Springfield

[William]

It's pretty amazing how fleshed out Springfield has become now. You can finally make the outlines of all the structures, including Krusty Burger, Moe's, Cletus' Chicken Shack, the Aztec Theater, and more.

 

[Chris]

Truth is, its just a restaurant venue.  It will take some time for the inside to be completed.  I'd say we are on track for Feb/March.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I'm gonna give it a chance and hope I find some food that I'd like from there that isn't generic fast food...

 

[William]

I still find it insanely weird that we are getting a larger Springfield than Florida's, let alone Springfield at all. As soon as it opens, you guys can definitely find me in there for countless hours throughout the day.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Funny...our Springfield + Despicable Me will be better than in Florida.

And arguably our Hogsmeade is better because we won't have two giant steel coasters visible from the land!

 

[Chris]

Some can say that our Hogsmead will be inferior because of fewer attractions, but I feel that Dragon's Challenge has been disgraced with the no dueling adjustment.  They should just remove it and expand more Potter in Orlando...

Hmm...

 

[Bonkers]

I feel that Dragon's Challenge has been disgraced with the no dueling adjustment.  They should just remove it and expand more Potter in Orlando...

Hmm...

Let's not forget they removed that awesome facade and the great queue.

Honestly I'd rather lose Dragon Challenge instead of The Lost Continent for more Potter.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I agree. It's just not the same coaster anymore, and while I'm sure it's fun, it's a horrible eyesore, and I feel like something better can replace it. They'll probably never remove it though...

 

[Jon Fu]

^ I didn't really notice it on my last visit. It's not at all obtrusive, and it's a fairly decent coaster without the dueling aspect.

 

[William]

It never has a long wait time, though. The longest I've seen it at was 20 minutes, 5-10 minutes on average.

 

[Jon Fu]

^ Even then, I don't think it's harming the integrity of Wizarding World. I'm not sure if it's worth the expense of moving it since it blends nicely with the rest of the land.


I don't count Dragon Challenge as an insignificant attraction that should be removed without serious thought.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I'd enjoy it more if the actual coaster and coaster cars and dragons actually resembled the Dragons they were named after. I just still see and feel Fire and Ice. They need to repaint the track and redo the fiberglass bodies of the coaster cars to make them look like a Hungarian Horntail and Chinese Fireball.

 

[Jon Fu]

I think the coaster looks fine, but what do I know...


They did enough retheming to make it match with the rest of the land, including some significant modifications to the queue. It's not like they slapped a new name on it and called it a day.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I think the coaster looks fine, but what do I know...

They did enough retheming to make it match with the rest of the land.

They rethemed the queue. That's it. Beyond that, they were ridiculously lazy with Dragon Challenge, and I would support keeping the dual coasters if they actually repainted them and made new Dragon shells/ride vehicles that actually looked like the Dragons from the movies, especially the iconic Hungarian Horntail dragon.

THAT has always been my biggest issue. Yeah, they "technically" look fine, but they are very out of place because they aren't themed to the name...would be a simple fix that Universal can afford. Just newly designed fiberglass bodies for the trains.

With the actual ride vehicles, they quite literally slapped on a name and called it a day.

To give you an example, it's like Universal keeping the old Unicorn looking trains while calling them Hippogriffs. Exact same thing. The ride is fine, they just need to repaint the tracks and make new vehicle skins/bodies.

 

[Jon Fu]

THAT has always been my biggest issue. Yeah, they "technically" look fine, but they are very out of place because they aren't themed to the name...would be a simple fix that Universal can afford. Just newly designed fiberglass bodies for the trains.


With the actual ride vehicles, they quite literally slapped on a name and called it a day.

That's your opinion and I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.


It's not about being lazy, and it's all about budgeting and being pragmatic about where to invest to receive a tangible advancement in the guest experience. While you and other diehard fans may notice Dragon Challenge, I'm willing to bet most of the general public won't. To them, this is simply an extension of the Wizarding World.


It's not that Universal isn't willing to invest to please fans like ourselves (those who have visited Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade will attest to this), but it's entirely based on the notion that budgets need to be met and compromises need to be made. No attraction in existence has ever gone through blue-sky to production without some sort of compromise. Does it lesson the experience overall? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But I don't think Dragon Challenge is a huge issue in the grand scheme of things. They obviously had more important aspects to invest in and Universal made their decision accordingly. Based on the reaction of guests and fans, Universal obviously made the right choices.


