Universal Studios Florida: What Do We Think About It?

[mccgavin]

And it's also the only major classic attraction still in place at USJ while other ones have bitten the dust.

Jurassic Park River Adventure?

 

[Jake S]

Jurassic Park River Adventure?

sorry, nothing built in the 90’s can be considered a classic because that would make me old

 

[saint.piss]

This is why they need to do a studio tour equivalent dark ride for USF. There's clearly a want for these classic IPs to be back in some form at Universal... Otherwise they wouldn't keep putting out new merch or anything towards these old movies. I think a dark ride that's essentially a version of the Studio Tour but more focused on the original central USF IPs (Jaws, BTTF, Kongfrontation, Disaster, Beetlejuice, Twister, Ghostbusters, etc) would fulfill that need. Now that I think about it, this ride concept would be a little similar to the Great Movie Ride from WDW Hollywood Studios. It could be the replacement for Supercharged, definitely a lot of space there. They can even take some ideas from that original Universal Monsters drive-in ride pitch. That would be amazing !

Drive-In Universal Monsters Ride Idea Entertained at Epic Universe

Blue sky and concept art released by a ride designer show a Monster Movie Drive-In ride once entertained for Epic Universe...

themeparkmagazine.com

 

[Mad Dog]

This is why they need to do a studio tour equivalent dark ride for USF. There's clearly a want for these classic IPs to be back in some form at Universal... Otherwise they wouldn't keep putting out new merch or anything towards these old movies. I think a dark ride that's essentially a version of the Studio Tour but more focused on the original central USF IPs (Jaws, BTTF, Kongfrontation, Disaster, Beetlejuice, Twister, Ghostbusters, etc) would fulfill that need. Now that I think about it, this ride concept would be a little similar to the Great Movie Ride from WDW Hollywood Studios. It could be the replacement for Supercharged, definitely a lot of space there. They can even take some ideas from that original Universal Monsters drive-in ride pitch. That would be amazing !

View attachment 24994

View attachment 24995

Drive-In Universal Monsters Ride Idea Entertained at Epic Universe

Blue sky and concept art released by a ride designer show a Monster Movie Drive-In ride once entertained for Epic Universe...

themeparkmagazine.com

I think they'd need to add a little thrill and/or action to it though. I loved the Great Movie Ride at DHS, and always rode it a couple times on a visit. Plus it occupied a nice chunk of time, entertainment wise. But it was basically a walk on during its last few years. Short of the shoot out scenes, it didn't have much real thrill. Todays audiences want action/thrill, so I think it would be a necessary ingredient, if the attraction would be successful. They could probably utilize the present building without tearing it down. With F&F its a 'huge' waste of space. Wish they would have gotten rid of F&F before tearing down RRR. It's probably the most hated/least liked attraction in any of the Universal/Disney parks, by far.

 

[saint.piss]

I think they'd need to add a little thrill and/or action to it though. I loved the Great Movie Ride at DHS, and always rode it a couple times on a visit. Plus it occupied a nice chunk of time, entertainment wise. But it was basically a walk on during its last few years. Short of the shoot out scenes, it didn't have much real thrill. Todays audiences want action/thrill, so I think it would be a necessary ingredient, if the attraction would be successful. They could probably utilize the present building without tearing it down. With F&F its a 'huge' waste of space. Wish they would have gotten rid of F&F before tearing down RRR. It's probably the most hated/least liked attraction in any of the Universal/Disney parks, by far.

Well I didn't mean a slow moving ride like GMR. It should be a similar thrill level to stuff like Spider-Man, Ratatouille and the Peter Pan ride at TDS imo.

 

[belloq87]

sorry, nothing built in the 90’s can be considered a classic because that would make me old

This is why they need to do a studio tour equivalent dark ride for USF. There's clearly a want for these classic IPs to be back in some form at Universal... Otherwise they wouldn't keep putting out new merch or anything towards these old movies. I think a dark ride that's essentially a version of the Studio Tour but more focused on the original central USF IPs (Jaws, BTTF, Kongfrontation, Disaster, Beetlejuice, Twister, Ghostbusters, etc) would fulfill that need. Now that I think about it, this ride concept would be a little similar to the Great Movie Ride from WDW Hollywood Studios. It could be the replacement for Supercharged, definitely a lot of space there. They can even take some ideas from that original Universal Monsters drive-in ride pitch. That would be amazing !

