A Spirited Valentine ...

[Quinnmac000]

Ex Imagineer and new Wand Waver, Jason Surrell confirmed today that for now on Universal will no longer do traditional queues for attractions (no more switchbacks) and incorporate live entertainment and virtual lines as seen in Fallon for all the upcoming attractions from here on out at all Universal owned theme parks due to the overwhelming positive response for the Fallon queue.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I don't even find it aesthetically beautiful. The Mermaid facade is well done, but the rest feels very off to me. I guess Belle's cottage is fine, but the castle thing is bad and SDMT is just kind of there. Storybook Circus is just ugly.

I agree that they missed the mark on the forced perspective on Beast's Castle. I wish they would revisit that, it's something that can be fixed without closing the restaurant.

 

[RandySavage]

I'll take a moment to defend New Fantasyland. I hold it in high regard because I think it's significantly superior to what came before it, particularly as a whole. Everything everywhere could always be a little better "if they just did xyz," but I see NFL as great improvement in attraction content, theme-harmonizing, and general park atmosphere/aesthetics. I have some nitpicks, but the important thing is it just feels so much better than it did when it was Old Fantasyland & Toontown Fair.

 

[Kman101]

Ex Imagineer and new Wand Waver, Jason Surrell confirmed today that for now on Universal will no longer do traditional queues for attractions (no more switchbacks) and incorporate live entertainment and virtual lines as seen in Fallon for all the upcoming attractions from here on out at all Universal owned theme parks due to the overwhelming positive response for the Fallon queue.

I'll have to experience it myself but if so ... meh. Just because he says it doesn't mean they actually follow through. We'll see. What worked for Fallon just might not work for every attraction they come up with. I think there's a reason he's an ex imagineer.

 

[Kman101]

I'll take a moment to defend New Fantasyland. I hold it in high regard because I think it's significantly superior to what came before it, particularly as a whole. Everything everywhere could always be a little better "if they just did xyz," but I see NFL as great improvement in attraction content, theme-harmonizing, and general park atmosphere/aesthetics. I have some nitpicks, but the important thing is it just feels so much better than it did when it was Old Fantasyland & Toontown Fair.

It is better than what was there. I don't know why we can't state likes and dislikes though? Of course we could armchair imagineer everything and find faults but we're on a message board where we are all superfans who dissect and discuss every minute detail ...

 

[Quinnmac000]

I'll have to experience it myself but if so ... meh. Just because he says it doesn't mean they actually follow through. We'll see. What worked for Fallon just might not work for every attraction they come up with. I think there's a reason he's an ex imagineer.

He literally said after how well this worked. Its also already planned for USF's Fast and Furious queue and in a different form in Tapu Tapu.

 

[MisterPenguin]

He literally said after how well this worked. Its also already planned for USF's Fast and Furious queue and in a different form in Tapu Tapu.

So, for Fast and Furious, would one of the queuing wait rooms be a gym where everyone can lift and get swole?

 

[Quinnmac000]

So, for Fast and Furious, would one of the queuing wait rooms be a gym where everyone can lift and get swole?

Car Garage with a bunch of stock cars is what is known so far from the concept art.

 

[BrianLo]

Ex Imagineer and new Wand Waver, Jason Surrell confirmed today that for now on Universal will no longer do traditional queues for attractions (no more switchbacks) and incorporate live entertainment and virtual lines as seen in Fallon for all the upcoming attractions from here on out at all Universal owned theme parks due to the overwhelming positive response for the Fallon queue.

I was under the impression it was done out of necessity for Fallon (simply not enough space for two theatres and a full queue).

It's all well and good for a one-off attraction, but you cannot eliminate lines as FP demonstrates. Something has to give. The holding room concept is kind of neat, but it's essentially already something they've employed with a series of pre-show rooms. There's also a slippery slope to the holding rooms, you really can't hold people in them much longer (outside of live entertainment) than a pre-show room without them getting equally as bored.

The funny thing is that the virtual queue still seems to lead to a fairly prolonged wait for Fallon (yes I consider 30 minutes in excess of what I'd normally personally bother with standby). That's potentially annoying as well, being barred from rides you still are going to end up waiting for anyways.

I feel like they aren't thinking this through at all. Like I said, it worked well once, it's not going to work when 20, 30, 40% of park capacity shifts to the model.

 

[Quinnmac000]

I was under the impression it was done out of necessity for Fallon (simply not enough space for two theatres and a full queue).

