A Terror-rific Spirited 13th (ToT fans have lots to fear)...

[Pi on my Cake]

Disney is better at marketing off of their classics, while Universal must rely heavily on new additions. Each strategy has its pros and cons.

I think you just said in two short sentences what I rambled on trying to say over like 5 posts lol

 

[Cletus]

When it comes to me being negative about Universal, it's like when I'm negative about Big Hero 6 (or now Moana). It's cuz I think it's great, so the areas it isn't great really stick out and are frustrating to me.

Also, we are talking about my least favorite part of Universal: the way they don't seem to value the past. If this was discussion of simulator style rides it would be a different story because Universal is constantly finding new and creative ways to do it in an immersive style. Or I could go on for hours about how well done Spiderman, Men in Black, and Terminator are. Or how clever the fake ride exit in Mummy is. Or how much respect I have for how fast they are able to make rides and how they stay on top of what is popular. Or how much better Popeyes is then the Kali Rapids even if the figures are in need of a new coat of paint (and last year there were a couple stationary and at least one very obviously missing, but maybe it was a bad week). Or how well executed Suess Landing would be if it was better maintained and had slightly better rides. I love the World of Suess and they captured it so well, it just always seems to look 5 time older than it really is everytime I'm there.

And to think....I was ed when the Psycho house and original Hard Rock were torn down for the Kidzone, which will now be Nintendo. Kong....yep, fond memories. The ORIGINAL Jaws ride where they blew him up...yep, miss that one, too. Hell....I miss the revised version (and I'm probably one of the biggest Jaws fans in the history of sharks ). Diagon destroyed MY ride. In the end, it was in the best interest of the park. I love me some Potter. Do I miss nostalgia? Oh, Hell yes I do!

Universal didn't, and doesn't have the "nostalgia catalog" that Disney does. They never will. I respect their ability to adapt. They take advantage and try to "stay hip". Disney leveled Snow White for a freaking Frozen M & G. I now gladly get immersed in Diagon Alley. Do I miss them blowing a shark up where Kings Cross Station is? Damn right I do! But they've given me a new experience that made me look at theme parks in a different light. I remember when Disney used to do that.

 

[Cesar R M]

My guess is immersive. Nintendo is very protective when it comes to their IP.

Also, if Seuss was good enough to convince J.K. Rowling to go with Universal for Harry Potter...

I don't care much for Seuss myself but the way it was done is very close to the source material. I just wish they would update Cat in the Hat.

Still in USF too though right?

Myself I just cant wait to see what Universal will do now that they own Dreamworks..

 

[Cesar R M]

Seems like an awful long time for Universal's standards. Where is everyone crowing about their lightning fast construction?
Disney's timeline for Star Wars Land (announced Aug 2015): Likely 4-5 years
Universal's timeline for Nintendoland (announced May 2015): Likely 4-5 years
Disney's timeline for Toy Story Land (announced Aug 2015): Likely 2-3 years
Universal's timeline for Fast & Furious (announced Aug 2015): Likely 2-3 years

And yet people will still conclude that Disney takes too long and that Universal runs circles around them.

You forgot the part where Harry potter was announced.. avatar was announced.. Harry potter opened... then Diagon alley opened.. and Avatar still hasnt opened..
Now, care to rethink what you wrote again please?

 

[Cesar R M]

You really need to get a new user name here. Universal Shill comes to mind.

as opposed to Disney shills on his detractors?
two can play this game

So... a water park?

Themed water park?
Normal water parks arent that amazing.

 

[Mike S]

And to think....I was ****ed when the Psycho house and original Hard Rock were torn down for the Kidzone, which will now be Nintendo. Kong....yep, fond memories. The ORIGINAL Jaws ride where they blew him up...yep, miss that one, too. Hell....I miss the revised version (and I'm probably one of the biggest Jaws fans in the history of sharks ). Diagon destroyed MY ride. In the end, it was in the best interest of the park. I love me some Potter. Do I miss nostalgia? Oh, Hell yes I do!

Universal didn't, and doesn't have the "nostalgia catalog" that Disney does. They never will. I respect their ability to adapt. They take advantage and try to "stay hip". Disney leveled Snow White for a freaking Frozen M & G. I now gladly get immersed in Diagon Alley. Do I miss them blowing a shark up where Kings Cross Station is? Damn right I do! But they've given me a new experience that made me look at theme parks in a different light. I remember when Disney used to do that.

I think Harry Potter and Nintendo will fill that nostalgia catalogue. Also Marvel. And if they get Lord of the Rings? Oh boy...

Myself I just cant wait to see what Universal will do now that they own Dreamworks..

Hopefully they'll stop them from doing crap like "Boss Baby"

What happened to the studio that once upon a time made Prince of Egypt?

