Stolen weapon seized after shooting at Universal Studios

[IOACentralRadio]

Yes?


I was there that night. However, if you REEEEEEEEEEAAAALLLY wanna get technical, this could happen at any restaurant, anywhere in the world, that uses utensils for its patrons to eat... or countless other places


However, it could happen at Universal too... I can't begin to count the times the sticks probing my camera bag only probed the main pocket... not the 4 others on the bag


So why didn't Universal Security and OPD do anything about it?


The world is a rough place


However, as *cough*RESPONSIBLE VENDORS*cough* they need to know when to cut someone off. I've never seen someone anywhere in Disney drink themselves to the point that they couldn't stand. I've seen it at Universal though.


Source please... I'm almost certain you're wrong on this one.


Yessir. Thankfully, Universal Orlando hasn't gotten a cent from me since 2004 I just work my one day per year to keep my ID active.

Sure..it could happen at any resturaunt or spot in the world. But because it happened at Universal, you folks are up in arms and practically celebrating because it happened there, yet you still turned a blind eye that anything could happen on disney property, or when someone brings it up you dismiss it. The world IS a rough place, and will only get rougher....and the more people go to disney, the more the likely hood that something like this will happen there. As for the alcohol, I'm pretty sure they did serve it for a time in the 80's...and I have seen plenty of people drunk falling over and vomiting at disney, just as I've seen as many over flowing trash cans, peeling paint and rude Cm's as I have at Universal.
Long live the IOA freedom fighters.:drevil:

 

[The Mom]

I'm not sure I like the designation of "You Disney People." I saw a couple of posters expressing negative remarks, with the rest talking about how this sort of thing is happening everywhere, and is not under Universal's control.

I think the fact that US/IOA appeal to a younger populace (in general) means that you are more likely to see people who still think public drunkeness is OK (and this also applies to when they're at WDW) or they don't have as much experience holding their liquor, or they don't have the responsibilty of children.

I KNOW this goes on at WDW, too, (I've been to PI at closing) but I still don't think it's as widespread.


And I really don't want to argue, but I went to WDW several times a year from 1982 - 1990, and alcohol was definitely not served in the MK. There is a possibilty that it was served in 1980 or 1981, but my recollection was that there was some controversy over serving alcohol at Epcot when it opened, which leads me to believe that it had NEVER been served in the MK. I believe the argument was made that serving alcohol with meals is part of the dining experience in many cultures, and that the restaurants would not be authentic without it. Could you imagine a British Pub without beer? Or a French restaurant without wine? Or Octoberfest without beer and wine? :lol:

 

[Tim G]

Ladies and gentlemen.....Welcome.... to Jurassic Park :lookaroun

 

[mkt]

Sure..it could happen at any resturaunt or spot in the world. But because it happened at Universal, you folks are up in arms and practically celebrating because it happened there, yet you still turned a blind eye that anything could happen on disney property, or when someone brings it up you dismiss it. The world IS a rough place, and will only get rougher....and the more people go to disney, the more the likely hood that something like this will happen there. As for the alcohol, I'm pretty sure they did serve it for a time in the 80's...and I have seen plenty of people drunk falling over and vomiting at disney, just as I've seen as many over flowing trash cans, peeling paint and rude Cm's as I have at Universal.

I'm not up in arms... my boycott has been in place for months. I'll go, but I won't spend a penny in the parks or on admission. In case you haven't realized, this isn't IOACentral... this is WDWMagic... a DISNEY Fan Site... so you have to expect that most of the crowd will have a bias towards...

DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My boycott isn't due to feeling unsafe in the parks... albeit ever since HHN XVI, that's been a very big issue. My boycott is due to my feeling that Universal is nickel and diming its guests. If you're charging the highest price in Orlando, then you'd better also be the number one... this is something I haven't felt in several years.

Long live the IOA freedom fighters.

What are the IOA Freedom Fighters? A group possibly more obsessive than my late D-Troops? What is there to get obsessed about at UO other than thrills? Or is that it?

 

[Legacy]

What is there to get obsessed about at UO other than thrills? Or is that it?

Thier potential?

:lookaroun

 

[IOACentralRadio]

What are the IOA Freedom Fighters? A group possibly more obsessive than my late D-Troops? What is there to get obsessed about at UO other than thrills? Or is that it?

