Universal Kids Resort - Frisco, Texas

[Evan]

The park is being destroyed on TikTok.

They have already lost control of the conversation.

Other parks are making funny remarks online (like Universal has done before), Knott’s will probably make fun of it at their Haunt this year, at this point.

The train has taken off and left the station.

 

[Mr_Pendington]

Now the question is if this park and Horror Unleashed should have been built in the first place.

I keep hearing talk of Horror Unleashed being bad/a failure... what happened with it?

 

[themeparktribune]

The talk has been getting out of hand, with some folk leaving nuance completely out of it; and even a few going after a reporter's kid’s opinion.

Of course making personal insults towards the opinion of a child is terrible, unnecessary and no one should be doing it or condoning it.

To be honest, here, Brian, to me, you're coming close to engaging in ad hominem attacks that sounds like you're suggesting anyone without kids isn't allowed to be critical of this. That isn't cool either:

Just like the opinions of kids on this park are totally valid, no one's negative opinion here should be dismissed on some basis of "Oh, well, you're a childless adult and you weren't going to come anyway."

And like others here have pointed out, a lot of defense we're seeing about this park is not on its merits, it's trying to police who deserves to offer their opinion. That's interesting.

 

[Andysol]

Just like the opinions of kids on this park are totally valid, no one's negative opinion here should be dismissed on some basis of "Oh, well, you're a childless adult and you weren't going to come anyway."

And like others here have pointed out, a lot of defense we're seeing about this park is not on its merits, it's trying to police who deserves to offer their opinion.

It’s not that their opinions should be invalidated, it’s that it ultimately doesn’t matter.

The only opinion that matters on the success or failure of this park is: locals who have age appropriate children or grandchildren.

That’s it.

There can be secondary opinions that are also weighted more internally by universal- like what their brand reputation is (though like I’ve said earlier- no one will talk about this park except locals in 10 days- it’ll be the same 5 posters that were in here the entirety of the construction that no one cared about either).

But I actually think universal cares much more about the opinion of a parent in Park City Utah where they may be looking to add another one of these parks vs the opinion of a childless adult in Boston. Opinions do have different merits and weights to them. That’s the reality.

 

[pumpkinbot343]

I keep hearing talk of Horror Unleashed being bad/a failure... what happened with it?

I’m not sure about the reception of Horror Unleashed, but I don’t think it’s a failure in terms of how well-received by the guests per se, it’s more that if it was the right idea to build it in the first place. Likewise if Universal really needed to build a cheap kids park.

 

[Brian G.]

Of course making personal insults towards the opinion of a child is terrible, unnecessary and no one should be doing it or condoning it.

To be honest, here, Brian, to me, you're coming close to engaging in ad hominem attacks that sounds like you're suggesting anyone without kids isn't allowed to be critical of this. That isn't cool either:

Just like the opinions of kids on this park are totally valid, no one's negative opinion here should be dismissed on some basis of "Oh, well, you're a childless adult and you weren't going to come anyway."

And like others here have pointed out, a lot of defense we're seeing about this park is not on its merits, it's trying to police who deserves to offer their opinion. That's interesting.

I think you may have misinterpreted what I meant.

I wasn't arguing that people without kids aren't allowed to criticize the park, nor was I suggesting their opinions don't matter. I mean, this whole thread is full of people who don't, and we've been having conversations in good faith, so to suggest it as an ad hominem attack is, frankly, a little insulting.

My point was that some of the strongest negative reactions seem to be coming from people who were never interested in going. That was my criticism of the discussion, not of the opinions themselves.

There are plenty of valid criticisms of the park but I also think it's reasonable to consider how the intended audience is responding to the Resort. If someone was never interested in visiting regardless of what Universal built, they're probably not the best barometer for whether the concept works for the families it was actually designed to serve.

 

[AustinT]

The train has taken off and left the station.

Yeah, I don't envy anyone on their PR team right now.

I hope this teaches them not to skimp on budget for theming in the future. With just a couple million more, much of this could have been avoided with some colored concrete, murals or wraps on various plain surfaces, more shade, more plants & a few more static props/figures throughout all still while adhering to this apparent 'no indoor rides' rule.