 

[VJ]

Are your arms sore from how far you had to stretch to make that work?

I was just trying to play devil's advocate. Sorry if I touched a nerve. I understand it's a flimsy analogy.

Not really the same thing. Point me to the zoo in Dinoland. Or on Kali or Everest. Or in the Nemo or Lion King show. Next year, direct me to the zoo in Pandora. It's a theme park that also has animals. Like Sea World or Busch Gardens or some Six Flags.

At Universal, you will always know you're in a water park. It's as absurd as suggesting WDW has 7 parks (DisneyQuest is an "indoor, interactive theme park" donchaknow).

That's true. My train of thought was that the first thing people would have thought of when they heard about Disney's Animal Kingdom would be a zoo, because that's the thing people think of when they think of animals. I'm thinking Universal could use this as a chance to redefine the term "water park" into something much closer to a theme park, much like DAK did for people's perceptions of zoos and what Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon attempted to do.

Then again it's 1 in the morning, I'm tired and I'm already horrible at getting my thoughts across coherently so hopefully what I'm trying to get at makes sense.

 

[Cesar R M]

I think Harry Potter and Nintendo will fill that nostalgia catalogue. Also Marvel. And if they get Lord of the Rings? Oh boy...

Hopefully they'll stop them from doing crap like "Boss Baby"

What happened to the studio that once upon a time made Prince of Egypt?

The CEO destroyed it by selling and separating its assets?

 

[Pi on my Cake]

I was just trying to play devil's advocate. Sorry if I touched a nerve. I understand it's a flimsy analogy.


That's true. My train of thought was that the first thing people would have thought of when they heard about Disney's Animal Kingdom would be a zoo, because that's the thing people think of when they think of animals. I'm thinking Universal could use this as a chance to redefine the term "water park" into something much closer to a theme park, much like DAK did for people's perceptions of zoos and what Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon attempted to do.

Then again it's 1 in the morning, I'm tired and I'm already horrible at getting my thoughts across coherently so hopefully what I'm trying to get at makes sense.

I get what you mean, but nothing about volacano bay seems to be trying to be anything more than cool water park unless I'm missing something. Animal Kingdom tried to just incorporate some zoo elements into a theme park.

And you didn't really touch a nerve or anything. I've been browsing while writing my final reports of the semester, so I'm not in my usual happy mood or as coherent as I usually am lol. I think I've came across as harsher than I've meant to a lot tonight

 

[Cletus]

I think Harry Potter and Nintendo will fill that nostalgia catalogue. Also Marvel. And if they get Lord of the Rings? Oh boy...

Hopefully they'll stop them from doing crap like "Boss Baby"

What happened to the studio that once upon a time made Prince of Egypt?

And I contradicted myself with nostalgia. I firmly believe that Potter and Nintendo are/will be nostalgia for Universal. Something much stronger than the Psycho house or Hard Rock. Don't even get me started on Jaws, though! J/k

 

[marni1971]

And yet people will still conclude that Disney takes too long and that Universal runs circles around them.

Yep and yep.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I was just trying to play devil's advocate. Sorry if I touched a nerve. I understand it's a flimsy analogy.


That's true. My train of thought was that the first thing people would have thought of when they heard about Disney's Animal Kingdom would be a zoo, because that's the thing people think of when they think of animals. I'm thinking Universal could use this as a chance to redefine the term "water park" into something much closer to a theme park, much like DAK did for people's perceptions of zoos and what Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon attempted to do.

Then again it's 1 in the morning, I'm tired and I'm already horrible at getting my thoughts across coherently so hopefully what I'm trying to get at makes sense.

Blizzard Beach isn't a successful themed water park?

 

[Sir_Cliff]

But a lot of that comes down to opinion and what you count as major rides. Like maybe its just cuz im younger and didn't have much experience with them, but Horizons is the only old school epcot ride I'd count as a major loss on the scale as Back to the Future, Kong, and Jaws. But again... opinions. I still love both parks and have spent so much time in both (my family has been alternating annual passes almost my entire life haha)

It's not going to be a popular point of view, but I'd also question how much many of the original EPCOT Center rides were really "classics" by the time they were replaced for anyone beyond the hardcore fans. From what I remember, even Horizons had pretty low guest ratings by the time it was replaced. I loved them as did everyone else on here and would probably make the case for JII being kind of at the classic level (there was a whole South Park episode based around it years after it closed!), but I doubt World of Motion, for example, ever really entered into the popular imagination in the way a Haunted Mansion or Pirates did.

