The Old KidZone Thread

[Milla4Prez66]

I don't think it would kill anyone for one water ride at USF. The park needs some variety. SpongeBob is the obvious best theme for one if they do it. A SpongeBob water ride with a Krusty Krab restaurant would be nice for the area. An E.T. refurb must happen when they close the area down for construction. I kind of think the Nuthouse Coaster should stay, but Fievel and Curious George probably need to be replaced, Barney for sure. I'm not sure with what though.

Btw, I think the SpongeBob water ride should go in the area of the Animal Actors building. Right there for people to see when walking by and right across the street from StorePants.

 

[RonaldsModernLife]

My kids get pissed off when theyre wet too
Maybe its just a family thing

But I dont think water rides are directed mainly at kids...I think its for tourists who either can change (hotel room) or just come in their ratty clothes and bathing suits anyway, with all their valuables in a hotel somewhere. Theyre also usually the ones who find the heat most unbearable.

It might be a family thing My baby brothers run into the sprinklers right away at the local park.

I also think you are confusing water rides with a water feature. True, a water ride (Dudley, Popeye, JPRA) aren't really made for kids and I wouldn't really want to see one in Universal Studios, I don't think we need one. I think a themed water feature zone, with fountains and sprinklers and stuff would be nice for kids to have in KidZone.

As a tourist, yes, I go on JPRA and Popeye back to back and then run back to the Hard Rock to change, but it's not to cool off at all, it's just cause the rides are fun. I only go on them maybe once a trip, though, cause I honestly hate how disgusting I feel after them. So we agree on water rides being no so great for adults :thumbs:

 

[DK745]

As a kid I would love to go on water rides. Now not so much.. never been on Dudley or Popeye and sometimes skip JPRA on my trips too (or wear a poncho if I get on.) If the water ride was the equivalent of Jaws then sure since that wasn't too bad, but otherwise if they want to build something to get soaked for the kids go ahead and do that.

As far as E.T. just leave it be for now and hopefully they'll give it the upgrade it deserves. Just going through that queue and hearing the John Williams score on the ride is great before things get all trippy on E.T.'s home planet. But it is a dark ride with no screens and a ride anyone can get on so it's worth keeping. I have nostalgia for it as well just as a ride I got on as a kid and the connection to what Universal used to be moreso than the E.T. film itself. I would love to see it stay though and get upgrades.

 

[TylerDurden]

Honestly I think ET would be a hundred times better if they fixed the part where youre supposed to crash onto the hood of the cop car...its so hilariously slow and delayed.

First its "blah blah blah...whoa!"

then a couple seconds of nothing.

THEN we hear the impact of us hitting the car...

lololololol what?? that dude coulda really caught us if he wanted to


Also, the catwalk to the right of the flying scene ruins it for everyone on that side of the car. So do the obvious curtains hanging to the sides of the planet scenes. Though I hate the planet scenes and everything about that half of the ride, I unbiasedly think if they just fixed those aforementuoned little things I think ET would be a way better ride.

 

[USO92]

Honestly I think ET would be a hundred times better if they fixed the part where youre supposed to crash onto the hood of the cop car...its so hilariously slow and delayed.

First its "blah blah blah...whoa!"

then a couple seconds of nothing.

THEN we hear the impact of us hitting the car...

lololololol what?? that dude coulda really caught us if he wanted to


Also, the catwalk to the right of the flying scene ruins it for everyone on that side of the car. So do the obvious curtains hanging to the sides of the planet scenes. Though I hate the planet scenes and everything about that half of the ride, I unbiasedly think if they just fixed those aforementuoned little things I think ET would be a way better ride.

Everything you just mentioned were things that I noticed as well my last ride around. I mean I feel like I enter into a twisted version of "its a small world" when we get to the green planet.

 

[ynnoj]

Since when were water rides and getting soaked mutually exclusive? You just have to look at PotC, Jungle Cruise and Universal's own Jaws as examples of great water attractions that you aren't drenched on.

IOA has 3 awesome water attractions where the chances of getting wet/soaked are almost 100%. I think Universal needs to replace the water attraction void in the Studios left by Jaws, and KidsZone seems like a great fit.

 

[mahnamahna]

I want whatever some of you are smoking.