Even if people live far away, or don't have kids and never planned to visit anyway, the park should still have been up to par with Legoland and Peppa Pig park locations since that's their main comps. Even as a low budget regional park, it's still from one of the biggest two players in the game. Attractions these days rely so heavily on how they appear in social media to drive interest. Even if the majority of the criticism dies down over the next few months, the pics of unfinished lands and areas that simply do not look show ready will live on forever and be used in Disney vs. Universal debates.

 

[Andysol]

all still while adhering to this apparent 'no indoor rides' rule

For the dozenth time. There never was a no indoor ride or no dark ride rule.

Universal alone chose not to build one.

 

[PurpleFrog]

I hope this teaches them not to skimp on budget for theming in the future. With just a couple million more, much of this could have been avoided with some colored concrete, murals or wraps on various plain surfaces, more shade, more plants & a few more static props/figures throughout

The fact that this is all fairly easy to improve on, even after park open, is giving me some hope as a local. Maybe not the fully colored concrete but paint, wraps, more foliage, and more figures could all be added during their seasonal closures. I think coloring or painting the water ride would help the most, since it’s very much in the center of things and is sort of the “headliner”.

 

[AustinT]

For the dozenth time. There never was a no indoor ride or no dark ride rule.

I didn't think it made any sense but I kept seeing people post snippets of things from local government officials and other documents. So people must have been repeating this from somewhere

Edit- after a quick search I've found a post from the Frisco mayor Here where he mentions "no dark rides". Maybe that's one of the reasons this thing keeps getting brought up all over. No idea.

 

[themeparktribune]

It’s not that their opinions should be invalidated, it’s that it ultimately doesn’t matter.

The only opinion that matters on the success or failure of this park is: locals who have age appropriate children or grandchildren.

That’s it.

You….don’t see how that’s another example of not engaging with negative criticisms on their merits? You’re waving off any critiques from a whole bunch of children, even further narrowing it down to only locals, unless they meet all these criteria for their opinion to matter.

 

[mccgavin]

You….don’t see how that’s another example of not engaging with negative criticisms on their merits? You’re waving off any critiques from a whole bunch of people, even further narrowing down the acceptable group to only locals, unless they meet all these criteria for their opinion to matter.

Again, I find that tactic from the defenders of the park very interesting.

Critique all you want, but just realize that we are in a bubble here. Those of us who are far removed from the intended target demographic will have little sway over whether this park succeeds or fails.

 

[Andysol]

You….don’t see how that’s another example of not engaging with negative criticisms on their merits? You’re waving off any critiques from a whole bunch of children, even further narrowing it down to only locals, unless they meet all these criteria for their opinion to matter.

I specifically mentioned regarding the success.

I said “The only opinion that matters on the success or failure of this park is: locals who have age appropriate children or grandchildren.”

Am I wrong?

I think universal should have had a wrapping all around the minions raft ride and I think the landscaping should have been much more foliage vs the rocks we got. I’ll note they had some serious delays there with the water as seen from the overhead so I’m guessing the landscaping was thrown together last minute as it was torn up even the week before the media preview.

And I think universal should have had different colored concrete. Most egregiously in the shrek swamp splash area- I think that’s embarrassing.

Small things like that go a long way on having the park “feel” better subconsciously and be more immersive even if the average guest isn’t able to express specifically what wasn’t themed well.

But I also think neither of those are going to matter to a local parent who can get a $120 AP when their kid is running around getting wet and screaming having the time of their life. That opinion is significantly more important than mine. Turns out, some opinions do matter more. Way more, in fact.

 

[quinnmac000]

I understand the frustration regarding this park but I believe some things were thought about a lot so i want to start with some positive considerations.

I think the hotel itself was were Universal did a good job. Many children love color so having all those colors in the halls and the walls is fantastic. It gives me kid version of W hotels. This obviously doesn't mean there are flaws but generally speaking, it works for the audience who loves Gabby's Dollhouse and more.

For the park itself, I wonder if Universal decided to do certain things to hep those with sensory disadvantages to ensure they don't get overstimulated by removing the saturation of color everywhere. In a hotel room you can control a lot but outdoors in public you can't so maybe that's why there is pavement is missing color and more. The thought process of everything being visible to the children makes sense as it takes away a fear from a lot of young ones when they know what is going to happen. That's part of why many don't like the dark because its the unknown. So I'm happy they considered that as well but i think that is also part of the hardships this park will face.

