Happy 4th of July, but what was Universal thinking?

[orlandorocks]

I just got back from Universal, I get down there a few times a week (actually today I walked there) , and am amazed how the are expanding. Universal for the most part really has it's act together.But.....


It struck me odd, that they are not doing anything besides the new show on the lagoon (cinimatic). which is the same as it is any other night no extra's for the 4th.

The part that makes no sense is that there are thousands of people in Citywalk sitting on the steps, sitting on the grass, and standing facing the lagoon and Hard R
ock for hours expecting that they will see fireworks.

But the most they will see is some of the minimal fireworks in the new USF show from a distance. That show is more about the projections and the fountains than it is the fireworks.

I asked a few guest service personell and they said we did not advertise that we were doing a fireworks show for the 4th!

Ok, I get that but I wonder how many dissapointed people as in THOUSANDS will be that think they will see something from Citywalk or even the side of the road, (yep on the way home people are parked on the side of the road waiting for over an hour.

I just don't get how universal is doing such cool stuff, and the can't see they are about to dissapoint so many people on "americas birthday"

Don't get me wrong I love Universal but really guys? You could have handled this better.

Anyone else agree?

 

[Teebin]

I believe it is awkwardly easy to explain. They have people crawling everywhere unlike in the past. parades, night shows, dump trucks, cofferdams, new attraction open. While it is difficult to understand, it really is understandable. I have been waiting for them to scream uncle on some front.

 

[Victoria]

I just got back from Universal, I get down there a few times a week (actually today I walked there) , and am amazed how the are expanding. Universal for the most part really has it's act together.But.....


It struck me odd, that they are not doing anything besides the new show on the lagoon (cinimatic). which is the same as it is any other night no extra's for the 4th.

The part that makes no sense is that there are thousands of people in Citywalk sitting on the steps, sitting on the grass, and standing facing the lagoon and Hard R
ock for hours expecting that they will see fireworks.

But the most they will see is some of the minimal fireworks in the new USF show from a distance. That show is more about the projections and the fountains than it is the fireworks.

I asked a few guest service personell and they said we did not advertise that we were doing a fireworks show for the 4th!

Ok, I get that but I wonder how many dissapointed people as in THOUSANDS will be that think they will see something from Citywalk or even the side of the road, (yep on the way home people are parked on the side of the road waiting for over an hour.

I just don't get how universal is doing such cool stuff, and the can't see they are about to dissapoint so many people on "americas birthday"

Don't get me wrong I love Universal but really guys? You could have handled this better.

Anyone else agree?

Lack of planning on the guests part is not Universal's problem. The people at guest services are correct, UO said nothing about doing a special show tonight.

 

[JungleSkip]

The people can't really be disappointed with not having fireworks when there never was supposed to be any. Should they have had some? Probably. But they didn't. Can't be held accountable when they never let on they would have any.

 

[PyroRocks]

Yes Universal didnt advertise that any sort of firework show for the 4th of July was going to happen.

But in the bigger picture, Universal one of the big dogs in Orlando/Central Florida. And they are known for amazing 4th of July shows from the past. This doesn't seem to "Patriotic" to many guest and Americans for not trying to tag anything to UCS. It's Americas 236th Birthday folks. Disney, Seaworld, Busch Gardens, and LegoLand all had huge firework display. And I don't want to hear "the pyro restriction fluff" .... Because it's a different game on the 4th of July and if anything, they have a whole empty field on Turkey Lake Rd to launch 500ft and great shells which can then be viewed from all around the resort.

 

[Teebin]

Yes Universal didnt advertise that any sort of firework show for the 4th of July was going to happen.

But in the bigger picture, Universal one of the big dogs in Orlando/Central Florida. And they are known for amazing 4th of July shows from the past. This doesn't seem to "Patriotic" to many guest and Americans for not trying to tag anything to UCS. It's Americas 236th Birthday folks. Disney, Seaworld, Busch Gardens, and LegoLand all had huge firework display. And I don't want to hear "the pyro restriction fluff" .... Because it's a different game on the 4th of July and if anything, they have a whole empty field on Turkey Lake Rd to launch 500ft and great shells which can then be viewed from all around the resort.

Ok... then do you have a thought as to why they decided they didn't need it? Lockheed Martin and Apple and Tupperware didn't have fireworks either. Are you suggesting that Universal Orlando might go out of business because of a one night decision?

Me, I think they have bigger fish to fry right now.

 

[John321]

I don' think 4th Of July celebration is on their mind with everything else going at Uni right now. Plus they just opened the Cinematic Spectacular a couple months ago. I just hope something for HHN.