ET, as Tyler put it, sucks at face value. If some of you who are calling me out and saying I don't have a say would only read one of my original opinions, I said if it gets the desired refurb I'll give it a shot. But as it stands now, compare it to universal standards today, nostalgia or not, it's a waste of space.

Would you say the same of the Fantasyland dark rides? Because they're about the same quality as ET except ET has full scale sets and the second half of the ride has AAs whereas the Fantasyland ones basically have cutouts. Yet no true Disney fans are calling for their removal... why? Nostalgia. Parks need some attractions that have been there since the beginning and ET is one that doesn't cost much, provides a decent escape from the heat, gives little ones a major ride, and is plenty of fun for everybody.

Shrek 4D
Twister
Beetlejuice
Animal Actors
Nuthouse Coaster
Fievel
Barney

I'd rather see all of these replaced before Comcast does anything to ET except a nice refurb.

So what if it isn't a groundbreaking E-ticket? What's wrong with a solid family D-ticket? If anything Universal needs some C and D tickets to round out the parks, not another E-ticket. E.T. is looking rough, I'll agree, but that doesn't mean it should be torn down. Dumbo, the Tea Cups, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, POTC, Small World, HM, Space Mountain, BTM, and Splash Mountain will be in DL and MK parks everywhere for at least the next 25 years. I actually expect these guys to be there for well... ever. You're never gonna win Mom and Dad over if you close every major ride within 15-20 yrs of opening it and just replacing with a current, trendy property.

E.T. is part of Universal's history - and for the record, Kongfrontation had high running costs and BTTF - The Ride's film looked awful near the end and by then, Christopher Lloyd was too old to just make a new ride film without looking totally ancient (He turned 70 the year the ride closed I believe). E.T.'s the cheapest major ride to run and it does its job as basically the anchor of KidZone. I'd love to see another family dark ride or water ride join E.T. to help ease the crowds off him but he doesn't need to get axed. He needs love

And for the record, if Comcast had been in charge in the early 2000s, Kong and BTTF would have gotten reworkings rather than totally replaced while Mummy and Simpsons would have been built elsewhere in the resort - my two cents

 

[Shucker]

The problem with the Universal water rides is you do get drenched. JP, Popeye and RSF you come off completely drenched (I cant tell you how many JP towels I have because the poncho didnt work). We usually stay at the Hard Rock and actually plan on days to ride those rides so we can either go back to the hotel and change, or just bring a change of clothes with us. I wish they had a way of making it so in the winter months you dont get soaked. Seems like they try that with JP, but I still get soaked whenever we go in the winter. However I will say, it is fun getting soaked in the summer time as long as you can change into something else.

As far as ET goes, not every ride is going to be on the scale of FJ or Transformers, and to be honest it shouldn't be. ET is a kids ride at the end of the day, just like Cat in the Hat, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, etc... While some people may not like the ride, its not a waste of space because it serves its purpose. I am sure that people that dont like roller coasters would say the Hulk is a waste of space. But its not, it just serves a different audience. I actually liked seeing the catwalks in the past because it reminded me that I was on a "Movie" set (not the case anymore I know). Sure it could be updated, but if it was removed, it would have to be replaced with a Kid style ride. And while Universal has been great at producing some state of the art experiences, look at their kid experiences of late. DM - cool attraction, but just a 3d movie. Twirl and Hurl, looks cool, but its just a spinner. So I would rather leave it as is, then get Sponge bob in 3D (even though I love sponge bob).

 

[TylerDurden]

Would you say the same of the Fantasyland dark rides? Because they're about the same quality as ET except ET has full scale sets and the second half of the ride has AAs whereas the Fantasyland ones basically have cutouts. Yet no true Disney fans are calling for their removal... why? Nostalgia. Parks need some attractions that have been there since the beginning and ET is one that doesn't cost much, provides a decent escape from the heat, gives little ones a major ride, and is plenty of fun for everybody.

Shrek 4D
Twister
Beetlejuice
Animal Actors
Nuthouse Coaster
Fievel
Barney

I'd rather see all of these replaced before Comcast does anything to ET except a nice refurb.

So what if it isn't a groundbreaking E-ticket? What's wrong with a solid family D-ticket? If anything Universal needs some C and D tickets to round out the parks, not another E-ticket. E.T. is looking rough, I'll agree, but that doesn't mean it should be torn down. Dumbo, the Tea Cups, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, POTC, Small World, HM, Space Mountain, BTM, and Splash Mountain will be in DL and MK parks everywhere for at least the next 25 years. I actually expect these guys to be there for well... ever. You're never gonna win Mom and Dad over if you close every major ride within 15-20 yrs of opening it and just replacing with a current, trendy property.

