DreamWorks Land (General Discussion)

[Magic-Man]

I have no issue with what Universal is doing with the Dreamworks area. A revamped young kids area is something that helps to get USF back to being a balanced park. Now they can work on replacing that big black hole in the center of the park, F&F, that could put the entire park back in balance with a good new hybrid dark ride attraction.

I really hope they replace Transformers or Simpsons instead. Supercharged is fine.

 

[belloq87]

Now they can work on replacing that big black hole in the center of the park, F&F

... Or replacing the aging simulator at the front of the park.
... Or replacing the aging simulator in Springfield.
... Or putting a permanent attraction on the Fear Factor spot.
... Or replacing the substandard coaster at the front of the park.

If I had any confidence that any of that was happening any time soon, I'd be much less harsh on DreamWorks Land and VillainCon. But it seems like attention is going to shift to IOA (again) after Epic Universe opens.

 

[Magic-Man]

... Or replacing the aging simulator at the front of the park.
... Or replacing the aging simulator in Springfield.
... Or putting a permanent attraction on the Fear Factor spot.
... Or replacing the substandard coaster at the front of the park.

If I had any confidence that any of that was happening any time soon, I'd be much less harsh on DreamWorks Land and VillainCon. But it seems like attention is going to shift to IOA (again) after Epic Universe opens.

Minion Mayhem isn't going anywhere. It's an extremely popular attraction that kids can do with no height limit for certain seats. It's perfect for this park. Do something about Transformers or Simpsons instead.

 

[OrlLover]

... Or replacing the aging simulator at the front of the park.
... Or replacing the aging simulator in Springfield.
... Or putting a permanent attraction on the Fear Factor spot.
... Or replacing the substandard coaster at the front of the park.

If I had any confidence that any of that was happening any time soon, I'd be much less harsh on DreamWorks Land and VillainCon. But it seems like attention is going to shift to IOA (again) after Epic Universe opens.

Just curious on where you got this idea from because no one confirmed what was happening after that park opens.

 

[TheUniC6]

... Or replacing the aging simulator at the front of the park.
... Or replacing the aging simulator in Springfield.
... Or putting a permanent attraction on the Fear Factor spot.
... Or replacing the substandard coaster at the front of the park.

If I had any confidence that any of that was happening any time soon, I'd be much less harsh on DreamWorks Land and VillainCon. But it seems like attention is going to shift to IOA (again) after Epic Universe opens.

Epic is coming in 2025 and then Zelda is widely rumored for 2027 After those are complete if the types of families who come to Orlando who book trips to WDW first and foremost and then tack on UOR as the side trip decide to buy tickets to EU and IOA and skip USF, my guess is Comcast will decide to turn their attention back to USF a while hopefully.

 

[Crypt Keeper]

I really hope they replace Transformers or Simpsons instead. Supercharged is fine.

 

[belloq87]

Minion Mayhem isn't going anywhere. It's an extremely popular attraction that kids can do with no height limit for certain seats. It's perfect for this park. Do something about Transformers or Simpsons instead.

The ride system is 23 years older than Transformers (1990 vs. 2013).

Just curious on where you got this idea from because no one confirmed what was happening after that park opens.

The consensus appears to be that Zelda is coming to IOA in 2027, which will be a major project, and it's unlikely Universal would also be working on anything major in USF concurrently with that.

Epic is coming in 2025 and then Zelda is widely rumored for 2027 After those are complete if the types of families who come to Orlando who book trips to WDW first and foremost and then tack on UOR as the side trip decide to buy tickets to EU and IOA and skip USF, my guess is Comcast will decide to turn their attention back to USF a while hopefully.

It would take some time for Epic's impact (and the impact of a further strengthening of IOA with Zelda) on USF to become apparent. So we're still looking at the end of the decade for USF's turn again (unless Universal commits to doing multiple BIG things at once).

 

[Crypt Keeper]

The ride system is 23 years older than Transformers (1990 vs. 2013).

I'll never understand why KidZone didn't become a Minion/Illumination land. It would've allowed them to move Minion Mayhem, ultimately retiring the 23-year-old ride system and building a brand-new one for the land. Villain-Con and Minion Café could've been a part of the land too. They could've recreated Gru's neighborhood for Minion Mayhem, just like in Hollywood.

 

[Magic-Man]

The ride system is 23 years older than Transformers (1990 vs. 2013).

They'll just renovate or replace the ride system and reopen it. It's not going anywhere.

 

[paintervision]

ultimately retiring the 23-year-old ride system

So the motion platforms are fairly mechanically simple, from what I understand, and have been overhauled a few times in the years between The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, Nicktoons Blast, and Minion Mayhem.

It's not the same situation as other rides, where the ride systems are multimillon-dollar one-offs, or where a manufacturer has gone out of business. Or the tech is largely obsolete/surpassed to the point where a replacement is inevitable. These simulators don't use a whole lot of custom parts, from what I understand, which means they could be around for years to come.

Also, in terms of ridership, Minions Mayhem is still a very popular After all, they're adding a similar ride to Singapore as I type this, so there's clearly some life left in the concept. It hasn't fallen-off like the previous incarnations (despite being at the front of the park), so it's considered evergreen. As mentioned, the stationary seating option is available which means it can exist without a height requirement, so that's a plus too.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I'll never understand why KidZone didn't become a Minion/Illumination land. It would've allowed them to move Minion Mayhem, ultimately retiring the 23-year-old ride system and building a brand-new one for the land. Villain-Con and Minion Café could've been a part of the land too. They could've recreated Gru's neighborhood for Minion Mayhem, just like in Hollywood.

They were blindsided by the popularity and jumped on whatever idea they could come up with. In a perfect world where Universal doesn't change its mind every 2 seconds, I think it could have easily been placed in Kidzone with an actual land.

