Getting a little tired?

[John E.]

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Universal and IOA - even more than the mouse, but am I wrong in that no new attractions have been added in either park since Men In Black (USF) some 3 years ago?

I'm thinking back to when I visited IOA for its opening in 1999 and I don't think there is anything different . . .

I love what they have, but I worry that maybe the fact that nothing new is built that maybe there is a real cash-flow problem . . .

 

[damo]

The Revenge of the Mummy, Shrek and Jimmy Neutron have been added.

So, I guess you are wrong.

 

[John E.]

The Revenge of the Mummy, Shrek and Jimmy Neutron have been added.

So, I guess you are wrong.

my point was that nothing new was added to IOA since it opened, all those attarctions are at USF.

also, all of those were there in 2004.

Guess I am right (just kidding lol)

still, its the greatest

 

[Melisa1]

Blue Man Group will be there this summer as well!

 

[robvia]

It's not a cash flow problem.
It's a suit budget cut thing. You see, Universal is owned by NBC which is a part of GE. On the grand scheme of things, the parks are very small compared with movies, and tv shows. So to get the suits to spend 100 million on a new ride is kinda hard to do. The excuse we always get is they can't justify spending 100 million to shareholders, but that has nothing to do with it. Budgets are the problem and the way things are going, it looks like parks only add rides every 4 years when Disney does something new. Plans and ideas are put on the drawing board, then shot down by suits.

It's even worse for roller coaster fans because Six Flags is trying to be Disney, they're not adding any new thrill rides for a long time (thanks Dan Snyder). They already tried this experiment a few years ago and it didn't work. Burke admitted attendance tanked and installed the coasters we saw last year (Tatsu and Goliath). It takes 3-4 years to plan a new ride, so don't expect anything from Six Flags for a long time.

Sadly, new rides are only added when attendance tanks. The only park that actually "gets it" is Cedar Point. They install a new thrill ride every 2 years, which would be this year. So to get a coaster fix, add a visit to Cedar Point this year because they've got a new coaster called Maverick.

 

[John E.]

Blue Man Group will be there this summer as well!

was just reading about that at the Universal website . . .should be interesting . . .

and something good should move into Back to the Future when that closes . . heard some rumor about a Simpson's themed attraction?

 

[John E.]

thanks Robvia . . . . that may have been what I was thinking, but I sure could not have put it as articulately

I just hope they don't lose the PR wars with the mouse . . . as they have added rides to Epcot and AK recently . . . for the thrill seekers, its always "what have you done for me lately". I'd hate for attendance to suffer because the parks get a rep of "been there done that"

 

[robvia]

Right. Disney is actually ahead of Universal because they added the shows, and Everest while Universal "took stuff off the drawing board."
Now Universal is trying to catch up by adding Blue Man Group.
I think the suits measure things by how many bill boards are on I-4.

What's really messed up is the Orlando parks don't really have to do anything to get attendance. We posted the figures in another thread and the numbers really don't change that much year to year.
Babies grow up in Disney rooms and parents take them there every year until they turn 8. Many are brainwashed fanatics that go 2-3 times a year. Then they add a visit to Universal and SWF when the kids make the height requirements for the coasters. A new ride makes the numbers go up slightly, but not that much.

For parks up north, it's not the same, they need to add a huge ride every 2-3 years otherwise fans stop visiting. Six Flags is going to find this out the hard way in 2 years when the numbers go bad, and Snyder takes a huge bonus to leave.

 

[damo]

but am I wrong in that no new attractions have been added in either park since Men In Black (USF) some 3 years ago?

my point was that nothing new was added to IOA since it opened, all those attarctions are at USF

Sorry I missed that point!!!??? (heehee)

Anyways, I think everyone is definitely ready for something new in IOA. USF has had some great additions in the last few years and now it is IOA's turn.

 

[John E.]

I had heard a few years ago that IOA had some big plans for overhauling the Lost Continent or possibly expanding with a new "island" adjacent to the LC.

I'd hate to lose any rides at IOA, I mean I'd be crushed if they ever closed down Spidey, Popeye or Ripsaw . . . or Jurassic RA . . . or Hulk . . .lol

 

[damo]

There are big plans rumoured right now. We'll see if Harry Potter can really take over the Lost Continent. It shall be interesting.

I don't think any of the major rides (except Poseidan) are under any threat of extinction.

 

[kenban]

my point was that nothing new was added to IOA since it opened, all those attarctions are at USF.

Which is correct to a point. Everything that has opened since the park first opened was already started when the park opened. But the park opened in 1999 and the Flying Unicorn and Storm Force Accelatron did not open until around a year later in 2000. The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride opened last year. But then that was built for the original park opening and never operated for guests until last year when it was redone.

 

[John E.]

Which is correct to a point. Everything that has opened since the park first opened was already started when the park opened. But the park opened in 1999 and the Flying Unicorn and Storm Force Accelatron did not open until around a year later in 2000. The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride opened last year. But then that was built for the original park opening and never operated for guests until last year when it was redone.

oh yeah, the Suess Trolley . . .forgot about that . . .it sort of existed there for years, the tracks were in place I think . . .but it was a train to nowhere . . .

and I wouldn't mind seeing Poseiden go . . . . did it just once and that was enough . . .

 

[Motherfletcher]

Where is the rumor of a wooden coaster in JP? A couple of years ago a ride attendant was showing and telling me about all the survey (location not questionaires) work that had been done to accomodate the design work.