Those skins last about one year in the sun & water. That's why the ride usually looks pretty good in April, but starts to look shabby around Christmas. The yearly refurb is something they absolutely need to do.I am wondering why they shut down for a couple weeks for seasonal maintenance just prior to my March visit if they plan to shut it down in Aug. Maybe it was running on fumes.
A redo of JPRA doesn't mean they're not adding a C or D ticket in the Trikes plus area too. They are temporarily moving the Raptor Encounter in the near future, so that indicates something is happening in that area.that's awesome they are updating the ride, but I was excited a brand new ride was coming? Is that at all likely?
If a major refurb is coming to River Adventure later this year, it does feel like Universal missed an opportunity to take it down last fall to have it back open for when FALLEN KINGDOM hits theaters.
That is the one thing I never understood.
Maybe they used the old keep your powder dry analogy. They may lose a tad of the advertising momentum by not doing it this year, but they may feel it's more effective combining it with the Potter coaster to go against Star Wars next year. Their attendance appears very strong right now, they still have the momentum from VB (which appears to be a powerful attendance builder), F&F will open soon, and a new Lagoon Show at Studios is imminent. Plus they debuted the Potter night show & Adventura is opening late summer. 2018 is formidable on it's own......At first glance I thought as you did about the momentum aspect of piggybacking on the movie opening. But, as I said, the more I think about the long term implications, and what the opposition (WDW) is doing, the more sense 2019 makes for JPRA, or whatever it will be called after the redo.............And, the movie comes out this summer, but the dvd which way more people will view than a movi,e won't be available until winter, so a summer opening in 2019 can piggyback on that.If a major refurb is coming to River Adventure later this year, it does feel like Universal missed an opportunity to take it down last fall to have it back open for when FALLEN KINGDOM hits theaters.
And I'm selfishly disappointed that, if true, it means the ride won't be open when I visit in November.
Maybe, but Star Wars isn't opening until VERY LATE 2019 by all accounts. Runaway Railway will likely debut by summer, but really, even with just the Potter coaster, I think Universal's 2019 will be just fine and won't live or die based on a River Adventure refurb.
That is the one thing I never understood.
Oh yes,you're right on Star Tours 2, I was there at DHS when it opened. You are completely correct. That queue was everywhere on the SOA, and no one was in it. The line wasn't much more than a regular busy day.I mean, it's chaos over there seemingly. I'm not surprised.
Even then, I'm not sure it matters. I don't think a new version of JPRA would bring in more guests. Look at Star Tours 2.0. They had a queue set up 1/2 way around the park the day that reopened and the queue barely spilled out of the existing Star Tours queue. I just don't think refurbished attractions really matter to the normal guests
I mean, it's chaos over there seemingly. I'm not surprised.
Even then, I'm not sure it matters. I don't think a new version of JPRA would bring in more guests. Look at Star Tours 2.0. They had a queue set up 1/2 way around the park the day that reopened and the queue barely spilled out of the existing Star Tours queue. I just don't think refurbished attractions really matter to the normal guests
California is a different beast than OrlandoFunny, I remember the photos of Calico and Timber at Knotts and Star Tours at DL getting rather lengthy lines when their revamps opened to the public.
California is a different beast than Orlando
And while I agree, I do think we shouldn't think that this thing won't generate some kind of intrigue.
Jurassic World is a viable property, as far as now is concerned (until JW 3 hits like a truck of disappointment).