State of USH - What's Next?

[jarmor]

For the life of me I cannot understand how building an on-site hotel is putting the cart before the horse lol. I am not a local so therefore when I visit I need a place to stay. I will be inclined to stay at a Universal hotel now as it could make my planning a one stop shop. ALso, why should a park keep adding and adding and adding before people get tired of what was previously added? It's funny how can we live in the same house for decades, drive the same car for years, work the same job our entire lives but want theme parks to change every year. It's just not realistic and economical.

I think some people need to venture out to other parks outside of SoCal and see how parks, as a whole, really operate. Like how some parks go years without anything but still thrive.

 

[viking_wizard_eyes]

Once again we are just different.....Its why Walt is and was so loved. The man dreamed bigger, he only stopped when money tied him up

Besides Space, I don't see why you would not want Pokemon in the park...I really don't it would make people happy, grain new fans of the park like Potter and SNW did and make bank. The point of these places are to combine making people happy with separating money from their wallets

I can't speak for everyone, but I'm pretty confident that nobody here thinks your ideas and desires for the park are bad. I tend to think we're all generally in agreement with you, actually. We'd all love to see a Pokémon land, or the DK expansion, or Potter expansion, or a Dreamworks land, or literally any major new expansion of any kind. It's just that the rest of us understand that what we want from the park will not always align with what's possible at the park; we have an easier time accepting the reality that USH is not scalable in the same way as other parks, to say nothing of cost measures or labor availability or any of the other many, many factors involved with expansion.

So just try to keep that in mind when these conversations pop up. Nobody is trying to put you down, they're just trying to bring the situation back to reality. There are some great insiders here who are privy to some of the park's inner-workings so it's always best to defer to them.

For the life of me I cannot understand how building an on-site hotel is putting the cart before the horse lol. I am not a local so therefore when I visit I need a place to stay.

It's not "cart-before-the-horse," but I do think -- and this is where I agree with Jerrod a bit -- that it is a bit of "chicken-or-the-egg." Even with the addition of a new coaster, it's hard to see USH as a multi-day park, so it is a little curious to have a hotel going up when you can kinda knock everything out in a single day. But that said, say USH was able to add a bunch of blue sky, Jerrod-energy expansions. Where do you put the influx of people?

Ultimately I think it's smarter to start with the hotel and I'm glad it's coming, but I can see why some people might think it's not the right idea.

 

[Brian G.]

It's not "cart-before-the-horse," but I do think -- and this is where I agree with Jerrod a bit -- that it is a bit of "chicken-or-the-egg." Even with the addition of a new coaster, it's hard to see USH as a multi-day park, so it is a little curious to have a hotel going up when you can kinda knock everything out in a single day. But that said, say USH was able to add a bunch of blue sky, Jerrod-energy expansions. Where do you put the influx of people?

Ultimately I think it's smarter to start with the hotel and I'm glad it's coming, but I can see why some people might think it's not the right idea.

Personally, I think the hotel will help with CityWalk's recent issues and create a USH bubble.

 

[Clive]

I think the planned hotel will be ideal for one- to two-night stays. I suspect a lot of people who are incorporating Universal Studios Hollywood into a broader Los Angeles vacation wish there was somewhere "fun" to stay adjacent to the park. Right now, folks have to default to the Hilton or Sheraton. There aren't a lot of attractive options beyond that.

 

[Brian G.]

I think the planned hotel will be ideal for one- to two-night stays. I suspect a lot of people who are incorporating Universal Studios Hollywood into a broader Los Angeles vacation wish there was somewhere "fun" to stay adjacent to the park. Right now, folks have to default to the Hilton or Sheraton. There aren't a lot of attractive options beyond that.

Shoutout to the Garland, but otherwise - yes.

 

[chris.g]

People are overlooking just how clutch the hotel will be for Horror nights.

 

[Viator]

People are overlooking just how clutch the hotel will be for Horror nights.

Like legit--even if we don't get a potential second hotel until further down the line (Know there are rumors of them looking to have a cheap one but I doubt that's happening in the immediate); the desire and the demand that a mainline hotel would be (especially with a premium like front gate access) will do so damn much.

Personally, I think the hotel will help with CityWalk's recent issues and create a USH bubble.

I talked about it in the P294 thread; but I think the bubble being curated will do so much to reinvigorate the need to have a healthy and functioning "Nightlife" scene again. Especially with them being able to have a larger amount of control of what comes in and out of the complex; it'll be nice to see them have that advantage going forward.

 

[Jake S]

People are overlooking just how clutch the hotel will be for Horror nights.

I stayed at the Hilton on the hill this past year for the first time and it was a game changer. Putting one even closer to the park? Sign me up.

 

[Brian G.]

I stayed at the Hilton on the hill this past year for the first time and it was a game changer. Putting one even closer to the park? Sign me up.

I've stayed at the Hilton on each trip out there. Love it!

