- May 26, 2010
- 5,808
- 16,137
Hey guys, I made a day trip up to Universal Orlando on Saturday with a friend of mine - someone who's never been to Uni! It was very fun to experience the parks for the "first time" vicariously... and do I have a lot of thoughts about my day. I'll intersperse my observations with that of my friend (who, keep in mind, is seeing all of this for the first time.)
-Got up at 4:00 AM (yikes!), out the door with friend in tow by 4:30, and at the front gate at 7:50. We're both annual passholders (in a bizarre twist, my friend's family had just gotten APs, despite never visiting. Go figure) so we got to bypass the crowds awaiting an 8 AM opening and head right in. Being a Saturday in Spring Break and the last day of Mari Gras, we figured the parks would eventually be packed, so we'd need the head start!
-Very gray day, but that didn't deter me. Headed straight for The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man - my first experience with the upgrade. First of all, the queue looks like it's had a great cleanup and repaint. The large screening room has clearly had a projector tune-up, but it's still not as crisp as I'd like... though that might be more due to the original film quality than the projector. Who knows. Still looks much, much better...
-Pet peeve of mine... I hate waiting in the screening room because the portion of the queue video that plays there is WAY too short. You see the entire thing at least twice (more often three times) if the room is full. Luckily, today we proceeded right through...
-Another observation: It really stinks how little chance you get to see the first and last portions of the queue video! There's the Daily Bugle segment (which only seems to play in the first room and the Express queue), the New York Under Attack Newscast (MIA for many years but returned to the cubicle room not too long ago, you get to see a good chunk of it typically), the JJJ/villain cast (in the screening room, you get to see this one lots!), and the SCOOP safety reel (just in the loading area, maybe 30 seconds of viewing). There's a LOT of humor in the Daily Bugle and SCOOP portions that most people sadly miss due to no opportunity to actually watch it. My dad and I always loved the sappy intro of the Daily Bugle video... "Like the morning sun... Like that first cup of coffee... The Daily Bugle!" Love it! We just never get to see it anymore.
-Okay, so, SCOOP to ourselves! 2nd row, center seats, optimal viewing!
-Love love love all of the new little details. The audio testing in the SCOOP before launch is awesome. I love the new (or at least better illuminated) Doc Ock poster in the very first scene. The dog/cat audio is a great little detail.
-The animation..... wow! The clarity of the 3D and the fluidity and detail of the characters is astonishing. I was in awe of how crystal clear it was. Scream in particular looks amazing with her constantly shifting black spots, hair, and um... as I mentioned in another thread... ass
-I also love how they've clarified certain scenes to make them easier to understand. For example, the scene with Scream is much more obvious in what's happening (i.e. Doc Ock grabs her and tosses her back). Scream herself is a far more memorable, menacing character now... her final "lunge" actually raised some hairs!
-I don't mind the new score at all. It's certainly DIFFERENT... but I like it. Same themes, new packaging, builds good momentum.
-Now my complaint... and there's really only one. It's the flying scene, right after the "ascent." It takes just a moment too long for Spider-Man to jump in and "web you down," and there's really almost no "flight" anymore... it feels like the scene has been shortened. Scream is completely (jarringly) motionless for way too long, and music almost seems to stop for what seems like several seconds of NOTHINGness... it just completely kills the momentum for me. Not a game breaker, but this scene definitely does not live up to the original. (the others however do, and often exceed them)
-No fog effect when Hydroman is disabled by Electro... that was one of my favorite effects, I hope it returns soon.
-I watched very carefully, the bridge falling effect was not occurring during Hobgoblin's scene.
-Overall, fantastic upgrade - hats off to Universal Creative and a job well done. My friend loved it and was astonished when I revealed to her we never actually left the ground in our vehicle!
-Now, Fearfall. Hadn't been in the main queue in ages - forgot about how creepily awesome it was. The main queue directed you to the left instead of the right at the entrance, meaning you got to pass the awesome talking Doombots!
-Ride itself was short but sweet as always. They must've been booking it because usually there's a lengthy pause after Doom finishes his speech... here it was immediate. No complaints, though! Friend was terrified, came off shaking, but enjoyed it. Commented on the good use of suspense with Doom's speech - thought the queue was impressive.
-Now Hulk. Was loving the lack of lines at this point, everything was still a delectable walk-on. I know it's been this way for a while but the upgraded flat panel TVs is a noticeable improvement. Ride itself was fun, and seemed a little smoother than usual... at least until the very end, where it's almost always a tad bumpy. Friend had never rode a serious roller coaster, and it took a lot of pushing to get her on it... but she ended up really enjoying it and glad she did it!
-At this point we figured we'd hit up Potter before lines got crazy. I explained to my friend along the way (we took the route via Seuss) that part of Potter used to be Merlinwood, while the Sinbad Bazaar and Atlantis segments remained. She thought the areas (as we passed through them) were lovely and noted it'd be a shame to lose them.
-Wizarding World was as usual busy but nowhere near unbearable. The conductor was out taking pics. Friend was very impressed and was taking it all in; proceeded straight to Forbidden Journey for a posted 15 minute wait. They were running the light-up "Forbidden Journey" sign which was nice, as I've only seen them run it from sundown on. The new queue wasn't in use but I thought was very well integrated into the setup.
-Here I encountered what would be one of several less than pleasant team member experiences during my day (never fear, though, there were several noticeably good ones as well). There was a red-headed "ginger" gentleman serving as the greeter at the split of stand-by, castle tour, and single riders inside the castle. All was well and we passed into the stand by line - but behind me I heard him speak up to a lady in a very snobbish, rude tone. He spoke very sarcastically and basically went, "Oh, are you - are you planning to ride? Ohhhh, nooo, noo! You can't with that bag!" It might sound playful reading just the text, but I assure you it was stated in a very standoffish ******* tone, as if he was overly annoyed that someone was trying to ride with a bag. I know it's annoying when tourists don't understand that they have to put the bag in a locker, but you don't have to be a total d!ck to them. It was highly unnecessary... wish I'd gotten his name so I could've said something to Guest Services.
-Line started at the very base of the green house, with none of the extra switchbacks in use - the 15 minutes was about accurate. People are still absolutely amazed by the level of detail in the castle, and particularly by the portraits, Sorting Hat, and Dumbledore/Great Trio... it's great fun to watch.
-Ride itself... Everything was grand up until the first dome. After seeing Spider-Man's incredible new animation, I grew disappointed by Potter's. It's honestly very dim and blurry, as many have complained about in the past, and up against Spider-Man it's far more noticeable. Here's hoping it gets fixed in a future upgrade. Dragon AA, as much as I love him, was still running in relative B-mode (mostly stationary until it breathes fire). Forbidden Forest was good with the mist screen working. Whomping Willow is still the weakest scene, but the moving limb came off far more menacing to me this time - might've just been me, but it really does follow you all the way until you hit the dome, which is fairly intimidating. Dementors looked good, and the kissing Dementor (who was stuck stationary last time I visited) was back in full force. The photo effect, unfortunately, is still spotty at best. There is still one hidden Dementor who is lit but is stationary and really only visible if you know where to look.
-Friend really enjoyed the ride but was scared ****less - terrified of the dragon and flipped at the spiders.
-Went for a quick ride on Flight of the Hippogriff... still a very charming area and ride. Buckbeak was running smoothly and looked great!
-We were starving (running only on Starbucks consumed at 4:30) so I decided to try something new... breakfast at the Three Broomsticks! It was very pricey ($15ish for the whole shebang) but ultimately delicious... I had the pancake breakfast, and every single food item was better than average. Very yummy, filled me right up!
-Here is where we encountered our other poor team member experience... our woman at the register was INCREDIBLY rude. She listed off what each breakfast included (even though we already said we knew what we wanted) in a very bored, sharp tone, and then noted (as if we were stupid) that yes, the breakfasts came with butter beer. Unpleasant is the best way to describe it. Oh well, the food was good...
-Has the projector for the upper floor-Three Broomsticks effects always been so flipping obvious? I was eating near the Hog's Head at a table facing the main dining room, and I casually glanced up and forward and saw a big black industrial projector pivoting around. I thought it was very bad show and was shocked at how unhidden it was...
-Hog's Head AA was in fact running from time to time, so it isn't stuck stationary.
-The Dyson Air Blowers were MIA in the male restrooms, replaced with more typical paper towel dispensers. It does make Moaning Myrtle much easier to hear. Anyone know what's up?
-We elected not to ride Dueling Drag- I mean Dragon Challenge having just ate, but it was still sitting at 5 minutes (as it did throughout the entire day).
-We trotted over to the Jurassic Park River Adventure. Friend thought the model at the entrance was ridiculously cool... I kind of shrugged and mentioned it had been refurbished recently! Wait was only 5 minutes, but a line was quickly forming due to an idiotic loading measure... as many of you know Jurassic Park can load two boats simultaneously from the single loading station. However, only one boat was being loaded (the one further to the right), so they were literally sending off empty boats in each dispatch! Really silly if you ask me.
-Okay... JPRA, we need to have a chat. I love you, but this isn't working. You've got some spots that shine, but most of you pales in comparison to your Hollywood cousin. In all seriousness, it's awful. The big HP show building needs a JP logo or insignia or something on the corner visible from the ride so it blends in. Either that or that first turn of the attraction needs a canopy like Hollywood. The gates were missing (not just propped open, literally missing). Ultrasaur takes FOREVER to start up, to the point where it's just anti-climactic. In Hollywood there's a large bush in front of the Ultrasaur's head, there's a baby Ultrasaur to the right of the boat that's animation starts much earlier, and the entire scene is inundated with mist. Without these elements, Orlando's Ultrasaur Lagoon falls flat on its face... it's simply embarrassing.
-One of the Psittocrasaurs (or whatever) was completely motionless, awful show.
-Baby Stego has lost a lot of her animation and mostly just bobs its head up and down now. Most of its yellow paint is long gone. Ditto with Momma Stego... a bit of a head turn, eyes stuck closed, tail bobbing... all brown, with tears in the skin.
-Hadrosaur Cove is one of three scenes in the ride at this point that really work. First Hadrosaur looked great. I love the big water splash that's almost in direct contact with the boat, then the emergence of the second Hadrosaur (that also looks and moves great) - really sells the "pushing" scene.
-Sparks were working well, which was nice, as were the moving bushes. Compies look fake as all hell but what can you do. Raptor box was working, but was out of sync with the audio and fell way too early.
-The two raptors look bad and can't really be seen, at all. The strobes are too infrequent and the audio is cranked way too loud.
-Spitters/other random dino is second scene that really works. All dinos looked and performed well.
-T-Rex... hell yeah! This was a scene I was proud of. The mist and water effects were going FULL BLAST, fully hiding Tiffany until she started her animation cycle. She looked/sounded awesome & intimidating, which made for a great finale.
-Friend enjoyed the ride but was annoyed that we got fairly wet (I insisted you usually don't!)
-Proceeded to Seuss. Got in line for Seuss Trolley then bailed when the line wasn't moving for something like 5 minutes. (The capacity for this ride seriously blows...)
-Did Cat in the Hat, no wait. Some of the AAs need serious help in here, but the spin profile seems to be back in almost full force (only the jerks just before the falling piano seem to be missing/toned down). The replacement LEDs for the spinning tunnel are kind of weak, though. Friend absolutely loved the ride and thought it was a nice change of pace (noted that you had to have those types of rides in a park).
-Figuring we'd return to Islands later for more Marvel & Potter, we moved over to Universal to check on Rockit... I don't know what they were doing, but the Rockit crew deserves major kudos. The line seriously never got longer than 10 minutes. We rode 3 times, twice in the front row, and had an absolute blast. I don't know where the crowds were but they weren't at Rockit... but again, Rockit crew was moving people through on turbo speed, it was great to see. (As you might expect from 3 rides, friend loved it, it was her favorite coaster.)
-Shifted to Mummy with a 5 minute wait (seriously, where were the crowds?) We were seated unfortunately with some very obnoxious guests that made the ride a little harder to enjoy. Some serious problems here, too - Imhotep I still looks awful, I won't let up on that. This one was new & weird - the Treasure Sand Imhotep's projection was incorrectly sized for the screen, it was too small, so there was a noticeable black border around the entire projection surface. Even stranger, right after moving past the falling wall we stopped - the breakdown announcement came on, and the Scarab audio ran in the car. Behind us, the Treasure Room scene ran again. We realized the cars must have backed up and cascaded, and within a few minutes were ran through the entire ride again as normal (with no audio in Scarabs and a brief pause before the launch). Oh well!
-Next was Disaster... hadn't done it in a while, thought it'd be good for a newcomer. I was selected as the ball pit guy, which was good fun (friend was a little concerned about being abandoned, though!) Our Lonnie was actually fairly funny and kept the show moving. Ride was good, though it sucks to have to sit in the very back... you don't get to experience any of the cooler effects (flash food, falling tanker, derailing sub). Still, nice to see the Earthquake stuff again
-And now... walk of sadness through JAWS. I thought the movie posters were nice, at least. The tacky tourists were... WTF, just a waste of whatever they're paying them, don't subject those entertainers to those awful roles. Let them do something more enjoyable! This was just awkward and weird.
-Men in Black was only at 10 so we went for that. The preshow was... uncomfortable. We were all herded in, and instead of just starting the Universe and You spiel, the two team members in there attempted to "engage" the audience for some reason... no idea why, they kind of just stood there and tried to talk to us. It wasn't really funny or anything, just awkward. After about 3 minutes of forced conversation they finally started the spiel and we got to move into the elevator... just very weird, dunno what was up with that. The queue after that was empty so it certainly wasn't buying time to deal with a backup.
-Ride itself... WTF, they were not syncing up the vehicles, which cost me (arguably) a maxing opportunity... I was doing amazingly and might've maxed had I had another vehicle to shoot in the final stretch (wracked up 731K at the end of the ride WITHOUT the 100K bonus). Ride itself looked good though the ambush alien seemed to start far too early.
-Moved to Simpsons Ride. It's a shame that they really don't give a crap about timing the first preshow anymore... it used to be that when everyone was loaded in you saw the entire preshow once, with some time of seeing the little side screen skits (Apu/Willie/Mole) and the fun theme park parody slides on the screens. Now, you either see an incomplete version of the first preshow (which is integral to setting up the ride...) or you see it twice, which was the case for me. Kind of annoying. Ride itself was fun, but almost made friend sick.
-ET! Forest is still one of my favorite queues ever, especially with the amazing reveal of Botanicus (one of my favorite AAs). Friend loved the smell, and I showed her the hidden bunny. Ride itself wasn't awful... the police are still lame and dated, but the flying scene and opening Green Planet scenes impress. ET's 3 friends looked good. There was a noticeable lack of animation/energy/noise in the main Green Planet room... no idea why, might've just been me. Second room was much better. The Goodbye ET though... man. It's awful. His audio system is crackling and incomprehensible, and his mouth no longer moves at all. It's honestly just very creepy. Friend still loved the ride, comparing it to Cat in the Hat.
-Horror Makeup Show was next. I was very happy to see they finally updated the HHN display with the maps from 2008 to 2011... though I dispute their choices for the 09 and 10 maps (why not The Usher and the map that actually showed FEAR?) Still, an improvement.
-The show was riotous as always - we had the gentleman with blonde facial hair and excellent "crazy eyes" (I'm told his name is Bill?) as Mark James. I've had him before and he's definitely my favorite actor in either role. Our host, however, was a new guy I hadn't seen before - and he was honestly terrible. No sense of comedic timing and didn't seem to work well with Bill... his voice was annoying, honestly, and he didn't seem to be trying much at all (yet at certain instances trying too hard). I don't think Horror Makeup Show is the show for this actor, to be honest, it just didn't seem to be working. Bill was clearly overcompensating for his downfalls, actually, and pushed the envelope of mature humor a little more than I was used to... I won't repeat the jokes here for everyone's sake, but they were awful racy! (I will say they were absolutely hilarious. And no, it wasn't the Playtex joke)
-I can confirm the continuing, saddening trend of the seating of the volunteer before Eddie is unleashed for the picture. The segment comes off much more forced now and as a result isn't as much of a surprise/as much fun to watch. What's with this change, was there an incident? Anyone? Bueller?
