Next Ride To Go

[shiekra38]

I wish Twister would go, although for the life of me, I can't think of anything decent to replace it with in that small space, other than Sharknado! (Twister AND Jaws combined!)

Kidzone should definitely stay, because there is really nowhere else in the park for the little kids. It's a wonderful area, the ball factory is tons of fun, and it is not very busy. Maybe a new show to replace Barney is in order, but the parks needs something for small children (this, coming from a person who can't stand children).

Fear Factor-yeah, let's bring in a new show.

I love Disaster, and although I am not a fan of Animal Actors, it's nice to have a show like that in the park. Same with Shrek.

Funny how your rank is Storm Chaser right now...all you see is Bill Paxton's eyes starring in disagreement

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

FYI my new AP ticket sleeve has Shrek and Donkey on it, so I think he's here to stay for a few more years, or if he's still popular in a few years they could just demolish Shrek 4D and make a dark ride in Kidzone

 

[Jakemeister]

FYI my new AP ticket sleeve has Shrek and Donkey on it, so I think he's here to stay for a few more years, or if he's still popular in a few years they could just demolish Shrek 4D and make a dark ride in Kidzone

I don't think the Annual Pass sleeve is really the tell all of an attractions longevity.

 

[TylerDurden]

I don't think the Annual Pass sleeve is really the tell all of an attractions longevity.

Ummm...yes it is. Its a sign of marketability. Universal isnt going to get rid of a ride that they can successfully advertise. Shrek being on any promotional material shows where Universal's advertisement team is focused, and you better believe Universals not going to rip out an attraction with market power.

 

[Brian G.]

Ummm...yes it is. Its a sign of marketability. Universal isnt going to get rid of a ride that they can successfully advertise. Shrek being on any promotional material shows where Universal's advertisement team is focused, and you better believe Universals not going to rip out an attraction with market power.

Tell that to Jaws and BttF.

 

[TylerDurden]

Tell that to Jaws and BttF.

Jaws and BttF were not prominent in Universal's advertising material in the days leading to their departure. The Jaws bilboards (I remember one distinct one by the 7-11 on Turkey Lake and W Sand Lake) was long gone by the time Jaws closed. Also, ironically enough, Shrek took up the majority brochure space (on the front cover) when it opened, replacing BttF's spot. Men in Black also became prominent when it opened. By the time both rides closed, they were nowhere near as heavily marketed as Shrek is now.

 

[Enbee]

Tell that to Jaws and BttF.

Fair point. History shows us that using characters in current advertising doesn't mean their attractions are safe. However, Shrek is still more relevant than Jaws and BttF was at the time of their demise. Plus Shrek can be directly marketed to a demographic Uni is very interested in. When you factor in that reality with the low-cost of the attraction (especially in relativity to Jaws) I think the comparison is false.

Don't get me wrong, if I had to axe one attraction right away it would be Shrek, but I don't think the immediate future holds it's destruction.

 

[MrRoamer]

Shrek was no where on the brochure around the time of the Jaws closing, only Harry Potter and Rock It. I'm pretty sure that when they do have newish rides they only list those on the front so it would make sense that those were highly advertised when they opened.

I can go through the multitudes of my brochures to verify. I grab one from every visit including my prized Jaws brochure that I had every skipper I could find in the park sign on closing day.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

Universal still has Shrek billboards up too.

 

[TylerDurden]

Shrek was no where on the brochure around the time of the Jaws closing, only Harry Potter and Rock It. I'm pretty sure that when they do have newish rides they only list those on the front so it would make sense that those were highly advertised when they opened.

I can go through the multitudes of my brochures to verify. I grab one from every visit including my prized Jaws brochure that I had every skipper I could find in the park sign on closing day.

You're confusing brochures with park maps. Park maps aren't quite as desperate to advertise on because the only way you can get them is once you're in the park :thumbs:

But either way, I'm not saying Shrek dominates brochures now...Harry Potter definitely takes that cake. My point was, Shrek was the star once BttF was removed. BttF, therefore, wasn't a heavily-marketed property which did not protect it from its demise.

To put it simply...there's a difference between which rides have heavy presences WITHIN the park and which ones have it outside of it. When tourists going to Disney World pass a billboard with Shrek on it, they may think that Universal could be a fun place for their family to try out on vacation next year (this is what Universal is counting on). It would make no sense for Universal to demolish the attraction that drove them there in between the time that family saw that billboard and booked their trip. Universal is looking to attract families. Shrek is a marketable family property with relevance and merchandise sales. Universal knows this and is taking advantage of it. It's not going anywhere anytime soon folks. If that's not reason enough to persuade you, see my post above. You guys not liking it =/= getting the axe.

 

[UniversalCityFL]

To put it simply...there's a difference between which rides have heavy presences WITHIN the park and which ones have it outside of it. When tourists going to Disney World pass a billboard with Shrek on it, they may think that Universal could be a fun place for their family to try out on vacation next year (this is what Universal is counting on). It would make no sense for Universal to demolish the attraction that drove them there in between the time that family saw that billboard and booked their trip.