 

[saint.piss]

I haven't stayed at the Hilton yet but I did stay at the Sheraton last year during opening weekend of HHN. I still got some great views and the transportation to the park. Really nice hotel as well and also cheaper than Hilton with the same perks !

 

[Freak]

Bro. Very. Single. Time. Jarred writes the freaking Iliad and the Odessa of a post and I miss it because my notifications won’t tell me. I keep missing all of this gold that no one is ever gonna have time to read.

 

[saint.piss]

Bro. Very. Single. Time. Jarred writes the freaking Iliad and the Odessa of a post and I miss it because my notifications won’t tell me. I keep missing all of this gold that no one is ever gonna have time to read.

@Freak every time after @Jerroddragon posts a long new essay about USH

 

[BillM]

Studio Tour getting removed is a horrific take but there’s some weight to the idea it needs to change. It’s unchanged and arguably a worse experience from when I first rode it 15-20 years ago.

The tram could go and it wouldn't bother me. Attractions on it are old. Jaws is outdated, and the bridge doesn't even tilt anymore. Your lucky if earthquake is open, but even then, the update wasn't anything new. It skips so many streets and the backlot also. Let's be honest, when it gets to BTTF square, many people don't even know what BTTF is. F&F will go once coaster opens in my opinion. That whole area with the lake and backdrop can be used for park expansion. The tour for us is if the line is 10 minutes or less. Otherwise it's a pass. The tour has outlived its usefulness. The tour used to be about how movies are made. People know how they are made and are making them on their phones now.

 

[Brian G.]

The tram could go and it wouldn't bother me. Attractions on it are old. Jaws is outdated, and the bridge doesn't even tilt anymore. Your lucky if earthquake is open, but even then, the update wasn't anything new. It skips so many streets and the backlot also. Let's be honest, when it gets to BTTF square, many people don't even know what BTTF is. F&F will go once coaster opens in my opinion. That whole area with the lake and backdrop can be used for park expansion. The tour for us is if the line is 10 minutes or less. Otherwise it's a pass. The tour has outlived its usefulness. The tour used to be about how movies are made. People know how they are made and are making them on their phones now.

No, BillM! Bad BillM!

 

[saint.piss]

The tram could go and it wouldn't bother me. Attractions on it are old. Jaws is outdated, and the bridge doesn't even tilt anymore. Your lucky if earthquake is open, but even then, the update wasn't anything new. It skips so many streets and the backlot also. Let's be honest, when it gets to BTTF square, many people don't even know what BTTF is. F&F will go once coaster opens in my opinion. That whole area with the lake and backdrop can be used for park expansion. The tour for us is if the line is 10 minutes or less. Otherwise it's a pass. The tour has outlived its usefulness. The tour used to be about how movies are made. People know how they are made and are making them on their phones now.

 

[TheUniC6]

I think at one point it was speculated the tram load/unload area would move to the lower lot so a hypothetical Simpsons replacement could expand into it. Which is somewhat plausible.

 

[Rideguy70]

I will admit as a Passholder, the Tram Tour doesn't generally get a lot of visits from us.

However, I also recognize it holds a tremendous appeal for any non-AP holder... and if I were guiding a first time visitor to USH, I'd certainly tell them they must do the tram. As far as I know, it's the only theme park in the world to have an authentic guided movie set tour that is seeped in 100+ years of history.

WDW tried to replicate it at Hollywood Studios in Orlando, and it was an utter flop and embarrassment precisely because it lacked authenticity and history. If even Disney can't make it work, let's hold on to what we have.

USH getting rid of the Tram Tour would be like Knott's getting rid of the Chicken Dinner restaurant. If it's literally the origin story of your park, and it's still working after 100+ years, it must be doing something right.

 

[saint.piss]

The only way Studio Tour ever goes away is if Universal Studios Hollywood permanently closes. It's never happening

 

[Freak]

I keep seeing posts on this forum every once in a while (A little more than that now) that Universal needs a Great Movie Ride that goes over Universal's best movies.

Well people have forgotten that the best great movie ride has been there this whole time! What ride does Universal have that takes you through moments of Universal's film history like Jaws, Earthquake, Psycho, F&F (Soon no longer), King Kong, Jurassic Park, or BTTF? And you want to take that away?

I absolutely agree that it could REALLY use a refresh. We can get started by building a Kong attraction with a NEW Kong AA, bringing back the Collapsing Bridge, and retiring 3D from the Tour. But with that said, getting rid of the Tour is a ridiculous proposal. Long live Tramtastic day!

 

[saint.piss]

I absolutely agree that it could REALLY use a refresh. We can get started by building a Kong attraction with a NEW Kong AA, bringing back the Collapsing Bridge, and retiring 3D from the Tour. But with that said, getting rid of the Tour is a ridiculous proposal. Long live Tramtastic day!

A new Kong AA would be glorious. Please Universal. Pleaseeeeeeeee.