Will IOA ever surpass a Disney park attendance wise?

[BryceM]

@SherlockWayne, while I disagree with most of your post, I do agree with one point you made; the sight lines. I can't help but cringe when I enter Jurassic Park through WWoHP and see Hogwarts castle behind the gates. Or when I go the opposite route through Jurassic Park and see the big, grey show building for Forbidden Journey. Then the Spider-Man show building looks atrocious when you walk through Toon Lagoon to Marvel Super Hero Island. The Spider-Man show building also looks bad when viewing Marvel Super Hero Island from The Lost Continent or WWoHP. Speaking of Marvel and Toon Lagoon, the transition between these two lands is really the Achilles heel of IOA. It's just a dead zone, with an unused theater and carnival games. I really despise it. Why do Disney and Universal insist on having carnival games in their parks? Ugh.

Islands of Adventure is still my favorite theme park, but the sight lines do irk me and I do wish some more family attractions would be added. I think Port of Entry is simply one of the best build ups/entrances to a theme park ever created and that the theming in Islands of Adventure is some of the best out there, even with the sight line issue.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

I sure hope that isn't true. Many a company have failed when they took that stance that they were untouchable by their competition.

How many of those companies had the resources and cash flow of Disney?

People give Eisner and Iger grief for reasons I have no clue, but the current success and future finance security is based off what those two men accomplished.

Jimmy Thick- Disney going bankrupt? Not in this generations lifetime.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

Andddd.... This is where I stopped reading. Sorry.

If you compare IOA to a Six Flags park, like say Great America in Ill, you would see they have a startling amount of similarities in terms of theming and overall quality. Make the same comparison to Disney World, any park, and you have no contest, Disney wins hands down. My personal belief is the Universal Studios park is light-years more immersive than IOA.

Jimmy Thick- Truth.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

Insiders have stated that the numbers were inflated for WDW...and that IOA has actually surpassed at least DHS this past year.

Insiders also stated Avatar is dead.

If any Disney park in Florida was surpassed in attendance, there would be substantiated proof and it would no doubt make news in the Florida papers, so I highly doubt that's the case. You're gonna need better proof than "insider" information, that's scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Jimmy Thick- Like seriously scraping.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

It would take a significant downturn in Disney Parks for this to happen, not an upturn in Universal. First, even with the Harry Potter additions I don't think Attendance for either park has even reached what Universal Studios got before IoA opened (8.9 million). Second, they just don't have room to expand anymore because of physical location. It's not a matter of not being competition because of quality, it's a matter of not having the physical resources to compete. They can't stay open later or perform late fireworks shows most of the year due to noise complaints. They are cut off from Disney. Lastly Disney sets operating parameters and makes money off a section of IoA, Marvel Island. So in reality it would be very difficult for them to compete with Disney. Even with all the upgrades they're always fighting an uphill battle, especially when the most of the changes consist of not actually adding rides to the park, but either subtracting a ride to add a ride or retheming an already existing attraction.

They just don't have the room.

Its why Disney will always have an upper hand, Disney controls what they can do and they can do what they want, Universal just can't compete with that, and in the long run, the Uni parks will suffer.

Jimmy Thick- And that will hurt attendance.

 

[BryceM]

If you compare IOA to a Six Flags park, like say Great America in Ill, you would see they have a startling amount of similarities in terms of theming and overall quality. Make the same comparison to Disney World, any park, and you have no contest, Disney wins hands down. My personal belief is the Universal Studios park is light-years more immersive than IOA.

Jimmy Thick- Truth.

I just don't see how a park with themed lands such as Port of Entry, Seuss Landing, The Lost Continent, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World, etc. can be compared to a Six Flags? Like really? Six Flags Great America is similar to Universal's Islands of Adventure?

Give. Me. A. Break.

 

[Darth Tater]

If IOA was ever gonna pass a Disney park, it would've been a few years ago when the sparkling brand new WWOHP was all the craze, and the stagnant parks of WDW had nothing more than fences & a dirt lot for a planned FLE.

Yet even then, when WWOHP was all the buzz, IOA still couldn't top the Idled-Yeti grounds of DAK or the unchanged DHS.

If it didn't happen then...it's not gonna happen at all.

 

[Darth Tater]

I just don't see how a park with themed lands such as Port of Entry, Seuss Landing, The Lost Continent, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World, etc. can be compared to a Six Flags? Like really? Six Flags Great America is similar to Universal's Islands of Adventure?

Agreed^
I've been to Six Flags. I've been to IOA. There is no comparison. IOA is a theme park which trumps any Six Flags in quality, detail, and ambience. To compare the two realistically would mean someone has not been to one or the other in person.

 

[BryceM]

Agreed^
I've been to Six Flags. I've been to IOA. There is no comparison. IOA is a theme park which trumps any Six Flags in quality, detail, and ambience. To compare the two realistically would mean someone has not been to one or the other in person.

That claim is just TOO ridiculous. It's fine if you don't like Islands of Adventure, but practically saying that it is a Six Flags? That's just dumb.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

Agreed^
I've been to Six Flags. I've been to IOA. There is no comparison. IOA is a theme park which trumps any Six Flags in quality, detail, and ambience. To compare the two realistically would mean someone has not been to one or the other in person.

