Jaws closing?

[njDizFan]

I love the idea of splitting up the WWOHP across both parks. I'm not a huge Potter fan and haven't read the books or seen all the movies but I think it is a really innovative idea, especially if connected by the train.

All that being said, I remember reading a while ago in another thread, Whylightbulb stated that there are more expansions coming to Uni then just HP. So, I am guessing that Jaws and HP phase 2 are unrelated.

 

[captainkidd]

Has anyone thought of the issues this would cause with ticketing? People who need to have access to both parks, tickets would have to be scanned, etc. Not an easy task.

 

[Furiated]

Has anyone thought of the issues this would cause with ticketing? People who need to have access to both parks, tickets would have to be scanned, etc. Not an easy task.

True, but they do something similar in Disneyland with the Monorail. You can board at Downtown Disney and it lets you off inside Tomorrowland. People boarding at DD have to have a valid ticket to the park to board. They would likely do something similar at US, depending on which way you are travelling on the train you would have to have a valid ticket for that park and have it scanned.

 

[GLaDOS]

As for the Potter speculation... completely outlandish.

We'll see soon.

It really really annoys me that the Hard rock cafe has lay dormant for years and they do nothing with that land, there's also land behind MIB and where the old Psycho house used to be.... yet they do NOTHING there. Yet they replace these classic icons....

There are plans for that space as well.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Has anyone thought of the issues this would cause with ticketing? People who need to have access to both parks, tickets would have to be scanned, etc. Not an easy task.

This is the only problem I see with the situation. I could only imagine that they would have to do something like Disneyland does with the monorail. You would have no choice but to scan people before or after getting off the train into the other side of the park.

 

[dave&di]

It really really annoys me that the Hard rock cafe has lay dormant for years and they do nothing with that land, there's also land behind MIB and where the old Psycho house used to be.... yet they do NOTHING there. Yet they replace these classic icons....

Universal used to be the king studio in terms of movie making, producing the classics that we all know and love.... they seem to replace them with these current fads that are NOT classics IMO... despicable me is not a classic IMO .... in peoples hearts BTTF will out live The Simpsons.
Jaws will out live potter.

Having said this... I trust USF, they've done a pretty good job on their upgrades and ride changes... Mummy is fantastic, Shrek is amazing I even like Simpsons which replaced my beloved BTTF.....

All I'm saying is it better be good....

And can the people that shoot people down by saying "it isn't transformers" so abruptly care to share what is going there?

[/B]
I didn't say it wasn't, I said Thierry Coup APPARENTLY said it won't be Transformers, that doesn't make me psychic! I have no idea! Sorry!

 

[The_CEO]

This is the only problem I see with the situation. I could only imagine that they would have to do something like Disneyland does with the monorail. You would have no choice but to scan people before or after getting off the train into the other side of the park.

Or maybe just maybe, UO is finally forcing consumers to purchase a Duel Park Combo Ticket..

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Or maybe just maybe, UO is finally forcing consumers to purchase a Duel Park Combo Ticket..

I can't see them forcing people to pay over 100 dollars a ticket though when none of the competition is. That would be a very high price to make people to pay just because one certain attraction will be in two areas.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

That's sad news. Jaws was one of the flagship attractions in the early Universal Studios. This is what I don't get about Universal. They don't maintain their attractions long enough. How long was Kongfrontation there? 10 years? Tops. The Mummy is excellent, but of all the places they build a new attraction they have to replace an old iconic one?

This is what seperates Universal from Disney. This is why they can never, ever compete in the nostalgia department. Jaws was to Universal the way Space Mountain is to Disney. In other words, almost impossible to replace.

And they find space for things. They couldn't rip down Rip Rockit for Potter? Look at how much space that obtrusive thing takes up! It's crazy!

One thing about Disneyland - not even Disney World but Disneyland - is that despite their lack of space much like Universal Orlando they manage to cram things in there and utilize their space much better. With all that in mind they don't lose their charm or theming.

Replacing Jaws? A shame.

 

[GLaDOS]

This is what seperates Universal from Disney. This is why they can never, ever compete in the nostalgia department. Jaws was to Universal the way Space Mountain is to Disney. In other words, almost impossible to replace.

No, not really. Not at all. Crowds have dwindled for YEARS with Jaws, and it's gotten to the point where the ride wasn't economically feasible to run.

