- Feb 15, 2012
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Because they know their market and know Disney has a grip on the under 10 set. If you want Disney rides be mad Disney isn’t making them.
The Future of Fast and Furious: Supercharged
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Because they know their market and know Disney has a grip on the under 10 set. If you want Disney rides be mad Disney isn’t making them.
- Apr 30, 2017
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Ah, yes, the resort which Harry Potter built, with Seuss and Mario and Minions and HTTYD lands and 10 huge hotels to fill, doesn’t WANT families with kids.
Come on.
yet they are so….
This screams “Why isn’t Universal giving me a Disney experience?”
I'm not saying Universal should go ahead and try to take attendance away from Disney... but there needs to be something offered for them at the parks beyond a play area (which kids love).
I'm not asking Universal for a slow-moving dark ride educating me through the history of communication... I think there's an opportunity for family-friendly (no height requirement/motion base) experiences for Universal to consider.
I mentioned this project a few posts back, a great sign that Universal is going in the right direction. That's why I questioned the idea that Universal shouldn't try to compete in the Under 10 market. They obviously have the desire to do so with this and Kidzone.
There is room for even more family-friendly experiences throughout the parks beyond this - it shouldn't just be a one-and-done situation.
If Universal wants to keep building resort hotels and increase per capita spending, the family market can provide that for them. Teens/Young Adults just don't offer the same revenue potential as families with children do. They've cornered the teen market with coasters and HHN, now it's time to branch into other segments they haven't focused on in the past.
Nobody... literally nobody... is asking for this. The choice is not "build all thrill coasters, all the time" or "drop six new kid-centric dark rides into USF."
Nobody has been pounding that table for a less-screen-reliant dark ride filled with animatronics harder than me, and I've said repeatedly that I'll take one.
Why did Universal build SLOP in Hollywood?
If there's room (conceptually) for a ride like that to exist in a Universal park, there should be room at USF for something similar.
... SCREENZ.
*runs away*
- Apr 30, 2017
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Two facts:
The Universal resort’s skyrocketing success began when it turned from a focus on teens to a more family-friendly direction with Potter; this course correction quite literally saved the resort.
Universal parks highlight a lot of family-focused properties.
I would be very interested in a logical argument that explains Universal’s reluctance to build family-friendly dark rides in light of these two facts (one that goes beyond “Universal knows best.”)
Let’s set Disney aside for the moment. Let’s consider two incredibly impressive European parks, Europa Parc and Efteling. Both feature huge numbers of dark rides AND thrill coasters that put Uni to shame. Why is this not a viable model for Uni?
The Universal resort’s skyrocketing success began when it turned from a focus on teens to a more family-friendly direction with Potter; this course correction quite literally saved the resort.
Universal parks highlight a lot of family-focused properties.
I would be very interested in a logical argument that explains Universal’s reluctance to build family-friendly dark rides in light of these two facts (one that goes beyond “Universal knows best.”)
Let’s set Disney aside for the moment. Let’s consider two incredibly impressive European parks, Europa Parc and Efteling. Both feature huge numbers of dark rides AND thrill coasters that put Uni to shame. Why is this not a viable model for Uni?
Epic Universe will help continue to evolve this.
Villian Con will help continue to evolve this.
I'm sure if the Uni exec's could snap their fingers and have all the mistakes of the last decade washed away and in its place returned with whatever is being wished for, they would. You seem intelligent enough to understand that it takes time - and that they're making an effort. Why can't Universal be the entity that rides both sides of the fence? They have a niche market - intentionally cultivated for three decades - now they're trying to balance the scales. That's a lot of re-structuring.
- Aug 1, 2020
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Would love to see something similar to Hagrid's (in terms of thrill and size) at the Studios. Perfect coaster for families that aren't ready for RRR.
- Feb 28, 2015
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Not understanding how building Harry Potter was a gigantic shift away from teens to family friendly when dueling dragons was kept and Fordbidden Journey has a 48inch requirement. Potter was just broadening their scope for adults and not so much “family friendly” attracting young kids as they didn’t build rides that support that reasoning.
- Apr 30, 2017
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That’s sort of the point. Potter is, to put it mildly, a family-friendly franchise - in fact, it can be argued that it is the most child-oriented of all the major non-animated mega-franchises. Adapting Dueling was understandable, but Uni’s refusal to build more family-friendly attractions for the property (I’d argue they’ve built one, the Express) reflects confusion over the direction of the resort and a glacial slowness in pivoting away from outdated ideas about the parks. Imagine if Universal built three thrill coasters based on Kung Fu Panda -it wouldn’t make sense.
- Feb 15, 2012
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Does anyone know the GSATS for Pets? Or even the Kung Fu Panda boat ride. I heard the later isn’t that great, so that would make sense, but Pets looks like a dream.
I know there was also discourse on body/height limitations for the Pets ride vehicle and it’s opening was marred by the lockdowns. Granted, these limitations are often based on vendor recommendations. I wonder if that is why they went for Villain Con (no ride vehicle) instead of the rumored Pets replacement for Shrek.
This is a conversation about market positions - Disney is the market leader and Universal for years was a market nicher. Universal is moving to become more of a market challenger, but they're having to go through the awkward market follower stage first.
A SLOP like omnimover but with improved seating or some other family dark ride will come to USF. It's only a matter of time. Maybe one will come in the phase 2 expansion of the DWA KZ retheme as I seem to remember @Alicia saying.
From what I have read online that Kung Fu Panda area at USB was cobbled together at the last minute. Universal wanted a version of SNW at USB but due to how unpopular Nintendo is in China, it was cut. Universal obviously seems to struggle with boat rides. The now defunct Madagascar Crate Adventure at Singapore which was leveled to make way for their SNW, also was not that good either. Pacing being a common issue on both. Plus with the action of KFP, a slow moving boat ride is NOT a good fit.
- Dec 3, 2020
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Ghostbusters would be awesome… somewhere else. You can take Mummy from my cold dead mummified hands.
