Only a year and a half away from Harry Potter Land and still nothing from Disney!

[Figment571]

I'm sorry but you can not generalize an entire group of individuals. I happen to be a teenager and I will take the richly detailed Everest over the Hulk any day.

I'm sorry if it sounded generalized, but being a teen myself I do agree with you with your preference of a lively and enriched experienced that tells a tale, but sorry to say most people don't give too hoots about that, it's just an added bonus to have the cool themeing. So I hope you can understand what I'm trying to get at.

 

[imagineer boy]

Um, I know this is off-topic but does anyone know why the "Wall-E in Tomorrowland" thread was deleted?

 

[EpcotServo]

"That something" is totally in you though, not the attraction itself. You feel an emotional attachment to Toy Story based on your life experience, not because Disney did a better job implementing a storyline or "that something" into their attraction.

I'm just trying to say that if people can remove their emotional attachment to the Disney brand (which I understand can be very difficult because it's played such a huge role in many lives) they'll see that Universal offers attractions that are as good or better than what Disney has. So you didn't like the Men In Black movie series as much as you liked Toy Story growing up, that doesn't automatically make TSM a better ride than MIB is. I feel Disney fans think that way all the time though and blow Universal off. Then again, this site is really more of a Disney fan site than a theme park fan site, so why should the majority care that there are three great parks just down the road from WDW that don't have the Disney brand that means so much to them.

Yeah, I know. All of Universal's rides are great (I've been on ROTM and MIB hundreds of times. :lol. But can you honestly tell that if you had to choose only ONE resort for the rest of your life, you'd pick Universal? Sure Universal is great, but I'm very sure anyone (Save for some DisneyHaters) would pick Disney. "That something" is in no way purely my own.

That's why I just don't see Potterland as a threat. Are you guys telling me that it will be SO amazing, that you and most vistors will never go to WDW again?




Anyone?




Anyone?



Buller?



There's just no way. It's great for Universal, great for Orlando, but just isn't a threat to Disney. Plain and simple.

 

[AndyMagic]

...And then after the first big summer the sub-standard Universal maintenance habits will kick in and stuff will break, robots will get creaky and have torn skin like the dinosaurs on Jurassic Park always do, special effects will be turned off due to maintenance headaches, the queues will get banged up, and the harsh Florida climate will take its toll and dull the finishes and coat everything with mildew around the edges.

I've always been pretty impressed with the way Universal maintains their rides. The skins on the dinos I'll give you but they are tough to maintain because they are half submerged in water. However, the rest of the effects on rides throughout the resort all work on a regular basis. Spider-Man is so incredibly complex and yet everything works, everytime I ride (and that's a lot). Imhotep on the Mummy works every time I ride as well as every other fire effect, smoke effect, strobe effect, and tactile effect on that ride. Everest has about 3 visual effects, all of which work about 30 percent of the time. And mind you, Everest has such ground-breaking effects as a waterfall, steam, and birds on sticks, and they still can't get them working. I wouldn't make fun of Universal's maintenance program when Disney has been getting a lot of crap from the online press on this very topic recently. Disney often "gives-up" on effects if they are hard to maintain. Anyone remember the last time, "INCOMING!" from DINOSAUR actually had anything 'incoming'? Or how about the smoke in the time-travel room. Or how about the jumping rabbit in Splash Mountain, the jasmine smell on Philharmagic, the mist in Everest, the simulated car crash on Test Track... I could go on. I can't think of one case on a Universal ride where the effects on opening day didn't get maintained and still work 10 years later. Even T2:3D still has every effect in perfect working order and there are a lot of little things that would go unnoticed to the majority of people if they just stop fixing them. Bottom line: what crack are you smoking? End Rant Here.

 

[Legacy]

I'm sorry but you can not generalize an entire group of individuals. I happen to be a teenager and I will take the richly detailed Everest over the Hulk any day. When I go to a theme park I look for a full experiance! I want a story that has a Beginning, Middle, and End. Not just a ride that is losely tied to a story to get by. I can to Universal and ride every ride there and not feel connected to any of it. At Disney I make that connection. My friend also spend more time in the Disney parks than they do the Universal parks. My friends would much rather hang out in DTD than in City Walk.

Universal attractions heavily tied to a story with a beginning, middle and end.