If you want to compare it to something, compare it to Horizons. A ride with minimal crowds at its end that stood on prime, usable real estate, and an attraction a select group will mourn.

And they find space for things. They couldn't rip down Rip Rockit for Potter? Look at how much space that obtrusive thing takes up! It's crazy!

You're kidding, right? I mean seriously. You have to be.

Rockit takes up almost no room. It's built in a line that snakes around existing attractions. To build anything back there they'd have to tear down a ton more than just one attraction.

 

[captainkidd]

You're kidding, right? I mean seriously. You have to be.

Rockit takes up almost no room. It's built in a line that snakes around existing attractions. To build anything back there they'd have to tear down a ton more than just one attraction.

The only reason not to tear Rockit down is that it's immensely popular, though I have to say, lame as all hell. First time I rode it I thought it was cool, but it has not held up well at all. I love Universal, but they don't upkeep their attractions very well. People criticize Disney for this, but Universal is much worse. Look at Dudley Do Right. It's never been to meant to compete with Splash Mountain, but could they not fix all the leaks the ride has?

Building Potter into the original park makes absolutely zero sense. It would kill the novelty of it in IoA and would be overkill on so many levels. It's not going to draw more people to Universal. Any Potter fan that wants to experience WWOHP is going to do so anyway. If anything, it will turn people away that would think it's too much Potter. Believe it or not, not everyone likes HP.

 

[gkon021]

I no way do I have any knowledge, and yes I agree a copy of the USH and USS Transformers rides is improbable, but who says the theme couldn't be Transformers, but use a different ride concept. IE. Coaster, something bigger and better.

 

[Bairstow]

The only reason not to tear Rockit down is that it's immensely popular, though I have to say, lame as all hell. First time I rode it I thought it was cool, but it has not held up well at all.

I don't see Universal removing Rock-It before trying some other options to remedy the reliability problems.
Coasterforce and a few other sources have reported that engineer from other coaster companies besides Mauer-Sonne have been spotted at the attraction measuring the track for a possible retrofit to more traditional trains which would increase capacity and reliability for the ride. At any rate, it's the Studio's only visible coaster and a likely draw for the park. I know that when I was there this summer its presence was the main factor in convincing me to visit both parks instead of just Islands (even though the ride turned out to be a disappointment).

Building Potter into the original park makes absolutely zero sense. It would kill the novelty of it in IoA and would be overkill on so many levels. It's not going to draw more people to Universal. Any Potter fan that wants to experience WWOHP is going to do so anyway. If anything, it will turn people away that would think it's too much Potter. Believe it or not, not everyone likes HP.

I don't think this is necessarily so.
For one, if box office and merchandise performance is any indicator we have yet to discover a point at which there is, "too much Potter".
If Universal were to make the ad campaign clear enough it wouldn't be that difficult to explain that the Wizarding World would become a 2-part experience, with one being the "Hogwarts/Hogsmeade" area and the other the "Diagon Alley" area. People wanting to see all the Potter stuff would then buy a 2-park pass instead of a single. It could work very well if the arrangement is made clear enough.

That said, even if it would work I think a Potter expansion into the original park isn't the most likely theory here, when it's all but announced that Potter phase 2 is going to involve a refit of the unpopular Poseidon's Fury building and surrounding area.

I think Transformers is the most likely bet here, followed by Madagascar.
Madagascar would actually make more sense from a planning perspective because the Studios is arguably lacking in kid-friendly attractions right now.

 

[The_CEO]

I can't see them forcing people to pay over 100 dollars a ticket though when none of the competition is. That would be a very high price to make people to pay just because one certain attraction will be in two areas.

Possibly, or you know the whole idea of making Potter over there is just bogus anyways. If they really wanted Potter that big, why wouldn't they just make Phase 2 over the WHOLE LC area... To say that, " They were waiting to see if Potter was well perceived" would be just silly. It's one of the largest Cash Cows for franchises there is! What happened was one person said to another person on the internet that they were going to connect the two lands to make Potter larger, then boom.. Now everyone thinks its the golden idea. I can almost bet that whatever inhabits the old JAWS area will not even have a wizard theme.. It just doesn't make any logistical sense and if any of the fan boys or girls disagree, let the debate begin.

