Originally Posted By dshyates It could be said that the IOA Resort Expansion project definitely added days to the stays at Universal Orlando Resort seeing that until then they had no on-site resorts.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "I guess you weren't around when jonvn was doing his schtick with DCA and how it was a COMPLETE SUCCESS!!!! for the DLR." I was there when those discussions took place and I don't think Jon ever said that it was a COMPLETE success. He argued that it couldn't be proven one way or the other and that the expansion did succeed on at least two measurable points - additional overnight stays at the property and increasing guest spending.
Originally Posted By sjhym33 Interesting discussion about attendance figures. I think when you talk Disney compared to its competitors its like apples and oranges. SeaWorld really has no onsite resort on the level of Disney's, though they have partnered with close resorts. Disney has smartly pushed multi-day tickets which in many ways inflates its numbers for the resort. If I pay for a four day park hopper then I will probably hit all four parks because they are included whereas if each park had to be purchased seperately you would probably find that parks like the AK or the Studios may loose attendance. In fact, if you walk up to any Disney ticket booth you would have to look hard to find a single day/single park ticket on the board. I think it is there in rather small print compared to the large print for multi-day tickets. Disney has been smart to do this, as well as Extra Magic Hours which is a nice perk for resort guests. Conversely, I think US/IOA has done a poor job up until HP in promoting itself. That was especially true when IOA opened and the whole Universal Escape branding that happened. It was confusing, unclear and did not market the new park, which I like very much, very well. That parking garage is a terrible, guest unfriendly thing in my opinion and if I had one ongoing complaint about Universal is that they dont seem to be able to park those garages in an efficient manner. It is never a good way to start the day. I also think they have not taken advantage of the fact that they have three resorts on property. And while I am not a fan of the Hard Rock Hotel, I think Portofino and Royal Pacific are wonderful resorts. If I were Universal I would have been marketing the fact that resort guests get free Express Pass access to the parks and take a page from Disney and do Extra hours for resort guests. I think the fact that Universal has changed hands a couple of time over the past couple of years has hurt them. And while many of us can discuss Disney mgmt by name, I would be hard pressed to tell you who is in charge at Universal. While HP may not be enough to put a dent in anything Disney does, I do think that it will be a game changer for Universal itself. I think we will see their numbers increase, I think we will see their revenue increase as people buy HP junk and food and I think it might increase their hotel occupancy. Of more interest to me will be watching if Universal can capitalize on this or will they just ride the wave. Also, if they are smart they would be ready with an announcement for their next big addition. A Transformer ride for the studios? Something that will encourage their captive audience to return.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 The TF attraction seems like a no brainer, especially since the R&D has already been done and paid for. This should DEFINITELY be the next announcement.
Originally Posted By sjhym33 Well the 30 min special on the WWOHP just ended and I think Universal made an error by not showing more of the technology especially when it came to Forbidden Journey. Lots of technical people and the actors saying wonderful things but not enough up close looks at the area.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << Of more interest to me will be watching if Universal can capitalize on this or will they just ride the wave. Also, if they are smart they would be ready with an announcement for their next big addition. >> I wouldn't hold my breath. The private equity firm that has an ownership interest in UO is largely just trying to shore up attendance enough so they can sell off the property or issue a public stock offering. They were desperate to do this for the past couple of years but couldn't find any takers because the cash flow in these businesses was so bad and attendance was falling off the cliff.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 "Well the 30 min special on the WWOHP just ended" Off to check those raging streams of water!!!
Originally Posted By macnak81 that 30 min special , was not special at all. I think I heard "Harry" describe each "attraction " ie gift shop ,as "just brilliant", about 5 times
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 Watching it right now. So far too much with the actors and too many shots from the movies. SHOW ME THE DAMNED ARCHITECTURE!!!!!
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 Oh and once and for all - this is NOT a theme park, it's a LAND of a theme park, or ISLAND in this context.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 It's kind of annoying as well how they are referring to the Dragon Challenge and Flight of The Hippogriff, as if they are brand new. This is one thing I find a little bit subpar about this upgrade - another BRAND NEW attraction, C or D would have been very welcome, rather than a redress.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 Okay just finished watching it. Not much beyond what we already knew was "revealed"(sic). I also wanted to see more about how FJ worked and some behind the scenes stuff. Since this is really their signature attraction I think more time spent on it would have made more people want to come and see it. I must admit also that all the attention being given to the shops is starting to worry me. As somebody who is not really a spending person(after saving fifteen grand for the last US theme park Odyssey, dropping loads of cash on plush and t-shirts wasn't really an option!), they don't hold much appeal for me. Oh well, the good thing is, between the main attraction, Hogsmeade's awesome immersive theming and the rest of the INCREDIBLE IOA, this park just got a LOT cooler. So the question is now, can we now say THE TWO BEST attractions in the world are not only at Universal but at IOA?
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I wouldn't say that. I haven't ridden FJ so I reserve judgment, but I wouldn't say Spidey was the best attraction in the world, even though I like it a lot. Like Indy, it's technologically impressive and more "advanced" than Pirates or HM, but the latter two still have tons more heart. Spidey and Indy, though I like 'em both for sure, are just a bit too "noisy," too manic, for me to put them in the absolute top tier. For me, Pirates and HM are still THE twin theme park masterpieces, that transcend adrenaline rush and almost transcend "theme park ride" - there's something very HUMAN about them, and they touch something human that Indy and Spidey don't. And actually, if you put a gun to my head and said I could ride just Indy, Spidey, or Soarin', I'd have to pick Soarin' (as would a lot of people, I guess, given that it's currently ranked as the favorite attraction in all of WDW, above Pirates, HM, and TOT). It's technologically MUCH simpler, but the experience is just splendid. It's got a unique combination of relaxing (an underrated quality at theme parks) and exhilarating. And so much natural beauty that it, again, touches something in the soul that the others don't. Not that I don't love Indy and Spidey. I do. But for those reasons I can't put them at the very top. YMMV, of course. Won't know about FJ till I ride it.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 But perhaps more importantly, BIG BROTHER UK starts tonight in England!!!!! Go Davina - and enjoy your last series EVER of BBUK!!!!!!!!!!! Yes.....a gay man that LOVES Davina. Go figure! ; )
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo You certainly would not be the only one Bob. A lot of my clients adore her, and she's a fag hag too.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 I don't know what it is about her. And I only started watching the UK version last year, too, since the AUstralian BB was cancelled after the 2008 version ended. I just INSTANTLY loved her!!! I ordered her workout DVDs and kinda got a little obsessed. It must be a gay/fag hag thing. We just "click" with certain women. A similar thing has happened with Kathy Griffin. My partner and I only a few weeks ago started watching her "Life on The D List" show and now it's REQUIRED viewing every night for us. We just LOVE Kathy. Interesting.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Davina is very cool. I have met her a couple of times, and she really is lovely.