It's all well and good for a one-off attraction, but you cannot eliminate lines as FP demonstrates. Something has to give. The holding room concept is kind of neat, but it's essentially already something they've employed with a series of pre-show rooms. There's also a slippery slope to the holding rooms, you really can't hold people in them much longer (outside of live entertainment) than a pre-show room without them getting equally as bored.

The funny thing is that the virtual queue still seems to lead to a fairly prolonged wait for Fallon (yes I consider 30 minutes in excess of what I'd normally personally bother with standby). That's potentially annoying as well, being barred from rides you still are going to end up waiting for anyways.

I feel like they aren't thinking this through at all. Like I said, it worked well once, it's not going to work when 20, 30, 40% of park capacity shifts to the model.

However instead of being a ride, its now an experience. While some people like to hop on, ride and rush to the next attraction by expanding and making overly interactive and explorative rather than switchbacks, secondly, with these holding rooms, its all indoors meaning less people outside.

 

[BrianLo]

However instead of being a ride, its now an experience. While some people like to hop on, ride and rush to the next attraction by expanding and making overly interactive and explorative rather than switchbacks, secondly, with these holding rooms, its all indoors meaning less people outside.

I'm not knocking the indoor part of it, it is quite nice from the looks of things. It's nothing intrinsically to do with a switchbacks being the problem or the enemy here. Forbidden Journey's queue still ranks as an experience, more so than Fallon's. The inside experience is really just two free-roaming pre-show rooms with live entertainment in the second. It's a really good solution that's been under-utilized in recent years. Much more akin to what Universal used to do with older attractions like Disaster.



It's the virtual line that's the issue, they are trying to eliminate the switchbacks before the pre-shows. Those are the people that have to go somewhere. Namely outside. Or they just make the pre-shows longer and longer and then that defeats the point. Unless by virtual they just mean the "pager system" for when you are already inside. That I have no issue with.

All I'll say is we already know the results of this from Disney and these next gen queueless, interactive, explorative approaches are not the pie in the sky solution. You still wait. It works only to a limited point when too much park capacity is involved in the scheme. In the pursuit of queue reduction Disney is a nightmare. Now Universal wants to maybe eliminate them entirely...

 

[Disney Analyst]

I'm not knocking the indoor part of it, it is quite nice from the looks of things. It's nothing intrinsically to do with a switchbacks being the problem or the enemy here. Forbidden Journey's queue still ranks as an experience, more so than Fallon's. The inside experience is really just two free-roaming pre-show rooms with live entertainment in the second. It's a really good solution that's been under-utilized in recent years. Much more akin to what Universal used to do with older attractions like Disaster.



It's the virtual line that's the issue, they are trying to eliminate the switchbacks before the pre-shows. Those are the people that have to go somewhere. Namely outside. Or they just make the pre-shows longer and longer and then that defeats the point.

Marketing has got you hook line and sinker though. Just because they took away stanchion's doesn't mean you are suddenly in an experience and not a queue for a ride. Fallon mimics New Fantasyland syndrome, but that's another discussion entirely about how quickly tunes change depending on which company is doing what at a given time.

All I'll say is we already know the results of this from Disney and these next gen queueless, interactive, explorative approaches are not the pie in the sky solution. You still wait. It works only to a limited point when too much park capacity is involved in the scheme. In the pursuit of queue reduction Disney is a nightmare. Now Universal wants to eliminate them entirely...

Give me a beautifully detailed queue like forbidden Journey or Indiana Jones over the Fallon queue any day. It feels like a queue built to distract and entertain people with flashiness, instead of actually setting up and telling a compelling story, such as the queues listed do. It works for Fallon to some extent, but it won't work for all.

 

[Kman101]

Give me a beautifully detailed queue like forbidden Journey or Indiana $ones over the Fallon queue any day. It feels like a queue built to distract and entertain people with flashiness, instead of actually setting up and telling a compelling story, such as the queues listed do. It works for Fallon to some extent, but it won't work for all.

This and to @Quinnmac000, I know what he said, I just disagree that it will work for everything they do in the future. Maybe they'll prove me wrong.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

I'm not knocking the indoor part of it, it is quite nice from the looks of things. It's nothing intrinsically to do with a switchbacks being the problem or the enemy here. Forbidden Journey's queue still ranks as an experience, more so than Fallon's. The inside experience is really just two free-roaming pre-show rooms with live entertainment in the second. It's a really good solution that's been under-utilized in recent years. Much more akin to what Universal used to do with older attractions like Disaster.



