Really?!? Seriously, Uni?!?
Yep... about to make all the local news down here. Top story.
Dragons Not Dueling?
- Thread starter White Rabbit
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Yep... about to make all the local news down here. Top story.
- Oct 29, 2009
- 329
- 25
Sad to hear that we are not able to manage empty pockets. So better safe than sorry , I guess.... :-X
Here's a full story from the Orlando Sentinel
Universal Orlando's twin dragon coasters will never 'duel' again
For more than a decade, the signature thrill of Universal Orlando's "Dragon Challenge" has been the ride's three near-collisions, in which the attraction's two intertwined roller coasters, speeding along their tracks at up to 60 mph, pass within 18 inches of each other. Riders will never experience that again.
Universal Orlando said this week it has decided to permanently end the practice of launching the two coasters simultaneously. The resort now bills the attraction as a "high-speed chase between two coasters." That decision follows an internal investigation into two summer accidents in which riders were apparently struck by loose objects while aboard the attraction. One was gruesome: A 52-year-old Puerto Rico man suffered a lacerated right eye and ultimately had to have the eyeball removed, according to his lawyer. "We believe this is the best path forward for our guests and for the attraction," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said of the decision to permanently alter Dragon Challenge.
Precisely what happened in the two incidents remains a mystery. Universal will not discuss the findings of its review, though the resort's statements in the aftermath of the two incidents — in which it reminded guests of its long-standing policy to secure all loose items before boarding the coasters — suggest that they may have been caused by items falling out of guests' hands or pockets as the coasters raced along their tracks. That's what Clay Mitchell said he thinks happened with Carlos Montalvo, the man from Puerto Rico who lost his right eye after riding Dragon Challenge on July 31. Mitchell, an Orlando personal-injury lawyer, said Montalvo recently received a prosthetic-eye implant. "He's still incurring medical bills," Mitchell said.
A similar incident occurred less than two weeks later; Jon Wilson, a 19-year-old from Ohio, said he was hit by something while riding the attraction. Wilson could not be reached for comment, but he told a local television station in August that he was struck on his foot, arm and face.What makes the incidents especially striking is that they are the first such publicly reported accidents aboard Dragon Challenge, which has been operating since Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park opened in 1999. The ride was initially known as "Dueling Dragons" but was given a new, Harry Potter-themed overlay in 2010 when it was incorporated into the park's new Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Records show that Universal has reported five injuries involving the attraction during the past decade, including reports of chest pain, back pain and groin pain; vomiting; shortness of breath; and numbness in one arm. But none of the incidents involved a rider being struck by a loose object.
Some industry critics contend that the records supplied by Universal and Florida's other big theme parks — which must report only injuries that result in an immediate hospital stay of at least 24 hours for purposes other than medical observation — don't capture all of the injuries that occur in the parks, which draw tens of thousands of visitors each day."We are aware of several other incidents where people have been struck by objects" while riding Dragon Challenge, said Mitchell, Montalvo's lawyer, though he would not discuss specifics. He said he was unaware of how seriously those riders were hurt. After the two incidents, Universal said it had temporarily adjusted the coasters to launch them on a staggered basis. But the resort recently decided the make the change permanent. It's a substantial change for an attraction specifically designed with the near-misses in mind. Dragon Challenge is even programmed to calculate the weight of the two coasters after they are loaded with riders to ensure optimal timing.
"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our guests and our team members," Schroder said. "This attraction has been through extensive safety inspections and continues to live up to our high safety standards."
Roller-coaster operators have long grappled with the hazard posed by loose objects, particularly as the rides have become more advanced — carrying riders in prone positions, for instance, at ever-faster speeds and through more loops. Guests on Dragon Challenge ride suspended with their legs dangling and pass through five inversions. The issue has become even more pronounced in recent years as more theme-park visitors carry iPhones, BlackBerrys and other electronic devices. "Today, we hear a lot about cell phones because people are trying to take pictures while they're riding," said Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, an industry consultant in Cincinnati. "Sometimes they lose their grip, and the thing flies out." Even tiny items can be dangerous. "It's kind of like dropping a penny off the Empire State Building," Speigel said.
Theme-park officials say they take numerous steps. A spokesman for SeaWorld Orlando, whose coasters included Manta and Kraken, said the park posts informational signs throughout an attraction's queues and makes frequent audio announcements reminding guests that loose articles are prohibited on its coasters. Employees are trained to help riders secure them.
Walt Disney World's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, an indoor coaster in Disney's Hollywood Studios that features three inversions and a top speed of 57 mph, is outfitted with storage nets on the backs of seats for items such as sunglasses and cameras, plus storage areas beneath the seats for larger items.
Universal says its basic precautions include posting many warning signs and stationing employees at various points along ride queues where they can spot potential trouble items.
Here's a full story from the Orlando Sentinel
Universal Orlando's twin dragon coasters will never 'duel' again
For more than a decade, the signature thrill of Universal Orlando's "Dragon Challenge" has been the ride's three near-collisions, in which the attraction's two intertwined roller coasters, speeding along their tracks at up to 60 mph, pass within 18 inches of each other. Riders will never experience that again.
Universal Orlando said this week it has decided to permanently end the practice of launching the two coasters simultaneously. The resort now bills the attraction as a "high-speed chase between two coasters." That decision follows an internal investigation into two summer accidents in which riders were apparently struck by loose objects while aboard the attraction. One was gruesome: A 52-year-old Puerto Rico man suffered a lacerated right eye and ultimately had to have the eyeball removed, according to his lawyer. "We believe this is the best path forward for our guests and for the attraction," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said of the decision to permanently alter Dragon Challenge.