 

[marni1971]

It's not going to be a popular point of view, but I'd also question how much many of the original EPCOT Center rides were really "classics" by the time they were replaced for anyone beyond the hardcore fans. From what I remember, even Horizons had pretty low guest ratings by the time it was replaced. I loved them as did everyone else on here and would probably make the case for JII being kind of at the classic level (there was a whole South Park episode based around it years after it closed!), but I doubt World of Motion, for example, ever really entered into the popular imagination in the way a Haunted Mansion or Pirates did.

Horizons was run into the ground by 4 years of neglect.

 

[Brer Oswald]

gods.. shigeru looks soo old

I wonder what will happen when Reggie and Shigeru kick the bucket...

Mario games will actually be good again...but Reggie is still young.

 

[rushtest4echo]

You forgot the part where Harry potter was announced.. avatar was announced.. Harry potter opened... then Diagon alley opened.. and Avatar still hasnt opened..
Now, care to rethink what you wrote again please?

New Fantasyland known about around mid 2009, announced in mid 2009 and opened in winter 2012 (keeping in mind that SDMT was not on the drawing board till late 2010 and opened in mid 2014)... 3-4 years for each phase.
WWoHP was known about around mid 2006 (and was in development for years prior), announced in early 2007 and opened in mid 2010... 4 years.
Diagon Alley was on the drawing board in 2011, announced in early 2012 and opened in mid 2014 (impressively fast schedule) but still 3 years.
Transformers was built in a year, again kudos to Universal for their schedule there, though it was the third iteration of the exact same ride and Universal literally announced that it was being "fast tracked" so it was to be expected.
Kong was well underway in early 2013 (announced 18 months later) and opened in mid 2016. 3 years.
The Jimmy Fallon ride is going to take two years (but that's to install a motion platform and screen in a box)- just like it took Disney 2 years to add a motion platform and the screen in a box to EPCOT, or Toy Story Mania which also took 2 years).
Frozen Ever After was an overlay with some track modification that took two years, just as Seuss Trolley Train Ride took 2 years.

I guess it's pointless to argue with people that can't comprehend permitting, construction scheduling, and budgeting (or choose to ignore them). Wasting extra money to speed up a supposedly "slow" pace doesn't matter for a place that has people planning their trips years in advance. I know it gets everyone here in a tizzy, but it's really not a problem for anyone else. Universal was in a position a few years back when they needed to rapidly expand their capacity and they got two attractions built in a quick manner, leading people to conclude that this was the new norm. It's back to a 3-5 year timeline for major projects- and don't insult your own intelligence by claiming that a theater in a box is "quick" at 18-24 months from either company.

And before I hear anything about how Universal is now "blowing Disney away" with attendance gains due to all of their expansion, Magic Kingdom alone has outpaced either of Universal's parks since Harry Potter was in the works. In fact, Magic Kingdom has almost the same net attendance gain as BOTH of the Universal parks. Since 2004, USF has gained 2.8 million guests, IOA has gained 2.4 million and Magic Kingdom has gained 5 million (it's always convenient to look at 2007 after Universal was done cratering for years which massively skews the attendance "gains" at Uni when in reality it was just making up for the massive losses in years prior).

 

[Katie G]

Yes, they are replacing a B Ticket kiddie coaster, a Barney stage show and a ball pit with 3 E Tickets and 2 C Tickets along with an entire themed land. And it will be brand new. They aren't going to paint Donkey Kong onto the Woodpecker Coaster and call it a new attraction like Frozenstrom.

What's your point?

You seem very touchy for an honest question.

It seems like Universal's opportunity would be to capture the young family market from Disney, but most of their rides are not height friendly for young children. Having visited the parks with young children, there is limited things they can do and they get bored. Removing kidzone and replacing it with the rumored Nintendo product you describe doesn't sound like it will be very young kid friendly.

While I personally would find Nintendo to be more exciting that woody woodpecker kidzone, will there still be a dedicated kid area? or does this remove even more kid friendly rides?

Also, given all the new IP universal acquired with the DreamWorks acquisition, putting Nintendo in the future 3rd THEME park gate seems like it would give it more space and appeal vs. taking over an existing land (even if that land is outdated)

 

[Mike S]

New Fantasyland known about around mid 2009, announced in mid 2009 and opened in winter 2012 (keeping in mind that SDMT was not on the drawing board till late 2010 and opened in mid 2014)... 3-4 years for each phase.
WWoHP was known about around mid 2006 (and was in development for years prior), announced in early 2007 and opened in mid 2010... 4 years.
Diagon Alley was on the drawing board in 2011, announced in early 2012 and opened in mid 2014 (impressively fast schedule) but still 3 years.
Transformers was built in a year, again kudos to Universal for their schedule there, though it was the third iteration of the exact same ride and Universal literally announced that it was being "fast tracked" so it was to be expected.
Kong was well underway in early 2013 (announced 18 months later) and opened in mid 2016. 3 years.
The Jimmy Fallon ride is going to take two years (but that's to install a motion platform and screen in a box)- just like it took Disney 2 years to add a motion platform and the screen in a box to EPCOT, or Toy Story Mania which also took 2 years).
Frozen Ever After was an overlay with some track modification that took two years, just as Seuss Trolley Train Ride took 2 years.