Revenge of the Mummy
Jimmy Neutron: NickToon Blast
Shrek 4-D
The Simpsons
Men in Black: Alien Attack
Jaws
ET
T2:3D

Adventures of Spiderman
Jurassic Park River Adventure
Dudley Do-Right Ripsaw Falls
Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges
Cat in the Hat
Poseidon's Fury

Universal attractions WITH a story (though not heavily inforced)

Storm Force Acceletron
The Hulk
Dueling Dragons
Disaster

 

[Chezman1399]

Did you read the book?

Naw, I didn't read it. There are things that can be done in movies and things that can't same goes for books, so I'm just comparing it to the other movies.

 

[Slowjack]

But can you honestly tell that if you had to choose only ONE resort for the rest of your life, you'd pick Universal? ....

That's why I just don't see Potterland as a threat. Are you guys telling me that it will be SO amazing, that you and most vistors will never go to WDW again?

There's just no way. It's great for Universal, great for Orlando, but just isn't a threat to Disney. Plain and simple.

Those are two different things. I don't think anyone would claim that Harry Potter is going to be so good that most people who now regularly go to WDW will thereafter go only to IOA and never go to WDW again. But that's a pretty high bar to set for being a threat!

I certainly think it's possible that some people who regularly go to WDW will skip a WDW trip to try out IOA because of Potter, or at least reduce the number of days at WDW to try out Potter. If many people do that, then WDW's attendance will suffer. That makes Potter a threat. Whether it's a large threat remains to be seen.

 

[darthjohnny]

A lot are saying "it's just a new ride, so what". It's going to feature Hogsmeade, The Forbidden Forest, and Hogwarts Castle. I know Hogwarts will be fully explorable

Well, I think there is still a lot of speculation. It's not clear how "fully explorable" the castle will be. Some are still saying it might be just a huge façade with possible limited explorability.

I think Universal will do a great job in this land, but I wouldn't hold out for anything just yet. There is still a long road from concept to reality that Univeral has to travel.

 

[tirian]

Maybe Hogwart's will be like every other Universal attraction and feature a highly themed facade with a plainly visible show building.

 

[sknydave]

So it will be like Disney's Hollywood Studios?

 

[EpcotServo]

I've always been pretty impressed with the way Universal maintains their rides. The skins on the dinos I'll give you but they are tough to maintain because they are half submerged in water. However, the rest of the effects on rides throughout the resort all work on a regular basis. Spider-Man is so incredibly complex and yet everything works, everytime I ride (and that's a lot). Imhotep on the Mummy works every time I ride as well as every other fire effect, smoke effect, strobe effect, and tactile effect on that ride. Everest has about 3 visual effects, all of which work about 30 percent of the time. And mind you, Everest has such ground-breaking effects as a waterfall, steam, and birds on sticks, and they still can't get them working. I wouldn't make fun of Universal's maintenance program when Disney has been getting a lot of crap from the online press on this very topic recently. Disney often "gives-up" on effects if they are hard to maintain. Anyone remember the last time, "INCOMING!" from DINOSAUR actually had anything 'incoming'? Or how about the smoke in the time-travel room. Or how about the jumping rabbit in Splash Mountain, the jasmine smell on Philharmagic, the mist in Everest, the simulated car crash on Test Track... I could go on. I can't think of one case on a Universal ride where the effects on opening day didn't get maintained and still work 10 years later. Even T2:3D still has every effect in perfect working order and there are a lot of little things that would go unnoticed to the majority of people if they just stop fixing them. Bottom line: what crack are you smoking? End Rant Here.

They're good, but come on! They're upkeep it usually worse than Disney (Which I razz on all the time, because it's awful too!)

Don't even get me started on JP! The first time I went, the Branto's neck had a huge hole in it's neck with wires sticking out.
:lol:

At least in Dinosaur the Dinos don't look that bad.

