Universal To Increase Spending By 25% in 2013

[Californian Elitist]

It looks a bit gimmicky to me. Doesn't look scary at all.

Now Lex Luthor, Superman and Goliath...

WHAT? The inversions on Full Throttle alone are enough to keep me from going near it. The backwards section just makes it worse.

I'd happily ride Superman and Goliath before this new coaster. Maybe Lex Luthor. Now X2 is another subject. I don't know which I'd rather ride.

 

[BryceM]

WHAT? The inversions on Full Throttle alone are enough to keep me from going near it. The backwards section just makes it worse.

I'd happily ride Superman and Goliath before this new coaster. Maybe Lex Luthor. Now X2 is another subject. I don't know which I'd rather ride.

Inversions don't phase me! It's drops... I have a love/hate relationship with them. The butterflies in my stomach used to bother me so much, but I think I've gotten over it, because every first drop doesn't seem to affect me in that way anymore. Sheikra I think was what broke that.

Waiting in line and getting on Sheikra was completely terrifying for me.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Inversions don't phase me! It's drops... I have a love/hate relationship with them. The butterflies in my stomach used to bother me so much, but I think I've gotten over it, because every first drop doesn't seem to affect me in that way anymore. Sheikra I think was what broke that.

Waiting in line and getting on Sheikra was completely terrifying for me.

I'm cool with inversions, too, but the ones on this new ride are just way too tall. Unnecessarily tall.

I can't stand drops either, although I'm warming up to them. I think I could do rides like Sheikra, but others... It's a for sure, no way. I've been on several rides where there are drops. They're starting to become easier to handle.

 

[BryceM]

I'm cool with inversions, too, but the ones on this new ride are just way too tall. Unnecessarily tall.

I can't stand drops either, although I'm warming up to them. I think I could do rides like Sheikra, but others... It's a for sure, no way. I've been on several rides where there are drops. They're starting to become easier to handle.

I'm going to SeaWorld Orlando next week (for the first time in like, ever) and I can't wait to do Kraken. Last time I went to SeaWorld I was waaaayyy too scared of Kraken because of that first drop. Drops did not used to be my friend...

You should have seen when my mom tricked me on Jurassic Park: River Adventure at Islands of Adventure when I was 7... *shudders*

 

[Californian Elitist]

I'm going to SeaWorld Orlando next week (for the first time in like, ever) and I can't wait to do Kraken. Last time I went to SeaWorld I was waaaayyy too scared of Kraken because of that first drop. Drops did not used to be my friend...

You should have seen when my mom tricked me on Jurassic Park: River Adventure at Islands of Adventure when I was 7... *shudders*

I haven't been to Sea World since the seventh grade. It'd be nice to go back.

Funny when parents can easily trick their kids into getting on rides. Messed up! Kraken looks to be fun.

 

[BryceM]

I haven't been to Sea World since the seventh grade. It'd be nice to go back.

Funny when parents can easily trick their kids into getting on rides. Messed up! Kraken looks to be fun.

So messed up. I can't even count how many rides I was tricked on to. Or swore I would never ride. I remember just seeing The Incredible Hulk and thinking, "I would rather die than ride that". But now, it's one of my favorite rides of all time!

So I take it you havent been to SeaWorld San Diego since they added Manta and Journey to Atlantis?

 

[Californian Elitist]

So messed up. I can't even count how many rides I was tricked on to. Or swore I would never ride. I remember just seeing The Incredible Hulk and thinking, "I would rather die than ride that". But now, it's one of my favorite rides of all time!

Have you been to SeaWorld San Diego since they added Manta and Journey to Atlantis?

Trust me, I know. Every time I worked Snow White, Pinocchio and Mr. Toad, I saw and heard a COUNTLESS amount of children screaming and crying, when they came off the ride. The parents know the rides are scary, and they tell them they're not. I remember this one kid, coming off of Snow White, was in so much shock and was screaming and crying so hard he couldn't breathe. It was terrible.

I'll be 21 in April, which means I must have been 13 when I last went to Sea World. I remember seeing Atlantis, but Manta wasn't there (I think that ride is fairly new). I didn't get to ride Atlantis. I was there, competing in dance. I only got to see a few things at the park. If San Diego wasn't so far away from Los Angeles, I'd visit Sea World more often. As you know, the theme parks in California aren't close, like they are in Florida. They're spread out, so visiting some of them can be hard.

 

[Hedwig's Keeper]

Have you been on Some of all Thrills at Epcot??? Those are KUKA arms and fun. I would say that the Epcot display isn't anything like FJ but it's cool laying out your track/ flight pan etc. Disney is well aware of the KUKA arms.

Raytheon developed the "Sum of All Thrills", not KUKA Robotics. Here is Raytheon's public release on SoAT: http://www.raytheon.com/responsibility/community/mmu/Initiatives/sum/index.html.