 

[Voidfish]

... I think America will survive if Universal decides not to add to the thousands of explosives in the area that night or shoot Captain America out of a cannon or something. If extravagant displays of patriotism were compulsory, there wouldn't be anything extravagant about the "elite" events. And an absence of red-white-and-blue glitz doesn't imply an absence of patriotism or whatever, not even on the one day of the year where it's apparently a crime.

I don't think it's Universal's responsibility to advertise that they're NOT doing a special event when they're not, and anybody who went out of their way to catch some assumed show has no place blaming the resort.

 

[jtsalien]

I don' think 4th Of July celebration is on their mind with everything else going at Uni right now. Plus they just opened the Cinematic Spectacular a couple months ago. I just hope something for HHN.

Eh. It's not like this is the first year not doing anything special, so I don't buy the other stuff on their mind excuse. They just realized they don't really need to. People obviously still showed up and will in the future.

 

[Splatter]

It probably would of been wise to include at the very least a promo to be in the studios for a special extended finale of Cinematic Spectacular or something.

That being said, I think if anything they should be fixing something more subtlety patriotic like the fact that they are the only major FL theme park player without any sort of military discount of honor.

 

[orlandorocks]

Don't get my original post wrong guys, I am by no means bashing Universal. Actually I am a huge fan of the parks and have worked for all the major three at one point or another. And while I realize it is the guest fault to just assume that there will be a bigger show for the 4th, it is still easy to anticipate. Especially after the same thing happened last year. Hundreds of hundreds of people walking out looking dissapointed and confused.

And teebin, respectfully, I did not say anything about them going out of business. It's just math, 100 million for a new ride, 20,000 for a fireworks show for the 4th. If you can anticipate that you are going to piss off hundreds of people, try and find a way not to do that, only makes sense. I consider the parks as a business, If I went to target and they did not have towels I would be surprised, even if they did not advertise they had them. I would not expect them to advertise they did not have them either. But would expect that if people kept coming in for towels, maybe we should carry them.

On the other hand it is unreasonable for someone to come into universal and be upset that they did not have Splash Mountain, they did not advertise that they did, they did not advertise that the did not. But if for multiple years hundreds of people (probably different people each year) come expecting some bigger show for the 4th, maybe that should be addressed?

And I don't feel that these people are just being cheap by going to citywalk so they can see free fireworks, we have many huge free shows in town, from Lake Eola and Cranes Roost. Combine this with the fact that each of the other park chains did something special.

So I kind treat the parks like my own business, because I have been so involved with them for the last 15 years. And I would have done something for the 4th, but that is just my opinion.

 

[The_Bled]

This isn't the first time this has happened. They never do anything extra for the 4th of July, ever.

 

[jtsalien]

They never do anything extra for the 4th of July, ever.

That's not really true. They've done fireworks before, but not since '07 or '08 I believe.

 

[Teebin]

^ Yeah, they did it up big in 2005. I watched it with a friend from the top of the parking garage. It was quite something.

And $20K for a theme park fireworks show? Tiny towns spend $30K. The Universal pyro 4th I saw had to be $75K-$120K. That would make a nice scoop vehicle. :look:

 

[mebweb]

^ Yeah, they did it up big in 2005. I watched it with a friend from the top of the parking garage. It was quite something.

And $20K for a theme park fireworks show? Tiny towns spend $30K. The Universal pyro 4th I saw had to be $75K-$120K. That would make a nice scoop vehicle. :look:

Ah, burying clues in different threads, are we Teebin? Smart...very smart. :thumbs:

 

[Teebin]

 

[jtsalien]

^ Yeah, they did it up big in 2005. I watched it with a friend from the top of the parking garage. It was quite something.

I remember that year. Definitely one of the most awe inspiring displays I've seen.

 

[April]

I remember when I was younger going down the road to International Drive and parking in one of the parking lots and watching Universal's fireworks. It's disappointing that they don't do anything extra anymore, but I'm really not that obsessed with fireworks to care too much about it.

 

[kingeric]

As an Orlando local it is hard to excited about fireworks on the 4th since any day of the year I can see wishes, illuminations, now universal cinematic spectacular, and at summer time at seaworld I can see reflections.

I was at CityWalk for the 4th and it was crazy how many people were there to watch. It was a missed opportunity for universal for sure, but if you were a paying guest you were in the parks. I got sloshed at CityWalk and enjoyed the giant party

 

[slappybob]

You cant complain about something if it was never even planned to happen they have fireworks and night time show what else could you ask for?