Halloween Horror Nights 35 (UO) - Speculation & Rumors

[mccgavin]

Negative guest experience impacts revenue.

This is a point that I feel like is going over many peoples' heads. Obviously, sometimes parks are going to make decisions that are not going to go over well with guests, and generally there is some strategy on what and how these things are done. Universal does not have as loyal of a following as Disney does, and they are in a more volatile situation if a noteworthy chunk of their guests are unsatisfied.

In recent years, it seems like long wait times have been one of the biggest pain points that some of the major parks have been trying to address. A lot of guests will tolerate some upcharges and food and beverage price increases, but waiting in long lines the entire day seems to be one of the biggest things that detracts people from making a return trip. This seems to be one of the major issues that Universal is trying to address with Epic at the moment.

I do think it is possible that Universal may see a genuine business incentive to try and get wait times down at HHN. Less time spent waiting in line is more time for guests to buy food/beverages/merch after all...

 

[Jake S]

Crowds still crazy, so people still coming, revenues still good.

Seems prudent to be proactive based on guest feedback rather than wait until attendance dips, doesn't it?

Plus, if they really wanted to improve guest experience and increase revenue from this change, then why not announce it early and scream from the rooftops that guest experience will improve with their new and improved ticket options.

I can think of plenty of reasons, but the most plausible to me is that Universal as a company just isn't that good at communicating with its customers.

I don't know how Universal weighted all the factors that went into this decision, but the experience of "regular guests" is absolutely one of the factors.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

I can think of plenty of reasons, but the most plausible to me is that Universal as a company just isn't that good at communicating with its customers.

Understatement of the century LOL

 

[tdmarshmallow]

So, the Hollywood zone... Do we think Cindy will actually be prominent and get her due, or is this just lip service for us Cindy fans?

 

[dxwwf3]

I can think of plenty of reasons, but the most plausible to me is that Universal as a company just isn't that good at communicating with its customers.

This is the single biggest flaw with Universal Orlando.

Just think about when Epic Universe opened and they decided to keep Celestial Park open an hour later than the rest of the park, but didn’t make a single announcement. You just had to sort of figure it out on your own when you were there. And also with Epic Universe, until recently, think about how chaotic Early Park Admission was. Nobody had any idea where you were or weren’t allowed to go if you weren’t staying on site. And if Battle at the Ministry was operating, how it used to be just open to anyone regardless of EPA eligibility or not.

Both of those things really stick out to me from last year as perfect examples of a total lack of proper communication

 

[dscott]

So what do we think - New York scare zone announced today and then other areas (Die-In/Club Horror) on Friday?

EDIT: Oh! I forgot about Central Park!