Universal Studios Florida: What Do We Think About It?

[GA-MBIT]

As we saw from Euro Disney, there's the potential for international/non-related projects to indirectly impact budgets from other parks. When investing big, like Universal is doing, you can make a lot of money... or lose it all.

I'm not worried about European expansion (the demand is there) or the Frisco kid's park (as that is relatively cheap), but a concept like a year-round HHN attraction is questionable (Hollywood created multiple attempts and they never lasted more than a handful of years).

It does strain Universal Creative's ability to work on projects for USF, but I don't think Universal is interested in letting the parks stagnate... something the mouse loves to do. I'd imagine once Epic wraps up construction/theming later next year/early 2025, you'll start to see them really focus in on the current legacy parks again.

I can agree. I think EuroDisney was a perfect storm of bad decisions that I don't believe will follow UGB. Universal also doesn't have any Hong Kong's or Disney Studios-style stinkers under their belt dragging them down either. With just three parks, they are already doing pretty good with limited logistical concern compared to WDW, not even mentioning that Epcot was always designed to be supplemented with outside company/country dollars, which has caused it to stagnate hard. I don't think USF and the Orlando resort will have to deal with the stagnation issues that WDW has had recently cause of all of that.

 

[TheUniC6]

Pragmatic and logistical question: how much does the rapid expansion of Universal into other projects (Las Vegas, Texas, and now Great Britain) impact their ability to stay on the front foot with a park like USF?

We already know (or hope?) that they're waiting until after Epic Universe to do anything significant at the park, but is that an Orlando-area-resources factor (i.e. construction crew availability) or a top-down resources factor (i.e. budget set by the company at the corporate level for theme park expenditures overall)? If it's the latter, does the influx of new spending coming down the road for the rest of the decade necessarily restrict the kinds of things Universal can do at USF?

DISCLAIMER: I'm excited by all the ways in which Universal is expanding the reach of its parks across the country and around the world. I think it's necessary for the company to continue to grow as a premier, world-class enterprise. I just don't want this park to continue to be lost in the shuffle (as I would argue it has been, but your mileage may vary!).

Since UGB is rumored to have exclusive rides to that park, maybe they will clone the ride systems of those rides to USF with a different theme to maximize return on investment.

 

[Brian G.]

Pragmatic and logistical question: how much does the rapid expansion of Universal into other projects (Las Vegas, Texas, and now Great Britain) impact their ability to stay on the front foot with a park like USF?

We already know (or hope?) that they're waiting until after Epic Universe to do anything significant at the park, but is that an Orlando-area-resources factor (i.e. construction crew availability) or a top-down resources factor (i.e. budget set by the company at the corporate level for theme park expenditures overall)? If it's the latter, does the influx of new spending coming down the road for the rest of the decade necessarily restrict the kinds of things Universal can do at USF?

DISCLAIMER: I'm excited by all the ways in which Universal is expanding the reach of its parks across the country and around the world. I think it's necessary for the company to continue to grow as a premier, world-class enterprise. I just don't want this park to continue to be lost in the shuffle (as I would argue it has been, but your mileage may vary!).

Per the chatter I hear, I wouldn't worry about the stateside parks.

 

[RedButton]

I don’t want to downplay people’s concerns because there are definitely issues that need to be addressed. I get that more Minions wasn’t first on the list for many, F&F was a dud, and the Dreamworks overlay isn’t a brand new dark ride. I get that IOA has gotten a couple of incredible attractions the last few years. But I also think Universal knows Orlando is and will always be the priority (the epicenter of awesome, anyone?). I feel completely at ease over USF’s future and when they announce new lands/attractions here in the near future it will just be the cherry on top of an already good park for me.

 

[BatCom]

Not sure which thread to post this in, so choosing this one:

I just finished my first trip to UOR in 10 years and what stuck out to me was the huge inconsistency in recent attractions.

Hagrid and VelociCoaster were fantastic. But many other new-ish attractions, especially the recent additions to USF like Supercharged, Jimmy Fallon, Villian Con were straight up terrible. Don't mean to sound melodramatic, but Villian Con in particular was one of the worst attractions I've ever experienced at a major theme park. It really highlighted for me how IoA is a tremendously better park than USF these days.

