As I think THE LAST WISH is possibly DreamWorks' best animated film not called THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, I am 100% in favor of this.
Parting of the Red Sea ride confirmed.
As I think THE LAST WISH is possibly DreamWorks' best animated film not called THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, I am 100% in favor of this.
I mean, it's still a "rides" park, if we're talking about quantity. I just think a lot of those rides could/should be better.That’s not to say I disagree that USF could be better, because it absolutely could be. But at what point would you be afraid of losing that more laid back atmosphere in favor of turning it into the third “rides park”?
Agreed, they’ll both always have an emphasis on rides. I’m more addressing your issues with the investment strategy when it comes to IOA vs USF. You’re saying (I think) it should be tit-for-tat alternating mass expenditures between the two, I’m saying I don’t see a problem with USF getting the smaller stuff to free up capex for your Velocicoasters and Hagrids’ next door. Like @Mad Dog said, the two parks complement each other and their post-Diagon additions reflect that.I mean, it's still a "rides" park, if we're talking about quantity. I just think a lot of those rides could/should be better.
To me, IOA is far more a vibes park because of the cohesive nature of the lands. I can enjoy the atmosphere of any of them while standing around or sitting with a beverage. I don't think I would really say the same for USF. I like most of USF's lands on an aesthetic level (and certainly Diagon Alley is exceptional), but much of that is rooted in my nostalgia for what the park used to be like.
And even if we agree that USF has a more laid-back atmosphere, I don't necessarily think that would be in jeopardy if a dark ride, for example, was going into DreamWorks land, or the Fear Factor plot, or replacing Race Through New York/Supercharged/Simpsons (take your pick).
I think my point is more that I feel like IOA has an abundance high-caliber (new) attractions, and I would like to see USF get its first E-ticket since 2014 and Gringotts (a ride I don't particularly love, but it's certainly an E) even if that means IOA doesn't get anything new for a while.You’re saying (I think) it should be tit-for-tat alternating mass expenditures between the two, I’m saying I don’t see a problem with USF getting the smaller stuff to free up capex for your Velocicoasters and Hagrids’ next door.
There are nice individual places to be in USF, certainly.Meanwhile you’ve got Finnegan’s, Duff’s, Knockturn, Chez Alcatraz, the music stage, Central Park, etc. to just hang out in at USF…that seems pretty deliberately designed to me.
That soon?Sure, USF kind of sucks now but by 2035 there should be more than one dark ride added to the park
This is a great topic and I’ll need to flesh out my thoughts later. But I’ll say this, I really care about the theme of a park. Islands has it, Epic has it. At some point, to me, Studios lost it. I grew up in the 90s era and I really felt the movie theme. Heck, one of my favorite attractions was Hitchcock.
Today, the park has less of a theme and more of a perception. Publicly, it feels like it’s known as the screen park. I don’t love that. I wish a lot of recent replacements kept the style of the ride the same. Practical to practical for example. But I get why they didn’t; it was rumored that ‘screens’ was a philosophy. Supposedly, that has changed with the new leadership.
All that said, currently I’m hopeful they will work to change that perception by listening to gp. And like @Cup_Of_Coffee said, I do believe that’s coming within the next 10 years.
To be fair I haven’t been to the “Studios” park in a long, long while and always preferred Islands of Adventure; but all Universal Studios Florida needs is one simple change to the whole theme. The Magic Kingdom was a hodgepodge of random stuff thrown in but it worked as the theme can be excused as “childhood fantasies”. It just doesn’t work as a “studio theme” or “celebration of Hollywood” anymore (Disney’s Hollywood Studios also has this problem); especially with certain attractions (the entire Springsfield section) flying in the face of that.I mean, it's still a "rides" park, if we're talking about quantity. I just think a lot of those rides could/should be better.
To me, IOA is far more a vibes park because of the cohesive nature of the lands. I can enjoy the atmosphere of any of them while standing around or sitting with a beverage. I don't think I would really say the same for USF. I like most of USF's lands on an aesthetic level (and certainly Diagon Alley is exceptional), but much of that is rooted in my nostalgia for what the park used to be like.
And even if we agree that USF has a more laid-back atmosphere, I don't necessarily think that would be in jeopardy if a dark ride, for example, was going into DreamWorks land, or the Fear Factor plot, or replacing Race Through New York/Supercharged/Simpsons (take your pick).
I think the Six Flags comparisons came about because of the general state of upkeep/cleanliness in the pre-Comcast period.I obviously agree with the vast majority of what you say. Still am baffled at the narrative that Universal was Six Flags tier before Potter when Studios at least was so much better before.
I am in complete agreement on this point. I understand budget considerations and resources being spread thin while a new theme park is being built, but I don't quite understand why more people don't at least seem to want more stuff going in there than is going in there.4) Speaking of Kidzone, Uni needs to start offering more substantial family-friendly attractions across the resort. It’s very, very silly that the major HP attractions are all thrill rides and there isn’t a single family dark ride in the bunch. Dreamworks land should have been akin to Diagon in scope with a couple dark rides, not a reskinned playground.
That makes sense. I first went to Uni in the mid-aughts so I was too young to notice. However, I do remember around 2009-10 the threads on here about the resort wide upkeep (Hulk in particular)...wasn't pretty.I think the Six Flags comparisons came about because of the general state of upkeep/cleanliness in the pre-Comcast period.
I didn't really experience that, personally, but I've heard from enough people who did.
In terms of the content of the park (its attractions), USF was world-class.
I want to preface this by saying I'm a relative newcomer to the parks (2016 was my first visit). I'm approaching this as a person who never got to do Jaws/Kongfrontation/Twister/etc.
While I think IOA is better in every conceivable way, for some reason, we find ourselves in USF much more often. IOA has the better lands and rides, but USF has the atmosphere imo.
My favorite ride at the entire resort is River Adventure (despite its current sad state) - and I acknowledge that Hagrid's is undoubtedly the best ride I've ever ridden.
But you know my favorite show? Horror Makeup.
Favorite quick service spot at either park? Bumblebee Man Tacos.
Favorite single thing to do at the resort? Sit at Duff Gardens with said tacos and take in the atmosphere of Springfield.
So while IOA has the better attractions and lands, I think it's still pretty much a fact that USF gets the edge in entertainment, food and atmosphere.
I think my frustration is twofold:
1. If Universal (internally) knows USF still needs work, I kind of wish they'd just keep at it instead of turning attention back to the park that is already superior is pretty much every way (IOA). I get why they want to alternate a bit between the parks, but there's no law forcing them to keep adding to its embarrassment of riches in the short term (compared to USF).
2. They were this close to dramatically improving the park with Super Nintendo World. And while I'm not going to claim that decision will come back to haunt them (because I expect the land to do very well at Epic Universe), it's certainly going to haunt me!
Spongebob confirmed for USF? /s
As far as I know, the entire footprint with KZ + parade building was going to be big enough for Mario and DK.I still think they should have just went ahead with Mario going in at USF and having Pokemon be the main Nintendo draw for EU. Though I’m not sure there would be space for the Donkey Kong stuff at USF.