E.T. is part of Universal's history - and for the record, Kongfrontation had high running costs and BTTF - The Ride's film looked awful near the end and by then, Christopher Lloyd was too old to just make a new ride film without looking totally ancient (He turned 70 the year the ride closed I believe). E.T.'s the cheapest major ride to run and it does its job as basically the anchor of KidZone. I'd love to see another family dark ride or water ride join E.T. to help ease the crowds off him but he doesn't need to get axed. He needs love

And for the record, if Comcast had been in charge in the early 2000s, Kong and BTTF would have gotten reworkings rather than totally replaced while Mummy and Simpsons would have been built elsewhere in the resort - my two cents

Youre comparing ET to all these Disney rides which points out the fact that Disney has a ton of these types of attractions..and thats just the problem with ET. Its the only ride of its kind in the park. Disney can get away with indulging some nostalgia because theres plenty to do--but when the only kid-friendly dark ride in the resort can only be appreciated if you have nostalgia for it (aka not a kid) then that seems unfair. The signature family dark ride of Universal Orlando deserves more than a highly-flawed set of rundown show scenes.

I love ET but its only because of nostalgia (and really only for the forest part which has the potential to be very well done). But its selfish of people to expect it to remain untouched because of nostalgia. At the very least it needs like a year to overhaul it.

 

[USO92]

Would you say the same of the Fantasyland dark rides? Because they're about the same quality as ET except ET has full scale sets and the second half of the ride has AAs whereas the Fantasyland ones basically have cutouts. Yet no true Disney fans are calling for their removal... why? Nostalgia. Parks need some attractions that have been there since the beginning and ET is one that doesn't cost much, provides a decent escape from the heat, gives little ones a major ride, and is plenty of fun for everybody.

Shrek 4D
Twister
Beetlejuice
Animal Actors
Nuthouse Coaster
Fievel
Barney

I'd rather see all of these replaced before Comcast does anything to ET except a nice refurb.

So what if it isn't a groundbreaking E-ticket? What's wrong with a solid family D-ticket? If anything Universal needs some C and D tickets to round out the parks, not another E-ticket. E.T. is looking rough, I'll agree, but that doesn't mean it should be torn down. Dumbo, the Tea Cups, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, POTC, Small World, HM, Space Mountain, BTM, and Splash Mountain will be in DL and MK parks everywhere for at least the next 25 years. I actually expect these guys to be there for well... ever. You're never gonna win Mom and Dad over if you close every major ride within 15-20 yrs of opening it and just replacing with a current, trendy property.

E.T. is part of Universal's history - and for the record, Kongfrontation had high running costs and BTTF - The Ride's film looked awful near the end and by then, Christopher Lloyd was too old to just make a new ride film without looking totally ancient (He turned 70 the year the ride closed I believe). E.T.'s the cheapest major ride to run and it does its job as basically the anchor of KidZone. I'd love to see another family dark ride or water ride join E.T. to help ease the crowds off him but he doesn't need to get axed. He needs love

And for the record, if Comcast had been in charge in the early 2000s, Kong and BTTF would have gotten reworkings rather than totally replaced while Mummy and Simpsons would have been built elsewhere in the resort - my two cents

The funny thing is, is that you're comparing the rides of disney and Universal as if they're the same when theyre obviously not quality wise. Who Universal is today is a far shot from who they used to be and Disney is a far cry from who they used to be and not in a good way either. Disney is lackluster these days and is sitting on their buttes not really caring all that much about the current estate of their orlando parks while Universal is pulling out any and all of the stops to make their parks the best. So making the comparison between rides is simply unfair unless your saying that Disney rides and ET are the same because they suck in quality.

And how would you know if they would have gotten redo's? To be quite honest, the mummy and the simpson's are two of the best things to happen to Universal in it's history.

Universal is not Disney. Quite honestly if I want to spend my money on nostalgia I'll go empty my bank account on the Magic Kingdom.

 

[USO92]

Youre comparing ET to all these Disney rides which points out the fact that Disney has a ton of these types of attractions..and thats just the problem with ET. Its the only ride of its kind in the park. Disney can get away with indulging some nostalgia because theres plenty to do--but when the only kid-friendly dark ride in the resort can only be appreciated if you have nostalgia for it (aka not a kid) then that seems unfair. The signature family dark ride of Universal Orlando deserves more than a highly-flawed set of rundown show scenes.

I love ET but its only because of nostalgia (and really only for the forest part which has the potential to be very well done). But its selfish of people to expect it to remain untouched because of nostalgia. At the very least it needs like a year to overhaul it.

Exactly why they're better off replacing it

 

[Cupcakes]

This whole "Should E.T. stay or go?" discussion just never ends.

I think it's pretty obvious at this point that neither sides are really going to form much of an agreement.

 

[mahnamahna]

The funny thing is, is that you're comparing the rides of disney and Universal as if they're the same when theyre obviously not quality wise. Who Universal is today is a far shot from who they used to be and Disney is a far cry from who they used to be and not in a good way either. Disney is lackluster these days and is sitting on their buttes not really caring all that much about the current estate of their orlando parks while Universal is pulling out any and all of the stops to make their parks the best. So making the comparison between rides is simply unfair unless your saying that Disney rides and ET are the same because they suck in quality.

And how would you know if they would have gotten redo's? To be quite honest, the mummy and the simpson's are two of the best things to happen to Universal in it's history.

Universal is not Disney. Quite honestly if I want to spend my money on nostalgia I'll go empty my bank account on the Magic Kingdom.

I compared it to the Fantasyland dark rides because it's something the whole family can do and like those rides, E.T. isn't exactly high-tech. It could use a nice refurb/upgrade but there's no need to outright gut it. I don't think Disney rides suck but I'm just saying there's no true difference between E.T. and Peter Pan's Flight for example. Both are decent family dark rides but nothing revolutionary by today's standards.

Comcast would have kept them because they're bringing back Kong in 2015 - when no new movie is coming out... is that enough of a sign? I just said Mummy and Simpsons could have gone into empty expansion plots rather than say replacing two classics if Universal had the means back then to keep them around.

Before Potter, Universal didn't have any dough to spend on massive upgrades or refurbs... now they do. Not to mention they're trying to upgrade ET as opposed to moving in the Smurfs.

Nostalgia is important for any theme park - without it, you don't bring the people with fond memories of their long gone attractions since they've become annoyed. Why take away ET when Animal Actors could fit a whole family dark ride? Why not make better use of KidZone's space and give ET an upgrade? That'd be a better move in the long run since it would maximize the land's potential. I want them to keep building groundbreaking attractions but they don't need to forget their roots (ET, Horror Makeup Show, Lucy, etc) along the way.

 

[Shucker]

Exactly why they're better off replacing it

Universals history of late with with regards to rides geared more for children has been DM and Spinners. Not saying that is what they would do but that's what Uni did for last two projects designed for the 4-7 range. I would take ET over both of those rides any day (even though I think both are good). Yes it would be wonderful if everything in the park was an A++++, but that is not good business sense for Uni or any business for that matter considering they have to manage their budgets with all the other projects going on. I don't have an issue with Uni replacing it, just don't think we would get anything to the scale of what ET is. Just my opinion, I have not data at all to support that before you ask other than present kiddy type projects.

 

[USO92]

:doh: My point has been misconstrued and not worth digging my way out of some proverbial pit.

ET should go. Thats my final word and stance, no more from me in regards to that certain subject :thumbs:

 

[Milla4Prez66]

I compared it to the Fantasyland dark rides because it's something the whole family can do and like those rides, E.T. isn't exactly high-tech. It could use a nice refurb/upgrade but there's no need to outright gut it. I don't think Disney rides suck but I'm just saying there's no true difference between E.T. and Peter Pan's Flight for example. Both are decent family dark rides but nothing revolutionary by today's standards.

Comcast would have kept them because they're bringing back Kong in 2015 - when no new movie is coming out... is that enough of a sign? I just said Mummy and Simpsons could have gone into empty expansion plots rather than say replacing two classics if Universal had the means back then to keep them around.

Before Potter, Universal didn't have any dough to spend on massive upgrades or refurbs... now they do. Not to mention they're trying to upgrade ET as opposed to moving in the Smurfs.