-Tons of characters out and about throughout the day. I saw Lorax, Scooby & Shaggy, Doc Brown (!), Marilyn Monroe & her escort, Dora, Spongebob, Bart, Homer, Curious George, and Man in the Yellow Hat... well done on the characters, Uni! Was very happy to see that Doc Brown seemed quite popular
-Did Terminator, since I hadn't seen it in ages. We had a very effective Kimberly Duncan, and the queue video didn't come off as dated as it used to for some reason... there was only one shot or two (that I noticed) of a really dated computer or something. Still very amusing and tongue in cheek. I'd also forgotten how huge that main auditorium is... and how impressive the show is! It seriously is still an excellent attraction with some jaw-dropping special effects and transitions... and honestly, some of the 3D effects felt more real than I'd remembered (particularly the T-1,000,000). Well done to the actors. Friend loved it.
-Having tackled all of Uni, we went back to Islands for a few more hours...
-Hit up Spider-Man again. Line moved at a good pace (posted at 25 minutes, probably took around 20). This time we encountered significant technical difficulties, with a severe backup of vehicles beginning with the Hobgoblin sequence. Some screens and effects ran anyway with no audio, or random audio splicing in... very trippy. They seemed aware of the problem, though, and let us reride (with a flawless experience) no questions asked.
-Grabbed dinner from Captain America Diner, which I was surprised to see open. Seems to be Mel's Diner's sister restaurant, similar food options - had a cheeseburger, good as usual. Sat outside as the sun had finally emerged... very beautiful. A very rare view of Toon Lagoon was offered, and we were able to see the show scene with Popeye and Bluto playing tug o war with Olive Oyl. Very fun! The restaurant does seem a little sparsely decorated though compared to other restaurants around the park, even Cafe 4... though it does feature some lesser known Marvel characters (Scarlett Witch, anyone?)
-Briefly explored Camp Jurassic and rediscovered some old favorites, including the claustrophobia-inducing climbing passageways and the ever-fun cargo net maze. Many seemed very pissed/disappointed about the restrictive requirements for Pteranadon Flyers... a lot of waiting families. Seems pointless to me, they let full sized adults ride together anyway. Also discovered the amber mines (smaller than I remembered but still cool), featuring the startling bat sound effects. Then we found the mother load... the infinitely awesome/creepy volcanic grotto. This little spot was devoid of people and amazing to explore again. Beautiful, atmospheric, incredible spot, part of what makes Islands great. I'm surprised the cargo net bridge over the bubbling red water is still there... I'd imagine by now someone would've just dropped their phone in there and complained. After all, the similar experience at Me Ship the Olive was gutted years ago...
-Passing by the Potter Greenhouse queue I noticed the line stopped once again at the base of the ascent. We wandered to the entrance and saw the wait was posted at 60 minute - to which I promptly cried bull****. The line was a maximum of 15 minutes, and was getting quickly shorter. Are they deliberately overstating the wait time to drive down crowds? Seems awfully deceptive. My ride experience was the same as before.
-Gave the Seuss Trolley another try, line moved much faster this time. I love the little interactive "star mirror" at the base of the queue. The button at the top which activates the hidden Mcbean character was MIA and taped over, however. The team members here are some of the most chipper I've seen at the resort... they're all very happy-smiley-wavey, it's great to see. I actually saw one manager-looking type hand a loader a little "Way to go!" card between dispatches. Not sure what they mean/do, but the team member was very elated to receive one, and even after the manager was out of view proceeded to engage the guests in conversation as they waited for the next train. Good show guys!
-Got the Circus side with the touring spiel. Fun ride, but friend commented that it was way too short, to which I agree. IMO they should utilize the track-switching technology, use only one side of the loading area, and combine the tracks into one huge ride. Unfeasible? Probably, but I bet it'd increase the ride's satisfaction numbers...
-By now we were exhausted (it was around 8), and not having a particular interest in the parade or KC & The Sunshine Band, moved towards the exit. We stopped by If I Ran the Zoo and walked through, discovering that one of the Seussian creatures (the one where you spin the wheel) wasn't working. One section was roped off, presumably for maintenance. I was appalled by the way some of the kids were treating the characters... kids were literally punching the crap out of Tick Tack Joe, to the point where I thought he was going to break. Where are these kids' parents?!
-Friend wanted to buy a bubble gun from one of the merchandising carts along the bay at Port of Entry, so we stopped there. While she was making the purchase, a whole pack of ducklings ran by, with a bunch of small kids following them and trying to scoop them up... seriously!? These poor ducks are running FOR A REASON. The team member running the cart was equally upset and politely (but firmly) asked the kids to stop trying to pick up the ducks, to no avail (the ducks ran towards another cart and the kids followed anyway). She told us that this phenomenon had been happening a lot recently and was very bad for the ducks, since if a duckling is picked up, the mother disowns/ostracizes it. Apparently a few days previous a baby duck had been caught and picked up by a dumb child and was left to die - an area manager attempted to take the duck home and care for it, but unfortunately passed the next day. By the end of the transaction another Port of Entry, with a trash picker, came over to where the ducklings were running and shooed away the kids and used the trash picker to usher the ducklings back towards the relative safety of the lagoon. I was very saddened by the story but was sure to get the team member's name. On our way out we stopped by Guest Services and filled out a compliment form on her behalf - we were told she'd be duly rewarded for her efforts.
