Why Isn't USH Creating a Potter Alternative?

[KevyB]

So remember when the original Wizarding World opened in IOA and the park turned into a nightmare? So remember before Diagon Alley was going to open and they built Transformers in a year to make sure people had something to do INSTEAD of standing in line for Diagon Alley? So why isn't USH doing something like this? Springfield, Fast & Furious and the Night Tours (if they are still around) will all be a year old so a large portion of visitors won't be excited by them. It seemed like the House of Horrors' replacement was going to be this, but what exactly could they put here that would keep large numbers of people busy? It's supposed to be dining AND entertainment, but it's not like people can eat for many hours a day.

I tried to come up with ideas and really the only combo of the two that I'd like to see would be to "borrow" a page from Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando and create a Drive-In Theater dining experience. I think the knee-jerk idea here would be the "Fast & Furious Dine-In Theater" but then all you'd get would be Fast & Furious on the screen. Something like this NEEDS to be based on the Universal Monsters. This type of restaurant fills THREE needs: a sit-down restaurant, the Universal Monsters and people will spend some serious time here. This would be a home run. DHS is a joke of a park, but this place is ALWAYS packed!

But what else could be done? A museum isn't going to solve any Potter problems. Putting a REAL ride next to Transformers is an excellent idea, as it would get bodies on the Lower Lot, but we're running out of time for them to build anything good. I think the best thing they could do would be to reopen the old Special Effects Stages on the Studio Tour and put something closer to the Lower Lot show into those. THEN they could put a REAL show into Stage 56. They don't even need to spend crazy Creature of the Black Lagoon money on it. Port over the very popular Beetlejuice show from Orlando. Or expand the now-gone Blues Brothers show. Even better, alternate the two, or run one the first half of the day and the other in the last half! This will keep hundreds of people busy and not standing in line for Potter. Plus, you can advertise FIVE new attractions. Stop the insanity!

Remember that the former Studio Tour Special Effects Stages are on the Evolution Plan for a future attraction, and really, what can it be other than moving the Special Effects Show back down there? So do it NOW! Even better, this area can easily be turned into a mini-land a la Super Silly Fun Land. How about SpongeBob, a license they are doing NOTHING with?! They could put in a bunch of kiddie rides, some play areas, a Krusty Krab and some meet and greets and it would be a super cheap addition for 2017. Plus, this area is very near the tram garage - another "Future Attraction" - and it's only a StarWay away from that! Or better yet, just build a funicular down there, a mini-Bikini-Bottom Express. Make people think they're going underwater. Genius!

 

[Ryan]

...that's some font.

Transformers opened up at USF in June 2013, and was exactly over a year old when Diagon Alley opened in July 2014.

Wizarding World West is rumored to have a May 2016 opening (with softs in April), which will be about one year from now. It's the exact same strategy.

 

[stardopee]

I believe after the year Harry Potter opens we might see new attractions expend . They just want to wait and see how our WWOHP does before they can make any future expansions that's my honest opinion . But A future family ride will be based on the upcoming movie of illumination called PETS , I see it being a successful franchise movie like despicable me

 

[William]

Awareness over this year's additions to the park won't die down anytime soon. TF has been in our park for nearly 3 years, yet it's still advertised like crazy and entices thousands of first-time guests. 

 

[stardopee]

Awareness over this year's additions to the park won't die down anytime soon. TF has been in our park for nearly 3 years, yet it's still advertised like crazy and entices thousands of first-time guests. [/quote

So true William

 

[techmaniac16]

I am about 80% sure that as soon as Potter is finished, Universal will attend to the Lower Lot. Revenge of the Mummy needs a refurbishment desperately. Especially if they want to be at the level of a resort. 

 

[KevyB]

Transformers COULD open a year early in USF because that's not a park that is 80% Annual/Season/Get-A-Year Passholders (or whatever the percentage is, but it's definitely over 50%). It was going to be new to everybody that planned a trip to Diagon Alley the following year. The problem here is that all that stuff is going to be old news to the MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE IN THE PARK. Get the distinction? Yes, they're trying to pare down the number of Annual/Season Passholders, but I think people are fooling themselves if they think the majority of people in USH next summer WILL NOT HAVE visited the stuff from this year by the time Potter opens. Plus, Transformers is a definite E-Ticket that they can advertise for years. Had it opened this year, that would have the required effect of dispersing the crowds next year. Fast & Furious is, at best, a D-Ticket that still requires people to get on the trams. It's not nearly as simple as going and standing in line for Transformers (endless StarWays withstanding). Seeing the one year-old kinda-attraction requires a big chunk out of your day. 

People need to be given an alternative while they're waiting to get into Potterlandia. Springfield without a new ride isn't enough. And I don't think adding five minutes to the Studio Tour will be enough either. They need a people-eater like WaterWorld. Or some significant additions to aging rides like The Mummy and Jurassic Park. Or a time-consuming dining experience with high occupancy rates.

 

[Allen The Actor]

While all the new additions this year and the past few years will help, it won't help nearly enough in soaking in the Potter sized crowds. Unfortunately, nothing Universal can do for now. They do have multiple plans for the park for the future, some absolutely massive. The issue is that with the (current) lack of available land and California building codes, it'll take a while before extra attractions will be introduced. It's unfortunate that the Potter crowds will be absolutely overwhelming and that there won't be enough other attractions to soak them in, but I can tell you that they will 100% be adding more new attractions after Potter VERY soon (heck, they might even green light a few of them sooner than later once they see the Potter crowds first person and realize they need to fast track them).

All in good time, my pretties

 

[Aaron]

...that's some font.