 

[captainkidd]

I don't think this is necessarily so.
For one, if box office and merchandise performance is any indicator we have yet to discover a point at which there is, "too much Potter".
If Universal were to make the ad campaign clear enough it wouldn't be that difficult to explain that the Wizarding World would become a 2-part experience, with one being the "Hogwarts/Hogsmeade" area and the other the "Diagon Alley" area. People wanting to see all the Potter stuff would then buy a 2-park pass instead of a single. It could work very well if the arrangement is made clear enough.

I think Transformers is the most likely bet here, followed by Madagascar.
Madagascar would actually make more sense from a planning perspective because the Studios is arguably lacking in kid-friendly attractions right now.

Potter's popularity is huge, and I don't see it waning in the immediate future, but a crossover into the original park holds lots of logistical issues.

I pray Universal has the common sense to ignore box office success where Transformers is involved. I could deal with an E-ticket roller coaster, but an entire land? Doesn't make sense. It's not like Transformers takes place in a fictional or undiscovered place, like Hogwarts or Seuss Landing, know what I mean?

 

[captainkidd]

Possibly, or you know the whole idea of making Potter over there is just bogus anyways. If they really wanted Potter that big, why wouldn't they just make Phase 2 over the WHOLE LC area... To say that, " They were waiting to see if Potter was well perceived" would be just silly. It's one of the largest Cash Cows for franchises there is! What happened was one person said to another person on the internet that they were going to connect the two lands to make Potter larger, then boom.. Now everyone thinks its the golden idea. I can almost bet that whatever inhabits the old JAWS area will not even have a wizard theme.. It just doesn't make any logistical sense and if any of the fan boys or girls disagree, let the debate begin.

Exactly what I said. The Lost Continent is an absolute waste of space right now. If a Potter expansion is in the future, that's where it's gonna end up.

 

[Bairstow]

Potter's popularity is huge, and I don't see it waning in the immediate future, but a crossover into the original park holds lots of logistical issues.

Yeah, the crossover idea is bonkers, but I was talking about having two distinct, completely different, non-connected Potters areas, one in each park, a bit like Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is in the Magic Kingdom and Toy Story Midway Mania is over at MGM. If you want to see all Disney's Toy Story attractions you have to go to both parks.

I pray Universal has the common sense to ignore box office success where Transformers is involved. I could deal with an E-ticket roller coaster, but an entire land? Doesn't make sense. It's not like Transformers takes place in a fictional or undiscovered place, like Hogwarts or Seuss Landing, know what I mean?

Oh I dunno, you could do all sorts of things with a Michael Bay Land.
It's just like normal Los Angeles, except everything is orange or turquoise and the snack bars and merchandise stores are all staffed by racial stereotypes or lingerie models.

 

[Sorcerer Mickey]

Potter's popularity is huge, and I don't see it waning in the immediate future, but a crossover into the original park holds lots of logistical issues.

I pray Universal has the common sense to ignore box office success where Transformers is involved. I could deal with an E-ticket roller coaster, but an entire land? Doesn't make sense. It's not like Transformers takes place in a fictional or undiscovered place, like Hogwarts or Seuss Landing, know what I mean?

There was another ride that didn't take place in a fictional and undiscovered place, yet had enough to merit its own 'land'.

Oh wait...

 

[Bairstow]

Here's something neat: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=googl....479308,-81.469749&fspn=0.00065,0.001313&z=20
Google Map's satellite imagery of the Jaws ride area. You can actually make out all the shark animatronics sitting below the surface of the water.
This attraction has a much bigger footprint than I imagined- nearly twice that of Mummy/Kongfrontation

Meanwhile, here's the Wizarding World: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=googl...472549,-81.471101&fspn=0.002598,0.005252&z=18

Notice that even though due to a miracle of forced persespective Hogwart's Castle looks huge, it's positively dwarfed by the Forbidden Journey show building: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=googl...472549,-81.471101&fspn=0.002598,0.005252&z=18

(Much like Haunted Mansion:http://maps.google.com/maps?q=the+m...8.420502,-81.582743&fspn=0.0013,0.002626&z=19)

And here's all the space between them, which seems as though it's fully-developed for several other purposes: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=googl...478264,-81.469781&fspn=0.005196,0.010504&z=16

Again, I think the speculation that they intend to put a train between these two areas is bonkers.

 

[captainkidd]

Oh I dunno, you could do all sorts of things with a Michael Bay Land.
It's just like normal Los Angeles, except everything is orange or turquoise and the snack bars and merchandise stores are all staffed by racial stereotypes or lingerie models.

:lol: