UO to discontinue Paper Park Maps

[Mad Dog]

Most of us commenting on this are long time super fans of USO. We've beaten the drums for Universal many many times over the years. Perhaps we love what we experienced too much, and when our more recent experiences come up short of our expectations, we hurt a bit. Yes, we all fully understand the effort and money being spent on Epic and other future parks. We understand the covid problems that resulted in the loss of many key laid off management. We understand the unexpected damage from the hurricane in 2022. And the maps are just one of a lot of more major things that have added up to make the guest experience less than the stellar experience we expect from Universal. And for myself, I've continually expressed, on this forum, the optimism that the second half of 2024 will be a nice bounce back if the expected new parade, new lagoon show, renewed Hogwarts show, and Dreamworks fully materialize. Perhaps I overestimated how well Universal would get their mojo back, so I feel let down by what's happening. I sincerely thought they were put together a bit stronger and better than what I see, and that saddens me since I've absolutely loved the very many long vacations, and great memories, I had at the park before 2020 screwed stuff up.

 

[graspthesun]

In 2023, there is no parade, no lagoon show, three massive empty theaters, cuts to entertainment with no announced replacements, a full land at IOA shuttered with no construction underway, a ride running without significant portions of the experience operating, etc. That's the product they are offering. Yes, they are likely adding a parade and a lagoon show relatively soon and might add other entertainment offerings at some point, Those offerings should be evaluated and appreciated when they open. That simply DOES NOT alter what they are offering today and what they have offered for some time. The current offerings are a result of conscious CHOICES Universal made.

The Streetmosphere in IOA was one of the very, very few live entertainment offerings in that park. I would argue there is not a "lot of" streetmosphere left after the cuts of the last month. As far as I know, the Studio taxi driver is the only remnant.

To say that the Prop Shop is gone because of the Tribute Store is far from the whole story. Universal decided to move the non-HHN Tribute to a smaller location to free up the Mummy line. I'm not wild about that, but I understand the choice. They then briefly moved the Prop Shop to the otherwise useless Brown Derby, proving both the relocated Tribute and Prop Shop could coexist. Not maintaining this situation was a CHOICE.

I do not feel the Coconut Club this year was the same as the Red and Green (I'm very glad the Sirens were invited for six nights). I was just there.

These are just a few of the issues on which I disagree with you. It's all opinions, just as your arguments are opinions as well. Neither of us has any legitimate reason to assume the other is acting in bad faith or to be hostile to the other poster.

To be fair, the lagoon infrastructure was heavily damaged in 2022 and has to be completely rebuilt, the theaters (minus FFL) have been empty for years, the removal of the parade has allowed for plussing the scarezones during HHN, and entertainment is constantly changing. I'm not sure which ride you're referring to, but ET is getting constant updates and repairs for the first time in years and The Mummy is operating more fluidly. They're even refurbishing the motion bases on MIB in-house because the ride manufacturer no longer exists. Outside of the fountain and Hogsmeade shows, I'm not aware that there was any streetmosphere in IOA. I've been a passholder for almost a decade, but I only go in the off season, so maybe it's an oversight on my part. As far as the Red Coconut, I think they wanted to tweak it and retheme it like they do the Tribute stores and it flopped. Sometimes you just miss.

My point being though is we're not ONLY seeing subtractions, we're seeing substitutions and replacements as we gear up towards additions.

EDIT: Domestic tourism was bad in 2023. I lost my hotel job in September. Typically, I'd just work contracts through the end of the year filling in gaps in operations with hotels, but there were no contracts this year. Hotels started tightening in summer to try to cut the bleeding. The staff that's left behind takes the brunt of everything and travelers are just meaner now than they were pre-2020. I'm surprised people still work in customer service at this point.

 

[IzzyB]

I'm still just confused how that's any worse than a regular map where you have to skim the entire thing to find what you're looking for. You can scroll the showtimes from top to bottom in no more than 10 seconds. And the map can easily be zoomed in. I just genuinely don't see these as big hurdles.

Because a park map is for ONE park not 3. So I am looking at a list that is only things in the park I am in which cuts the list by 1/3. Again, I have no issues getting rid of maps IF they make the app work properly. I use the app at other parks like Dollywood and never touch a paper map other than my kids grabbing one at the beginning of our vacation. Once they all have phones I am sure they will no longer do this. My daughter downloads the apps. However, she complains just as much as me about the poor apps at SW and Uni and she is clearly in the younger generation.

Make a better app and I wouldn't mind being pushed to use the app. I used the app all the time at Disney before Covid and stopped getting maps other than the show time insert. Just because it still was easier.

Absolutely. It would be a different story if an alternate option wasn't available at GS, but there is. Transitions in tech are wonky and usually could be dealt with better. I don't think most would argue that.

I work in tech, I have gone live with many systems in my lifetime and yes transitions can be hard BUT this shouldn't have been as hard because they have had YEARS to build a better app that is more user friendly. They have good structure and finding the shows/ride area is easy. But they need a lot of work in the food order system along with the filtering of items. They should be able to do this via GPS that is what Disney does. If I am in one park, it knows and gives me stuff for that park by default.

A good app makes all the difference in how many use it. For instance I use Chipotle app all the time, love it. Have ordered my food via it long before Covid. I still won't use McDonalds. Refuse too. Why? They don't have all the options online that you can get at a register. Not all the customization are on it. When I walk in with my friends, none of them use it either. Yet they use other apps all the time. Make a good app and people will use it and not complain when forced to use it. I guarantee that was the last time I use that app to order food at Universal for a long time. It was awful, clunky, and took forever to work. So my first impression of online ordering was not good. I did mobile ordering at Disney every single time I went to a place that offered it. So I am not one to shy away from these things, but you need to make the experience a good one. It shouldn't take over a minute to bring up a subtotal and several minutes to process the order. Not to mention if I log into my account that shows I am a passholder why in the world do I also have to scan my pass which won't scan because the place is too dark?!?

I literally do care though. I've said its a bummer and that I've collected them in the past. I haven't once said otherwise.

I am saying that I think pushing it as new management ruining the parks & a greedy decision, saying the app is completely dysfunctional, etc are all very over-the-top over a theme park doing a thing that most parks had already done and the way society as a whole is already moving. This isn't a Universal exclusive move. All experiences are heading this way.

I don't know it was pretty dysfunctional today when ordering food lol

I don't see this as a management but more of the wave of the future with all theme parks. Just like they all have their own form of express, paper maps going away is a trend happening everywhere. So I agree it is not doom and gloom across the board, but I also think we are sometimes too easy on Uni sometimes. Disco Yeti is the end of the world when you talk to people, but not having the outside portion of Kong is just fine to the same people. We all have our favorites and we are all more lenient towards those favorites. I am the odd one sometimes, I like all 3 Orlando parks for different reasons and love going to them all. I have absolutely enjoyed by two days at Uni even if the crowds have been insane. But I was really mad at them when trying to have dinner. It just wasn't a fun experience at all. So I will call out when things are just not right at all the parks.

 

[TheUniC6]

They're even refurbishing the motion bases on MIB in-house because the ride manufacturer no longer exists.

From what I understand MIB and MK share the same ride manufacturer.

 

[graspthesun]

From what I understand MIB and MK share the same ride manufacturer.

Looks like you're right. I feel like I remember reading a couple of years ago in the forums that the parts for MIB / CitH weren't available anymore and that the rides couldn't be easily repaired.

 

[GA-MBIT]

This definitely stinks. I'd hope they will start selling charging cables somewhere in the park because I have experienced multiple times a friend having their battery completely drained during a park day or HHN night and not having a charger with them, and with this, not being able to check showtimes or anything like that thru the app would be a pain. Smaller issue but it is one I've seen multiple times.

If they do continue to create paper maps but lock them behind a desk at Guest Services like it seems like some are saying, I think I actually feel a lot better about this than if they didn't. I can at least quell my super-fan collector urge through that, and I can rest easy that some Minnesotan Grandpa might be able to figure his way around after all if he's directed to the right person.

Looks like you're right. I feel like I remember reading a couple of years ago in the forums that the parts for MIB / CitH weren't available anymore and that the rides couldn't be easily repaired.

I've heard this repeated a bunch and I've taken it at face value for awhile. It might be a conversation more suited for the Ride System thread than this Paper Maps one, but I'm really curious to dig deeper on this. I think this conversation started in the Mummy Refurb thread around December 2019, or at least that's where I first heard it prominently discussed.

 

[Jake S]

This definitely stinks. I'd hope they will start selling charging cables somewhere in the park because I have experienced multiple times a friend having their battery completely drained during a park day or HHN night and not having a charger with them, and with this, not being able to check showtimes or anything like that thru the app would be a pain. Smaller issue but it is one I've seen multiple times.