You guys coined the Freedom Fighters phrase, I just ran with it. And there are no groups more obsessed than disney groups...I've found that out. And lets not use the word obsessed, I'll say that belongs specifically to disney.....since its soooo great :hurl: . Lets just say we get really excited about everything at UO....thrills, fun, family stuff....all of it. More to see if you take off your ears.
Again, this whole shooting thing will happen anywhere you have a large group of unsavory people....because Universal is within the city where that type of person is, you will have more of a chance of it happening there. It does happen at disney, but seeing that most of those people cant afford to go disney let alone hang out there, you dont see it as much. So yay for high prices at disney!:sohappy:

 

[unkadug]

You guys coined the Freedom Fighters phrase, I just ran with it. And there are no groups more obsessed than disney groups...I've found that out. And lets not use the word obsessed, I'll say that belongs specifically to disney.....since its soooo great :hurl: . Lets just say we get really excited about everything at UO....thrills, fun, family stuff....all of it. More to see if you take off your ears.
Again, this whole shooting thing will happen anywhere you have a large group of unsavory people....because Universal is within the city where that type of person is, you will have more of a chance of it happening there. It does happen at disney, but seeing that most of those people cant afford to go disney let alone hang out there, you dont see it as much. So yay for high prices at disney!:sohappy:
But I'm done here...make sure you all tune in to IOACentral Radio at www.myspace.com/ioacentralradio
Coming in a few weeks, The great Disney debate. Make sure you tune in.....we'll have loads of fun.

Well, nobody is forcing you to stick around at this DISNEY fan site.
(thanks MKT for the HTML work )

Run along and play with your little friends at IOAMagic.com. :wave:

 

[mkt]

You guys coined the Freedom Fighters phrase, I just ran with it. And there are no groups more obsessed than disney groups...I've found that out. And lets not use the word obsessed, I'll say that belongs specifically to disney.....since its soooo great :hurl: . Lets just say we get really excited about everything at UO....thrills, fun, family stuff....all of it. More to see if you take off your ears.

Hi, I'm an Orlando local, Dr. Phillips high school graduate (if you're an IOA Fan, I'm assuming you know the relation between UO and DP), former UO Passholder, current UO Entertainment Employee, and a park regular. My boycott runs only to the finances.... I'll go, but I don't spend a cent there... hence, a BOYCOTT. Every day I'm there, for FREE, Universal... LOSES... MONEY! Even the loss of revenue from one guest is good enough for me.

As for Disney obsessed... hardly. Disney fan, Disney admirer, Disney regular... definitely. But I don't own every movie, rarely spend a cent on souvenirs, don't do Disney character voices well, and have gone for months at a time without setting foot in their parks.

Again, this whole shooting thing will happen anywhere you have a large group of unsavory people....because Universal is within the city where that type of person is, you will have more of a chance of it happening there.

Or is it because Universal also happens to GIVE AWAY tickets to those who could not normally afford them. Way to cheapen your Brand, Bob Gault!

It does happen at disney, but seeing that most of those people cant afford to go disney let alone hang out

1 day-1 park pass, the staple of the theme park industry.. Universal Orlando has the MOST EXPENSIVE ONE! Parking, same price.. fine. Food, Universals is... MORE EXPENSIVE! Merchandise... similarly priced.. fine.

So when Universal has two things more expensive than Disney and two things similarly priced, that means... UNIVERSAL IS MORE EXPENSIVE! My god, I must be Sherlock freakin' Holmes to be able to deduce that.

Don't even get me started on my preference towards Disney Cast Members over my 11,000+ fellow Universal Orlando Team Members... strictly on a service standpoint.... or countless other things that I think makes WDW Superior, but Universal a fun, but whimsical alternative.

 

[mkt]

Thier potential?

:lookaroun

oh, so you're like Universals D-Troops?

 

[T-1MILLION]

Erik you're giving IoaCentral a bad name around here !
I strongly recommend creating a new user name that doesn't inflict damage on the image of IoaCentral. In all honesty I don't think that David and Nick would appreciate you're doings on this site. :wave:

We have a team of Freedom Fighters on this site that keep peace on most bothersome topics. We need all the help we can get on the Dis :lol:

Hey. That is a pretty rude statement to make to a guy who has done a lot for ioacentral. Not only does he contribute to the site as a member by posting great ideas and helping others to all parks, Universal, Disney, Busch..ect..ect. He also has formed many projects and some I have worked very closely with him on. With all of the things that he has done like organizing and working with other theme park nuts to meet up(myself included) at Give Kids the world Village and help out just for the fun of putting smiles on faces and then the foundation that I helped(bragging a bit sorry) form With Erik (who was the brains of the operation) called Coasting for kids. Check out the coasting for kids myspace http://myspace.com/coastingforkids

Coasting for kids has helped raise over Three-Thousand dollars for the Central Florida Chapter for the Make a wish Foundation. It was a fun charity event that put our hobbies of theme parks and fun to good use. As a perk we got to ride a coaster for almost four hours straight.