I think you would also need to consider a good amount of people visiting the park for Potter have never been to USH before. Like Allen said I don't think there is any possible way for a 38 acre park to soak in the immense crowds Potter will bring, but they did redo the entire Upper-Lot to accommodate Potter as best as possible. Will it all work perfectly without a hitch? Nah probable not, I mean Harry Potter is the biggest film franchise behind MCU. Crowds will be crazy the first few months but eventually I think crowds will even out once USH starts working on their post-potter projects. Good thing Universal Plaza is pretty to look at becuase the wait to getting into Potter will be a long one... 

 

[Allen The Actor]

Exactly, Universal IS working on it. It just takes time. We don't have the luxury of space or two theme parks or more relaxed Florida building codes or flat land like in Orlando. But Universal is doing the best it can in the time period it has and with the land constraints it's facing. Universal has a lot planned for after Potter, and while most of it is long term, I think we'll find that they'll green light and fast track a few of the planned projects very fast once Potter opens. I think the park will be a sardine can for at least a year.

 

[HereWeGo]

What kind of rides are speculated to open after Potter? Or is it just updates to existing rides?

 

[techmaniac16]

What kind of rides are speculated to open after Potter? Or is it just updates to existing rides?

 I'm thinking it will be updates such as a Revenge of the Mummy and/or Jurassic Park refurbishment. 

 

[Allen The Actor]

What kind of rides are speculated to open after Potter? Or is it just updates to existing rides?

Well, Jurassic Park and Revenge of the Mummy are expected to get 21st Century updates, which is extremely needed. I would hope the updates would come sooner rather than later.

As for totally brand new rides, everything is just speculation at this point, but I can tell you that they definitely have projects planned, or are at least trying to nail down which area/plot of land they want to work on first. I think we should keep an eye on new developments on the lower lot before Universal thinks of touching Shrek, Animal Actors, or SES.

 

[Ryan]

Even in USF, they were blessed by a litrerally abandoned building sitting lifeless in the middle of the park.

 

[KevyB]

I have to disagree that they are doing EVERYTHING they can. Moving the Special Effects show back to its original location and putting a new show in here would be ridiculously inexpensive, comparatively speaking. And it would keep 1700 people busy and entertained, rather than standing in a multi-hour line, which will then lead to even more lines. A new show will keep them busy and entertained for 30-45 minutes, not counting the seating process. How many people will updating The Mummy or Jurassic Park pull out of the Harry Potter line? And how many minutes will it keep them busy AND entertained? Universal simply canNOT afford to allow hundreds of people to wander out of the park EVERY DAY mad and heading to social media to complain. They aren't Disney, who can afford to screw up as they have millions of customers who will blindly accept any bad decisions they make. In fact, they already face the very real prospect of Disney Doofuses talking crap about Potter just out of childish jealousy, which happened after the original opened.

They can throw money at the problem NOW and make sure there aren't issues. Or they can wait until after all the bad press on social media and then spend the same amount of money trying to fix the problems AND the media assault. What's better, solidifying your levees before a flood, or waiting for a break and then repairing it... months after the damage?

 

[Allen The Actor]

^ I'll say it again. Universal is doing almost everything they can to improve the park before Potter with what they have available to realistically work with. Hilly terrain, strict California building codes, and not too many available plots of land (at this moment) to have another new attraction in time for Potter. They have lots of things planned and it will be after Potter. We don't have the luxuries Orlando takes for granted.

As for Special Effects Stage moving back to its original location, a little ride by the name of Transformers is in its place

 

[Miss Betty Juice]

I have to disagree that they are doing EVERYTHING they can. Moving the Special Effects show back to its original location and putting a new show in here would be ridiculously inexpensive, comparatively speaking. And it would keep 1700 people busy and entertained, rather than standing in a multi-hour line, which will then lead to even more lines. A new show will keep them busy and entertained for 30-45 minutes, not counting the seating process. How many people will updating The Mummy or Jurassic Park pull out of the Harry Potter line? And how many minutes will it keep them busy AND entertained? Universal simply canNOT afford to allow hundreds of people to wander out of the park EVERY DAY mad and heading to social media to complain.

I agree. They should have been working on a new show for ages. They made Shrek look more appealing but it's not enough. SES should never have left the lower lot. While they can't move it to the original spot, it certainly can't handle the sheer capacity it needs to. This is where the wasted animal actors area really bites us in the ass...

 

[Allen The Actor]

Don't take me wrong, I know that USH isn't prepared for Potter. Not even close, and it at minimum needs one more major attraction to spread out the crowds. It's just bad planning but also just a sticky situation. If it was up to me, I would've fast tracked a new attraction in place of HoH. I find it a pity that they closed down HoH what feels like forever ago now and the land has been sitting unused for months. Would've been nice to port over some sort of family ride from Orlando. But maybe that's also why they haven't built anything extra, they don't know WHAT to build.

Another area I would've shuttered and fast tracked to make an attraction is combine Animal Actors and Castle Theater's footprint for one attraction.

 

[Ryan]

USH not being prepared for Potter was more of inevitability than anything else. There's just very little to work with. I hate to say it, but I don't think a new show that wasn't an addition would do anything nowadays. Universal's marketing is VERY clearly steering away from shows, with them putting emphasis on the word "RIDE" as much as humanly possible. 

While yeah, it's kind of dumb, they're clearly doing that out of their knowledge from extensive research they do everyday. Guests are clearly telling them, "This park needs more rides."

Unfortunately there's so little room for rides.

 

[Chris]

Sadly, I don't think the HOH replacement will have any dining options to it.  But, in the same breath I can say that Universal is looking at some major change options after Potter, which one they choose remains to be seen.  Keep an eye on IU as we try to figure it out along with you!  Great post!