Mummy is really complicated, but is WAY worse than if Everest has a missing effect. I'm not nearly as mad as a B-Show of Yeti than I am a missing BrainFire at the end of ROTM.
:brick:




Really....both WDW and Universal are bad with upkeep....let's just move on than, shall we?
:lol:

 

[disnyfan89]

Anyone remember the last time, "INCOMING!" from DINOSAUR actually had anything 'incoming'? There has never been a time on Dinosaur for me where that effect didn't work! I have had times when my car came to a and the audio stoped but I still saw the effect.Or how about the smoke in the time-travel room. Or how about the jumping rabbit in Splash Mountain Used to never ever ever work. Now I see every ride along with every effect in working condition.Used to be like the Mummy! Would work only 1 out of ten times when you ride but now works great!, the jasmine smell on Philharmagic Was removed becuase it was causing alleges to go off with the guest. It was replaced with another extra scent in the Be Our guest segment., the mist in Everest This was cuasing the safety sensors to malfunction so they cut the line so that the mister could never work again. Safety comes before show on Disney's list of priorities!, the simulated car crash on Test Track... Was also reworked to a new effect that works every time.I could go on. As could I! I can't think of one case on a Universal ride where the effects on opening day didn't get maintained and still work 10 years later. Even T2:3D still has every effect in perfect working order and there are a lot of little things that would go unnoticed to the majority of people if they just stop fixing them. I could say the same about Muppets! As well as the Great Movie Ride, and Tower of Terror, and RNR, or Space Mountain, or Mission: Space, or Ellen's Energy Adventure, or Malstrom, or MILF, or Buzz, Jungle Cruise, or, well you get the point. Bottom line: what crack are you smoking? End Rant Here.

What about all the missing/Broken audio animatronics in Dudley, or half the water effects as well as the broken AA's in Popeye's, and there is always the ever missing effects in Cat in the Hat, the fire and smoke effects on Spiderman are 80% gamble that they're there. MIB has lots of missing effects, you already covered JP and yet the ride in Hollywood when I went was much older but in wonderful condition.

Universal attractions heavily tied to a story with a beginning, middle and end.

Revenge of the Mummy
Most of the time riders are rushed passed the video in the queue becuase the wait is not long enough or they have express or are single riders. It took me ive time before I figured out the story. The ending is very anti-climatic becuase sundenly there is a bright flas of lights and your back on a movie set and there is Brendan Fraiser talking about his interview when he should be more concerned about the fact we just faced a Mummy and won plus they pay off a joke you would only get if you watch the queue line video.
Jimmy Neutron: NickToon Blast
I havent been on this for a while so I can't argue it but I remember this ride also being Anticlimatic with a excuse to just get you out.
Shrek 4-D
The entire preshow sets you up for a different experiance I am about to enter a tourture chamber where I will be wipped and strung out on the rack. Instead I enter a theatre and watch a movie? The movie its self has a good foundation but was made by someone else. It would also be very out of context for anyone who didnt know what Shrek was!
The Simpsons
Havent ridden it but I hope it's good.
Men in Black: Alien Attack
Once again like Mummy if you go anyother way than the regular que you missed the set up of the story. At the end of the ride you get swallowed by a Alien but escape by pressing a red button which in the movie makes the car transform into a fast vehical. All ours does is open up a wall. We never find out about the state of New York and depending on how you faired you either get a "good job but you still dont cut it or you messed up big time!
Jaws
Very well done if not short.
ET
You start off in a soundstage but soon get thrown into a forrest, how does that make sence? The ride itself does have a plot and it does have a decent conclusion.
T2:3D
My absoute favorite attraction at Universal. I always wished Disney could develop a show like this. The entire attraction though was designed by an outside company. There the same ones who did the Star Trek show in Las Vegas. Still an excellent production non the less!

Adventures of Spiderman
Once again a great attraction!
Jurassic Park River Adventure
How did this T-rex get in this where house and why is a river running through it? Also, why does it have a waterfall in it?
Dudley Do-Right Ripsaw Falls
The ride goes so fast I couldn't tell you what the story is beyond Man captures woman, Man saves day. Also part of this ride's story is set up in the queue.
Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges
Good story for a raft ride!
Cat in the Hat
I would hope they couldn't f'up a prewritten story.
Poseidon's Fury
Another great attraction! Used to be better. The entire area around Poseidon used to have a point but now it serves no purpose.

Universal attractions WITH a story (though not heavily inforced)

Storm Force Acceletron
The Hulk
Dueling Dragons
Disaster
Just like other Disney rides! I don't understand why Disaster is in this list? Last I checked the story was fairly solid. :shrug:

 

[nuttyskadork]

What about all the missing/Broken audio animatronics in Dudley, or half the water effects as well as the broken AA's in Popeye's, and there is always the ever missing effects in Cat in the Hat, the fire and smoke effects on Spiderman are 80% gamble that they're there. MIB has lots of missing effects, you already covered JP and yet the ride in Hollywood when I went was much older but in wonderful condition.