This is something the Japan parks (Disney and Universal) do a tremendous job of supporting and I hope these large domestic parks take a page from their book sooner rather than later

 

[queenmetroid]

It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but in a theme park forum it is. We're not running around our local Wal-Mart or public parks moaning about the loss of park maps... this is the only place in the world where it makes sense to discuss this.

To be clear, I never said anything about not discussing this; that would be a pointless chilling effect and I think we should discuss this. My take was that people should challenge their existing bias and re-evaluate their stance on the maps from a decarbonization standpoint, which I don't think is unreasonable.

Based on my reading of the thread, it sounds like there is an alternative route for those who want it, but the greater number of people will likely be fine without it. At the end of the day, I haven't picked up a map in years and I carry a spare battery. I understand that my experience doesn't cover every use case but I also think it's probably more common than we think it is.

I also think the Universal Orlando experience isn't necessarily great right now, but the absence of paper maps has little or nothing to do with that, and I think we'd be having this exact same conversation whether the park was running in high gear or the current state. As a person who attends less often, on a micro level, it's easy to criticize UO for the day to day guest experience, but on a macro level, they are overhauling Kidzone, IOA is (still) great, Epic Universe is shaping up to be a smash hit, there's a UK park in discussion, an HHN experience in Vegas under construction, and a small time park planned in Texas, a new coaster being built in USH, and two smash hit HHNs on both coasts (which is what I care about).

Given the level of investment in the parks, I am inclined to say that Universal isn't resting on their laurels like Disney has, so I don't think I'm giving them a pass or going easy on them, and I don't see a reason to be negative over this particular change.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I also think the Universal Orlando experience isn't necessarily great right now, but the absence of paper maps has little or nothing to do with that, and I think we'd be having this exact same conversation whether the park was running in high gear or the current state. As a person who attends less often, on a micro level, it's easy to criticize UO for the day to day guest experience, but on a macro level, they are overhauling Kidzone, IOA is (still) great, Epic Universe is shaping up to be a smash hit, there's a UK park in discussion, an HHN experience in Vegas under construction, and a small time park planned in Texas, a new coaster being built in USH, and two smash hit HHNs on both coasts (which is what I care about).

Given the level of investment in the parks, I am inclined to say that Universal isn't resting on their laurels like Disney has, so I don't think I'm giving them a pass or going easy on them, and I don't see a reason to be negative over this particular change.

Paper maps aren't the end of the world... but it's part of a list of things that make us feel like things are headed in the wrong direction in some aspects of the park experience.

Part of why WDW has so many problems today is a result of over-exerting themselves back in the 90s by building parks all around the world while neglecting the current parks. The difference is that Universal isn't holding back, which is why we're all excited, but for the past year or so it's felt like we've been getting a lesser experience while paying more.

Universal is going to expand tremendously next year, very excited, but my experience the past year hasn't shown much improvement from an operations perspective, which worries me on how exactly they plan on handling a ridiculous amount of growth next year when they can barely staff & train their parks correctly.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Alright, so I might just be living on a different planet than everyone else - but how are people struggling with the Universal app?

Sure, I've had it freeze up on me and I've had to close out, but that's also happened with every app I have. The navigation is fine, the maps are clear and surprisingly detailed, and info such as show times and wait times are easy to find. Am I taking crazy pills?

I understand the sentimentality of having a "free souvenir" (I still have a map from my first trip), but for a pure logistical standpoint, there's really not much of a reason for them to be there. Especially with the littering that has been discussed already.

And I may be off base here... but I bet you can still get paper maps at guest services.

 

[belloq87]

Alright, so I might just be living on a different planet than everyone else - but how are people struggling with the Universal app?

To me, it's not "struggling" so much as I just don't like the interface or user experience at all.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Alright, so I might just be living on a different planet than everyone else - but how are people struggling with the Universal app?


And I may be off base here... but I bet you can still get paper maps at guest services.

I think the biggest issue is the fact that Universal is "pushing" you towards an app that just doesn't provide the latest and/or correct information. How many people have shown up to Red Coconut, only to realize it's closed for a private event? Why does it not "save" my profile to include my AP when ordering food?

As for maps, yes we can still get them at guest services... but it'll end up being a standard piece of paper with the same map found online. Again, not the end of the world... but its one of those "small things" that lots of enjoyed while visiting the parks. I don't know how many hours I've spent as a kid just looking over the maps.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

To me, it's not "struggling" so much as I just don't like the interface or user experience at all.

The only thing I'm not crazy about on the app is the dining reservations tool.

 

[Mad Dog]

Alright, so I might just be living on a different planet than everyone else - but how are people struggling with the Universal app?