-Overall we had a great day, with surprisingly low crowds and cooperative weather. My next visit will be for the May 4th GradBash - I certainly can't wait! Hope you enjoyed the report, feedback is welcome.
-Got up at 4:00 AM (yikes!), out the door with friend in tow by 4:30, and at the front gate at 7:50. We're both annual passholders (in a bizarre twist, my friend's family had just gotten APs, despite never visiting. Go figure) so we got to bypass the crowds awaiting an 8 AM opening and head right in. Being a Saturday in Spring Break and the last day of Mari Gras, we figured the parks would eventually be packed, so we'd need the head start!
-Very gray day, but that didn't deter me. Headed straight for The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man - my first experience with the upgrade. First of all, the queue looks like it's had a great cleanup and repaint. The large screening room has clearly had a projector tune-up, but it's still not as crisp as I'd like... though that might be more due to the original film quality than the projector. Who knows. Still looks much, much better...
-Pet peeve of mine... I hate waiting in the screening room because the portion of the queue video that plays there is WAY too short. You see the entire thing at least twice (more often three times) if the room is full. Luckily, today we proceeded right through...
-Another observation: It really stinks how little chance you get to see the first and last portions of the queue video! There's the Daily Bugle segment (which only seems to play in the first room and the Express queue), the New York Under Attack Newscast (MIA for many years but returned to the cubicle room not too long ago, you get to see a good chunk of it typically), the JJJ/villain cast (in the screening room, you get to see this one lots!), and the SCOOP safety reel (just in the loading area, maybe 30 seconds of viewing). There's a LOT of humor in the Daily Bugle and SCOOP portions that most people sadly miss due to no opportunity to actually watch it. My dad and I always loved the sappy intro of the Daily Bugle video... "Like the morning sun... Like that first cup of coffee... The Daily Bugle!" Love it! We just never get to see it anymore.
-Okay, so, SCOOP to ourselves! 2nd row, center seats, optimal viewing!
-Love love love all of the new little details. The audio testing in the SCOOP before launch is awesome. I love the new (or at least better illuminated) Doc Ock poster in the very first scene. The dog/cat audio is a great little detail.
-The animation..... wow! The clarity of the 3D and the fluidity and detail of the characters is astonishing. I was in awe of how crystal clear it was. Scream in particular looks amazing with her constantly shifting black spots, hair, and um... as I mentioned in another thread... ass
-I also love how they've clarified certain scenes to make them easier to understand. For example, the scene with Scream is much more obvious in what's happening (i.e. Doc Ock grabs her and tosses her back). Scream herself is a far more memorable, menacing character now... her final "lunge" actually raised some hairs!
-I don't mind the new score at all. It's certainly DIFFERENT... but I like it. Same themes, new packaging, builds good momentum.
-Now my complaint... and there's really only one. It's the flying scene, right after the "ascent." It takes just a moment too long for Spider-Man to jump in and "web you down," and there's really almost no "flight" anymore... it feels like the scene has been shortened. Scream is completely (jarringly) motionless for way too long, and music almost seems to stop for what seems like several seconds of NOTHINGness... it just completely kills the momentum for me. Not a game breaker, but this scene definitely does not live up to the original. (the others however do, and often exceed them)
-No fog effect when Hydroman is disabled by Electro... that was one of my favorite effects, I hope it returns soon.
-I watched very carefully, the bridge falling effect was not occurring during Hobgoblin's scene.
-Overall, fantastic upgrade - hats off to Universal Creative and a job well done. My friend loved it and was astonished when I revealed to her we never actually left the ground in our vehicle!
-Now, Fearfall. Hadn't been in the main queue in ages - forgot about how creepily awesome it was. The main queue directed you to the left instead of the right at the entrance, meaning you got to pass the awesome talking Doombots!
-Ride itself was short but sweet as always. They must've been booking it because usually there's a lengthy pause after Doom finishes his speech... here it was immediate. No complaints, though! Friend was terrified, came off shaking, but enjoyed it. Commented on the good use of suspense with Doom's speech - thought the queue was impressive.
-Now Hulk. Was loving the lack of lines at this point, everything was still a delectable walk-on. I know it's been this way for a while but the upgraded flat panel TVs is a noticeable improvement. Ride itself was fun, and seemed a little smoother than usual... at least until the very end, where it's almost always a tad bumpy. Friend had never rode a serious roller coaster, and it took a lot of pushing to get her on it... but she ended up really enjoying it and glad she did it!
-At this point we figured we'd hit up Potter before lines got crazy. I explained to my friend along the way (we took the route via Seuss) that part of Potter used to be Merlinwood, while the Sinbad Bazaar and Atlantis segments remained. She thought the areas (as we passed through them) were lovely and noted it'd be a shame to lose them.
-Wizarding World was as usual busy but nowhere near unbearable. The conductor was out taking pics. Friend was very impressed and was taking it all in; proceeded straight to Forbidden Journey for a posted 15 minute wait. They were running the light-up "Forbidden Journey" sign which was nice, as I've only seen them run it from sundown on. The new queue wasn't in use but I thought was very well integrated into the setup.