Nostalgia is important for any theme park - without it, you don't bring the people with fond memories of their long gone attractions since they've become annoyed. Why take away ET when Animal Actors could fit a whole family dark ride? Why not make better use of KidZone's space and give ET an upgrade? That'd be a better move in the long run since it would maximize the land's potential. I want them to keep building groundbreaking attractions but they don't need to forget their roots (ET, Horror Makeup Show, Lucy, etc) along the way.

I don't think you can say they would've left these classic attractions alone just based on reports that Kong is supposed to come back. I mean they did get rid of Jaws which was right there with Kong for Universal nostalgia. There was no real room to add Mummy and Simpsons to Universal, they had to replace something to exist. That is the unfortunate dilemma for Universal, the lack of space means they need to close older attractions to bring in newer ones. Such is the case for the reported Kong return, it is supposed to replace Disaster which has been there since the beginning as Earthquake.

The real reason I believe E.T. has survived so long is because it sits at an area of the park that really struggles to add a brand new big attraction. It is KidZone, so unless it is a major kid friendly expansion you can't really add anything there. With the exception of Despicable Me, all of Universal's latest expansions are themed to older crowds a bit. I could easily see Universal deciding to close the ride, I mean it already has been shutdown at Hollywood and Japan. But a simple refurb would work too. It isn't anything I'm going to worry about until the proposed KidZone re-do actually starts getting some legs to run on. It probably won't be for another 2-4 years.

 

[Cupcakes]

I don't think you can say they would've left these classic attractions alone just based on reports that Kong is supposed to come back. I mean they did get rid of Jaws which was right there with Kong for Universal nostalgia. There was no real room to add Mummy and Simpsons to Universal, they had to replace something to exist. That is the unfortunate dilemma for Universal, the lack of space means they need to close older attractions to bring in newer ones. Such is the case for the reported Kong return, it is supposed to replace Disaster which has been there since the beginning as Earthquake.

Technically, there are several potential expansion pads in the park that haven't been used yet. The main reason both Kong and Jaws were ditched was because of high operation costs and maintenance issues.

 

[Milla4Prez66]

Technically, there are several potential expansion pads in the park that haven't been used yet. The main reason both Kong and Jaws were ditched was because of high operation costs and maintenance issues.

I'm aware of that, but their expansion area is still pretty limited. Especially at IOA, but USF too.

 

[TylerDurden]

Comcast would have kept them because they're bringing back Kong in 2015 - when no new movie is coming out... is that enough of a sign? I just said Mummy and Simpsons could have gone into empty expansion plots rather than say replacing two classics if Universal had the means back then to keep them around.

Before Potter, Universal didn't have any dough to spend on massive upgrades or refurbs... now they do. Not to mention they're trying to upgrade ET as opposed to moving in the Smurfs.

Nostalgia is important for any theme park - without it, you don't bring the people with fond memories of their long gone attractions since they've become annoyed. Why take away ET when Animal Actors could fit a whole family dark ride? Why not make better use of KidZone's space and give ET an upgrade? That'd be a better move in the long run since it would maximize the land's potential. I want them to keep building groundbreaking attractions but they don't need to forget their roots (ET, Horror Makeup Show, Lucy, etc) along the way.

Universal didnt get rid of Kong because they realllllly wanted a Mummy ride, nor did they cut BttF because they wanted the Simpsons (which was originally going to be Fast and Furious). Those rides were taken out because they couldnt be saved...Kong was costly to run, BttF was outdated and running at half capacity. Theres a reason things have to go. To say Comcast would overlook this had they been in charge adoesnt make sense.

 

[IzzyB]

First off, ET can not be ridden by all, as it has a height restriction. So comparing it to HM, Pirates, PP, etc. doesn't even work to begin with. Second, I would compare it to Peter Pan, but not the other ones. HM, POTC, etc are all WAY better rides than ET. If you have not been on HM or POTC you should not be comparing any ride to them, to make a comparison you have to have ridden both rides.

Now I don't want ET replaced. It needs a major upgrade to bring it up to HM and POTC level and not stay at PP level. If they could re-do the cars to remove the height restriction that would be even better, but that won't be happening. They should first re-work the cars for that stupid trolley ride in Seussland as having that at 40" is the dumbest thing I ever saw. Anyway, just make the ride more up to date and fix the timing of stuff and this ride can stay. Keeping it as is I don't think is an option.