It's the virtual line that's the issue, they are trying to eliminate the switchbacks before the pre-shows. Those are the people that have to go somewhere. Namely outside. Or they just make the pre-shows longer and longer and then that defeats the point. Unless by virtual they just mean the "pager system" for when you are already inside. That I have no issue with.

All I'll say is we already know the results of this from Disney and these next gen queueless, interactive, explorative approaches are not the pie in the sky solution. You still wait. It works only to a limited point when too much park capacity is involved in the scheme. In the pursuit of queue reduction Disney is a nightmare. Now Universal wants to maybe eliminate them entirely...

There needs to be a clearer distinction between virtual queueing, which is bad design, and queueless queueing, which can offer a better show for guests.

 

[ford91exploder]

I'll have to experience it myself but if so ... meh. Just because he says it doesn't mean they actually follow through. We'll see. What worked for Fallon just might not work for every attraction they come up with. I think there's a reason he's an ex imagineer.

Yeah he wanted a salary he could live on...

 

[ford91exploder]

It really is incredible, isn't it? And yet, they're rewarded with overwhelming success.

Momentum it takes a while for the effects of the incredible park experience which existed pre2006 to wear off.

But that process has started with the decline in attendance if that trend continues and accelerates it will be proof positive that the inflection point has been reached

 

[ford91exploder]

I'm not knocking the indoor part of it, it is quite nice from the looks of things. It's nothing intrinsically to do with a switchbacks being the problem or the enemy here. Forbidden Journey's queue still ranks as an experience, more so than Fallon's. The inside experience is really just two free-roaming pre-show rooms with live entertainment in the second. It's a really good solution that's been under-utilized in recent years. Much more akin to what Universal used to do with older attractions like Disaster.



It's the virtual line that's the issue, they are trying to eliminate the switchbacks before the pre-shows. Those are the people that have to go somewhere. Namely outside. Or they just make the pre-shows longer and longer and then that defeats the point. Unless by virtual they just mean the "pager system" for when you are already inside. That I have no issue with.

All I'll say is we already know the results of this from Disney and these next gen queueless, interactive, explorative approaches are not the pie in the sky solution. You still wait. It works only to a limited point when too much park capacity is involved in the scheme. In the pursuit of queue reduction Disney is a nightmare. Now Universal wants to maybe eliminate them entirely...

The difference is Disneys system was designed to spread loads so more capacity did not have to be built.

Uni's system is based on creating sufficient capacity so for the most part the interactive pre show can contain the queue

I suspect the latter will be more successful in terms of customer satisfaction

 

[ford91exploder]

All of your posts really should come with an automatic disclaimer..

All failing companies have departments like this that other divisions are mandated to do business with. Sometimes its IT where a $800 laptop costs the requesting department $5000 sometimes its Office supplies where a ream of paper is $25 and a box of pens is $30

All are characterized similarly

1 - Business Units are mandated to use them irrespective of savings which could be had by going outside

2 - Products and services from these departments cost at a minimum 2-3X the price of the same product or service on the open market.


I think we can all agree that WDI projects now cost far in excess of the actual value of the finished product

NFL 450 mill ?!?!?, Diagon Alley 255 mil

Inquring minds go hmmmm. Something does not pass the smell test

 

[ford91exploder]

Give me a beautifully detailed queue like forbidden Journey or Indiana $ones over the Fallon queue any day. It feels like a queue built to distract and entertain people with flashiness, instead of actually setting up and telling a compelling story, such as the queues listed do. It works for Fallon to some extent, but it won't work for all.

Its New York City flashy is the only thing family friendly enough to work.

The reality would be piles of garbage waiting to be collected the smell of pee and vomit and rats frolicking

 

[seascape]

The difference is Disneys system was designed to spread loads so more capacity did not have to be built.

Uni's system is based on creating sufficient capacity so for the most part the interactive pre show can contain the queue

I suspect the latter will be more successful in terms of customer satisfaction

I think that the FP+ with improvements can work better. If the system allowed you to pick all the rides you want and let the system schedule it based upon the time you picked to enter the park and planned to leave. Now all rides would not be available but the Universal plan allows only one ride to be scheduled at a time. FP+allows 3 per day but could do much better. Technology scheduling is better than human scheduling and can plan for walking time and shopping time at exit of each ride. Technology can also do a much better job of spreading people around the park and prevent over crowding.