I guess it's pointless to argue with people that can't comprehend permitting, construction scheduling, and budgeting (or choose to ignore them). Wasting extra money to speed up a supposedly "slow" pace doesn't matter for a place that has people planning their trips years in advance. I know it gets everyone here in a tizzy, but it's really not a problem for anyone else. Universal was in a position a few years back when they needed to rapidly expand their capacity and they got two attractions built in a quick manner, leading people to conclude that this was the new norm. It's back to a 3-5 year timeline for major projects- and don't insult your own intelligence by claiming that a theater in a box is "quick" at 18-24 months from either company.

And before I hear anything about how Universal is now "blowing Disney away" with attendance gains due to all of their expansion, Magic Kingdom alone has outpaced either of Universal's parks since Harry Potter was in the works. In fact, Magic Kingdom has almost the same net attendance gain as BOTH of the Universal parks. Since 2004, USF has gained 2.8 million guests, IOA has gained 2.4 million and Magic Kingdom has gained 5 million (it's always convenient to look at 2007 after Universal was done cratering for years which massively skews the attendance "gains" at Uni when in reality it was just making up for the massive losses in years prior).

It's about how all of Universal's projects were set up to open in quick succession by having multiple things going on at once. It makes it seem like new things open faster. Nintendo may not open until 2020, but there are other projects that will open each year until then including a whole water park. As you said though it's pointless to argue with people who can't comprehend something

You seem very touchy for an honest question.

It seems like Universal's opportunity would be to capture the young family market from Disney, but most of their rides are not height friendly for young children. Having visited the parks with young children, there is limited things they can do and they get bored. Removing kidzone and replacing it with the rumored Nintendo product you describe doesn't sound like it will be very young kid friendly.

While I personally would find Nintendo to be more exciting that woody woodpecker kidzone, will there still be a dedicated kid area? or does this remove even more kid friendly rides?

Also, given all the new IP universal acquired with the DreamWorks acquisition, putting Nintendo in the future 3rd THEME park gate seems like it would give it more space and appeal vs. taking over an existing land (even if that land is outdated)

KidZone is about 10 acres including E.T. Plenty of space if you use it wisely. Also at least one of the E Tickets, if that's what he's calling the rumored Yoshi ride, is family friendly. I'm sure the height limit for the others won't be that much either like Kong. This is Nintendo after all. They love kids.

 

[PorterRedkey]

There was a huge patch of peeled paint at the back of the Green Planet room with all the little E.T.'s. The rest also seemed very dated with AA quality. Very sad indeed.

Lol. It seems this thread has taken the place of Spirit's last thread as the new catch all.

It is not nearly as dated as Cat in the Hat even though Cat is newer. Cat in the Hat is just embarrassing.

 

[rushtest4echo]

It's about how all of Universal's projects were set up to open in quick succession by having multiple things going on at once. It makes it seem like new things open faster. Nintendo may not open until 2020, but there are other projects that will open each year until then including a whole water park. As you said though it's pointless to argue with people who can't comprehend something

Pandora, Rivers of Light, the Tree of Life show, Harambe Village, the Soarin 3rd theater, Frozen Ever After, Tron Track, the Toy Story 3rd track, Toy Story Land, Star Wars Land, the new Magic Kingdom Hub, massive road widening/rerouting projects resort wide, 3 parking lot expansions, 3 parking structures, the Disney Springs overhaul, the Grand Floridian Villas, the Polynesian overhaul/expansion, the Wilderness Lodge expansion, and the Art of Animation Resort are/were happening concurrently in addition to the resort wide MM+ which likely took as much time, money, R&D and resources as much of that other stuff combined. Billions upon billions in investment, several massive construction/creative projects happening at once. But I know, WDW has done nothing, take forever to do nothing, and when nothing opens they increase attendance and profit.

There's a massive difference between Disney not spending money on WDW and them not spending money on the things that you (or I) prefer them to invest in. The later is what's actually occurring.

On the horizon is half a billion being dumped into Hollywood Studios (on top of Toy Story/Star Wars Land), a similar budget for EPCOT that will probably double or triple in size (the budget, that is), Magic Kingdom should be announcing complete overhauls of two entire lands in the park that will happen over the next 5 years that will have 9 figure budgets as well. Iger has also stated that they intend to bring a significant number of new resort rooms to WDW as well be it through expansions or new properties. That is in addition to the 1.5+ billion dollars worth of projects already currently underway.