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Universal's Epic Universe Wish List & Speculation

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Any thoughts about transport from London to the new Wizarding World? This may be crazy, but could there be a Knight Bus experience from the back of Studios to the back of Epic Universe?

Basically, that's impossible. You can't put a themepark attraction on public roads, nor can you create some kind of new custom vehicle and be allowed to use it, full of people, on public roads. If you did something like a normal bus with screens for windows like the train ride between parks, that can't be approved (I don't know the legality) due to safety issues if the bus is involved in an accident, how do you open the windows/screens in a timely manner in a way that children can operate. Let alone, how can you be sure of travel time to have any kind of experience running? Outside the parks, you have no control of the surroundings and have to follow all local and federal rules for the roads. If you have the outside world viewable, how do you tell people that you're traveling through the British countryside while they are surrounded by left hand drive cars, traffic, pedestrians, Applebees, and bars with everybody wearing shorts and T-Shirts?

Now, if you wanted to call any old bus a Knight Bus after you slap a body wrap on it and have a few TVs in there that people can watch with a 5 minute looping video, sure, that's doable. Not much of an experience, just typical public transportation with a targeted add being played the whole time.
 
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Basically, that's impossible. You can't put a themepark attraction on public roads, nor can you create some kind of new custom vehicle and be allowed to use it, full of people, on public roads. If you did something like a normal bus with screens for windows like the train ride between parks, that can't be approved (I don't know the legality) due to safety issues if the bus is involved in an accident, how do you open the windows/screens in a timely manner in a way that children can operate. Let alone, how can you be sure of travel time to have any kind of experience running? Outside the parks, you have no control of the surroundings and have to follow all local and federal rules for the roads. If you have the outside world viewable, how do you tell people that you're traveling through the British countryside while they are surrounded by left hand drive cars, traffic, pedestrians, Applebees, and bars with everybody wearing shorts and T-Shirts?

Now, if you wanted to call any old bus a Knight Bus after you slap a body wrap on it and have a few TVs in there that people can watch with a 5 minute looping video, sure, that's doable. Not much of an experience, just typical public transportation with a targeted add being played the whole time.

I don't think they are going to do it either, but the vehicle itself is precisely what they are doing with the star wars hotel. Bus with no windows themed as a shuttle inside.

Universal already busses people on public roads now. Them being ticketed and going between parks doesn't change anything. There is all kinds of party busses you can hire that have no windows, so thats not an issue. You just have to have emergency exits at the back and on the roof I believe. I don't know how you'd exactly pull off the knight bus though that would be believeable. Busses with simulator bases inside maybe? I suspect Universal will end up getting dedicated lanes for their busses between the parks, so that would help with the traffic and travel times, but they will still have to stop at lights regardless.

Either way, I don't see it happening, but it's certainly not impossible.
 
It already exist. All solutions are real time rendering.

The best thing is you block out the outside world and have a more exciting experience.


This is perfect! If it’s actually real-time rendering then it could account for stopping at red lights and such, maybe using GPS.
 
This is perfect! If it’s actually real-time rendering then it could account for stopping at red lights and such, maybe using GPS.
Yeah, the motion of the bus will automatically synchronize the digital world.
The screens are simple transparent screens seen in Japan on vending machines.
Sure it won't be an attraction but it can be a cool trip with some random events sprinkled in there to keep it fresh. I can see seasonal overlays and more being included.
 
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It's what Disney's doing with the Star Cruiser and I LIKE the idea in principle but in practice, it'll just be too much of a pain. The obvious problem is traffic, a very finicky thing to have to plan around when you try to coordinate images/media with movement and such.
 
Any thoughts about transport from London to the new Wizarding World? This may be crazy, but could there be a Knight Bus experience from the back of Studios to the back of Epic Universe?
It'd be more practical to use the articulated buses and the dedicated bus lane under construction, or even having an elevated or suspended railway or an AGT.

The obvious problem is traffic, a very finicky thing to have to plan around when you try to coordinate images/media with movement and such.
Worse would be the buses themselves. Double deckers by themselves have a lot of clearance to contend with and the Knight Bus that used for filming Azkaban is not only 22 ft. tall but also heavier than the double decker it was originally built as.
 
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Worse would be the buses themselves. Double deckers by themselves have a lot of clearance to contend with and the Knight Bus that used for filming Azkaban is not only 22 ft. tall but also heavier than the double decker it was originally built as.
That could be solved by having the loading areas obscure the top of the bus. Like an awning right up to the bus door.
 
Don't care for the method of transportation as long as it's reliable, efficient, and quick. The only thing I hope the city/county does is clean up the surrounding area a bit.
What in the surrounding area are you wanting to see cleaned up? Most of the land along the bus route is already owned by Universal, Lockheed, or is roads/interchanges.

That could be solved by having the loading areas obscure the top of the bus. Like an awning right up to the bus door.
Having an awning right up to the side of the bus also has some logistical problems in terms of not having buses crash into it on a regular basis.
 
What in the surrounding area are you wanting to see cleaned up? Most of the land along the bus route is already owned by Universal, Lockheed, or is roads/interchanges.


Having an awning right up to the side of the bus also has some logistical problems in terms of not having buses crash into it on a regular basis.
The AK safari does just fine pulling right up to the loading platform. They wet their wheels to squeak against the side so they know they’re aligned.

Anyway, no doubt this would be a lot of logistics. Just an idea/dream of mine!
 
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Any thoughts about transport from London to the new Wizarding World? This may be crazy, but could there be a Knight Bus experience from the back of Studios to the back of Epic Universe?

They need to be more concerned about how they’re going to transport guests in Paris 70 years into the future, and then to London lol.

I can’t wait to hear the story for the final version of this land. It sounds like a hot mess right now, but watch it end up being the best land in the park.
 
Having an awning right up to the side of the bus also has some logistical problems in terms of not having buses crash into it on a regular basis.

Just use an airplane style jetway.

But we are jumping through a lot of hoops here. I like the idea, but doubt it happens. However, if they are going to go through the trouble and logistics of doing this, might as well just order custom double decker busses. Can't be more expensive than what the Hogwarts express cost. They are going to have to buy more busses to move guests between the resorts anyway.
 
I don't think they are going to do it either, but the vehicle itself is precisely what they are doing with the star wars hotel. Bus with no windows themed as a shuttle inside.

I'm guessing that'll have its own exclusive road ala the Volcano Bay shuttle.

Yeah, you don’t NEED a double decker bus if you use some tricks.

I guess you could try to do some illusion of the extra levels but it would be very difficult. I suppose if you carefully obstructed the view on the load platform you could add a screen on top to go along with the actual bus to give that illusion, but IDK. Fun blue sky thing to think about.
 
Almost no way they use I-Drive. I'd bet about anything they use Kirkman. Slight chance of Universal Dr, but Kirkman has the most space to add bus lanes.

My statement was about wishing for the surrounding area to be spruced up a bit, similar to Universal BLVD/I-Drive by the convention center.

The buses will take Universal BLVD, then Carrier Drive (by Endless), and then finally turn to Kirkman. Might change, but the Endless Summer buses already go down Uni Blvd, and they seem to not have any problems.
 
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