"Old School" Universal Orlando

[Skubersky]

Next time you to to USF go up to the dark room facade in Hollywood, you could tell that there used to be some sort of attraction in there. I think it was a photo place

Believe it or not, that wasn't an attraction, it was an actual camera & film developing shop. Remember film?
I used to get a great deal on 1-hour prints with my employee discount. Sigh...

 

[Jwhee]

Does anyone have any photos/videos of At&t At The Movies from when it was operating?

 

[koolaidbrainz]

I remember getting this shirt and a Jaws shirt as a kid. I must have worn out the Jaws one till it got destroyed in the wash. For some reason I have kept this one, and I have no plans on throwing it out.

[/URL][/IMG]

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[theuoleaker]

This thread brings me a huge smile. I still say the old style Universal Studios was always the best.

 

[Drew]

 

[Jwhee]

Here is a cool little fact- Most of the Shrek 4D employee pants are the old pants from the Enchanted Oak Tavern

 

[Milla4Prez66]

I wish Universal still sold some old school merchandise. They have a small amount of Jaws stuff at the shop by USF's exit but that is pretty much it. Not necessarily a whole store dedicated to old stuff, but a small little stand at the studios store would do. I'd buy a Kong plush if they still sold them.

This thread is awesome though, I missed out on most of the old school stuff this park offered and it is nice to get a feel of what the park once was. :thumbs:

 

[Thatguyoverwhere]

I agree, this thread is amazing- it brings back memories that I never even realized were memories and not just dreams I had as a toddler

 

[JokerMan0925]

The Goddard Group posted this awesome piece of concept art on their Facebook today:

This week's third CONCEPT ART THROWBACK is an especially unique one, depicting an epic nighttime stunt spectacular to have taken place on the central lagoon of UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA.

This piece was developed in the very beginning of the park's conceptual design stage in 1982. The show's climax was to have simulated a full-size airliner crash landing in the lagoon- a spectacular finale which was shelved after the helicopter crash tragedy on the set of Universal's "Twilight Zone" film later that year.

 

[craigt]

Well, they didn't. IOA did not part its gates Until 1999. It was part of an expansion project which included Citywalk. Also, the garages were constructed right when IOA was completed I believe...

The garages were completed long before IOA opened, my first visit was during Christmas '97 and they were open then....I can't remember how they ended though because Citywalk must have still been under construction. My next visit was just a couple of weeks after IoA opened (intentionally timed to coincide after seeing the construction as previews the first time).

I miss the original Dudley Drop.

I never knew they had changed that, any idea why?

A short video collage I made up from Google Earth with aerial views from 1995 to 2012

Just a shame there is nothing there from around the '97-'99 era, I would love to have seen some aerials of IoA under construction.

 

[Teebin]

I never knew they had changed that, any idea why

Tailbone problems... it was hurting some people to an extent.

 

[sjago13]

Tailbone problems... it was hurting some people to an extent.

I thought that was the reason for the restraints. I thought they reporfiled the slope because people felt like they wewere gunna flip due to the slope increasing the whole drop instead of just going steep fast like it does now.

 

[ThreePack Shagur]

I don't think the slope has been modified. You just don't feel the rise any more because of the restraints.

 

[Teebin]

I don't think the slope has been modified. You just don't feel the rise any more because of the restraints.

It was modified, completely ripped out and reinstalled for a more gentle fall. There are pictures.

New:

Old:

 

[MrRoamer]

I never knew that they redid the drop, I probably liked the old drop better but definitely like the new restraints they have now. I generally avoided it because of the seating setup they had before, too prone too injury.

 

[sjago13]

It was modified, completely ripped out and reinstalled for a more gentle fall. There are pictures.

OLD:

NEW:

You got them backwards. The pure yellow is old. They build up the blue on top so the drop is straight instead of a constantly increasing slope. The old one was so great because the constant slope increase gave the sensation that you were going to flip over since your body doesn't ever adjust to the new orientation.

 

[Teebin]

You got them backwards. The pure yellow is old. They build up the blue on top so the drop is straight instead of a constantly increasing slope. The old one was so great because the constant slope increase gave the sensation that you were going to flip over since your body doesn't ever adjust to the new orientation.

Thanks. All fixed. (I misread the website I yanked them from :doh

 

[ThreePack Shagur]

It was modified, completely ripped out and reinstalled for a more gentle fall. There are pictures.

Cool. Thanks for posting those - I personally haven't been able to fit on it since the new restraints were installed. Is this a more recent change?

This used to be my favorite ride when I would get an entire bench seat to myself, although I'll admit the one time my wife went with me her coccyx area was bruised after. She never went on it again and now both being over 6', probably never will.

How's the slope now? Kind of generic and less thrilling I imagine?

 

[SpyderDan]

The garages were completed long before IOA opened, my first visit was during Christmas '97 and they were open then....I can't remember how they ended though because Citywalk must have still been under construction. My next visit was just a couple of weeks after IoA opened (intentionally timed to coincide after seeing the construction as previews the first time).

You could see the construction from the parking garages but once you got to the main rotunda and outside, there were very high construction walls all the way down to the gate of Universal.

 

[Maurice2029]

anyone got any shots of the ghostbusters shop, its seems to be something thats only a distant memory to few. that and the universal shop and i believe Orlando airport, it had a huge jaws in the window and a terror dog statue inside

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovzhCA8Lp7c