CoastersRZ Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I for one have never heard any such comments from Imagineers. And I have attended several lectures at DAAP given by Imagineers. (Those were of course several years ago, before Universal`s Potter area even opened, and was not the subject of the lectures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I for one have never heard any such comments from Imagineers. And I have attended several lectures at DAAP given by Imagineers. (Those were of course several years ago, before Universal`s Potter area even opened, and was not the subject of the lectures. It's never come out on a Disney stage, but it's out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 If it were to come out on a Disney stage, I imagineer it'd be that imagineer's last such publicly expressed opinion as a Disney minion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 If it were to come out on a Disney stage, I imagineer it'd be that imagineer's last such publicly expressed opinion as a Disney minion... Exactly. Let's not forget, Rowling signed a letter of intent with Disney back in 2005, and park / miniland / ride concepts were produced. That's on the books. When Disney and Pixar decided to renew their partnership (which looked doubtful for a time), the financials of other large projects and initiatives came under scrutiny. At this point in the Disney/Rowling discussions, an entire Potter Park was being developed. Several on the inside have said that her demands were unrealistic in both financial and operational aspects, compared to the Disney business model. Rowling started whispering with the folks up I-4, Disney re-upped with Pixar, and the rest is history. I'd love to see what they were planning for the potter park, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Perhaps this is naive of me, but I'm just not sure how well at Potter Park would've done. To deny the outlandish, runaway success of the series would be ridiculous. I can't even think off the top of my head of another film / book intellectual property with as much apparent staying power. But an entire amusement park (no matter how large or small) dedicated to the franchise? Potter is doubtlessly an enormous draw for Universal's Islands of Adventure... But it's not the only draw. Large, encompassing parks like Islands, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, etc. are places that people can come year after year after year, re-experiencing things differently as time goes on. No matter how many times you've traveled to Disneyland, the idea never grows old because there's so much to see and do. A park based entirely on one intellectual property, no matter how strong the property is, simply doesn't seem to be that it would elicit an annual trip from most people... I think that weaving the Wizarding World into an existing, famous, high-caliber park was absolutely ideal. And who knows how Disney would've done with it? I'm sure it would've turned out beautifully. But there's absolutely no denying that Universal did a superb job in most every regard (and no, I have not yet been). From most everything anyone has said, it's a beautiful, thorough, enchanting, lively recreation. Could Disney have done as well? Probably. Could they have done better? Doubtful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thekidd33 Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 I think logistically it could be improved upon. It is beautiful and ridiculously well themed...its just so cramped. They have really tried hard to keep the lines for the shops, butterbeer, eateries, etc. from interfering with traffic flow but it really isn't possible the way it is designed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Wizarding World sends Universal attendance through roof in 4th quarter http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-01-21/business/os-universal-orlando-earnings-20110121_1_forbidden-journey-wizarding-world-universal-parks-resorts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Seems like the "If we build it, they will come" motto may still work. At least at Universal anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Well at least for heavy theme anyway. Give the people what they want and they will come and pay more for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Well at least for heavy theme anyway. Give the people what they want and they will come and pay more for it. I was thinking along those same lines, but, I also consider WWoHP to be the most themed amusement attraction(s) ever. It should bring in this type of crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Well at least for heavy theme anyway. Give the people what they want and they will come and pay more for it. I was thinking along those same lines... And those lines are well nigh universal... Terp, never one to pass a corny opportunity...even in Indiana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Oh this makes me nervous for my trip in a few weeks...I mean it should be a time when there are less crowds and I know WWoHP will still be busy but I hope not no where near "Over Capcity" levels... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 ^ I wouldn't sweat it too much. If there is a time to enjoy WWoHP, you are going at the best time. Not to mention, the 4th quarter stats include Thanksgiving & Christmas/ New Years break. Most Florida parks are busting at the seems that time of year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 When I went to Universal in early December, the park wasn`t that terrible crowded. We got there right at park opening and headed straight for the Wizarding World. We practically walked right onto the Harry Potter ride. We jumped back in line for a reride, and encountered a line that had grown by about five minutes from walk on. But, a brief (fifteen minutes) moment of downtime, and by the time we were off the ride, the line was out the main entrance to the ride! So, I guess a word of advice would be to head to that area of the park right away. Universal definitely did this area right. And for them, it has been like a license to print money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 But they spent money to make that money. Lots and lots of money....What was Cedar Fair's capex this year again? Or Six Flags', for that matter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzarley Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 ^ Yep, $200M is a lot of capital to throw into a park. I didn't bother to check the exact numbers, but I'm willing to bet that's more than the 2011 CapEx budget for CF and SF combined. However, Universal certainly got a good initial bang for their buck, and considering the fan base the HP franchise has, it *should* be a really good long term investment. For all the news lately on the Comcast acquisition of NBC/Universal, it still seems a little odd that nothing is ever mentioned (at least, in the articles I've read) about the parks. Obviously, the recent financial results at the parks are good for Comcast...it should help them fetch a higher sales price when they're ready to unload them. FWIW...when Comcast was attempting to acquire Disney, they had said their intention (if successful in the acquisition--which obviously, they weren't) was to spin the parks & resorts off as their own company. I've been pretty much operating under the assumption that they'd work out a deal to sell the entire park operation to Blackstone, but I wonder now if a spin-off is also possible. The IPO market is expected to rebound this year, so maybe an IPO of Universal Parks & Resorts is possible? Blackstone owns 50% of Orlando, but maybe they could partner with Comcast on this deal...perhaps not only their share of Universal Orlando, but maybe packaging with the portfolio of parks they own independently? (Keep in mind, I'm just thinking out loud here...) I head to Universal Orlando on 02/04 & I can't wait--mostly because I can't wait to get away from this God-awful weather, but I'm also really looking forward to riding "Forbidden Journey." (Although, as hard as it may be to believe, I've never read an HP book or seen an HP movie! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzarley Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I'm feeling pretty good about the crowd potential at IOA for next weekend...talking to some friends who were in the park this morning, and by 10:30a they had done the Harry Potter ride, Dragons, Spiderman, & Hulk. (Although, he said there was still quite a line for wand buying...) BTW...I finally watched the first HP movie last night so I can have some educated understanding of the themeing (I have movies #2 & #3 up next in the Netflix queue, but I'll probably only get to #2 by the time I leave...) I'm hoping for good weather & low crowds at Universal next weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzarley Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I had fully intended to write an actual trip report, but somehow the time always seems to get away from me... (Plus, any TR I'd write would pale in comparison to those done by Avatar, CoastersRZ, PREMiERdrum, and others ) First, everyone who told me not to worry about crowds in early February were exactly right. The longest wait I encountered in the entire resort over 2.5 days was about 25 min for Hollywood Rockit on Friday evening. (Which, BTW, I rode in the front seat this time and found it to be a much better ride experience...almost like the difference in the front seat of Maverick versus other seats...) The Harry Potter ride was really amazing...in my opinion, it lived up to the hype. I rode it a total of 5 times on Sat & Sun and enjoyed it more each time I rode (I think because I picked up on additional details each time that I had missed earlier.) The longest wait was about 20 min on Sunday afternoon, which was actually a good thing--all my other rides had been such walk-ons that I felt I was missing a lot of the backstory in the queue. Potterland opened for resort guests at 8:00a (we were staying at Royal Pacific) so that also helped in crowd control. That being said, "Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey" did not replace Spiderman as my favorite attraction. I think Spiderman is still the more immersive story telling experience. (But, HP is now a close second...) Also, I realized on this trip that 4 of my top 5 favorite theme park attractions are at Universal Orlando! (1. Spiderman, 2. HP, 3. The Mummy, 4. MF, & 5. Dragon Challenge) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I too really enjoyed The Mummy when I was at Universal in December. A great ride with some great theming and surprises. And thanks for the kind words about my trip reports! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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