-Here I encountered what would be one of several less than pleasant team member experiences during my day (never fear, though, there were several noticeably good ones as well). There was a red-headed "ginger" gentleman serving as the greeter at the split of stand-by, castle tour, and single riders inside the castle. All was well and we passed into the stand by line - but behind me I heard him speak up to a lady in a very snobbish, rude tone. He spoke very sarcastically and basically went, "Oh, are you - are you planning to ride? Ohhhh, nooo, noo! You can't with that bag!" It might sound playful reading just the text, but I assure you it was stated in a very standoffish ******* tone, as if he was overly annoyed that someone was trying to ride with a bag. I know it's annoying when tourists don't understand that they have to put the bag in a locker, but you don't have to be a total d!ck to them. It was highly unnecessary... wish I'd gotten his name so I could've said something to Guest Services.
-Line started at the very base of the green house, with none of the extra switchbacks in use - the 15 minutes was about accurate. People are still absolutely amazed by the level of detail in the castle, and particularly by the portraits, Sorting Hat, and Dumbledore/Great Trio... it's great fun to watch.
-Ride itself... Everything was grand up until the first dome. After seeing Spider-Man's incredible new animation, I grew disappointed by Potter's. It's honestly very dim and blurry, as many have complained about in the past, and up against Spider-Man it's far more noticeable. Here's hoping it gets fixed in a future upgrade. Dragon AA, as much as I love him, was still running in relative B-mode (mostly stationary until it breathes fire). Forbidden Forest was good with the mist screen working. Whomping Willow is still the weakest scene, but the moving limb came off far more menacing to me this time - might've just been me, but it really does follow you all the way until you hit the dome, which is fairly intimidating. Dementors looked good, and the kissing Dementor (who was stuck stationary last time I visited) was back in full force. The photo effect, unfortunately, is still spotty at best. There is still one hidden Dementor who is lit but is stationary and really only visible if you know where to look.
-Friend really enjoyed the ride but was scared ****less - terrified of the dragon and flipped at the spiders.
-Went for a quick ride on Flight of the Hippogriff... still a very charming area and ride. Buckbeak was running smoothly and looked great!
-We were starving (running only on Starbucks consumed at 4:30) so I decided to try something new... breakfast at the Three Broomsticks! It was very pricey ($15ish for the whole shebang) but ultimately delicious... I had the pancake breakfast, and every single food item was better than average. Very yummy, filled me right up!
-Here is where we encountered our other poor team member experience... our woman at the register was INCREDIBLY rude. She listed off what each breakfast included (even though we already said we knew what we wanted) in a very bored, sharp tone, and then noted (as if we were stupid) that yes, the breakfasts came with butter beer. Unpleasant is the best way to describe it. Oh well, the food was good...
-Has the projector for the upper floor-Three Broomsticks effects always been so flipping obvious? I was eating near the Hog's Head at a table facing the main dining room, and I casually glanced up and forward and saw a big black industrial projector pivoting around. I thought it was very bad show and was shocked at how unhidden it was...
-Hog's Head AA was in fact running from time to time, so it isn't stuck stationary.
-The Dyson Air Blowers were MIA in the male restrooms, replaced with more typical paper towel dispensers. It does make Moaning Myrtle much easier to hear. Anyone know what's up?
-We elected not to ride Dueling Drag- I mean Dragon Challenge having just ate, but it was still sitting at 5 minutes (as it did throughout the entire day).
-We trotted over to the Jurassic Park River Adventure. Friend thought the model at the entrance was ridiculously cool... I kind of shrugged and mentioned it had been refurbished recently! Wait was only 5 minutes, but a line was quickly forming due to an idiotic loading measure... as many of you know Jurassic Park can load two boats simultaneously from the single loading station. However, only one boat was being loaded (the one further to the right), so they were literally sending off empty boats in each dispatch! Really silly if you ask me.
-Okay... JPRA, we need to have a chat. I love you, but this isn't working. You've got some spots that shine, but most of you pales in comparison to your Hollywood cousin. In all seriousness, it's awful. The big HP show building needs a JP logo or insignia or something on the corner visible from the ride so it blends in. Either that or that first turn of the attraction needs a canopy like Hollywood. The gates were missing (not just propped open, literally missing). Ultrasaur takes FOREVER to start up, to the point where it's just anti-climactic. In Hollywood there's a large bush in front of the Ultrasaur's head, there's a baby Ultrasaur to the right of the boat that's animation starts much earlier, and the entire scene is inundated with mist. Without these elements, Orlando's Ultrasaur Lagoon falls flat on its face... it's simply embarrassing.
-One of the Psittocrasaurs (or whatever) was completely motionless, awful show.
-Baby Stego has lost a lot of her animation and mostly just bobs its head up and down now. Most of its yellow paint is long gone. Ditto with Momma Stego... a bit of a head turn, eyes stuck closed, tail bobbing... all brown, with tears in the skin.
-Hadrosaur Cove is one of three scenes in the ride at this point that really work. First Hadrosaur looked great. I love the big water splash that's almost in direct contact with the boat, then the emergence of the second Hadrosaur (that also looks and moves great) - really sells the "pushing" scene.
-Sparks were working well, which was nice, as were the moving bushes. Compies look fake as all hell but what can you do. Raptor box was working, but was out of sync with the audio and fell way too early.
-The two raptors look bad and can't really be seen, at all. The strobes are too infrequent and the audio is cranked way too loud.
-Spitters/other random dino is second scene that really works. All dinos looked and performed well.
-T-Rex... hell yeah! This was a scene I was proud of. The mist and water effects were going FULL BLAST, fully hiding Tiffany until she started her animation cycle. She looked/sounded awesome & intimidating, which made for a great finale.
-Friend enjoyed the ride but was annoyed that we got fairly wet (I insisted you usually don't!)
