Universal Studios Florida: What Do We Think About It?

[Skold]

On the other magical boards, Len Testa says "there's been a lot of churn in the groups that put this report out. I'm a little concerned about the loss of institutional knowledge and connections, so I don't yet fully trust the numbers."

(Another TP guy posts here, I'm drawing a blank, sorry. I do appreciate your insight though!)

Even so, the numbers were subjective before that! Park hoppers, APs, re-entries, etc.

 

[Mad Dog]

On the other magical boards, Len Testa says "there's been a lot of churn in the groups that put this report out. I'm a little concerned about the loss of institutional knowledge and connections, so I don't yet fully trust the numbers."

(Another TP guy posts here, I'm drawing a blank, sorry. I do appreciate your insight though!)

Even so, the numbers were subjective before that! Park hoppers, APs, re-entries, etc.

I don't think we've ever fully trusted the TEA numbers. But they're all we have and it's fun to speculate. Joe's the other TP guy, and he's
always questioned the TEA numbers, even before these new associates. In the past it seemed Universal numbers were under represented
and the WDW secondary parks a bit inflated. We can really see more from the Universal/Comcast and Disney quarterly reports, but
even those get muddied when we're looking at what's happening at individual parks. Revenue is way more important than actual guest
attendance anyway. Park systems like Six Flags almost let guests get in for free, just about.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I've truly never understood how they count attendance figures. I would assume it's just simply counted by how many tickets are purchased throughout the year - but you can't buy a "USF" or "IOA" ticket - you just buy a single day ticket and pick one.

If I enter USF in the AM, then jump over to IOA, then back to USF - do I count as 2 people for USF and 1 for IOA?

If I jump on Hogwarts Express in London to go to Hogsmeade, does that count as an entry for IOA?

It's all so mind boggling and there's probably really no way to get accurate numbers lol

 

[UniversalRBLX]

It's all so mind boggling and there's probably really no way to get accurate numbers lol

Working on a project far from ready, but in theory you can get a rough estimate of park attendance based on wait-times, number of shows, est. downtime, etc.

It's a lot of data to gather and then calculate... but the opportunity is there.

 

[Mad Dog]

Working on a project far from ready, but in theory you can get a rough estimate of park attendance based on wait-times, number of shows, est. downtime, etc.

It's a lot of data to gather and then calculate... but the opportunity is there.

One thing that complicates WDW crowd levels, and probably one of the reasons even Touring Plans predictions at WDW have been off by so much since April 2024, is that once WDW cleaned up their Disability Pass fraud and abuse in April 2024, WDW waits in line have dropped significantly.
Short of holiday weeks, wait times at the WDW parks are now pretty reasonable. And there's not a whole lot of those electric scooters running
around like before.

 

[rabbitsmoon]

One thing that complicates WDW crowd levels, and probably one of the reasons even Touring Plans predictions at WDW have been off by so much since April 2024, is that once WDW cleaned up their Disability Pass fraud and abuse in April 2024, WDW waits in line have dropped significantly.
Short of holiday weeks, wait times at the WDW parks are now pretty reasonable. And there's not a whole lot of those electric scooters running
around like before.

I'm not sure I understand the connection you're trying to draw between the alleged DAS fraud the number of mobility devices at the resort. Electric scooter or wheelchair use alone doesn't grant you access to virtual waiting services like DAS or AAP.

 

[Mad Dog]

I'm not sure I understand the connection you're trying to draw between the alleged DAS fraud the number of mobility devices at the resort. Electric scooter or wheelchair use alone doesn't grant you access to virtual waiting services like DAS or AAP.

Just one facet. Many used the can't stand for long periods excuse to get LL Disability. Disney basically eliminated that. The LL used to be filled
with those scooters before that change, since they let the scooter people use disability LL. . Now that they're relegated to Stand By, there's not so many scooters in the park. Coincidence?
They also basically ended the 'I have anxiety if I stand in a long line'. They eliminated that also. .....And often, entire groups of 7 or 8 family
followed these people and had access to the Lightening Lane. Curiously, they generally only did a large number of repeat rides at the D/E tickets.
Disney stopped those two, plus a lot of other stuff like urination frequency, that all of us older guys have, but not really a disability. The truly disabled can still get LL access and their waits are shorter now because the LL was also getting overfilled. So it's a win for the truly disabled that deserve it.
Standby moves quicker because the LL is no longer overfilled and delaying Stand By so much.

 

[GAcoaster]

On the other magical boards, Len Testa says "there's been a lot of churn in the groups that put this report out. I'm a little concerned about the loss of institutional knowledge and connections, so I don't yet fully trust the numbers."

(Another TP guy posts here, I'm drawing a blank, sorry. I do appreciate your insight though!)

Even so, the numbers were subjective before that! Park hoppers, APs, re-entries, etc.

That explains why they were so late this year!

I still want to know what goes into these numbers. Do they only count "regular" admissions, or do special events count? So maybe USO does higher numbers than IOA simply because they also count HHN guests towards those numbers? And MK gets to count MNSSHP and MVMCP as additional attendance as well? If someone buys a day ticket and a night event ticket does that count as one visit or two if they stay they whole day? There are so many variables here.

 

[Mad Dog]

That explains why they were so late this year!

I still want to know what goes into these numbers. Do they only count "regular" admissions, or do special events count? So maybe USO does higher numbers than IOA simply because they also count HHN guests towards those numbers? And MK gets to count MNSSHP and MVMCP as additional attendance as well? If someone buys a day ticket and a night event ticket does that count as one visit or two if they stay they whole day? There are so many variables here.

I remember that Theme Park Insider once had one of their more prominent forum contributors address some of those issues. He said that he
had previously done some work for the groups that TEA used prior to 2024. He said a lot of their Orlando park yearly updates were based on
numbers from the Orlando Tourism group, combined with info from groups associated/working with the various parks. He said the attendance
estimates provided only included the first park visited, no special events like HHN/extra charge Holiday nights/Special nights etc. He also
said they used various algorithms to work with. He stressed that these figures are only educated guesses with the available info they have,
even though TEA represents them as being more than that. Now, whether that's all true or not, I don't really know, but he was always very knowledgeable and credible in the contributing articles he wrote for TPI.
So, bottom line....these are probably just educated estimate guesses on the part of parks that don't publicly report attendance figures. Though I believe some of the international parks actually do include real attendance figures in their public business reports.

 

[RFRees]

• Escape from Gringott's - Screen door before second launch not working, and the cart we were in had ringing in the audio

Every time I've been on this ride over the last year it seems like the trap door has been broken (it's open, so the magic trick is effectively spoiled).

Any word on if this is ever getting fixed?

 

[HandsomePete]

If I enter USF in the AM, then jump over to IOA, then back to USF - do I count as 2 people for USF and 1 for IOA?

For actual attendance purposes, you’d count as +1 for USF since that’s the first entry on your ticket.

For IOA you would count as a what’s called a cross-in, which doesn’t count toward official attendance but is useful for analysis and whatnot.

You would not be considered a cross-in back to USF because you’ve already been counted there.

 

[GA-MBIT]

I rarely have anything positive to say about Transformers... but that's probably the best sequence in that ride.

I've got no love for the IP. It's clearly inferior compared to Spidey and is probably redundant within the North Campus.

... but I gotta admit, I think Transformers is a fun little time. It's zippy and keeps up the energy really well. The motion profile is engaging and it's exactly long enough to feel like a substantial attraction without overstaying its' welcome. It's a perfect thing to ride on a warm HHN event night in-between a few houses. It almost never has a line and they blast you with fans nearly the whole time. In the end, "worse rendition of the best attraction ever built" is still a recipe for a decently fun time.

The cheesy dialogue has also grown on me quite a bit haha. I'm definitely in the minority, but my brain will occasionally click into Transformers: The Ride 3-D mode (a thing that everyone's brain has, right?) and just start reciting the script in my head. "I've gOT MEGATRON-" Something about it just sticks with me. It's all just .. catchy? Like a simple pop song haha! Maybe I've just ridden it too many times!

Brought this over to a thread appropriate for this convo. Transformers is actually one of the few spots within USF that I wouldn't mind sticking around for a little while. I think it does enough right for it to rise above the other simulator-adjacent offerings like Simpsons, Fallon, Supercharged, or either Minion attraction. I totally get what people dislike about it, but I have to be honest about my personal preference.

That showbuilding is hideous though haha. I'm glad the square shape works as a solid backdrop for nightime show projections, but I'm also glad Minion-Land took over the back side of the building. The 2018 USF skyline of Fallon, Monsters Cafe, Transformers, and Shrek was probably one of the ugliest and mismatched lineups I've ever seen. I'm glad things are a bit more even now.

 

[belloq87]

I just can't overlook how redundant an experience it is in comparison to the (far) superior ride a 10-minute walk away.

But... I'd also be more forgiving of it if it didn't also exist in the same theme park as several other attractions that do a lot of the same schtick, too.