Again, while it's always nice to think "what if", it's also important to think about the realistic constraints associated with a large project like Potter.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I'll respectfully disagree right back. The mentality that the "general public won't notice" is a very bad mentality. That's how projects like DCA 1.0 and other low quality additions/overlays get made. Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are ridiculously over the top themed from almost every corner, and Potter fans are very nitpicky.

It's very realistic to change Dragon Challenge cosmetically, ESPECIALLY now with how financially successful both lands are. If they changed Unicorn into Hippogriff, why not make the Dragons more accurate, especially since the Hungarian Horntail is already present in Forbidden Journey in its correct form.

I personally think it's a big issue, and might not be a big issue to you because you aren't a Potter fanatic. It just bothers me that with all the attention to detail put everywhere, that they couldn't change the cars themselves. I'm sure back then they had to make budget cuts. But I'm talking about now/the future. With the direction Comcast is moving to, I think they should upgrade Dragon Challenge esthetically.

 

[Jon Fu]

I'll respectfully disagree right back. The mentality that the "general public won't notice" is a very bad mentality. That's how projects like DCA 1.0 and other low quality additions/overlays get made. Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are ridiculously over the top themed from almost every corner, and Potter fans are very nitpicky.

Hold on now - there's a difference between the first iteration of Disney California Adventure and Hogsmeade/Diagon Alley. You simply cannot compare the two. Guests responded accordingly to the debut of California Adventure, and the park's attendance reflected the perceived lack of quality. Guest reaction to Hogsmeade has been anything but tepid, and guests and theme park fans alike have praised the attention to detail given to both lands.


I don't understand how comparing the two in any fashion furthers your argument, let alone counters my point that we need to account for diminishing returns when we nitpick every single painstaking detail about a theme park experience.

It's very realistic to change Dragon Challenge cosmetically, ESPECIALLY now with how financially successful both lands are. If they changed Unicorn into Hippogriff, why not make the Dragons more accurate, especially since the Hungarian Horntail is already present in Forbidden Journey in its correct form.


I personally think it's a big issue, and might not be a big issue to you because you aren't a Potter fanatic. It just bothers me that with all the attention to detail put everywhere, that they couldn't change the cars themselves. I'm sure back then they had to make budget cuts. But I'm talking about now/the future. With the direction Comcast is moving to, I think they should upgrade Dragon Challenge esthetically.

At what point does continued investment become a fool's errand? Sure, you can be obsessive, but do new skins really impact the guest experience? The entire attraction is themed exceedingly well, and my personal interactions with the ride and the queue tells me that the attraction is still first rate.


There's a high bar to be set for themed experiences and California Adventure - by all accounts - fell short of that bar, while Potter exceeded it in spades. You can't compare the two and equate Dragon Challenge to the shoddy quality of DCA 1.0. Not every flaw needs to be overblown, and there's a level of importance that needs to be factored in when you make your critique.


Would it be nice if Dragon Challenge was completely rethemed? Sure - no doubt about it. Does its current state really deter from Hogsmeade? Nope, not really.

 

[Allen The Actor]

*sigh* again, the design of the Dragons and colors of Dragon Challenge with the names the two different sides have make absolutely zero sense in the Potter universe, both visually and name wise. It's very out of place. That's all I'm saying. It might look fine to you, but thematically, it'll suck in my eyes until they make the Hungarian Horntail side actually look like a Hungarian Horntail, etc...

Anyway, back to Springfield. It's funny how our Springfield is gonna be technically bigger and offer more dining, yet not offer a spinner. But I guess that doesn't matter as much because of Silly Swirly.

What I'm curious about is if we'll have room for the static props/statues that Orlando has, like Chief Wiggins police car, the Duff Gardens shrubbery, and different static characters.

 

[Jon Fu]

Some photos from today:


DSC04939 by InsideUniversal.net, on Flickr


DSC04944 by InsideUniversal.net, on Flickr


DSC04947 by InsideUniversal.net, on Flickr


DSC04943 by InsideUniversal.net, on Flickr

 

[Allen The Actor]

Woah it's shaping up fast!

Do you think we'll get that Springfield Hill backdrop behind the buildings like in the concept art?