Crowds? What crowds?
Universal Orlando: Universal/IOA Crowd report 12/13/11
Hello All! Have been very sketchy here lately and kind of disappeared for the semester for a lot of reasons. I'm hoping I'm back and can find time to stop in more often. Just wanted to report on the crowds recently. Visited IOA/USF and had an amazing time. Morning was a little wet til about 11-12PM then it got a little misty later in the day. However, crowds were non-existant.
In fact, I walked onto Forbidden Journey a full 2 hours after park opening. Hogs Head was bare, TBS was nearly empty til about 12:30 but even then it was easy! to find seating. Candy store only got busy when it started raining. The roller coaster had a 5-10 minute wait passing through several times.
The longest ride we waited for was High in the Sky Trolley, (sign said 5 minutes-more like 30! oh that ride...) Around 1:30 2ish we decided we wanted to add USF to our tickets and headed to over around 3:00-3:30. Now, we skipped quite a few things, but we did the entire park in 2.5 hours. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Longest line here was MIB. Got to ride Jaws for the last time ever! Thankfully we had a hilarious Skipper, says his next adventure is Titanic... heard they had less traumatic sailings.
An actual trip report will come to follow when I get home and recover in a few days. I'm not sure how wise it was to have a 4 day Disney/Universal trip follow a 4 day bout of finals. We only live once...
Any thoughts on what you want to hear about in the trip report? Went to MK, DHS, IOA, USF and BMG. Can't promise I did everything you wanna know about but maybe!
DHS would be cool have not Been to WDW in a long time and DHS is my fav behind AK
Wow, I'm really surprised. I thought the two/three weeks leading up to Christmas day were supposed to be amazingly busy. Maybe you were very lucky and just missed the Christmas rush! Sounds like a good visit to me.
Did you take part in any of the festivities that Universal usually roll out? Is Grinchmas back this year, or is that only on select dates?
Out of curiosity, what mistakes were made?
And Universal always is slow until Christmas day.
Everyone has a different opinion. Disney was quite slow as well so I wouldn't attribute that to "mistakes," just simply the time of year. Kids are still in school, people have to work like crazy because of the holiday season, and we went to USF on a Monday so locals weren't even there. PLUS, It was raining.
I've always heard that the time between Turkey and Trees is the best time to go with the 17th-ish being the beginning of the pick up. I wasn't expecting too bad of crowds but since we went on a weekend I was expecting some.... Scatter brained. I will get back to other posters later now I must go take care of my wonderful Christmas present I came home to! A flat tire! WIWATTP. (Wish I were at the theme parks!)
Closing down Jimmy Neutron is hardly a mistake. It was never that popular. I am disappointed in them scrapping Jaws, but it's been around for 21 years, and has required way to much work.
I see no reasons to be mad at Universal.
Enough off topic guys. That can be for another topic another day please. If you have suggestions for my trip report please feel free to post them. Otherwise please refrain from opinions about who's doing what and who shouldn't be doing what they're doing. Thank you.
As for the Christmas stuff at Universal. I'll be sure to include what we did do in the trip report which I plan on starting tonight or tomorrow. We didn't have time for the parade or concert, but we did attend Grinchmas!
Dom you such a drama queen LOL!
Dom, I had to register an account just because of your posts.
I'm actually on the opposite end of the spectrum, I am letting my disney AP's cancel out, and renewing my universal passes for a third year running. Jaws was a serious afterthought, and having an entire section dedicated to jaws was a mistake shortly after the park opened, let alone 21 years later.
Jimmy neutron was awful and I don't even understand how you could possibly have any sentimental attachment to it, are you 13?
And sorry for my double post, but on topic - IOA has reached capacity for the past two days running, and looking to reach capacity again today. It doesn't get busy until right before christmas, when kids get out of school.
"Jimmy neutron was awful and I don't even understand how you could possibly have any sentimental attachment to it, are you 13?"
You may be new to posting here, Richard, but, if memory serves, that is exactly how old Dom is! Excellent deduction!
Dom said "Universal is closing the good rides for (most likely) bad ride"
Way to assume things before they happen, Dom.
Dom also said: "Disney closes bad rides for good rides"
Yeah, because Stitch's Great Escape is way better than ExtraTERRORstrial.
Now, back on topic, that's a very good trip report, Terri!
Wow, Dom, I'm impressed! You've got quite a fan club going! I've been grumpy and disagreeable on this website for over ten years, and I've never had anyone join just to disagree with me.
Imagine how the website traffic would grow if you got a regular spot on the blog to air your grievances! ;)
Not even going to bother arguing with you, you're are too hardheaded (no offense).
Anywho, I'm actually surprised that HP lines are so low.
Thats great Terri, I too visited Orlando during Dec. 10-18 and everything was wonderful. Weather was perfect except for a 60 minute rain shower on one day and the lines were non-existant at most attractions. On Dec. 15 I got on HP and the Forbidden Journey 4 times all with no wait. Got to experience Jaws twice on my visit, I'll miss that ride. The last 30 minutes IOA was opened I got to ride Hulk,Dr.Doom,Spider-man,Popeye and Dudley Do-Right and it was a blast.
