Wizarding World: A BIG Letdown!

[Rowdy]

Why is it ever time someone catches something you say that doesn't quite jive with something you said earlier, they're "putting words in your mouth"? Is it possible we're all crazy?

Oh, brother. Hard headed, aren't you? Do you even try to comprehend the things you read?

Using phrases such as...

one can only assume

you must think

means that you're fabricating something in your mind, that you ASSUMED that I meant. How do you argue with me about something that I never said? So yes, I would consider that as you putting words in my mouth.

I never said:
I was,

let down by Universal as a whole.

or I think that,

the theming of Jurassic Park, Marvel Island, and Seuss Landing is a let down

So, maybe you are crazy. It's not my place to determine that.

Lost Continient was.. Poseidon.. Suess Landing.. original dueling dragons.. jurrasic park.. just to name a few areas/attractions.

Again - the comment was in regards to theme.. and these things swell with it.

Well, I don't think any of those things are on the level of WWoHP. Poseidon, maybe around there. But a statue, a building, and some generic rock work is not the same as a town and a huge castle, in my opinion.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

To everyone so disappointed in Universal, please stop going in order to make the lines shorter for the rest of us. I did you the same favor with Disney World.

Sincerely.

 

[Martian Crab]

I'm not getting in anyone's way at potterland.

 

[bayoubelle]

With my history of motion sickness, I was worried about the Forbidden Journey but had no problem at all. It's a fantastic ride that even thrill sissies like me can ride.

As for the whole Universal/IOA is not themed beautifully-WHAT? Every "land" is fabulously detailed. I never could understand how anyone can make the claim. WDW is no more detailed than Uni is. These types of posts speak of bias, IMO, and that's fine as long as there is a disclaimer stating that bias. It really is terribly unfair to people new to either Uni or WDW who come to boards like these for information. They might read these posts and come to a wrong conclusion and not experience it for themselves.

 

[captainkidd]

As for the whole Universal/IOA is not themed beautifully-WHAT? Every "land" is fabulously detailed. I never could understand how anyone can make the claim. WDW is no more detailed than Uni is. These types of posts speak of bias, IMO, and that's fine as long as there is a disclaimer stating that bias. It really is terribly unfair to people new to either Uni or WDW who come to boards like these for information. They might read these posts and come to a wrong conclusion and not experience it for themselves.

Well, here's the thing. Islands is themed beautifully, but some of the rides simply aren't up to par with Disney in the theme department:

Splash Mountain and Rip Saw Falls
Kali River and Popeye's Raft ride (Popeye is 10x a better ride, but not nearly themed as well.)
Tower of Terror and Dr. Doom's Freefall

 

[BigThunderMatt]

Splash Mountain and Rip Saw Falls
Kali River and Popeye's Raft ride (Popeye is 10x a better ride, but not nearly themed as well.)
Tower of Terror and Dr. Doom's Freefall

This isn't necessarily fair simply because I can understand Ripsaw/Splash and Kali/Popeye, but ToT and Doom are two VERY different rides with two very different ride systems. Other than the fact that you drop, the rides are in no way similar.

ToT is a freefall ride that uses a patented ride system to propel the cars up and down via a mechanical car faster than gravity. Doom is a standard off-the-shelf S&S Space Shot that uses compressed air and pulleys to thrust you upwards.

 

[dmatt87]

I have motion sickness... Can I visit the Castle without actually doing the ride?

 

[unkadug]

I have motion sickness... Can I visit the Castle without actually doing the ride?

Yes

 

[celluloid]

This isn't necessarily fair simply because I can understand Ripsaw/Splash and Kali/Popeye, but ToT and Doom are two VERY different rides with two very different ride systems. Other than the fact that you drop, the rides are in no way similar.

ToT is a freefall ride that uses a patented ride system to propel the cars up and down via a mechanical car faster than gravity. Doom is a standard off-the-shelf S&S Space Shot that uses compressed air and pulleys to thrust you upwards.

Exactly. And Ripsaw Falls and Doctor Doom are not considered E-Tickets to the park where as at Magic Kingdom Splash and at DHS Tower ARE E Tickets.

The E Tickets at IOA would be Spiderman, Forbidden Journey and Probably Jurassic Park River Adventure under most opinions.

And considering the enviroments they are triyng to pull off I find Popeye to be better as both an attraction and the theming far superior to Kali. The only real thing I like about Kali is the aweosme queue. The ride is kind of lackluster until the final scene. The enviorment until then was fairly easy to pull off. Tons of planted nature, sound effects and geysers. Very short. Popeye has a great cartoony feel right down to the custom themed River Rapids boats to look like cartoon planking. There are also some animated props in the course of the ride and life size toon environments.

 

[NowInc]

I am a frequent Universale/IOA visitor (ap holder), and a huge HP fan, and although I enjoy the land, I do find parts of the experience a bit lackluster. Every time ive ridden journey, the screens seem very out of focus and really "detach" you from the experience. Now, I'm not sure if its a technical limitation due to the rides motion, or just a poor use of the "effect", but I see the new digital projection on spiderman and think that HP could use the same treatment ASAP.

Olivanders, good to do once..but they could have made the room a tad bigger to allow more people. I'm not suggesting 100 at a time, but I think they let in between 14-20 now, and even 5 more people would make a huge difference in the wait times.

Dragon challenge, always a "walk on" ride, and that walk is 15 minutes. The line is SUPER long (the original line for dueling dragons now with an added themed section). I fear that if the popularity of this ride doesn't pick up soon, it may get a bit ignored in the upgrade department.

Butterbeer is tasty, and also quite popular, so maybe move those big barrel vendors to the sides of the "street" to avoid that huge gathering of people clogging up the flow of the land.

The rest of the parks, I won't say under themed, but the rides (not all, mind you) could use a bit of a boost. Its hard to put my finger on it, but it seems that some parts of the parks just seem to not grab my attention at all. Suess landing is a great example. The land is themed nicely, but I think i've only walked THROUGH it the last few trips, instead of going on any of the attractions. Yes, its a land themed for kids, but so is fantasyland and I still go on at least 1 ride there each visit.

I'm not overly negative (I am an AP after all..If i HATED the parks I wouldnt even go), I just go enough to see things that bug me.