View attachment 24994

View attachment 24995

Drive-In Universal Monsters Ride Idea Entertained at Epic Universe

Blue sky and concept art released by a ride designer show a Monster Movie Drive-In ride once entertained for Epic Universe...

themeparkmagazine.com

Yeah, this general sort of "Great Universal Movie Ride" concept is ideal for a number of reasons, but chief among them is that it minimizes the "risk" of devoting a single attraction to a single classic IP. By throwing several of them together, you still get to capitalize on the nostalgia (both for the properties themselves and for the bygone era of USF) while doing it with a single shot, so to speak.

I think they'd need to add a little thrill and/or action to it though. I loved the Great Movie Ride at DHS, and always rode it a couple times on a visit. Plus it occupied a nice chunk of time, entertainment wise. But it was basically a walk on during its last few years. Short of the shoot out scenes, it didn't have much real thrill. Todays audiences want action/thrill, so I think it would be a necessary ingredient, if the attraction would be successful. They could probably utilize the present building without tearing it down. With F&F its a 'huge' waste of space. Wish they would have gotten rid of F&F before tearing down RRR. It's probably the most hated/least liked attraction in any of the Universal/Disney parks, by far.

Well I didn't mean a slow moving ride like GMR. It should be a similar thrill level to stuff like Spider-Man, Ratatouille and the Peter Pan ride at TDS imo.

A dynamic ride vehicle could supply enough of a "thrill" within some more conventional dark ride scenes.

Some sort of system than could transition between different ride types (i.e. for the JAWS scene, it would become a boat ride, then transition back to "dry" land for the next scene etc.) would be cool, too.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

And it's also the only major classic attraction still in place at USJ while other ones have bitten the dust.

During the late 2010s I definitely would've considered USJ the best Universal park. Between the loss of Spidey and IOA getting VC, that is no longer the case. Disclaimer I have never been, I am simply judging by how much the attraction lineup appeals to me (price too, though that's sadly still applicable).

 

[Alicia]

The only reason people long for old rides that are no longer around is because they’re no longer around.

I’ve seen it time and time again.

People at the time believed most spieling rides were boring. And if they had never closed, they’d still be a walk on to this day.

 

[Clive]

The only reason people long for old rides that are no longer around is because they’re no longer around.

I’ve seen it time and time again.

People at the time believed most spieling rides were boring. And if they had never closed, they’d still be a walk on to this day.

I do think Jaws would have bounced back - especially in the age of social media, for better or worse - but as Brian pointed out, it just cost so much money to keep it running. All of that water-exposed infrastructure and pyro. A victim of timing, maybe.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

I do think Jaws would have bounced back - especially in the age of social media, for better or worse - but as Brian pointed out, it just cost so much money to keep it running. All of that water-exposed infrastructure and pyro. A victim of timing, maybe.

It certainly would have its cult following but I think it still would peter out at ET-or-worse popularity. For all the talk of JAWS going strong at USJ, it’s still the least popular major attraction there. Even with its enhanced reliability I think its time is fairly limited.

 

[belloq87]

The only reason people long for old rides that are no longer around is because they’re no longer around.

I don't think that's true at all.*

There were plenty of contemporaneous reactions from when various ride closures were announced that indicate this is not just a rose-colored, "I miss this long-gone thing" situation.

It was a "Stop removing these things I actively, currently still enjoy" thing.

* Other than in a very literal "You can't miss something that's still here" sense.

 

[grlhowl]

I too would love to see a Universal version of GMR, but I would prefer it doesn't lean on the park's history and the nostalgia for old attractions. I think expanding to Universal's entire library would have so much potential while still including stuff like BTTF, Jaws, and even ET if that should ever go defunct. A varied tribute to Universal's role in Hollywood and a celebration of their greatest films would be a much stronger attraction than one that just evokes nostalgia for the way the park once was- and I also believe it would appeal to your average guest much more.

Additionally, if those IPs that were once at USF should return, I'd like to see them as justified, new iterations. Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice have seen success in new films, so I'd rather see them get their own new attractions than attempts at recreating what once was.

 

[belloq87]

USF is the worst rated park attraction-wise via Google Maps at 4.1 (all attractions in the park).

Just for reference, every other major park in the US has an average minimum of 4.5 stars for all attractions within the park.

Obviously this isn't an "all encompassing" dataset, but it's pretty wild to see USF be an outlier. It's not just fan talk, the public knows this park is in dire need of help.

View attachment 25027

We've talked about this elsewhere, but I'm not sure you can extrapolate that based on this data. The abysmal ratings for Fast and Furious Supercharged are what's pulling down Universal Studios Florida's average. But if you go to, say, TripAdvisor, you'll see Universal Studios Florida has pretty great ratings.