With all this he has always mentioned the site we all met on Ioacentral.com A site designed originally for universal but we are diverse and have a full Disney section for each park on the forums as well as many other theme park destinations.

So let me ask you. What have you done to show good will at ioacentral.com or any site that you are involved with? (including wdwmagic.com)


That is a pretty rude and bold statement to make that someone is not giving a site a good name, when they give so much back to it. Not to mention the podcast he has put together and has already had so many Coporate higher-ups on as guests.

How could his username even put a bad image on the site anyway? It is his creation(the podcast)


Sorry for being so off topic. I just do not get why some people can not see that all theme parks are just fun in their own right and they all have their pros and cons.

 

[PeecahSmoocher]

Well, the results are out - Orlando is now officially the 25th most dangerous city in the United States. Wow - I'm so proud to live in (well, really close by, anyway) a city with such a prestigious ranking. Check out Fox news online to confirm if you'd like. Also heard it on the radio this morning. And, to top it off, Orlando is the most dangerous city in Florida an a per-capita basis. So maybe we shouldn't blame UO - maybe we should blame the pathetic excuse for a sherriff that's located in wonderful Orange County, Florida.

 

[mkt]

ah... good ole Kevin Beary. One of the last remaining good ole' boys in Florida law enforcement.

He needs out

 

[kcnole]

Epcot was the first park to ever serve alcohol, it was a really big deal when it happened. The Magic Kingdom never has, and never will serve alcohol to the public. There are private parties where it happens, but not publically available to the guests.

The only time I've ever seen a problem with booze at Universal is during HHN. During normal day to day operations it's not any worse than being in Epcot. Granted I've never been at Citywalk at 2 in the morning, I'm asleep for several hours by then, but I've never felt unsafe at citywalk or in the garages.

I have a problem with the amount of liquor sold during HHN. I understand it makes a huge profit which is something Universal desperately needs, but I don't like it in a family theme park. As to Universal being the most expensive theme park, that's hogwash. They're about equal to Disney when you compare all tickets across the board. In some areas they're much cheaper (For instance I got two years of annual pass admittance to Universal for only 180. That won't ever happen at Disney and I get a ton of discounts with my ap there that I won't get at Disney.)

I'm so sick and tired of the Universal sucks comments on this site and the Disney sucks comments on Universal sites. Both resorts have some amazing things to offer and both have some problems. Universal is having some financial struggles due to Disney squeezing them out of the market with their magic your way packages now. I can't blame Disney for doing it, but it's hard for Universal to compete now since they don't have the sheer magnitude of parks that Disney does. The two that they do have hold up against the Disney parks fairly well, but as an overall resort Disney wins on quantity of entertainment and are easily capable of keeping people onsite for 7 days which Universal can't do.

I truly hope to see Universal begin to pick up a bit. I love their two parks but they need some more investment into them. If I was a billionaire, I'd do some sort of joint venture with them to pump a great deal of money into them. When given that money they come up with some amazing and innovative rides that beat out Disney (IE Spiderman and The Mummy), but they just don't have enough of it to go around.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Orlando is a quiet back water when compared to Glasgow. It earned the nick name "No mean city" in the 50s and today proudly boasts the highest murder rate per head of poulation world wide (excluding of course those on war footings) It is also a place where in parts males have a life expectancy of less than 55 (and thats not violence related).

And of course being Scottish most of the murders are non gun crime but gold old fashioned blades.

Poo happens at any place at any time, its just more newsworthy if the location has a public profile

 

[mkt]

Epcot was the first park to ever serve alcohol, it was a really big deal when it happened. The Magic Kingdom never has, and never will serve alcohol to the public. There are private parties where it happens, but not publically available to the guests.

The only time I've ever seen a problem with booze at Universal is during HHN. During normal day to day operations it's not any worse than being in Epcot. Granted I've never been at Citywalk at 2 in the morning, I'm asleep for several hours by then, but I've never felt unsafe at citywalk or in the garages.

