Springfield Expansion

Yup, because I was one of the few telling everyone it would be the best thing to happen to Universal.

 

Bring on a Moe's "meet and greet" so I can get a with Homer

 

Wow nothing is going to be the same when I return next year.

This whole year project start ups are going to be legendary no park has every done as much in so little time.Universal rocks

We vacation in Florida every year but this year we canceled out trip because the kid DD wanted to barrel race this year instead of go on vacation????.I'm Already planning for next year and told DD and DW she's taking 2 weeks off of barrel racing end of story or I vacation alone.

 

Moe's tavern with Duff please and thank you. Simpsons will always be a classic. Even if new episodes are mediocre people will always love the classics and it might not make the difference between people wanting to vacation in Orlando but it might steal another day from WDW.

I really hope they add new characters too.
Grandpa
Patty and Selma
Chief Wiggum
Flanders
Moe
Barney
Bumble Bee Man
Apu
Krusty
Milhouse
Burns and Smithers

 

I am so excited to see Universal getting the attention and love it deserves. I can't wait to see all of these changes come to the park :smiley:

 

I disappear for a few weeks (car accident) and I come back to find more things happening around USF? What?! This is getting crazy!

In terms of some kind of Springfield expansion/Character Dining Experience, there has definitely been a marked step in the direction of adding more dining experiences at the parks. This Christmas should see the first time that they have Character Breakfast's at both parks with the Grinch over at IOA and then the new offering at USF. Now if they can add a lunch or dinner, they could definitely open that whole thing up, which will only increase the value of the park. I'm wondering how hard UO has been pushing for a WWoHP Character Breakfast of some sort.

 

maybe these people who thought it would be the end of universal was right... cause soon universal will be a very different place with what feels like is half the park being redeveloped.... I guess this year was also the year to be here, cause soon it will be the year of the construction walls!

 

I heard that's actually next year's marketing theme. The year after is going to be "The Year that Disney Played Catch Up"

 

Some Uni fans can't handle the thought of a successful Universal. to them, it's essentially dead.

 

Do you mean because of the shutdown of what they perceived as classic attractions?

 

Yep, that crowd

 

Now you're talking crazy, 'cause in terms of quality I doubt they'll catch up. Sure, attendance, money, etc. it's Universal playing catch up. But as far as quality attractions goes, Universal has been outpacing them for a while.

 

Well, we shall see. I was just making a joke, more than anything ;-)

 

This, for some reason, deeply upsets me. I am so, so proud to see Universal fixing their mistakes and thriving. I find it so hard to believe that "true fans" could really believe that the improvements in the park are detrimental. Sure, Kong is gone. But they put one hell of a replacement in its wake. Sure, BTTF is gone, but with the rumblings of Springfield coming, I'm starting to believe that the Simpsons just might become the solid replacement that it was meant to be. Yeah, Hanna Barbara went kaput, but after two retrofits, we've got an amazing family attraction that surpasses the original attraction in more ways than one. As for Shrek... well yeah, that needs help. And Jaws... I miss Jaws, but I am extremely excited to see WWOHP's expansion. I know that Universal Creative will knock it out of the park. I find it so hard to believe that such amazing developments like that could honestly be a bad thing for any theme park.

 

Jaws was the only truly notable thing of loss. Back to the Future was in terrible shape and while I miss the ride I can get it off the BluRay and YouTube. I miss me some Dueling Dragons que and some Enchanted Oak, but I like the new Universal a lot better. Only thing I miss about 2006-2008 era Uni was lack of lines...

 

I miss Jaws and Kong. But both replacements are/will be just as good or better, so it definitely hurts a lot less. I think Simpsons is better than BTTF, and I definitely think DM will be better than Hannah Barbara.

It's not like we're talking about a Journey Into Imagination to Journey Into Your Imagination thing here.

 

Mummy came at a much darker time for the company and I think it's a really strong attraction with an awesome story. Simpsons came at a slightly better time for the company and once again, great attraction, easily better than it's predecessor. If Uni was in it's golden age prior I have no clue what this is, platinum?

 

Ha! I dunno. But it certainly is an amazing time.

 

Sorry guys, not a fan of the Simpsons....ride or show. I'd really rather have a new SB overlay....that would be awesome. I used to think that Universal was going downhill fast, but my opinion has changed drastically in what is essentially a very short time. We now have:

Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem- A marked and vast improvement over Neutron. Essentially brings back the spirit and fun of Hannah Barbara. I'd even say DM is better than HB by a bit.

Hollywood Drive-In Golf- A 2 course Putt-Putt adventure. One themed to a haunted graveyard, the other themed to an alien invasion. Both are super-fun (personally I prefer The Haunting of Ghostly Greens), and I love the themed music/songs that play in each course.

New Spider-Man 4K Conversion/Refurb- The ride severely needed this. Now it looks brand-spanking new, the audio is more clear, the SCOOP's movements are more fluid now, the updated animation and 3D is simply suberp, and the new pieces of audio and the new soundtrack for the ride are great complments to what is already the best refurb I have ever seen. I always make a point to ride Spider-Man multiple times now, and it is back as my favorite attraction at both parks.

WWoHP Expansion- Yes, I still am a bit sour over losing my beloved JAWS Ride. While it's still too early to say what I think of this upcoming expansion it is safe to say that it will be fantastic....expecting it to be every bit as detailed as the WWoHP is over at IOA. Can't wait ti see what Uni. does with the money that comes pouring in from the expansion.

New Spongebob Store- Probably the best store I have ever been in...easily an attraction in it's ow right. I have yet to buy anything here, but I always make a point to venture inside and explore for a bit. If this is the kind of effort that Universal puts into a store, I can't wait to see what they do with their upcoming attractions.

Transformers: The Ride- Universal made a wise decision to gutter the long empty SS44 and put in it's place something Florida residents have been crying for....Transformers. Seriously psyched for this. Can't wait for the official announcement.

We've also got some new HD screens in Mummy and some nice construction in CityWalk including a cool new lighting scheme for the AMC....And now we have a new project to look forward to too.

It's safe to say that Universal is doing anything but resting on their laurals with the money they have received from HP. It fills me with joy to see a theme park put so much effort into making the experiences to be had inside their parks truly top notch.

Universal is now, in my opinion, the premier vacation destination in Orlando.

 

Outplacing TDO? Absolutely. But Disney is doing great things outside of Orlando. It's just a matter of loosening the purse strings. Disney can still play ball.