View attachment 25028

Not just F&F dragging the park down.

• Villain-Con: 2.5
• Fallon: 3.9
• F&F: 2.0

Okay, but you're only underlining my point. Fallon's within normal parameters. People who leave Google reviews specifically do not like Villain Con and Fast and Furious: Supercharged, which does not necessarily mean people (even those same people who self select by leaving Google reviews) do not like Universal Studios Florida.

I'm bringing this discussion over here so as not to derail the EU Ticket thread.

I just went and checked, and all of the WDW and Universal Orlando parks have 4.5 ratings on TripAdvisor, so that provides no data to ascertain any daylight between those six parks. But I think most of us would agree it's virtually impossible that they're truly all equally-liked.

So it's not a matter of proposing that USF is outright "disliked" by the masses; it's much more a question of "Is this park -- creatively -- falling behind some of the other parks in its class?" My personal answer is that, yes, it absolutely is. And my anecdotal experiences (i.e. discussions during and after trips) involving people I've traveled with supports that answer.

The park is not as good as it could or should be.

 

[Clive]

I'm bringing this discussion over here so as not to derail the EU Ticket thread.

I just went and checked, and all of the WDW and Universal Orlando parks have 4.5 ratings on TripAdvisor, so that provides no data to ascertain any daylight between those six parks. But I think most of us would agree it's virtually impossible that they're truly all equally-liked.

So it's not a matter of proposing that USF is outright "disliked" by the masses; it's much more a question of "Is this park -- creatively -- falling behind some of the other parks in its class?" My personal answer is that, yes, it absolutely is. And my anecdotal experiences (i.e. discussions during and after trips) involving people I've traveled with supports that answer.

The park is not as good as it could or should be.

Thank you for bringing the conversation over here, sincerely. Save us work later.

I don't disagree that Universal Studios Florida needs serious help. I was specifically suggesting that we can't draw the definitive conclusion that guests generally don't like the park based on Google review data.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Not that this truly matters, but Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World as a whole are equal on Google at 4.7.

I think USF has had a few misses obviously - but I think bigger and better things are on the horizon. It will likely be the most cannibalized park once Epic opens, but similar to Epcot, there's events basically year round at this point in USF. I'm curious to see if they bring back something similar to the Summer Food Fest they had recently.

 

[HHN Maddux]

Last week, I went and had a full Magic Kingdom day for the first time since January 2020, and a few days ago I went to DAK for the first time since 2019.

I know we like to give Universal a hard time on keeping up good likes on rides and lands (as we should be, it's a world-class theme park and you really shouldn't expect anything less than stellar)... but even with USF's current shape not being great attractions-wise, I have a newly found respect for how good Universal is looking.

MK was very rough with lots of peeling paint, many animatronics and effects simply not working at all, way too many busted audio speakers to count, and just a general lack of upkeep and loss of that Disney magic. DAK was faring a bit better (still lots of peeling paint though), although ITtbaB is sadly looking to go out on quite a whimper. Hopper is a shell of his former self, quite a few spiders didn't come down, effects not working, and that screen looks like it hasn't been replaced in at least a decade.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

Last week, I went and had a full Magic Kingdom day for the first time since January 2020, and a few days ago I went to DAK for the first time since 2019.

I know we like to give Universal a hard time on keeping up good likes on rides and lands (as we should be, it's a world-class theme park and you really shouldn't expect anything less than stellar)... but even with USF's current shape not being great attractions-wise, I have a newly found respect for how good Universal is looking.

MK was very rough with lots of peeling paint, many animatronics and effects simply not working at all, way too many busted audio speakers to count, and just a general lack of upkeep and loss of that Disney magic. DAK was faring a bit better (still lots of peeling paint though), although ITtbaB is sadly looking to go out on quite a whimper. Hopper is a shell of his former self, quite a few spiders didn't come down, effects not working, and that screen looks like it hasn't been replaced in at least a decade.

Yeah, for all of the issues people have - USF is a very well kept park!

 

[GAcoaster]

DAK was faring a bit better (still lots of peeling paint though)

But now it's theming!

 

[Casper Gutman]

I’m feeling like the price increases at the Today Cafe are offensive - $3 to $4 per sandwich? That’s a price hike of between 33% and 40% for most items.

 

[SeventyOne]

I’m feeling like the price increases at the Today Cafe are offensive - $3 to $4 per sandwich? That’s a price hike of between 33% and 40% for most items.

A friend of mine in town for the first time in a couple years had sticker shock from the beer prices in Finns.