I have a problem with the amount of liquor sold during HHN. I understand it makes a huge profit which is something Universal desperately needs, but I don't like it in a family theme park. As to Universal being the most expensive theme park, that's hogwash. They're about equal to Disney when you compare all tickets across the board. In some areas they're much cheaper (For instance I got two years of annual pass admittance to Universal for only 180. That won't ever happen at Disney and I get a ton of discounts with my ap there that I won't get at Disney.)

I'm so sick and tired of the Universal sucks comments on this site and the Disney sucks comments on Universal sites. Both resorts have some amazing things to offer and both have some problems. Universal is having some financial struggles due to Disney squeezing them out of the market with their magic your way packages now. I can't blame Disney for doing it, but it's hard for Universal to compete now since they don't have the sheer magnitude of parks that Disney does. The two that they do have hold up against the Disney parks fairly well, but as an overall resort Disney wins on quantity of entertainment and are easily capable of keeping people onsite for 7 days which Universal can't do.

I truly hope to see Universal begin to pick up a bit. I love their two parks but they need some more investment into them. If I was a billionaire, I'd do some sort of joint venture with them to pump a great deal of money into them. When given that money they come up with some amazing and innovative rides that beat out Disney (IE Spiderman and The Mummy), but they just don't have enough of it to go around.

Thank you.

One point... Universal's regular priced 1-day, 1-park pass is the most expensive in Orlando, but they discount it so much that it can be the cheapest.

Second point... a soft drink, with my employee discount, anywhere in Universal costs more than the same sized, regular priced soft drink anywhere in WDW.

 

[DigitalDisney]

Food is definitely more expensive at USO. For example, a large pop at USO is close to (or even over) $3.00, but the same exact drink is appx $2.30 at WDW. I remember other food being more expensive at USO, but I can't cite any examples or prices. The quality was also different between the two companies as well.

It doesn't cost too much more per person to go to USO, but it adds up real quick when feeding a family. I'm honestly surprised that USO hasn't cut the cost of everything (and promote the hell out of it) in order to undercut the competition. Even if ticket prices didn't change that much, dropping food/drink/snack prices in half would be a significant improvement. It might even result in more income overall.

I will admit that the one thing USO does good (price-wise) is their ticket prices. The 2 park 2 year pass for $180 is a hell of a good deal for the consumer.

 

[JROK]

Thank you.

One point... Universal's regular priced 1-day, 1-park pass is the most expensive in Orlando, but they discount it so much that it can be the cheapest.

Second point... a soft drink, with my employee discount, anywhere in Universal costs more than the same sized, regular priced soft drink anywhere in WDW.

Since when was an $0.80 soda with unlimited refills at the Grill the same as buying a $2 soda at Disney? You said anywhere in Universal!!

 

[pheneix]

Since when was an $0.80 soda with unlimited refills at the Grill the same as buying a $2 soda at Disney?

Not that the guest will ever see that...

With our employee discount a bottled soda inside the park really is about the same price as the exact same soda at full price inside WDW. True, an employee can just go backstage and get the same thing at the fountain for much less, but if you really think about it, these theme parks only have $ .08 in a fountain soda anyway. Selling us goods at cost my ______.

 

[kcnole]

I do feel nickle and dimed from time to time at Universal. For instance, I can park at the parking garages for free with my AP, yet if I decide to stay on Universal property which should grant them even more money from me since I'll be doing most of my eating all the time on property I get charged 12 dollars a day to park at the hotel. That's silly and something that could really make me feel even more valued as a hotel guest. I'd stay onsite more often if I could cut the parking expense, that can get up over 50 dollars very easily.

I can understand why they do it. They're struggling to make a profit right now at Universal so those nickles and dimes have a tendency to add up fairly quickly and help them turn a profit. I think they'd do better to find a way to get more heads through the door at a slightly lower price, but that's just my non business degree major talking. I'm sure there have been financial geeks running around with spreadsheets calculating all types of scenarios and right now they feel this is their best way to turn a profit. And in the end I do want them to turn a profit, and a good one, because when they do that they have more money to put back into the parks in the way of new attractions, better maintenance, and more janitorial staff, etc....

 

[pheneix]

The parking fee at the hotels is charged by Loews, the owner and operator of the resorts. Aside from a partial ownership and a lease, Universal has little to do with the resorts on its property, which is why they are operated to a much higher standard of service and cleanliness than the parks themselves.

I'm sure there have been financial geeks running around with spreadsheets calculating all types of scenarios and right now they feel this is their best way to turn a profit.

I think that if Universal built better rides to attract more people that would be a good place to start. Let's face it, aside from Shrek there is nothing driving guests through the turnstyles at that resort right now. That's a serious problem.