DreamWorks Land (General Discussion)

[Brian G.]

So now that we’ve got that out of our system, next condescending pot shot in regards to this land is getting a ban. No questions asked. Tired of this crap.

 

[HandsomePete]

I think multiphased approaches got a bad rap after New Fantasyland opened while its centerpiece attraction was still basically a mound of dirt. Also it’s a tad disingenuous to purposefully drag something out to get people to book multiple vacations (looking at Galaxy’s Edges), but this is not that.

Is this land the greatest thing ever, no. But it refreshes something that was clearly dated and worn and also unlocks the ability to build more down the road. I’d say that’s a win, even if my entire exposure to the land will probably be walking through HHN lines. Also, the donkey meet and greet was hilarious and a big loss when Minions moved in, so I’m glad that’s coming back.

 

[JungleSkip]

I think multiphased approaches got a bad rap after New Fantasyland opened while its centerpiece attraction was still basically a mound of dirt. Also it’s a tad disingenuous to purposefully drag something out to get people to book multiple vacations (looking at Galaxy’s Edges), but this is not that.

Is this land the greatest thing ever, no. But it refreshes something that was clearly dated and worn and also unlocks the ability to build more down the road. I’d say that’s a win, even if my entire exposure to the land will probably be walking through HHN lines. Also, the donkey meet and greet was hilarious and a big loss when Minions moved in, so I’m glad that’s coming back.

The problem with "phase 2"s are the unrealistic expectations that come with the rumor mill. Someone reliable says "they might do ____" in the future, then people talk about it like it's a forgone conclusion, and then get disappointed when it doesn't happen, or something not as grand takes its place. It's just the nature of the business.

And like you said, we're getting a good kids land in the place of a relatively crappy kids land, and that's a win for this park that needs something like this.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I want a Shrek beer of some sorts

 

[Jake S]

I want a Shrek beer of some sorts

the people demand a swamp water ipa

 

[belloq87]

I think if we didn't know that there were significantly grander, concrete plans for this space that almost happened (Super NIntendo World), some of us would be less underwhelmed by what's currently happening.

Would I still want a ride addition in the area? Yes. But there would be no feeling like we missed out on an expansion that would have (in my opinion) "fixed" (or started to fix) some of the park's weaknesses (as I see them) via a single project.

I'm sure the DreamWorks land will be a quality and thematic upgrade over KidZone.

 

[Brian G.]

I think if we didn't know that there were significantly grander, concrete plans for this space that almost happened (Super NIntendo World), some of us would be less underwhelmed by what's currently happening.

Would I still want a ride addition in the area? Yes. But there would be no feeling like we missed out on an expansion that would have (in my opinion) "fixed" (or started to fix) some of the park's weaknesses (as I see them) via a single project.

I'm sure the DreamWorks land will be a quality and thematic upgrade over KidZone.

I don't get this line of thinking... because we're still getting Super Nintendo World, we're still getting a kid's area that the park needs (and fixes a different weakness). There are still areas left to expand and/or replace - including this area. There is no "period" at the end of this project.

 

[JungleSkip]

Yea, obviously SNW would have been far better than this. But they moved it, so it is what is

 

[Mad Dog]

Though we always vacationed during moderate crowd times, not the busy seasons, we rarely saw more than a few dozen people in the Kidzone area that they are reimagining into Dreamworks. Just about anything should be an improvement to move the crowds around and give the young kids, with their families, something additional to do. If anything, it should help lessen the crowd traffic throughout the rest of the park, a little.

 

[Clive]

I'd understand the frustration if we weren't getting Super Nintendo World... but we are!

I do think the new Dreamworks stuff will likely end up being a mostly lateral move with not-insignificant aesthetic/relevancy upgrades. I can live with that when it means we're literally getting a completely new park in less than two years.

 

[MikePat]

I'm sure a lot more kids will be more interested in all of these fun interactive areas to meet characters and ride a "Troller"-coaster than what was previously there.

The most important thing is that we are getting upgrades, and we are not still stuck in the KidZone curse.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

It'll be interesting to see how popular it gets. Camp Jurassic is pretty popular, and with Shrek's house acting as a "weenie" it should draw people back there. I just hope they avoid the TSL problem and add shade. Camp J is fine with all of the shade available and they took out a lot of the trees that were back there.

I also wonder if they're expecting to reopen Kidzone Pizza Company on a more permanent basis since this area should be a bit more popular now.

 

[Brian G.]

It'll be interesting to see how popular it gets. Camp Jurassic is pretty popular, and with Shrek's house acting as a "weenie" it should draw people back there. I just hope they avoid the TSL problem and add shade. Camp J is fine with all of the shade available and they took out a lot of the trees that were back there.

I also wonder if they're expecting to reopen Kidzone Pizza Company on a more permanent basis since this area should be a bit more popular now.

I’d expect Pizza Co to change in due time.

 

[Rwberger]

Accepting that we don’t have definitive information about what the finished project will look like even given the insider insights, I am struggling with the value that the Dreamworks land represents to Universal Studios Orlando. It is at least a refresh of some very old and tired activities and it will spruce up the area without spending huge sums on the development. But with a focus on younger children, I don’t see how it can possibly hope to compete with the Magic Kingdom which offers kid friendly attractions like Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid in Fantasyland and the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean in other areas of the park. Having attended both last summer with an 8 year old, I cannot imagine modifying my purchasing decision more towards Universal based on this opening and suspect that almost everyone looking at the options would agree with me. Coming to USF for Diagon Alley was a given, but the description we have so far of this land would be a 0% factor in my mind. It will be very interesting to me to see how Universal chooses to market this addition.

 

[JungleSkip]

Accepting that we don’t have definitive information about what the finished project will look like even given the insider insights, I am struggling with the value that the Dreamworks land represents to Universal Studios Orlando. It is at least a refresh of some very old and tired activities and it will spruce up the area without spending huge sums on the development. But with a focus on younger children, I don’t see how it can possibly hope to compete with the Magic Kingdom which offers kid friendly attractions like Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid in Fantasyland and the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean in other areas of the park. Having attended both last summer with an 8 year old, I cannot imagine modifying my purchasing decision more towards Universal based on this opening and suspect that almost everyone looking at the options would agree with me. Coming to USF for Diagon Alley was a given, but the description we have so far of this land would be a 0% factor in my mind. It will be very interesting to me to see how Universal chooses to market this addition.

It's not being done to compete with the Magic Kingdom. It's being done to refresh a tired area of the park, and to offer a more compelling area for the kids that do come to Universal.

 

[Jake S]

But with a focus on younger children, I don’t see how it can possibly hope to compete with the Magic Kingdom which offers kid friendly attractions like Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid in Fantasyland and the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean in other areas of the park. Having attended both last summer with an 8 year old, I cannot imagine modifying my purchasing decision more towards Universal based on this opening and suspect that almost everyone looking at the options would agree with me.

I'm just not sure universal is hoping to compete toe-to-toe with a park like the magic kingdom on that basis [right now].

 

[Mad Dog]

Accepting that we don’t have definitive information about what the finished project will look like even given the insider insights, I am struggling with the value that the Dreamworks land represents to Universal Studios Orlando. It is at least a refresh of some very old and tired activities and it will spruce up the area without spending huge sums on the development. But with a focus on younger children, I don’t see how it can possibly hope to compete with the Magic Kingdom which offers kid friendly attractions like Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid in Fantasyland and the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean in other areas of the park. Having attended both last summer with an 8 year old, I cannot imagine modifying my purchasing decision more towards Universal based on this opening and suspect that almost everyone looking at the options would agree with me. Coming to USF for Diagon Alley was a given, but the description we have so far of this land would be a 0% factor in my mind. It will be very interesting to me to see how Universal chooses to market this addition.

I doubt Universal has any thoughts of 'competing' with MK for that demographic. They just want to provide a bit more to do for families with young kids. Universal primarily aims for a higher age demographic....pre teens/teens/ young adults, thus their emphasis on thrill rides.

 

[paintervision]

I do hope that they find a way to get a second train on the Trollercoaster. Otherwise, yeah, if we get brand new, great-looking play areas and meet and greet spaces for properties that haven't been largely forgotten... that's a win. I'd love an additional dark ride and flat somewhere down the road, but it's just important to set expectations here.

Just tuning in to say, as a former KidZone TM: Woody was a 40 second ride. You'd stack every single train - it would not be worth it to add a second train on. While the brake run at the end of the ride is longer than the usual production model, it's not got the proper blocking to support two trains. Keep in mind, this is a coaster that also rarely goes down for refurb, and they have actually pulled a single car off at a time to teardown/rebuild during slower seasons (basically running 7 cars/14 riders instead of 8 cars/16 riders), so capacity isn't really a concern.

What they could do is get a new, modern train for the ride. The old train model had a bench seating and shared lap bar, plus the netting over the leg/exposed areas. This causes a big gap between an adult and a child in the same row. Newer models (see also: Singapore's Enchanted Airways) have an emphasis on higher, upright seating and individual lap bars, which also adds legroom for adults. I don't know if this is possible with the clearances, but if the scenic elements are designed with this in mind, it would make sense.

Also, improvements for the exit, giving space for child swap, ADA access, and more room to clear the train, would be amazing. It actually comes up quite a bit being the most accessible family coaster in the park, so it would be nice to see improvement made there. I could also see a unique sound system being added, which was completely lacking from the old ride. Spiels, music, etc. All we had was the bell!

 

[Clive]

Just tuning in to say, as a former KidZone TM: Woody was a 40 second ride. You'd stack every single train - it would not be worth it to add a second train on. While the brake run at the end of the ride is longer than the usual production model, it's not got the proper blocking to support two trains. Keep in mind, this is a coaster that also rarely goes down for refurb, and they have actually pulled a single car off at a time to teardown/rebuild during slower seasons (basically running 7 cars/14 riders instead of 8 cars/16 riders), so capacity isn't really a concern.

What they could do is get a new, modern train for the ride. The old train model had a bench seating and shared lap bar, plus the netting over the leg/exposed areas. This causes a big gap between an adult and a child in the same row. Newer models (see also: Singapore's Enchanted Airways) have an emphasis on higher, upright seating and individual lap bars, which also adds legroom for adults. I don't know if this is possible with the clearances, but if the scenic elements are designed with this in mind, it would make sense.

Also, improvements for the exit, giving space for child swap, ADA access, and more room to clear the train, would be amazing. It actually comes up quite a bit being the most accessible family coaster in the park, so it would be nice to see improvement made there. I could also see a unique sound system being added, which was completely lacking from the old ride. Spiels, music, etc. All we had was the bell!

Great insights, thank you for sharing!

 

[jarmor]

As fun as your hypothetical sounds, there would be a near zero percent chance that universal would ever open up just a flat ride on its own without doing a

. . .