I know this is a meme by this point, but I am so incredibly tired of the screen attractions. Hopefully it will just turn out that the 2010s were a slump at UC and the 2020s will be better with the more promising attractions we've gotten so far and with Epic coming up.

Also, TM customer service was noticably poor, particularly at quick service restaurants. Lots of people who clearly don't want to be working there.

 

[TheUniC6]

Not sure which thread to post this in, so choosing this one:

I just finished my first trip to UOR in 10 years and what stuck out to me was the huge inconsistency in recent attractions.

Hagrid and VelociCoaster were fantastic. But many other new-ish attractions, especially the recent additions to USF like Supercharged, Jimmy Fallon, Villian Con were straight up terrible. Don't mean to sound melodramatic, but Villian Con in particular was one of the worst attractions I've ever experienced at a major theme park. It really highlighted for me how IoA is a tremendously better park than USF these days.

I know this is a meme by this point, but I am so incredibly tired of the screen attractions. Hopefully it will just turn out that the 2010s were a slump at UC and the 2020s will be better with the more promising attractions we've gotten so far and with Epic coming up.

Also, TM customer service was noticably poor, particularly at quick service restaurants. Lots of people who clearly don't want to be working there.

What sucks about VCMB (sorry to beat a dead horse) is that the attraction was supposedly designed that way to accommodate that black box for HHN, yet word is now its apparently too small to use for an HHN house.

While I do think good things are coming to USF, like a new land in the spring tent area with Pets or better caliber dark rides, It likely won't be until 2030 at the earliest. If we're lucky maybe we could see a standalone new ride in 2028.

 

[Jake S]

yet word is now its apparently too small to use for an HHN house.

My understanding is that the space is currently unavailable to Halloween Horror Nights, not that it will forever be inaccessible to Halloween Horror Nights. So, don't write off that possibility just yet.

 

[HandsomePete]

Also, TM customer service was noticably poor, particularly at quick service restaurants. Lots of people who clearly don't want to be working there.

They’ve got about 15 months to figure out how they’re going to staff an entire extra park.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

My understanding is that the space is currently unavailable to Halloween Horror Nights, not that it will forever be inaccessible to Halloween Horror Nights. So, don't write off that possibility just yet.

I hope we get it this year, its location would spread crowds far more than putting it in F&F as long as they don't block off that pathway between Transformers and Minions.

They’ve got about 15 months to figure out how they’re going to staff an entire extra park.

We'll see what happens over the next few months, but this is my biggest concern with Epic. I'm not worried about the quality of the park, it's going to be amazing, but the operations of it (and the resort overall) need to step up this year.

 

[Mad Dog]

The next 12 months will tell us a lot on how well operations rebound, or not. Same concern I've been stating about Epic for a while. Park is looking great, but are operations up to the task. Stay tuned. Same Bat time. Same Bat channel. Hoping for the best, and that it all comes together this year, so that 2025 will work smooth.

 

[IzzyB]

Not sure which thread to post this in, so choosing this one:

I just finished my first trip to UOR in 10 years and what stuck out to me was the huge inconsistency in recent attractions.

Hagrid and VelociCoaster were fantastic. But many other new-ish attractions, especially the recent additions to USF like Supercharged, Jimmy Fallon, Villian Con were straight up terrible. Don't mean to sound melodramatic, but Villian Con in particular was one of the worst attractions I've ever experienced at a major theme park. It really highlighted for me how IoA is a tremendously better park than USF these days.

I know this is a meme by this point, but I am so incredibly tired of the screen attractions. Hopefully it will just turn out that the 2010s were a slump at UC and the 2020s will be better with the more promising attractions we've gotten so far and with Epic coming up.

Also, TM customer service was noticably poor, particularly at quick service restaurants. Lots of people who clearly don't want to be working there.

My kids actually liked Fallon, we all came off F&F really confused as to what the storyline was, and my kids all liked the older minion better than the newer minion.

I had ridden everything but the new minion at a corporate buy out and I thought Fallon was OK (loading is EXTREMELY slow on Tuesday), but F&F is just confusing.

 

[sonoma15]

Universal has already been over-hiring in preparation for Epic. I think they'll be fine.