I just don't see how a park with themed lands such as Port of Entry, Seuss Landing, The Lost Continent, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World, etc. can be compared to a Six Flags? Like really? Six Flags Great America is similar to Universal's Islands of Adventure?

Give. Me. A. Break.

Okay, I'm just getting mad and annoyed now, probably what good ole Jimmy wants. I'm done replying to this thread.

Definition of IMMERSION

: the act of immersing or the state of being immersed: as

a : baptism by complete submersion of the person in water

b : absorbing involvement <immersion in politics>

c : instruction based on extensive exposure to surroundings or conditions that are native or pertinent to the object of study; especially : foreign language instruction in which only the language being taught is used <learned French through immersion>



IOA, in my opinion, is comparable to my local Six Flags when it comes to total immersion. IOA is not a bad park, it just don't make me believe Iam away from the world, like my local Six Flags park.

Just because you don't feel the same, does not make it true for others.


Jimmy Thick- Universal Studios is the better park, in my opinion.

 

[Clyde]

Maybe not surpass it in attendance- just in excitement, innovation, comfort, relaxation, and value for your money. You know, if you like those things.

Imagine that.

 

[danlb_2000]

If IOA was ever gonna pass a Disney park, it would've been a few years ago when the sparkling brand new WWOHP was all the craze, and the stagnant parks of WDW had nothing more than fences & a dirt lot for a planned FLE.

Yet even then, when WWOHP was all the buzz, IOA still couldn't top the Idled-Yeti grounds of DAK or the unchanged DHS.

If it didn't happen then...it's not gonna happen at all.

This implies that that "craze" has worn off, but the 2012 numbers show that IOA held onto the entire attendance increase it got from the opening of WWoHP and added 4% more on top of it, which is the largest percent gain in attendance of any major park in the Orlando area. All indications are that WWoHP Phase 2 is going to be even more impressive then Phase 1 which may result in yet another big attendance bump, and it will be open long before any major new attractions open at WDW with the exception of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Insiders also stated Avatar is dead.

Nope. That was never declared by anybody with a reputation. It was expressed as an opinion based on developments at the time, but nobody said definitively the project was dead. That has mostly come from people such a yourself trying to rewrite history.

 

[Tom Morrow]

If you compare IOA to a Six Flags park, like say Great America in Ill

Sorry, been to both. No comparison, not even close. What little tidbits of theming Great America had at one point were obliterated and covered with tacky advertisements years ago by Six Flags.

You're pretty much the most annoying poster on this forum.

Tom Morrow - saying what everyone is thinking.

 

[SMS55]

Can't see it happening. Most people who come on vacation to central Florida come for Disney. While there some will visit Universal and many of the other attractions. Universal does have the market on the young adults but once those young adults become parents there attention focuses back to Disney. IOA is too adult themed. There isn't much to do there for kids. I wouldn't take my kids there although I would enjoy it because of all the coasters. I haven't been to Universal or IOA in years but I am intrigued because of the Transformers ride. Transformers were a big part of my childhood.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

Sorry, been to both. No comparison, not even close. What little tidbits of theming Great America had at one point were obliterated and covered with tacky advertisements years ago by Six Flags.

I was just at Great America last weekend, never felt I was at a theme park, just felt like I was at a place with some cool coasters and attractions. I feel the same way walking around IOA...

You're pretty much the most annoying poster on this forum.

Tom Morrow - saying what everyone is thinking.

Some people consider Jackson Pollack to be a important and influential artist, others think he was nothing but a guy who dripped paint on canvas.


Jimmy Thick- To each his own...But I'll continue to post here thank you very much.

 

[JT3000]

Agreed^
I've been to Six Flags. I've been to IOA. There is no comparison. IOA is a theme park which trumps any Six Flags in quality, detail, and ambience. To compare the two realistically would mean someone has not been to one or the other in person.

I doubt he's been to either.

Do we know for a fact he's even been to WDW for that matter? I have to ask, because his insight is roughly equivalent to my pet gerbil's. And I don't even own a gerbil.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Some people consider Jackson Pollack to be a important and influential artist, others think he was nothing but a guy who dripped paint on canvas.


Jimmy Thick- To each his own...But I'll continue to post here thank you very much.

All of his paintings combined don't have the artistic depth of one Jimmy post!


Jackson Pollock: But my name's spelled Pollock.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Sorry, been to both. No comparison, not even close. What little tidbits of theming Great America had at one point were obliterated and covered with tacky advertisements years ago by Six Flags.

You're pretty much the most annoying poster on this forum.

Tom Morrow - saying what everyone is thinking.

I think he's a great poster. Fun, outspoken, lively. He's picked a side and argues it.

Jackson Pollock: When's the last time you were bored in a Jimmy Thick thread?

 

[Tom Morrow]

Jimmy is either doing some form of elaborate trolling or has some delusional viewpoints. It's the smug "I'm the sane voice of reason and you're all idiots!" tone that makes it annoying.