-Proceeded to Seuss. Got in line for Seuss Trolley then bailed when the line wasn't moving for something like 5 minutes. (The capacity for this ride seriously blows...)
-Did Cat in the Hat, no wait. Some of the AAs need serious help in here, but the spin profile seems to be back in almost full force (only the jerks just before the falling piano seem to be missing/toned down). The replacement LEDs for the spinning tunnel are kind of weak, though. Friend absolutely loved the ride and thought it was a nice change of pace (noted that you had to have those types of rides in a park).
-Figuring we'd return to Islands later for more Marvel & Potter, we moved over to Universal to check on Rockit... I don't know what they were doing, but the Rockit crew deserves major kudos. The line seriously never got longer than 10 minutes. We rode 3 times, twice in the front row, and had an absolute blast. I don't know where the crowds were but they weren't at Rockit... but again, Rockit crew was moving people through on turbo speed, it was great to see. (As you might expect from 3 rides, friend loved it, it was her favorite coaster.)
-Shifted to Mummy with a 5 minute wait (seriously, where were the crowds?) We were seated unfortunately with some very obnoxious guests that made the ride a little harder to enjoy. Some serious problems here, too - Imhotep I still looks awful, I won't let up on that. This one was new & weird - the Treasure Sand Imhotep's projection was incorrectly sized for the screen, it was too small, so there was a noticeable black border around the entire projection surface. Even stranger, right after moving past the falling wall we stopped - the breakdown announcement came on, and the Scarab audio ran in the car. Behind us, the Treasure Room scene ran again. We realized the cars must have backed up and cascaded, and within a few minutes were ran through the entire ride again as normal (with no audio in Scarabs and a brief pause before the launch). Oh well!
-Next was Disaster... hadn't done it in a while, thought it'd be good for a newcomer. I was selected as the ball pit guy, which was good fun (friend was a little concerned about being abandoned, though!) Our Lonnie was actually fairly funny and kept the show moving. Ride was good, though it sucks to have to sit in the very back... you don't get to experience any of the cooler effects (flash food, falling tanker, derailing sub). Still, nice to see the Earthquake stuff again
-And now... walk of sadness through JAWS. I thought the movie posters were nice, at least. The tacky tourists were... WTF, just a waste of whatever they're paying them, don't subject those entertainers to those awful roles. Let them do something more enjoyable! This was just awkward and weird.
-Men in Black was only at 10 so we went for that. The preshow was... uncomfortable. We were all herded in, and instead of just starting the Universe and You spiel, the two team members in there attempted to "engage" the audience for some reason... no idea why, they kind of just stood there and tried to talk to us. It wasn't really funny or anything, just awkward. After about 3 minutes of forced conversation they finally started the spiel and we got to move into the elevator... just very weird, dunno what was up with that. The queue after that was empty so it certainly wasn't buying time to deal with a backup.
-Ride itself... WTF, they were not syncing up the vehicles, which cost me (arguably) a maxing opportunity... I was doing amazingly and might've maxed had I had another vehicle to shoot in the final stretch (wracked up 731K at the end of the ride WITHOUT the 100K bonus). Ride itself looked good though the ambush alien seemed to start far too early.
-Moved to Simpsons Ride. It's a shame that they really don't give a crap about timing the first preshow anymore... it used to be that when everyone was loaded in you saw the entire preshow once, with some time of seeing the little side screen skits (Apu/Willie/Mole) and the fun theme park parody slides on the screens. Now, you either see an incomplete version of the first preshow (which is integral to setting up the ride...) or you see it twice, which was the case for me. Kind of annoying. Ride itself was fun, but almost made friend sick.
-ET! Forest is still one of my favorite queues ever, especially with the amazing reveal of Botanicus (one of my favorite AAs). Friend loved the smell, and I showed her the hidden bunny. Ride itself wasn't awful... the police are still lame and dated, but the flying scene and opening Green Planet scenes impress. ET's 3 friends looked good. There was a noticeable lack of animation/energy/noise in the main Green Planet room... no idea why, might've just been me. Second room was much better. The Goodbye ET though... man. It's awful. His audio system is crackling and incomprehensible, and his mouth no longer moves at all. It's honestly just very creepy. Friend still loved the ride, comparing it to Cat in the Hat.
-Horror Makeup Show was next. I was very happy to see they finally updated the HHN display with the maps from 2008 to 2011... though I dispute their choices for the 09 and 10 maps (why not The Usher and the map that actually showed FEAR?) Still, an improvement.
-The show was riotous as always - we had the gentleman with blonde facial hair and excellent "crazy eyes" (I'm told his name is Bill?) as Mark James. I've had him before and he's definitely my favorite actor in either role. Our host, however, was a new guy I hadn't seen before - and he was honestly terrible. No sense of comedic timing and didn't seem to work well with Bill... his voice was annoying, honestly, and he didn't seem to be trying much at all (yet at certain instances trying too hard). I don't think Horror Makeup Show is the show for this actor, to be honest, it just didn't seem to be working. Bill was clearly overcompensating for his downfalls, actually, and pushed the envelope of mature humor a little more than I was used to... I won't repeat the jokes here for everyone's sake, but they were awful racy! (I will say they were absolutely hilarious. And no, it wasn't the Playtex joke)
-I can confirm the continuing, saddening trend of the seating of the volunteer before Eddie is unleashed for the picture. The segment comes off much more forced now and as a result isn't as much of a surprise/as much fun to watch. What's with this change, was there an incident? Anyone? Bueller?