/Agreed

Spiderman I went on twice and I remember slightly different effects both times so I dont think it was perfect. I dont even remember any Audio Anamatronics on Dudley Do Right just a lot if signs saying WARNING CAUTION etc. As for Popeye, do cardboard pictures that move xcount as AAs? Poseidons Fury's pyro seemed off. Hulk seemed to work but we didn't see much of a pre-show as the line up wasn't long enough. Jurassic Park worked fine except for the fact that I hardly got wet at all both times I rode (I remember gettting SOAKED in California). Funny story is my Dad and brother went to Thunder Falls Terrace and found a table in the splash zone that was BONE DRY. Anyways, they watched the ride and the splash never made it out of the fence. So they sat down and got completely hosed. Lol, so I guess it has more to do with the weight of the people in the car than some of the other flume rides that use water cannons as the majority of the splash (i.e. Do-Right). Sinbad went fine. Cat In the Hat....it really didn't seem to have anything broken, but again I only rode once.

Terminator is absolutely not in completely perfect condition. When we went, the side screens weren't on. The live action wasn't as well synced as it was in California in 2001. There were a few other things that weren't great. Shrek, I just plain didn't like. The story was good, but a lot of the motion simulator effects were freaking pointless. I felt like I was being violated lol! Simpsons was good but the story seems pretty random. Funny though.
I didnt notice anything really wrong on Men In Black cuz it made me so nauseous. Disaster worked really well actually. Mummy I didnt notice any issues. Jaws..well the shark is really starting to show his age. Didn't ride ET in Florida but the California one was good. My brother said the ET at the end wasnt saying peoples names at all. Twister worked fine.

Really at Disney other than Splash Mountain being broken down for about five minutes while I rided it, I dont think there were any issues.

 

[nuttyskadork]

So it will be like Disney's Hollywood Studios?

How? Other than Sounds Dangerous and Little Mermaid almost all of the rides have a themed building.

Tower of Terror is Hollywood Hotel. Obviously. Can't deny that one.
Aerosmith I guess is "show" building but the entire entrance is very impressive. And the building is G-Force Records which doubles as a Recording Studio; where Aerosmith is recording. And then you ride to the concert and you exit through a backstage area.

LMA I guess has a facade, havent seen much of the building.
Muppets you might be able to say it's a show building, but its set in a theatre anyways.

Star Tours has a very Star Wars like building. Maybe it doesnt fit the intergalactic space station mould as well as the Disneyland one does, but it still works.

Indiana Jones is a very jungle like setting; and besides it's intended to be a movie set.

I havent seen Narnia or Toy Story, but I assume the later has a big set.

One Mans Dream and Magic of Disney Animation are behind the scenes sets that don't really need a story.

Great Movie Ride is set in Mann's Chinese Theatre.

I'm a fan of Universal too, and IOA does a much better job of theming the actual rides, whereas Universal itself; everything is in a show building (with the exception of the outdoor Jaws). And yes, Terminator is CyberDyne Industries, Shrek is a "torture chamber that changes to a theater", Twister has some set design on the outisde. Mummy does also; and Men In Black (really impressive exterior) is set as the MIB HQ. Good design on the inside too. But really a lot of the rides at Universal are very studio like.

 

[NemoRocks78]

So it will be like Disney's Hollywood Studios?

:lol:

Mummy is really complicated, but is WAY worse than if Everest has a missing effect. I'm not nearly as mad as a B-Show of Yeti than I am a missing BrainFire at the end of ROTM.
:brick:

There's no way missing the "brain fire" effect on ROTM is as bad as missing the Yeti on Everest, which is the only thing going for it (ROTM has plenty of other effects and two different Imhotep animatronics).

the fire and smoke effects on Spiderman are 80% gamble that they're there.

The only time I've personally seen those fire effects off were when they were shut down on ROTM and Jaws too because of gas prices 2-3 years ago.

MIB has lots of missing effects, you already covered JP and yet the ride in Hollywood when I went was much older but in wonderful condition.

