universal can pique my interest if they did the following:

~ Lower ticket and parking prices, especially for those who live over 1,000 miles away. They have Florida discounts, so why not have discounts for those travelling from the other side of the country? Or better yet why not build a theme park in the middle of the country for those who'd like to come, but can't afford it? The same things goes for the Mousetrap.

~ Create an on-site campground with full hook-up sites for a reasonable price.

~ Diversify their rides more. DH and I are not remotely interested in thrill rides, and with all the concussion talk around pro sports I also suspect that some thrill rides are not safe for the human body. The kiddie attractions are of no use for us since we don't have children. There's just not much for us to do at Universal, and thus we can't jusify the ticket prices.

~ Get rid of old movie themes. I have no interest going on rides that are associated with 30 year old movies. Quit living in the past Universal.

~ A Lucille Ball walk-thru attraction. There is a musuem in Lucy's hometown that I can visit.

~ Get rid of the Purple Nightmare that they call Barney. Yes, I am a member of GenX

~ Quit copying Disney and talking down to guests in attraction descriptions. The description on Universal's site for Twister is quite comical, "What it's like to be a real storm chaser, looking a tornado right in the eye and braving the worst nature can throw at you. . ." It gets even worse for the description of Harry Potter

Gimme a break Universal, I'm not going to "experience" Hogwarts and Hogsmeade village because at best it is simply a recreation, and a bad recreation at that. I normally don't care about details, but when was the last time it snowed in Florida? When was the last time Florida had a cold and frigid summer or winter for that matter? Harry Potter would work much better in a colder climate where is actually snows and guests would actually have to wear winter clothing like they do in the movie.

It's bad enough that Disney talks down to guests, I was suddenly a "Space Ranger" for the Buzz Lightyear ride and a Becky Thatcher for Tom Sawyer Island , and from Uni's ride descriptions I'll presume Uni does this as well. While some guests might enjoy that I feel embarrassed for myself and especially for the employees. Like Winnebago Man said, "do you believe any of that ___" :ROFLOL:

We can only pity people like this who have no imagination.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Gimme a break Universal, I'm not going to "experience" Hogwarts and Hogsmeade village because at best it is simply a recreation, and a bad recreation at that. I normally don't care about details, but when was the last time it snowed in Florida? When was the last time Florida had a cold and frigid summer or winter for that matter? Harry Potter would work much better in a colder climate where is actually snows and guests would actually have to wear winter clothing like they do in the movie.

I disagree with your entire post, but this one really made me say, ???

1) Wouldn't work in colder climates, especially where it snows... Would be closed all winter season, possible half of Autumn and Spring as well...

2) How do you feel about Blizzard Beach??? Fake snow all over.... In fact, the back story deals with a freak snow storm in Florida...

3) And I guess you really do not enjoy Christmas time in WDW where Disney trots out snowmen, snow flakes, hot chocolate, and FAKE SNOW from the roofs of Main Street to appear as if it is snowing...

 

[AswaySuller]

~ Get rid of old movie themes. I have no interest going on rides that are associated with 30 year old movies. Quit living in the past Universal.

~ A Lucille Ball walk-thru attraction. There is a musuem in Lucy's hometown that I can visit.

Gimme a break Universal, I'm not going to "experience" Hogwarts and Hogsmeade village because at best it is simply a recreation, and a bad recreation at that. I normally don't care about details, but when was the last time it snowed in Florida? When was the last time Florida had a cold and frigid summer or winter for that matter? Harry Potter would work much better in a colder climate where is actually snows and guests would actually have to wear winter clothing like they do in the movie.

You are aware that you said quit living in the past universal and that you'd want a Lucille Ball attraction virtually in the same breath right.....??? If so I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Lucille died like 23 years ago!!!

I'm also concerned that on your comments on a ride based on a magical child wizard that goes to a school only for other wizards, that has to battle dragons and evil snake like creatures, who has a flying car and can turn invisible with the use of a cloak and was chosen what class to go in by a mystical talking hat.... You take issue with the fact that snow wouldn't be on the roofs!!!

Ohhhhh Kay then! :hammer:

 

[Moving Forward]

You are aware that you said quit living in the past universal and that you'd want a Lucille Ball attraction virtually in the same breath right.....??? If so I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Lucille died like 23 years ago!!!

:ROFLOL: No, I think that Lucille Ball needs to be removed from the park. It takes up space and casual theme park goers like me are not interested in walking through an exhibit that features a celeb that been dead for twenty years. Universal, why not have an Elvis exhibit? Right there's Graceland for Elvis fans to visit so an Elvis movie exhibit would be redundant just as there is a Lucy museum in Jamestown.

. . . . based on a magical child wizard that goes to a school only for other wizards, that has to battle dragons and evil snake like creatures, who has a flying car and can turn invisible with the use of a cloak and was chosen what class to go in by a mystical talking hat....

Now, that's a funny description and straight to the point :ROFLOL:

You take issue with the fact that snow wouldn't be on the roofs!!!

:lol: No, I take issue with how Universal is promoting Harry Potter and other attractions. How thier guests can truly "experience" Hogsmeade or what it's like to be a real "storm chaser" which is a load of crap. The language they use on their website to promote thier attractions is overblown and ridiculous, and Disney is worse. Why can't Universal talk to us like adults? "Universal has an exciting new simulator ride featuring Harry Potter . . . . "

 

[celluloid]

If you have to have people explain it to you any further, than you just don't get it.

On a non related note I can't wait to see the movie. The one where the trailer says "We have a guy pretend to be angst filled teenager dressing in a leotard themed to a spider and giving us the illusion he is swinging through New York streets."


Lucy has a HUGE impact on the company Universal is today. It is a tiny part of what has basically become a gift shop, not everything has to cater to the same audience. I see a ton of people love that exhibit.

 

[Moving Forward]

I get the impression you just don't enjoy theme parks... :shrug:

You might be onto something Skip. However, I am coming from the perspective of a casual theme park goer with a keen interest in Disney. I don't keep updated on Universal, nor do I have a deep desire to visit. Most people here probably do not share this same perspective. Thank you for your respectful response, it is appreciated

Universal is a relatively dense development in the middle of the suburbs. Not exactly a camping sort of place.

Universal isn't living in the past. In fact, they don't show nearly as much regard for their older attractions as Disney does. Disney still has attractions based on movies more than 50 years old.

Thank you for your kind response JT. I hadn't realized that Universal was in such a dense development area, but my point still stands. Universal needs to market themselves to the campers and RVers because we obviously have no use for staying in their hotels. It just makes good business sense to try to capture another market share.

I believe your comments on Disney is an unfair comparison. Disneyland has been around since the 1950's, and rides such as Dumbo are consider classics by many guests of all ages. Many people grew up on those rides, took their children on those rides, and have now taken their grandchildren and great-grandchildren on those rides. People have a lot of positive Disney memories and thus have an emotional connection to the older attractions. Early Disney films are also deeply rooted in the American culture as well with several of them in the National Film Registry.

How can you say Hogsmeade and Hogwarts are bad recreations when you've never stepped foot in the park?

I guess you've not aware of YouTube or TripAdvisor :shrug:

 

[JT3000]

I believe your comments on Disney is an unfair comparison. Disneyland has been around since the 1950's, and rides such as Dumbo are consider classics by many guests of all ages. Many people grew up on those rides, took their children on those rides, and have now taken their grandchildren and great-grandchildren on those rides. People have a lot of positive Disney memories and thus have an emotional connection to the older attractions. Early Disney films are also deeply rooted in the American culture as well with several of them in the National Film Registry.

How is Universal "living in the past" when they have (very few) attractions based on old films, but Disney gets a pass on theirs? That doesn't make any sense. The fact that Disney's rides are older doesn't make the properties they're based on any younger.

Universal also has many older films that are culturally relevant. They just finished demolishing an attraction based on one. Many people were fans of the attraction, with plenty of memories and emotional connection, but it's still gone. If anything, Universal is too concerned with being current, not living in the past.

 

[Moving Forward]

I don't have to explain why Disney "gets a pass" because it's not relevant on how Universal can improve their parks. The bottom line is that Universal does not have have attractions/shows that appeal to us, and the Mousetrap does. Who is more likely to get our vacation dollars?

 

[celluloid]

The Magic Kingdom is a pretty poor representation of the many real magic kingdoms I have been to. :ROFLOL:

 

[AswaySuller]

I dislike the potter franchise....

I honestly don't care for it one bit...

I almost wanted to hate the ride/land...

Yet I've been.... And I have to say its mind blowingly phenomenal.

 

[spock]

Moving Forward = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJqeAhjsjAw