Universal's Epic Universe Wish List & Speculation

[mainejeff]

Harry Potter is all about nostalgia at this point and it's in all 3 parks including a future land/attraction. I know that every generation thinks they can "improve" everything. With some things like science, medicine, tech....absolutely. But human creativity in the arts is all about imagination and what type of lense you see the world through. In this day and age where the absolute bottom line drives "creativity" in the studio and theme park business...."new and improved" isn't necessarily going to guarantee brand loyalty and long term guest satisfaction.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Maybe we should see what their plans are before we decry imagination dead?!?!?

 

[JungleSkip]

I cannot wait for Monsters to be everyone's favorite land in 3 years and to take a stroll through this thread

 

[kristenabelle]

On a somewhat related side note, one of the very few areas Disney still clearly excels over Uni is offering rides that are accommodating to a much broader range of ages and body types. If they want to keep growing, Uni really starts to need to start aggressively building rides - even thrilling ones - that don’t exclude significant portions of the potential audience, particularly families with younger children.

This is it for me. My dad has pretty bad motion sickness, and during his first trip to Uni in over a decade last December he could only do a few things. HEx, JPRA, HMUS, ET, Sky Trolley. What he did he loved (LOVED!), but it absolutely wouldn't sustain a full vacay for him, or pull him away from Disney for any significant amount of time.

To our fam, dark rides and boat rides and other experiences (atmosphere, shows, walkthroughs, parades) are what fill out our vacation and let us experience things together as a full family. The fact that we can do significantly more things together at MK makes a difference for us, despite the challenges of Genie+, etc.

To circle back on topic, I'm loving learning about the possibilities of this park! I just hope it's something I can share with my fam without feeling like he's left holding the bag, literally, for every ride we go on.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

On a somewhat related side note, one of the very few areas Disney still clearly excels over Uni is offering rides that are accommodating to a much broader range of ages and body types. If they want to keep growing, Uni really starts to need to start aggressively building rides - even thrilling ones - that don’t exclude significant portions of the potential audience, particularly families with younger children.

I hope the Pets call outs have materialized internally and lead to some reflection on what they can do better.

 

[mainejeff]

Maybe we should see what their plans are before we decry imagination dead?!?!?

Who declared imagination "dead"? I certainly think that it has been stifled at times due to demands made from beancounters and CEOs. Imagination itself is all in the brain of creator.....which is shaped based on ones experiences and perception of the world. There are very creative people out there like there have always been.....but I would question how imagination and creation is now cultivated in the studios and theme park industry compared to the past.

This is it for me. My dad has pretty bad motion sickness, and during his first trip to Uni in over a decade last December he could only do a few things. HEx, JPRA, HMUS, ET, Sky Trolley. What he did he loved (LOVED!), but it absolutely wouldn't sustain a full vacay for him, or pull him away from Disney for any significant amount of time.

To our fam, dark rides and boat rides and other experiences (atmosphere, shows, walkthroughs, parades) are what fill out our vacation and let us experience things together as a full family. The fact that we can do significantly more things together at MK makes a difference for us, despite the challenges of Genie+, etc.

To circle back on topic, I'm loving learning about the possibilities of this park! I just hope it's something I can share with my fam without feeling like he's left holding the bag, literally, for every ride we go on.

Great point that applies to a lot of vacationers and families. EU theming should be second to none....but the ride mix seems to favor thrill seekers and younger park goers. I have no issue with that as long as the park can be enjoyed by all....the visuals, atmosphere, dining and shows. I do wish that a "people mover" type ride could have been worked into the park somehow....in any form and theme.

 

[belloq87]

I cannot wait for Monsters to be everyone's favorite land in 3 years and to take a stroll through this thread

Nobody will be more thrilled than me if I love the land.

I do wish that a "people mover" type ride could have been worked into the park somehow....in any form and theme.

Well, we are getting Yoshi.

 

[tielo]

Nostalgia, me running after a hoop...with a stick. A spinning top toy, pushing it down and see it swirl...50 times. Those times where...bloody boring compared to video games and watching whatever kids watch nowadays.
Times changes and tastes change. The general public want some excitement in a theme park, not tableau after tableau of stages with stiff mannequins presenting a scene from a movie (I love those, I'm old). They want to be in the action, excitement, fun (but young at heart as I like that even more).
There is a reason Disney keeps them. One is they have the space and two is that a specific part of their customers want them. But on their own a ride like that probably wouldn't cut it. Where Universal researches every single ride for guest satisfaction, Disney goes for the total of all things.
I know only 1other theme park in the world that lives on nostalgia and that is Efteling but the rest will rather take a wrecking ball and replace it with the newest thing.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I don't care what ride system they use as long as they stop throwing me in front of a screen on a motion base.

 

[Henny]

After EU opens. I think the next big step for Universal is to focus on adding more family attractions to the resort. They have a good variety of shows already but the resort would benefit from adding more street performances, parades and rides that cater to most groups including seniors, disabled folks and people who can't experience thrill or screen based rides. Something along the lines of the Secret Life of Pet's ride from Hollywood but without the restrictions and an improved capacity would be a great addition to Orlando's parks.

 

[Darko]

I certainly understand what Legacy and others are saying. But damn I get sick of thrill rides all the time. I just want my Haunted Mansion’s and Navi River Boat Rides to coexist with the thrill rides. Monsters would have been the perfect land to have something like that.

Oh, well. If they have a ride like Forbidden Journey (my favorite attraction of all time) but with the Classic Monsters, I’ll be one happy doofus.

 

[JoeCamel]

I don't care what ride system they use as long as they stop throwing me in front of a screen on a motion base.

But we can still squirt water at you right?

 

[JungleSkip]

After EU opens. I think the next big step for Universal is to focus on adding more family attractions to the resort. They have a good variety of shows already but the resort would benefit from adding more street performances, parades and rides that cater to most groups including seniors, disabled folks and people who can't experience thrill or screen based rides. Something along the lines of the Secret Life of Pet's ride from Hollywood but without the restrictions and an improved capacity would be a great addition to Orlando's parks.

This isn't directed at you specifically, just quoting your post...

Universal just is not, nor will it probably ever be the "we're here for everyone!" theme park. They have their house style, and it is an incredibly popular one for their guests. That's focusing on mildly-to-high thrilling attractions with a "ride the movies!" theme, with some token kiddie rides thrown in for good measure. They're not going to shift focus to build 4-5 POTC/HM dark rides. It's just not what they do. Heck, look at the family areas of the new park. They have 2 launched coasters, an AR dark ride that has a high probability of inducing motion sickness in some groups, and a very thrilling flat ride. Then they have minor rides like Yoshi and the splash battle as the "family" rides. This is just who Universal is, and I don't think it's going to change.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

This is it for me. My dad has pretty bad motion sickness, and during his first trip to Uni in over a decade last December he could only do a few things. HEx, JPRA, HMUS, ET, Sky Trolley. What he did he loved (LOVED!), but it absolutely wouldn't sustain a full vacay for him, or pull him away from Disney for any significant amount of time.

To our fam, dark rides and boat rides and other experiences (atmosphere, shows, walkthroughs, parades) are what fill out our vacation and let us experience things together as a full family. The fact that we can do significantly more things together at MK makes a difference for us, despite the challenges of Genie+, etc.

To circle back on topic, I'm loving learning about the possibilities of this park! I just hope it's something I can share with my fam without feeling like he's left holding the bag, literally, for every ride we go on.

This isn't directed at you specifically, just quoting your post...