-Tons of characters out and about throughout the day. I saw Lorax, Scooby & Shaggy, Doc Brown (!), Marilyn Monroe & her escort, Dora, Spongebob, Bart, Homer, Curious George, and Man in the Yellow Hat... well done on the characters, Uni! Was very happy to see that Doc Brown seemed quite popular
-Did Terminator, since I hadn't seen it in ages. We had a very effective Kimberly Duncan, and the queue video didn't come off as dated as it used to for some reason... there was only one shot or two (that I noticed) of a really dated computer or something. Still very amusing and tongue in cheek. I'd also forgotten how huge that main auditorium is... and how impressive the show is! It seriously is still an excellent attraction with some jaw-dropping special effects and transitions... and honestly, some of the 3D effects felt more real than I'd remembered (particularly the T-1,000,000). Well done to the actors. Friend loved it.
-Having tackled all of Uni, we went back to Islands for a few more hours...
-Hit up Spider-Man again. Line moved at a good pace (posted at 25 minutes, probably took around 20). This time we encountered significant technical difficulties, with a severe backup of vehicles beginning with the Hobgoblin sequence. Some screens and effects ran anyway with no audio, or random audio splicing in... very trippy. They seemed aware of the problem, though, and let us reride (with a flawless experience) no questions asked.
-Grabbed dinner from Captain America Diner, which I was surprised to see open. Seems to be Mel's Diner's sister restaurant, similar food options - had a cheeseburger, good as usual. Sat outside as the sun had finally emerged... very beautiful. A very rare view of Toon Lagoon was offered, and we were able to see the show scene with Popeye and Bluto playing tug o war with Olive Oyl. Very fun! The restaurant does seem a little sparsely decorated though compared to other restaurants around the park, even Cafe 4... though it does feature some lesser known Marvel characters (Scarlett Witch, anyone?)
-Briefly explored Camp Jurassic and rediscovered some old favorites, including the claustrophobia-inducing climbing passageways and the ever-fun cargo net maze. Many seemed very pissed/disappointed about the restrictive requirements for Pteranadon Flyers... a lot of waiting families. Seems pointless to me, they let full sized adults ride together anyway. Also discovered the amber mines (smaller than I remembered but still cool), featuring the startling bat sound effects. Then we found the mother load... the infinitely awesome/creepy volcanic grotto. This little spot was devoid of people and amazing to explore again. Beautiful, atmospheric, incredible spot, part of what makes Islands great. I'm surprised the cargo net bridge over the bubbling red water is still there... I'd imagine by now someone would've just dropped their phone in there and complained. After all, the similar experience at Me Ship the Olive was gutted years ago...
-Passing by the Potter Greenhouse queue I noticed the line stopped once again at the base of the ascent. We wandered to the entrance and saw the wait was posted at 60 minute - to which I promptly cried bull****. The line was a maximum of 15 minutes, and was getting quickly shorter. Are they deliberately overstating the wait time to drive down crowds? Seems awfully deceptive. My ride experience was the same as before.
-Gave the Seuss Trolley another try, line moved much faster this time. I love the little interactive "star mirror" at the base of the queue. The button at the top which activates the hidden Mcbean character was MIA and taped over, however. The team members here are some of the most chipper I've seen at the resort... they're all very happy-smiley-wavey, it's great to see. I actually saw one manager-looking type hand a loader a little "Way to go!" card between dispatches. Not sure what they mean/do, but the team member was very elated to receive one, and even after the manager was out of view proceeded to engage the guests in conversation as they waited for the next train. Good show guys!
-Got the Circus side with the touring spiel. Fun ride, but friend commented that it was way too short, to which I agree. IMO they should utilize the track-switching technology, use only one side of the loading area, and combine the tracks into one huge ride. Unfeasible? Probably, but I bet it'd increase the ride's satisfaction numbers...
-By now we were exhausted (it was around 8), and not having a particular interest in the parade or KC & The Sunshine Band, moved towards the exit. We stopped by If I Ran the Zoo and walked through, discovering that one of the Seussian creatures (the one where you spin the wheel) wasn't working. One section was roped off, presumably for maintenance. I was appalled by the way some of the kids were treating the characters... kids were literally punching the crap out of Tick Tack Joe, to the point where I thought he was going to break. Where are these kids' parents?!
-Friend wanted to buy a bubble gun from one of the merchandising carts along the bay at Port of Entry, so we stopped there. While she was making the purchase, a whole pack of ducklings ran by, with a bunch of small kids following them and trying to scoop them up... seriously!? These poor ducks are running FOR A REASON. The team member running the cart was equally upset and politely (but firmly) asked the kids to stop trying to pick up the ducks, to no avail (the ducks ran towards another cart and the kids followed anyway). She told us that this phenomenon had been happening a lot recently and was very bad for the ducks, since if a duckling is picked up, the mother disowns/ostracizes it. Apparently a few days previous a baby duck had been caught and picked up by a dumb child and was left to die - an area manager attempted to take the duck home and care for it, but unfortunately passed the next day. By the end of the transaction another Port of Entry, with a trash picker, came over to where the ducklings were running and shooed away the kids and used the trash picker to usher the ducklings back towards the relative safety of the lagoon. I was very saddened by the story but was sure to get the team member's name. On our way out we stopped by Guest Services and filled out a compliment form on her behalf - we were told she'd be duly rewarded for her efforts.
-Overall we had a great day, with surprisingly low crowds and cooperative weather. My next visit will be for the May 4th GradBash - I certainly can't wait! Hope you enjoyed the report, feedback is welcome.