Sure, I've had it freeze up on me and I've had to close out, but that's also happened with every app I have. The navigation is fine, the maps are clear and surprisingly detailed, and info such as show times and wait times are easy to find. Am I taking crazy pills?

I understand the sentimentality of having a "free souvenir" (I still have a map from my first trip), but for a pure logistical standpoint, there's really not much of a reason for them to be there. Especially with the littering that has been discussed already.

And I may be off base here... but I bet you can still get paper maps at guest services.

It's not so much that the maps are gone. It's really more about both Disney and Universal putting the onus on guests to carry and constantly use their phones in the parks to access the services and restaurants. It's kind of forcing guests to continue the rat race even if they would rather just relax on vacation and get away from that whole phone madness that society has become and often leads to a lesser real social experience. It's fine if the hardcore phone users want an app to use. Great for them. But it should be a level playing field for guests who would rather not have to use their phones. Back in 2021 Universal put heavy emphasis on that process, especially mobile ordering, and even eliminated maps for a short period, but abandoned it when the food ordering and lines became ridiculously complicated and long. As I mentioned earlier ,it appears WDW Disney is getting a lot of negative feedback from guests unhappy they need to use their phones so much in the parks for Genie, food etc.. They had put very heavy emphasis on phone food ordering, but when we went in April it seemed there were few people using mobile and most people were back to using the regular lines to order food. Let a guest enjoy their vacation and leave their phone in their room if they want without penalizing them for it.

 

[Tomfoolery]

It's not so much that the maps are gone. It's really more about both Disney and Universal putting the onus on guests to carry and constantly use their phones in the parks to access the services and restaurants. It's kind of forcing guests to continue the rat race even if they would rather just relax on vacation and get away from that whole phone madness that society has become and often leads to a lesser real social experience. It's fine if the hardcore phone users want an app to use. Great for them. But it should be a level playing field for guests who would rather not have to use their phones. Back in 2021 Universal put heavy emphasis on that process, especially mobile ordering, and even eliminated maps for a short period, but abandoned it when the food ordering and lines became ridiculously complicated and long. As I mentioned earlier ,it appears WDW Disney is getting a lot of negative feedback from guests unhappy they need to use their phones so much in the parks for Genie, food etc.. They had put very heavy emphasis on phone food ordering, but when we went in April it seemed there were few people using mobile and most people were back to using the regular lines to order food. Let a guest enjoy their vacation and leave their phone in their room if they want without penalizing them for it.

Now Wait Until Virtual Line comes back with single time express pass return times,

 

[UniversalRBLX]

They had put very heavy emphasis on phone food ordering, but when we went in April it seemed there were few people using mobile and most people were back to using the regular lines to order food.

That's cause at WDW they're efficient with their mobile order service so you don't spend too much time waiting around the mobile order pickup location.

Now Wait Until Virtual Line comes back with single time express pass return times,

I have my posts/messages ready to go

 

[sonoma15]

I think the biggest issue is the fact that Universal is "pushing" you towards an app that just doesn't provide the latest and/or correct information. How many people have shown up to Red Coconut, only to realize it's closed for a private event? Why does it not "save" my profile to include my AP when ordering food?

As for maps, yes we can still get them at guest services... but it'll end up being a standard piece of paper with the same map found online. Again, not the end of the world... but its one of those "small things" that lots of enjoyed while visiting the parks. I don't know how many hours I've spent as a kid just looking over the maps.

See this I don't understand, because the app does provide accurate hours for red coconut even if there is an event. I've never had a problem with that. The AP thing is annoying but it's not a big deal and takes literally seconds to scan.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

See this I don't understand, because the app does provide accurate hours for red coconut even if there is an event. I've never had a problem with that.

I don't know how many times I've walked over to a restaurant in the parks and found them to be closed. I don't make things up, you know how much I love the parks.

 

[Mad Dog]

Now Wait Until Virtual Line comes back with single time express pass return times,

I'm sure your info is correct since you've never been wrong yet, and I thank you for your excellent very INSIDE contributions to the IU Forum. But it's definitely a sad and disappointing trend. They sure seem to want to take the 'spontaneous fun' out of the theme park experience and emulate WDW ways.

 

[sonoma15]

I don't know how many times I've walked over to a restaurant in the parks and found them to be closed. I don't make things up, you know how much I love the parks.

I mean I believe you, I've just never run into this issue myself. It's good to check the app day of though and not before because I don't know when they update the hours. It still says for some restaurants that it's open till 1 am this Sunday so clearly they haven't updated it yet for this Sunday.