The issue here for me is I think the creative team despite how talented they are don't really understand children's entertainment well. Universal has one of the best theme park playgrounds created with Camp Jurassic however when it comes to taking lessons from that space they seem to not take anything from it. Its one of my issues as well with DreamWorks land as well. Its like they are trying to apply modern and minimalist design with theme park and you end up with a large amount of negative space which just doesn't work in a theme park environment. It just makes it look barren and empty which also damages the appeal from the hotel rooms.

Because of the fact everything is out in the open, there is some damaging long term aspects. Theme parks are a great way for children to develop. its not just about having fun but it forces children to adapt to a lot more situations. How do I handle fear? How do I handle having to wait for this amount of time? How can i get from here to this point i want go to. I really want to do this so how do I advocate for myself so i can do this?

The issue is I think there will be less of a sense of accomplishment for a lot of children as there is no real hidden exploration or discovery. There are no surprises so what they are expecting is what they are getting which doesn't hit that sense of satisfaction for them. Which is why...I believe this park will have more kids on the tablets walking around than actually enjoying this park. Looking at this now, I truly believe they should've swapped Horrors Unleashed and this. Horrors Unleashed should've been an outdoor night time experience whereas Universal Kids Resort being indoors would have allowed the creatives to be able to a lot more for a lot less with the benefits of lights, scents, and more.

This should've been Universal's version of KidZania with rides. But this is giving me PokePark Kanto with less landscaping.

 

[Grabnar]

Honestly the biggest thing that strikes me as someone who has lived in TX their whole life- this park is going to be hotter than the devil’s mistress in August. It’s going to be horrendous. People complained about EU’s heat but this is going to legitimately burn children. It’s unbearable outdoors with shade, and I’m not seeing a lot of that here.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Like Brian and Andysol said - really all that will matter in the end is the opinion of families.

Am I going to load myself, my wife and my 5 year old son on a plane to fly to Texas for this park? Absolutely not

If an exact replica of this park opened here in Pennsylvania or within a 2 hour or so drive, would I take the family? Without question, yes I would

 

[Disneyhead]

They need to roll out a ton of umbrella tables before Joe Sixpack and his lovely family arrives.

 

[Alicia]

All dramatic DisTwitter discourse aside, my actual thoughts watching all the coverage was this looks like something I’d actually take my family to for one or maybe even two days with a hotel stay overnight, because

A. Lots of age appropriate rides my daughter would actually like
B. Recognizable IPs and characters that not only she knows but I and my wife enjoy as well
C. Food and drinks I’D ACTUALLY want, (and when you’ve seen some of the food quality—and prices at regional parks—or even Legoland—they make Universal Kids look like affordable gourmet offerings).

BUT, I also see a couple reasons why I would not want to visit:

A. Namely, lack of indoor spaces to hide that aren’t just dining
B. Apparent lack of shaded spaces that aren’t ride queues
C. Having to travel to Texas, lol

I’m not going to sit here and say the park NEEDS an indoor dark ride. Most of the ones from Legoland were their worst offerings, so I imagine it would be a similar story here. Low budgets make for terrible dark rides.

The rides they do have at Universal Kids are customized with specially designed RVs and theming, so despite being “off-the-shelf” it’s not like the park looks like a carnival in a parking lot or anything. It’s a step above that.

But I mean, Toy Story Land is extremely well themed too but I still hate walking into it because it feels like my body is bursting into flames.

And while my kid might love the rides, I’m not gonna love the sun. So it’s easy to poke fun.

 

[Andysol]

Honestly the biggest thing that strikes me as someone who has lived in TX their whole life- this park is going to be hotter than the devil’s mistress in August. It’s going to be horrendous. People complained about EU’s heat but this is going to legitimately burn children. It’s unbearable outdoors with shade, and I’m not seeing a lot of that here.

And while my kid might love the rides, I’m not gonna love the sun. So it’s easy to poke fun.

And it’s not even about the kids in the sun. This park is almost a quasi-water park. Most kids insanely don’t care about the heat anyway, but even the kids who do care will be cooled off constantly with the splash areas and rides.

It’s the parents that they need to make sure don’t scald. Now the hyper-involved, get in the water with your kids parents won’t have as much of an issue. But that will be a small minority. Most will watch from afar. And if they’re miserably hot, it’ll be a short day without a repeat visit until the winter (if ever).

 

[Brian G.]

FIgured I'd offer a break with some photos.