Disney World wasn't to crowded either, with the exception of toy Story Mania. The second showing of Fantasmic played to a half-full stadium. The last day of my visit Dec. 17, we spent the day at Sea World and you could start noticing more people than the week before. Polar Express had a 45 minute wait and Manta reached 50 during the day as opposed to other parks whose main attractions were virtually walk-ons or 20 minute or less waits.
This was the best time to visit Orlando. Perfect weather, minimal crowds, and lots of christmas decorations everywhere. Cant wait to visit during this time again.
As for rides closing and being upset about that I know a bit about that. Back to the Future was my favorite ride ever and it closed, I was there the day it closed. The Back to the Future trilogies are my favorite movies and so on and so forth....
My advice: Move on and appreciate the parks for what they are. Holding a grudge isnt healthy. That last day I rode BTTF several times and at the end of the day I had a big smile on my face and was looking forward to whatever was coming up next. These people run a business and I understand that and replacing an aging attraction with something new is good business for them. I love BTTF the Ride but the Simpsons is awesome as well. Kongfrontation was cool but RotM is generally better liked. Jaws was a fantastic ride and I rode it twice two weeks ago and it will always live on in my memory. Whatever replaces Jaws will sure be great I bet.
Despicable Me was a fun movie that a lot of people enjoyed, I can't wait to see what awesomeness Universal has in store for this new ride.
Dom said: "...but Universal keeps on making them come."
What does that last part even mean?
what you said in your post Dom, i used to watch all the old shows,i did to and i found a rn and stimpy ride would be a better replacement than dm i do love the dm and the way it looks but they dont have to go off and leave nick to die why they could do new shows to like the new kung fu panda ride it seems that they messed this one up, just a thought
Yes it I crap but I have seen that it appeals to the younger crowd and yes shrek 3d sucks but if they can have a shrek the halls special and a updated shrek 3d they could make big moola on that and dreamtime is spreading it's media they are now a part of the Gaylord resorts if they can make dreamworks in universal bigger they can blow people's minds and I could see cowboys and aliens in disaster and the terminator terminated for a cowboys a aliens instead of disaster oh and rip ride good but gotta go big eyesore to short and just annoying. And blue man group leaves space for another land or take out hard rock and you have a another place for hp or something else
From steve lee
Posted December 30, 2011 at 11:58 PM
Cowboys and Aliens was a pretty massive failure for Universal. I don't think they'll be allocating much money for theme park attractions.
I read in in one of those year-end movie wrap-ups that Cowboys and Aliens was truly one of the biggest flops of the year. However the article noted that, in terms purely of money lost vis-a-vis the production/marketing budget, the biggest flop was a different movie..possibly, according to the article, the biggest money-losing movie in history.
Hint: It's a Disney movie. And there most certainly will NEVER be a theme park attraction tied to it (we all hope.)
Any takers?
'Mars Needs Moms.'
The real victim of the failed David Zemeckis film is the re-make of The Beatles 'Yellow Submarine.' Disney/zemeckis were to produce the 3d/CG motion picture. The failur of MNM led to Disney eighty-sixing the re-make.
The hysterical thing is, Mars Needs Moms' demographic has nothing in common with the demo for Yellow Submarine. Then again, I'm glad it got the axe because the original is still just fine and a remake seemed like nothing more than a cyncial cash grab.
WOW, a cynical cash grab by Hollywood film makers....who'd a thunk it?
Darn it, TH..you ruined my day. I didn't know the Yellow Submarine project bit the dust.
Oddly enough, in reading that today..one of the local NY television stations (in the days before cable..now get off my lawn, you crazy kids!!) used to show Yellow Submarine every New Years Eve. Thing was, another station always showed It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World at the same time. In those dark days before VCRs and TIVO, we'd have two tv's on and everyone..adults and kids alike..would drift from room to room.
Now? I'm too old for going out drinking (found that out the hard way last NYE.) So now I choose..at any given moment..between marathons of my two favorite shows..the Honeymooners and the Twilight Zone. This year, AMC tossed me a curve ball..they're showing ALL episodes of the Walking Dead..my CURRENT favorite show.
Happy New Year to all on TPI. Enjoy whatever you do.
Dom says
"Disney never takes out the good, unless it's for something better."
I say
"Oh, I wish that was true. I hate Universal, I really do! But sadly, that argument works against you. Why Mickey killed Mr. Toad, it's a mystery. No one wanted the Wild Ride to stop. Snow White for a meet and greet- I think NOT! Horizons out, Motion Sickness 2.0 in. Sure, that was a great move from Disney. I don't even want to mention Stitch and his (Not really that great) Escape. I've never ridden AE, so I can't say that that was all that much better. As I said though, I'm no Universal fan boy. I've gone to Disney every other year, since I was 3 years old. I've been to Universal once, and complained about how it's so unDisneylike. Now I realize that they're both close to the same. They'll take out anything to get your money.
the place that now has sge had a bunch of pass rides first it was Mission to Mars,alien encounter, then the horrible sge AE was going to be alien promethus but they found the alien movies to gory and not for kids, note this is before AE and misson to mars so that was one thing they thought of i would of liked to see alien promethus that would of been awesome and the alien movies were a classic but disney couldnt let it go now its in the Great Movie Ride disney does need to apeal to the teens and the adults more scary stuff more intense rides they need modern stuff people now like to be scared and have there heart racing a millon mph as in the words of forrest that thats about it
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