And here is one of the supporting patents for the KUKA arm technology that is currently exclusively licensed by Universal Studios: http://www.google.com/patents/EP128...ar4G-OG2gWV74HoBg&sqi=2&pjf=1&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg.

If you look at these two sources, you'll see that the Sum of All Thrills ride and the KUKA arm ride are two completely separate technologies created by two very different international engineering companies, one being Raytheon and the other KUKA Robotics, respectively.

 

[Absimilliard]

Raytheon developed the "Sum of All Thrills", not KUKA Robotics. Here is Raytheon's public release on SoAT: http://www.raytheon.com/responsibility/community/mmu/Initiatives/sum/index.html.

And here is one of the supporting patents for the KUKA arm technology that is currently exclusively licensed by Universal Studios: http://www.google.com/patents/EP1289616B1?cl=en&dq=kuka amusement ride&hl=en&sa=X&ei=S70lUar4G-OG2gWV74HoBg&sqi=2&pjf=1&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg.

If you look at these two sources, you'll see that the Sum of All Thrills ride and the KUKA arm ride are two completely separate technologies created by two very different international engineering companies, one being Raytheon and the other KUKA Robotics, respectively.

False. Sum of All Thrills is composed of 4 Kuka "Robocoaster". http://www.kuka-entertainment.com/en/company/references/ . Here is the company's reference list and Walt Disney is listed on there, as well as NBC Universal. The one innovation of Sum of All Thrills was the headgear over your head with the screen. Many other parks offer the possibility of designing your ride on a robocoaster and that was years before Disney did it.

What Universal got the license of was the Robocoaster on a track technology. The arms used for Forbidden Journey have 4 seats instead of 2, but have 2 less degrees of movements versus the classic Robocoaster.

Fun fact: Dynamic Structures out of Canada built the track that the Forbidden Journey arms ride on. They also did a lot of work for Disney, like the new Monorails at Disneyland, the two Soarin' erector sets and Space Mountain at Disneyland track for its 2005 refurb.

Edit: just found the press release from Kuka regarding Sum of All Thrills: http://www.kuka-entertainment.com/en/pressevents/news/NN_100311_Sum_of_all_Thrills.htm

 

[Hedwig's Keeper]

False. Sum of All Thrills is composed of 4 Kuka "Robocoaster". http://www.kuka-entertainment.com/en/company/references/ . Here is the company's reference list and Walt Disney is listed on there, as well as NBC Universal. The one innovation of Sum of All Thrills was the headgear over your head with the screen. Many other parks offer the possibility of designing your ride on a robocoaster and that was years before Disney did it.

What Universal got the license of was the Robocoaster on a track technology. The arms used for Forbidden Journey have 4 seats instead of 2, but have 2 less degrees of movements versus the classic Robocoaster.

Fun fact: Dynamic Structures out of Canada built the track that the Forbidden Journey arms ride on. They also did a lot of work for Disney, like the new Monorails at Disneyland, the two Soarin' erector sets and Space Mountain at Disneyland track for its 2005 refurb.

Edit: just found the press release from Kuka regarding Sum of All Thrills: http://www.kuka-entertainment.com/en/pressevents/news/NN_100311_Sum_of_all_Thrills.htm

My apologies to Corey P and Absimilliard. I was totally wrong. I had attended a Raytheon recruitment event and we were shown video of all these wonderful things that Raytheon has developed and one was the Sum of All Thrills and I even asked questions about it and Raytheon gave the impression that they had developed the entire technology by themselves. Apparently that's not true. Should have done my homework. Thanks for your info Absimilliard.

 

[cheezbat]

But how many are operating successfully on any one day?

On my last visit there only the one side of Colossus was closed. Everything else was running.
They've gotten much better about keeping things running.

 

[WildcatDen]

They should build a Disney park in Ohio!

Amen to that! As for my view on O-H-I-O being the coaster capital, that is why I put IMHO in my reply. Of course, when we talk Quality Coasters, I will stick with O-H-I-O! Looking forward to seeing what King's Island replaces Son of Beast with next year!

 

[WildcatDen]

Eh, aside from Cedar Point and Kings Island it's not the coaster Mecca everybody makes it out to be. I'd much rather go to Cali for coasters...with Knotts, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Disneyland, Great America, and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom...it has way more to offer.

And sorry CP fans, but SF Magic Mountain is the coaster Capital of the world...18 coasters!

How about if O-H-I-O is the "Coaster State" when looking at population (# of coaster per inhabitants??). Reaching, reaching. . . .

 

[cheezbat]

How about if O-H-I-O is the "Coaster State" when looking at population (# of coaster per inhabitants??). Reaching, reaching. . . .

Lol that's a good stretch....

Cedar Point is the ride capital of the world...
Magic Mountain is the coaster capital...
Magic Kingdom is the most attended...
Islands of Adventure is the most advanced...

They're all great places to visit though!