Precisely what happened in the two incidents remains a mystery. Universal will not discuss the findings of its review, though the resort's statements in the aftermath of the two incidents — in which it reminded guests of its long-standing policy to secure all loose items before boarding the coasters — suggest that they may have been caused by items falling out of guests' hands or pockets as the coasters raced along their tracks. That's what Clay Mitchell said he thinks happened with Carlos Montalvo, the man from Puerto Rico who lost his right eye after riding Dragon Challenge on July 31. Mitchell, an Orlando personal-injury lawyer, said Montalvo recently received a prosthetic-eye implant. "He's still incurring medical bills," Mitchell said.
A similar incident occurred less than two weeks later; Jon Wilson, a 19-year-old from Ohio, said he was hit by something while riding the attraction. Wilson could not be reached for comment, but he told a local television station in August that he was struck on his foot, arm and face.What makes the incidents especially striking is that they are the first such publicly reported accidents aboard Dragon Challenge, which has been operating since Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park opened in 1999. The ride was initially known as "Dueling Dragons" but was given a new, Harry Potter-themed overlay in 2010 when it was incorporated into the park's new Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Records show that Universal has reported five injuries involving the attraction during the past decade, including reports of chest pain, back pain and groin pain; vomiting; shortness of breath; and numbness in one arm. But none of the incidents involved a rider being struck by a loose object.
Some industry critics contend that the records supplied by Universal and Florida's other big theme parks — which must report only injuries that result in an immediate hospital stay of at least 24 hours for purposes other than medical observation — don't capture all of the injuries that occur in the parks, which draw tens of thousands of visitors each day."We are aware of several other incidents where people have been struck by objects" while riding Dragon Challenge, said Mitchell, Montalvo's lawyer, though he would not discuss specifics. He said he was unaware of how seriously those riders were hurt. After the two incidents, Universal said it had temporarily adjusted the coasters to launch them on a staggered basis. But the resort recently decided the make the change permanent. It's a substantial change for an attraction specifically designed with the near-misses in mind. Dragon Challenge is even programmed to calculate the weight of the two coasters after they are loaded with riders to ensure optimal timing.
"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our guests and our team members," Schroder said. "This attraction has been through extensive safety inspections and continues to live up to our high safety standards."
Roller-coaster operators have long grappled with the hazard posed by loose objects, particularly as the rides have become more advanced — carrying riders in prone positions, for instance, at ever-faster speeds and through more loops. Guests on Dragon Challenge ride suspended with their legs dangling and pass through five inversions. The issue has become even more pronounced in recent years as more theme-park visitors carry iPhones, BlackBerrys and other electronic devices. "Today, we hear a lot about cell phones because people are trying to take pictures while they're riding," said Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, an industry consultant in Cincinnati. "Sometimes they lose their grip, and the thing flies out." Even tiny items can be dangerous. "It's kind of like dropping a penny off the Empire State Building," Speigel said.
Theme-park officials say they take numerous steps. A spokesman for SeaWorld Orlando, whose coasters included Manta and Kraken, said the park posts informational signs throughout an attraction's queues and makes frequent audio announcements reminding guests that loose articles are prohibited on its coasters. Employees are trained to help riders secure them.
Walt Disney World's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, an indoor coaster in Disney's Hollywood Studios that features three inversions and a top speed of 57 mph, is outfitted with storage nets on the backs of seats for items such as sunglasses and cameras, plus storage areas beneath the seats for larger items.
Universal says its basic precautions include posting many warning signs and stationing employees at various points along ride queues where they can spot potential trouble items.
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Really?!? Seriously, Uni?!?
Sorry, but you can't blame Universal for people not being able to empty their pockets as instructed.
Blame the moronic guests we get in Orlando, not the company.
Save for patinng every rider down, which they would never be able to do, there's nothing that could help the situation.
In all honesty, it sounds like we're lucky the dueling lasted this long.
Wow. Good thing I didn't bet any money on this. I really thought they'd be back dueling by next year.
Stupid guy who threw something or dropped something that hit the guy who lost his eye. Don't think anyone's calling the guy who lost his eye stupid.
So this thing operates for 11+ years with no issues and then we just happen to get two projectiles within the same month and they permanently stop the dueling? Seems a little harsh.
It will still be two fun coasters, but with the stripping of the queue themeing for Harry Potter and now no dueling it just isn't the same amazing experience that it used to be.
It will still be two fun coasters, but with the stripping of the queue themeing for Harry Potter and now no dueling it just isn't the same amazing experience that it used to be.
To be fair to Universal, there are probably many more incidents that have occurred that we never heard about. Things haven't always been so strict, and not every small incident is reported. People have always been stupid jerks, this isn't a new development.
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How closely are the trains launched together now? Are they at least both on the tracks at the same time, just out of sync for the collisions or are they one at a time only?
- Apr 20, 2008
- 156
- 3
I actually rode once where the trains got dispatched at the same time, and I thought "Oh wow, we're going to duel!" But the lift is now designed to do the OPPOSITE of what it's been doing for years. Since Ice was dispatched a little ahead, it sped up, as our train (Fire) slowed down to the "click, click, click" that you hear. Once Ice cleared the lift, our train sped up to it's normal speed.
So yeah, now it doesn't matter what time the operators dispatch the trains, the lift now spaces them out. :doh:
So yeah, now it doesn't matter what time the operators dispatch the trains, the lift now spaces them out. :doh:
Well then, barring one at a time... that is still fun that they are on the tracks at the same time. More fun for the viewer perhaps... but still a bit fun for the riders if you play the 'chase' re-conceptualization.
- Apr 20, 2008
- 156
- 3
So, in a sense... it does alternate... but it will be random. Well then, when one faces a severe safety problem and cannot reasonably come up with a secure solution then this is still a very entertaining concept. My perspective is, this is good result and changes very little.
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