Universal just is not, nor will it probably ever be the "we're here for everyone!" theme park. They have their house style, and it is an incredibly popular one for their guests. That's focusing on mildly-to-high thrilling attractions with a "ride the movies!" theme, with some token kiddie rides thrown in for good measure. They're not going to shift focus to build 4-5 POTC/HM dark rides. It's just not what they do. Heck, look at the family areas of the new park. They have 2 launched coasters, an AR dark ride that has a high probability of inducing motion sickness in some groups, and a very thrilling flat ride. Then they have minor rides like Yoshi and the splash battle as the "family" rides. This is just who Universal is, and I don't think it's going to change.

If a noteworthy amount of people can't even handle most of Universal's ride lineup, then there's your answer for how Disney can get away with the prices charged and lose minimal attendance--because seriously, that rules out roughly 95% of parks in the country (incl. every non-Disney park in Florida besides Legoland).

 

[Henny]

This isn't directed at you specifically, just quoting your post...

Universal just is not, nor will it probably ever be the "we're here for everyone!" theme park. They have their house style, and it is an incredibly popular one for their guests. That's focusing on mildly-to-high thrilling attractions with a "ride the movies!" theme, with some token kiddie rides thrown in for good measure. They're not going to shift focus to build 4-5 POTC/HM dark rides. It's just not what they do. Heck, look at the family areas of the new park. They have 2 launched coasters, an AR dark ride that has a high probability of inducing motion sickness in some groups, and a very thrilling flat ride. Then they have minor rides like Yoshi and the splash battle as the "family" rides. This is just who Universal is, and I don't think it's going to change.

I agree that Universal has it's own niche of amusement. I just don't think said niche excludes family dark rides. E.T Adventure is a Universal classic and is quite beloved by Universal fans. A recent addition, SLOP, is a one of the best family dark rides that have been made in a VERY long time. The various dark/slow moving boat rides in the international parks. They obviously know how to make a good family dark ride, and they keep making them, too, just not consistently. Now that Comcast is looking to expand their resort, and by extension their offerings, that means that they're targeting a wider pool of vistors and will take steps to accommodate them.

Also, by dark rides I don't mean POTC/HM. I firmly believe that these attractions are a product of their time and that both Disney and Universal can create new rides that could go on to become classics. Universal might have done that with SLOP, imo.

 

[jarmor]

You guys may look at me crazy but I feel Universal already created a perfect dark ride but they don't know it. That would be "Toothfairy" from last years HHN. If they take that same concept, layout and story telling style and replace the toothfairy theme with one of their properties and you'd have a really good dark ride!

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

You guys may look at me crazy but I feel Universal already created a perfect dark ride but they don't know it. That would be "Toothfairy" from last years HHN. If they take that same concept, layout and story telling style and replace the toothfairy theme with one of their properties and you'd have a really good dark ride!

There are *a lot* of houses I would turn into dark rides before Tooth Fairy. The original Screamhouse would probably be best, if we're being objective.

It's irrelevant because the CM land is the closest we're getting to a truly original storytelling ride (fine, the racing coasters and carousel, I guess).

 

[jarmor]

I am referencing more so the style of the story telling. It was classic, familiar to all and welcoming. Add that in with the 2 dimensional 3D aspect of the house and it was just a winner to me as something i'd like to see in a dark ride. Simple yet captivating. I am not trying to turn this into **insert your fave HHN house** should be a dark ride but more so the STYLISTIC elements of the house.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

I am referencing more so the style of the story telling. It was classic, familiar to all and welcoming. Add that in with the 2 dimensional 3D aspect of the house and it was just a winner to me as something i'd like to see in a dark ride. Simple yet captivating. I am not trying to turn this into **insert your fave HHN house** should be a dark ride but more so the STYLISTIC elements of the house.

Fair, though another one that I think would fit that style is Bloodengutz.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

If a noteworthy amount of people can't even handle most of Universal's ride lineup, then there's your answer for how Disney can get away with the prices charged and lose minimal attendance--because seriously, that rules out roughly 95% of parks in the country (incl. every non-Disney park in Florida besides Legoland).

Universal and Disney are both crying all the way to the bank so neither really has any reason to change course.