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Studio Tour

Universal's backlots are also used by other studios (especially since most studios no longer have standing backlot sets). Besides Universal, Warner Bros. and Disney have backlots as far as I know. MGMs and Fox's are long gone, and I think Paramount torn down about 90% of theirs. Backlots are used mostly by commercials and TV shows nowadays, but sometimes a big film will be shot rather than on location for cost, control and tax breaks.
Half of Once Upon a Time In... Hollywood takes place on the Six-Points Texas backlot
 
I kinda see both sides of this argument. As an AP, I rarely go the Studio Tour. It's a very long ride that essentially doesn't change much (the personality of the tour guide being the biggest variable--and when the tour is rerouted, it's usually skipping a section, not adding a section), and I've just seen it all before. It doesn't really offer me whole lot of repeat value... once you've seen a filming location once, there's not that much reason to see it again. As a repeat visitor, the experiences are the only "fun" part, and there's just not enough of them to warrant an hour of my time.

But whenever I have a friend visiting USH from out of town, the first thing I tell them is to visit the Tram Tour. It is authentic Hollywood history. Orlando (and this includes USF as well as Disney's Hollywood Studios) don't have tram tours because frankly, not that much (if anything) is filmed there. Disney tried to imitate it, but it bombed mainly because there was simply no history of filming to display there... you just can't fabricate that. Only other long time Hollywood studios such as Warner Brothers, Paramount, etc, can offer a similar experience--but none of those have a theme park attached to them. And while I've done the Warner Brothers tour and enjoyed it quite a bit, I don't have much of a reason to see it again anytime soon.

So in my opinion, the tour is a HUGE tourist draw. But probably not a large AP draw.
 
The Studio Tour going away wouldn't mean the Studio itself goes away (at least not most of it).
??? I never said anything like that. But right now with the tour its a small theme park with a large studio (opposite of Orlando). Take the tour away and its.... a small theme park.
 
??? I never said anything like that. But right now with the tour its a small theme park with a large studio (opposite of Orlando). Take the tour away and its.... a small theme park.

Acreage doesn't mean anything. USH gets only 1 million less guests than USF, and USF is twice the size. The attraction count is also pretty close to USF despite it being half the size.
 
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Acreage doesn't mean anything. USH gets only 1 million less guests than USF, and USF is twice the size. The attraction count is also pretty close to USF is pretty close despite it being half the size.
I just looked up last years numbers....it is kinda Inane to see both Disneyland and USH so close to there Bigger Young Brothers.
USH especially I didn't know how high it is on the list, I do really wonder if After Nintendoland for like a year they could over take Orlando, since its getting the land a few years before Florida is (and yes I know its going to the third park for anyone wondering)
 
I wonder if the electric trams will be quieter/less likely to break down or catch fire.

If it's all electric and not hybrid, it should definitely be a lot quieter. Wait, what? Did a tram ever catch fire?

This will make sitting in the back of the first car or front of the second car a lot more enjoyable. Ever sit there in the middle of summer? Not fun at all with the engine's heat and the smell of the exhaust.

My question is, how long can it go between charges? Can it last an entire day without needing to be recharged?
 
If it's all electric and not hybrid, it should definitely be a lot quieter. Wait, what? Did a tram ever catch fire?

This will make sitting in the back of the first car or front of the second car a lot more enjoyable. Ever sit there in the middle of summer? Not fun at all with the engine's heat and the smell of the exhaust.

My question is, how long can it go between charges? Can it last an entire day without needing to be recharged?
Back row of car 3 is best spot for the tram. I avoid car 1 like the plague even though the push express there in there are no ADA passengers. Electric should make it better. I hope to ride it soon.
 
Back row of car 3 is best spot for the tram. I avoid car 1 like the plague even though the push express there in there are no ADA passengers. Electric should make it better. I hope to ride it soon.

I totally agree that car 3 is the best spot, however, I actually prefer and usually sit in the front row in car 3. You have no heads in front of you and my family and I feel it's best suited for Kong, Flash Flood and Earthquake. The only reason we occasionally like to sit in the back of car 1 is because it's elevated and that you can see the front screen on F&F, which Kong doesn't have so there's no point being in the front. Yeah, but car 3 best puts you in the prime spot for most of the action on the tour.
 
If it's all electric and not hybrid, it should definitely be a lot quieter. Wait, what? Did a tram ever catch fire?

This will make sitting in the back of the first car or front of the second car a lot more enjoyable. Ever sit there in the middle of summer? Not fun at all with the engine's heat and the smell of the exhaust.

My question is, how long can it go between charges? Can it last an entire day without needing to be recharged?

Maybe not "Catch fire" per se, but I've heard horror storied from my friends where the engine starts smoking and everyone has to get off in the middle of colonial street and wait for a new tram to come pick them up.

This article from Jalopnik talks about how school buses are suited for upgrading to electric in part because there's a lot of storage space for batteries, even if the batteries don't operate at peak efficiency anymore. It seems like the same logic would apply to the trams. I think the biggest issue for electric trams isn't power storage, but generating the proper amount of torque for those steep hills and sharp turns.
 
The newer trams hopefully will allow closer experiences. IMO, Universal should just retheme a stage to be ever changing so the experience doesn’t become stale. Imagine all the Hobbs and Shaw cars, or the US facades, or maybe even the on set animatronics of fallen kingdom.
 
The newer trams hopefully will allow closer experiences. IMO, Universal should just retheme a stage to be ever changing so the experience doesn’t become stale. Imagine all the Hobbs and Shaw cars, or the US facades, or maybe even the on set animatronics of fallen kingdom.
I would LOVE to see a return to the "come and see the props and sets from the latest big Universal movie currently in theaters!" events they used to do in the 90's
 
Universal should just retheme a stage to be ever changing so the experience doesn’t become stale. Imagine all the Hobbs and Shaw cars, or the US facades, or maybe even the on set animatronics of fallen kingdom.

Oh so you want to tour to become more or less what it was 15 years ago? I remember riding it every day for a week and there was something new/different each and every day.
 
Oh so you want to tour to become more or less what it was 15 years ago? I remember riding it every day for a week and there was something new/different each and every day.
Kinda sorta. I love the trip through the backlot and I even like Kong, but I think it's time to retire some of the stops that have been there for decades like Earthquake and Flash Flood and some not so long like War of the Worlds, Grinch and F&F. Those are stops that you are guaranteed to see each and every time on the tour (unlike Courthouse Square and certain parts of Six Points Texas), so you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't seen those multiple times over the years. I just miss the connection to movie-making, to being up close and personal to big, current movies.
 
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