There's so much to see in MIB though that if a few effects don't work it's not a huge deal. I will agree about JP @ USH being well maintained though.

ET
You start off in a soundstage but soon get thrown into a forrest, how does that make sence? The ride itself does have a plot and it does have a decent conclusion.

Um... the queue for Star Tours starts off outside a soundstage in the Endor forest, then moves into the Star Tours terminal where you're supposed to be getting on a flight TO Endor.

Jurassic Park River Adventure
How did this T-rex get in this where house and why is a river running through it? Also, why does it have a waterfall in it?

The building is supposed to the Water Treatment Facility...

 

[nuttyskadork]

:lol:

There's no way missing the "brain fire" effect on ROTM is as bad as missing the Yeti on Everest, which is the only thing going for it (ROTM has plenty of other effects and two different Imhotep animatronics).

The only time I've personally seen those fire effects off were when they were shut down on ROTM and Jaws too because of gas prices 2-3 years ago.

There's so much to see in MIB though that if a few effects don't work it's not a huge deal. I will agree about JP @ USH being well maintained though.

Um... the queue for Star Tours starts off outside a soundstage in the Endor forest, then moves into the Star Tours terminal where you're supposed to be getting on a flight TO Endor.

The building is supposed to the Water Treatment Facility...

I think ROTM does have more effects than Everest lol; but at least if the Yeti doesn't work properly he's still there. I agree with MIB as it's a very involved ride. But there will be the odd person (usually a theme park junkie) who will notice; same as how the odd AA on Splash Mountain stops working or is removed.

I agree about the Star Tours at DHS being a bit weird. The one in Tomorrowland in California makes great sense though.

 

[NemoRocks78]

Jurassic Park worked fine except for the fact that I hardly got wet at all both times I rode (I remember gettting SOAKED in California).

When did you do JP @ USH? They added a bunch of water cannons and the like to their ride last year.

Terminator is absolutely not in completely perfect condition. When we went, the side screens weren't on. The live action wasn't as well synced as it was in California in 2001.

Terminator has its problems once in a while, but for the most part its good. The only problems I've really ever experienced were the side screen curtains not down and one of the terminators not working. Nothing worse than some effects or the Donald AA not working at PhilarMagic...

Really at Disney other than Splash Mountain being broken down for about five minutes while I rided it, I dont think there were any issues

There are plenty of rides at WDW that are always having problems (Splash and Test Track immediately come to mind).

Star Tours has a very Star Wars like building. Maybe it doesnt fit the intergalactic space station mould as well as the Disneyland one does, but it still works.

Star Tours is obviously a soundstage with Endor forest theming on one side and Tatooine theming on the other. No different than something like Shrek 4-D with its bit of castle theming.

 

[nuttyskadork]

When did you do JP @ USH? They added a bunch of water cannons and the like to their ride last year.


Terminator has its problems once in a while, but for the most part its good. The only problems I've really ever experienced were the side screen curtains not down and one of the terminators not working. Nothing worse than some effects or the Donald AA not working at PhilarMagic...


There are plenty of rides at WDW that are always having problems (Splash and Test Track immediately come to mind).


Star Tours is obviously a soundstage with Endor forest theming on one side and Tatooine theming on the other. No different than something like Shrek 4-D with its bit of castle theming.

I did Jurassic Park at USH in 2001. Did the Florida one in April.
And yeah, I was just saying I noticed a few Universal rides/shows not working great during my two week trip in April but other than the Splash Mountain incident (it also broke down for a few hours later in the evening) I doin't recall anything.

I remember the Disneyland trip in 2001, Pirates of the Carribean broke down like three different days, and Splash Mountain at least once.

And I agree with the Star Tours. The Endor forest theme is very star wars but it doesnt fit the ride itself. The Tomorrowland one in Disneyland fits a lot better, even if it's just inside a regular sci-fi building cuz that makes more sense anyways.

 

[tirian]

Star Tours at DHS is supposed to be a soundstage. Once Guests have walked through the Endor set and into the building, they find themselves in the movie. It's a weak transition, but it justifies the soundstage approach.

 

[NemoRocks78]

Star Tours at DHS is supposed to be a soundstage. Once Guests have walked through the Endor set and into the building, they find themselves in the movie. It's a weak transition, but it justifies the soundstage approach.

I know... and that's also how it is with E.T. Adventure.