This is the same logic that everyone in this community should use when speculating new attractions within the parks. The subject matter or IP must be something that is beloved by many, in the pop culture zeitgeist, and would make people wanna go if they saw it on a billboard. JP, Shrek, Potter, Simpsons, KONG, Godzilla: We all have an emotional connection to these and it only takes a millisecond to see it on a billboard and think "I wanna ride that!" (not to mention, they all easily translate into merch sales). So the billboard is the litmus test you should use when thinking about where Universal is going to place its money.

It's fun to think about pouring money into Ripsaw Falls to make it better, a Willy Wonka glass elevator ride, etc. But ideas like that don't immediately spark that desire to buy a ticket and aren't marketable.

 

[UniversalCityFL]

Dudley is literally half-built - it was originally supposed to open summer 2000, but it was fast-tracked to give IOA one more opening day E-ticket. The original plans called for Splash Mountain-level theming/AAs. Dudley has so much potential that ends up being wasted

Teebin, Dudley didn't open with the park in May of 1999, but it did open a couple weeks after. There were walls around it for those couple of weeks. It was supposed to open with the park but that ride is a beast and was a little late to the game. I don't remember anything about it originally being slated for Summer of 2000, but perhaps that was true in the early planning phases.

(Although the attention to detail is lacking INSIDE the ride, I still have to give credit where it is due. From the outside, the ride is a architectural marvel and I don't think there's anything quite like the facade and TNT shack. It's a great photo-op!)

 

[Teebin]

^ Thanks Kuribo. I remain consistent that something happened with the ride (or rides) that caused it to be walled off yet again in Sept. or Dec. of the same year. At that time I was a very average tourist... and walls didn't bother me at all... it just looked like something new was happening.

 

[Jakemeister]

It's been proven time and again, that Marketing does not communicate that much inner departmentally. Just because they had someone come up with promotional items for the sleeve of an Annual Pass does not mean that it's going to determine the attraction staying there. Shrek has some pull, don't get me wrong, but the last actual Shrek movie that came out was over 3 years ago, and it underperformed in the U.S. market significantly. If Back to the Future and Jaws can be pulled than anything can be pulled, those attractions were much more memorable and have MUCH more of a culture surrounding them. The first Back to the Future almost out performed Shrek 4 at the box office, and that's not accounting for inflation.

I can see the other side of the argument, but how many people are really that enthralled by Shrek? If you want to argue the billboard side of things, sure, you might be able to form a decent argument. But I can print a lot of things on Annual Pass sleeves and none of that means it's going to last.

 

[TylerDurden]

but how many people are really that enthralled by Shrek?

Ask all the people that are consistently willing to wait in 30 minute lines for it and drop $20 on Shrek dolls.

 

[USO92]

The past 3-5 times I have visited Universal, (on peak and non- peak days) Shrek is always 10 minutes. Honestly, I don't see many people holding Shrek items...And what's to say that if the ride went, merch would stop selling (if it really is)? The ri...no, sorry, attraction is a waste of space...But you have a point when it comes to Shrek being a household name...doesn't mean that a ride is warranted...especially a crappy one.

 

[TylerDurden]

^you have a point about merchandise still selling even without an attraction. However, a family-friendly IP that is attraction-worthy is hard to come by. No animated movies this year have made quite as big a splash as Shrek did when it was released. And Universal is looking to attract more families.

Another thing to look at is the Far Far Away Land in Universal Singapore. They obviously built that puppy to stick around. Universal as a company has faith in the Shrek property. There's absolutely no denying that.

 

[natespf]

I would say Shrek is the strongest family property in USF for marketing value. It is a great example of a total crossover where children and adults enjoy equally, and that seems to be the image they are after. So I think we will see changes in other areas of the park before Shrek goes.

 

[RickyinFL]

Shrek is a bit older, but is a great ride. Despicable Me's ride system is ANCIENT compared to Shrek's. Despicable Me was Jimmy Neutron and before that it was Hannah Barbera, so its literally been there since day 1. It has a terrible capacity since its 23 years old. Meanwhile Shrek has a HUGE capacity. So don't let the wait times fool you, its not pure popularity, there are other factors to consider.

Twister & Fear Factor are much bigger problems that need to be fixed. Twister has GOT to go. I'm standing the whole time, and its pre-show video after pre-show video. This isn't good for kids or families either, who wants to experience a Tornado in real life?? Terrifying for some people I'm sure.

Universal needs a great family dark ride. I would LOVE to see that Lorax rumor some to fruition. We need something without a height requirement. Even though its not a dark ride, the Seuss trolley without a heigh requirement would be awesome!!! I wish it would be something like TTA People Mover.

What about the abandoned Toon Lagoon theater?? Would love to see something happen over there.

 

[UniversalCityFL]

I remember talk when Shrek 4-D opened that the attraction could/would be updated with new films as the franchise went on (the current attraction bridges Shrek 1 and 2, I believe).

So much for that.