Also I really enjoy Fallon and Minion Blast. Shrek 4D used to be something I never did, maybe once every 3 years, Minion Blast is something I make sure to do at least once every visit. Fallon is easy to get on and is a pretty chill ride and I think the CGI and 3D are the clearest and best at the park. ILM did a great job on it. Fast and Furious can go though

 

[Jake S]

Universal has already been over hiring in preparation for Epic. I think they'll be fine.

I'm not sure anyone is worried they won't have enough warm bodies. The concern is that with operations for quick service food and attractions (VelociCoaster excluded) in a tough place, how will opening a brand-new theme park exacerbate those issues? My assumption is they'll move the best and the brightest to Epic — where does that leave operations at the existing theme parks?

That would obviously be challenging even if Universal was currently working with phenomenal operations. It's much more challenging given the current state of things.

 

[IzzyB]

Universal has already been over-hiring in preparation for Epic. I think they'll be fine.

Also I really enjoy Fallon and Minion Blast. Shrek 4D used to be something I never did, maybe once every 3 years, Minion Blast is something I make sure to do at least once every visit. Fallon is easy to get on and is a pretty chill ride and I think the CGI and 3D are the clearest and best at the park. ILM did a great job on it.

I was going to say earlier, I haven't seen a staffing issue. You see it clearly at Sea World when they don't have people scanning QQ at some rides, loading rows, restaurant short staff, etc. But at universal I saw the opposite issue which was 5 people at the registers that were not being used because they pushed you to mobile ordering. However, when I did come up to order drinks about 20 minutes later as I didn't want to deal with the app again and just needed a single drink I went up to someone at a register doing nothing and she said sorry you have to wait in that line. It is almost like they don't want to work. Food did take forever to the point they brought a free dessert to us even though we did not complain. You know it is slow when they do that.

 

[Crypt Keeper]

Not sure which thread to post this in, so choosing this one:

I just finished my first trip to UOR in 10 years and what stuck out to me was the huge inconsistency in recent attractions.

Hagrid and VelociCoaster were fantastic. But many other new-ish attractions, especially the recent additions to USF like Supercharged, Jimmy Fallon, Villian Con were straight up terrible. Don't mean to sound melodramatic, but Villian Con in particular was one of the worst attractions I've ever experienced at a major theme park. It really highlighted for me how IoA is a tremendously better park than USF these days.

I know this is a meme by this point, but I am so incredibly tired of the screen attractions. Hopefully it will just turn out that the 2010s were a slump at UC and the 2020s will be better with the more promising attractions we've gotten so far and with Epic coming up.

Also, TM customer service was noticably poor, particularly at quick service restaurants. Lots of people who clearly don't want to be working there.

I don't understand why Fallon gets so much hate. The Rockefeller facade is stunning (especially at night) and the "queue" offers a more relaxed vibe (and the second floor has games!! lol). The ride itself is incredibly bonkers, but that's what makes it fun!

Villain-Con I understand a little more only because the blaster is kinda heavy and it can be hard to tell what you're shooting at.

Supercharged is a guilty pleasure of mine, but I completely understand why people despise it.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Supercharged is a guilty pleasure of mine, but I completely understand why people despise it.

Supercharged is the one ride where the disinterest of the staff actually heightens your experience.

 

[Jake S]

Villain-Con I understand a little more only because the blaster is kinda heavy and it can be hard to tell what you're shooting at.

The biggest problem I have with Villain-Con is that it's a game ... but not a particularly fun game. I love Men in Black, Midway Mania and (to a much lesser extend) Web Slingers because I enjoy the gameplay. Villain Con's vibe is great and I dig the queue, but (like Mario Kart) I don't enjoy the gameplay.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I was going to say earlier, I haven't seen a staffing issue. You see it clearly at Sea World when they don't have people scanning QQ at some rides, loading rows, restaurant short staff, etc. But at universal I saw the opposite issue which was 5 people at the registers that were not being used because they pushed you to mobile ordering. However, when I did come up to order drinks about 20 minutes later as I didn't want to deal with the app again and just needed a single drink I went up to someone at a register doing nothing and she said sorry you have to wait in that line. It is almost like they don't want to work. Food did take forever to the point they brought a free dessert to us even though we did not complain. You know it is slow when they do that.