On the attraction's popularity, it is very popular... but the long wait times are more of a result of its ridiculously low capacity for such a popular IP (same situation as Frozen Ever After).

Amazingly, the 2 biggest animated properties in the last few years have been underutilized in the Orlando parks, shoving them into pre-existing areas.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I think you have Dreamworks, which is a major upgrade to this area of the park, likely adding food items which only help make $.

Likely, and rumored, a new parade and nighttime show. Those are major additions to a day at USF. Add in this is the special events park, so there’s always a “reason” to visit.

2026, I hope JPRA becomes Jurassic World. 2027 seems rumored for Zelda.

That leaves 2028 open. The trend of family focused properties is noticeable, so a dark ride added to kidzone would be another great addition.

2029, I suspect an Epic addition, so this would lead to nothing new for USF till 2030.

I think it’ll take a few years for USF to catch-up once Epic opens, but they’re making smart longterm additions right now.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

On the attraction's popularity, it is very popular... but the long wait times are more of a result of its ridiculously low capacity for such a popular IP (same situation as Frozen Ever After).

I’ve always found this argument to be kind of a fallacy. Yes, low capacity means longer lines, but to say a ride capacity is the main factor is missing the point—the fact that people are willing to put up with the low capacity and enter a line posted at 60+ minutes is what determines the ride is popular. A lesser ride would cap out around 20-30 minutes regardless of its capacity because people just wouldn’t care.

I think you have Dreamworks, which is a major upgrade to this area of the park, likely adding food items which only help make $.

To be fair, DVC rooms help make $ and people hate those. That can’t be the only merit to judge something.

I will say though, the Shrek swamp being built is really cool. If you can get a beer or some kind of mud-themed drink while sitting in Shrek’s swamp, I think this will be a good addition that successfully bridges the gap between the meet-and-greet crowd and everyone else who comes to the parks.

 

[biggerboat16]

I think you have Dreamworks, which is a major upgrade to this area of the park, likely adding food items which only help make $.

Likely, and rumored, a new parade and nighttime show. Those are major additions to a day at USF. Add in this is the special events park, so there’s always a “reason” to visit.

2026, I hope JPRA becomes Jurassic World. 2027 seems rumored for Zelda.

That leaves 2028 open. The trend of family focused properties is noticeable, so a dark ride added to kidzone would be another great addition.

2029, I suspect an Epic addition, so this would lead to nothing new for USF till 2030.

I think it’ll take a few years for USF to catch-up once Epic opens, but they’re making smart longterm additions right now.

Agreed on all of it. Epic and IOA are/will be very stacked. With USF they are filling in all of the small gaps and doing some detail work so it is ready when they do decide to do something substantial down the road.

I think their current plan is that they are concerned people will come for a day at epic and then leave. Hyrule alongside a rethemed jurassic will be major draws to get people back into the ‘original’ resort for a day at IOA, which will likely result in tickets sold for USF as well since it’s ‘right there.’ IOA is already a stacked park, so they likely believe that any additions to IOA are likely to be more appealing to the public since they are already inside such a loaded park. USF would need more substantial work to really push the needle, which makes major projects less appealing to universal at the moment because they know that people will still buy USF tickets when coming to see IOA. Not the greatest deal for USF but I guess it makes sense

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I think Universal is more worried about people spending less time at USF. Diagon is a huge draw for the resort, so I see people buying park-to-park passes solely for it and maybe a ride or two... but after that, park hop back to Epic or IOA.

That's why it looks like they are trying to prioritize a nighttime event more than a new attraction/land.

 

[Mad Dog]

Always remember that, according to Universal Execs., 80% of all park tickets are park hoppers. Hogwarts Express and Diagon helps to keep that up. Those numbers basically guarantee that USF will feed off of IOA regardless of how weak it's overall lineup may be.....For all intents and purposes, USO is one giant park. Attendance is very similar, not like the large attendance difference between Disneyland and California Adventure, as a prime example.

 

[MrRoamer]

I’ve always found this argument to be kind of a fallacy. Yes, low capacity means longer lines, but to say a ride capacity is the main factor is missing the point—the fact that people are willing to put up with the low capacity and enter a line posted at 60+ minutes is what determines the ride is popular. A lesser ride would cap out around 20-30 minutes regardless of its capacity because people just wouldn’t care.

To be fair, DVC rooms help make $ and people hate those. That can’t be the only merit to judge something.

I will say though, the Shrek swamp being built is really cool. If you can get a beer or some kind of mud-themed drink while sitting in Shrek’s swamp, I think this will be a good addition that successfully bridges the gap between the meet-and-greet crowd and everyone else who comes to the parks.

I think this is both true and false. A good ride with low capacity will still have people waiting because its a good ride, but I think Universal's may be more complicated. A good number of the rides have a higher height requirement or are too rough for anyone with injuries, disabilities, or are older.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I think this is both true and false. A good ride with low capacity will still have people waiting because its a good ride, but I think Universal's may be more complicated. A good number of the rides have a higher height requirement or are too rough for anyone with injuries, disabilities, or are older.

True, but regardless of why it’s popular, long waits still indicate popularity. Being popular because you’re the only kid’s ride still makes you popular independent of capacity.

 

[MrRoamer]

yeah but thats like Icon Park having a Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice award for 2020.

It's just bending the data to show what you want, same logic could be used for best ride in any park while on a party bus is F&F

 

[Jake S]

yeah but thats like Icon Park having a Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice award for 2020.

It's just bending the data to show what you want, same logic could be used for best ride in any park while on a party bus is F&F

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it’s not like that at all? if people are willing to wait in a long queue for an attraction, that’s at least /a/ measure of popularity. what you’re talking about is completely different.