Depends on location, but overall I feel like Universal doesn't staff their F&B locations appropriately or maybe they're just not running the place efficiently. I usually just see 2 TMs over at Green Eggs, 1-2 TMs taking orders and giving guests their food over at Fire Eaters, and usually just see 2 cashiers over at Fast Food BLVD (and mobile order here for whatever reason is spotty, so you're forced to wait in line) for a location that sees lots of guests. Cafe 4, yes my mistake for even thinking of eating here, only had 1 poor TM having to take on both the role of a cashier and taking guests's food to their table with 1 chef in the kitchen.

Also, Cafe La Bamba's quality has dropped significantly. The queso was some of the best I've had when it first reopened... and now it tastes like it's been sitting under a heat lamp for a few days.

 

[IzzyB]

Depends on location, but overall I feel like Universal doesn't staff their F&B locations appropriately or maybe they're just not running the place efficiently. I usually just see 2 TMs over at Green Eggs, 1-2 TMs taking orders and giving guests their food over at Fire Eaters, and usually just see 2 cashiers over at Fast Food BLVD (and mobile order here for whatever reason is spotty, so you're forced to wait in line) for a location that sees lots of guests. Cafe 4, yes my mistake for even thinking of eating here, only had 1 poor TM having to take on both the role of a cashier and taking guests's food to their table with 1 chef in the kitchen.

Also, Cafe La Bamba's quality has dropped significantly. The queso was some of the best I've had when it first reopened... and now it tastes like it's been sitting under a heat lamp for a few days.

I will say I have only done two trips and gotten food/drinks at 3 places all being in the HP lands. So I may not be the best example as maybe they are overally staffing those places for training purposes. But it didn't seem to be a lack of employees, just a lack of desire to do the work.

 

[GA-MBIT]

USF has some really great and beloved rides using practical effects and animatronics. Mummy, Men in Black, E.T., and the land of Diagon Alley + queue for Gringotts are really amazing imo.

Unfortunately, it seems like the park currently still suffers from oversaturation of a specific kind of ride: screen-based motion simulators. We're currently discussing in the FoP thread how even the best of that kind of attraction has limited re-ridability, and so when some are lacking and actively getting worse like Simpsons with it's lack of tune-ups and Minion Mayhem losing it's 3D Element, it can cause problems. Fallon, Villain Con, and Transformers would probably be fine B-C Tickets if the park wasn't already filled with similar attractions. I think all three have really solid positives to them, especially Transformers, which is only somewhat lacking imo because it's so obviously similar to the best themed ride of all time which is a 10 minute walk away.

Rip Ride Rock-It is controversial around these parts but lots of people still enjoy it. Bourne is an incredible stunt show with lots to enjoy and that I think is surprisingly repeatable. HMU and AA are cute, but not incredibly striking. Gringotts is a really fun ride that definitely acts as a headliner attraction, but again, a lot of the experience is through Screenz and goggles. Just adds to the overall feeling of sameness that one could get at the end of a full USF day.

It's also why I think USF is at it's best during HHN. In between the exclusive yearly Haunts, you can very easily get on all of the highlight attractions at USF with practically zero wait besides RRR. If E.T. and Bourne were open, there'd be practically no reason to go any other time of the year, and even then you could probably just nab a Scream Early pass.

Another big budget land like Pokemon would do a lot of good for the park around the Simpsons area, especially if it came with an attraction with mostly practical effects. I've always thought that a Seaworld or Animal Actors type show hosted by a Pokemon Professor going through different types of Pokemon and showing off their special abilities via Animatronics, puppets, and the like would be incredibly cool and would give a really great show to USF which it really does need.

And FnF, what hasn't been said about that mess. It's overly loud and jarring, messy nonsense, the tunnel effect consistently breaks the illusion by having the orange-lit car tunnel open up before the left facing tunnel lights stop moving, the musion effects for the party are laughable, and pretty much the only redeeming quality is if you get good preshow performers. It's a massive, screen-based motion simulator blight that needs to be torn out as soon as possible. This could be a spot for something maybe not of the same type, but same flavor as Hagrids. In the dead center of the park, having a large E-Ticket with lots of sets and practical features would really help to elevate the park a lot. A Mini Hill Valley BTTF coaster is of course the obvious fan answer but I'm sure they've got something cooking that will be satisfying, even if it might take too long to arrive.