UO Wish List

[DocBosch]

Since the "Universal's biggest flaw" thread had good intentions, but a negative undertone, I decided to start a new thread that may cast a new light on the same subject.

What is the one thing you would change about Universal Orlando to make it better? What do you wish there was more of, less of, different, same as before, ect... This would be a type of wish list of improvemnts created by us.

One of the things I wish Universal Orlando had is direct access from one park to the other. A way for annual or two-park pass holder to cross from one park to the other without having to exit through the main gates, trek accross the Hard Rock and NBA City portion of City Walk, and then enter the other park through it's main gates.

This came to me today (actually, I've been thinking about it for a while now) when my friend an I had to program our day to fit in both parks. We understood that once we decided to leave one park, the rest of the day would be spent at the other. This took a bit out of our sponitinuity approach to theme parking.

We like to wander around, without a predetermined idea of what we want to ride or see, and a full understanding that we don't have to do EVERTHING on this visit, enjoying the park and acting on our whims. This is based on the idea that we have all day to enjoy the park, so we don't have to be so concerned with what rides to ride and how much time we have to get to them.

But, this is undermined by having to schedule a specific time to leave one park so we have enough time at the other. If there was direct access between the two parks, we could still enjoy them both, but continue to act on our impulses.

-Kevin

 

[anotherboardnposter]

I'd want to see more street characters...not just those with the oversized heads, but humans as well. For some reason, I'm thinking of maybe having an actor play Tony Montana from "Scarface".

Sincerely,

John Kilduff

 

[DocBosch]

Originally posted by chris mcfly
I would like to see turnstile attendants who do not get mad at doc bosch for pulling tricks with his annual pass.

Hey... what da!?!?

 

[JessicaR]

Kevin, you have a magic pass?

 

[JessicaR]

Kevin,

Thanks for all your thought provoking posts. I really look forward to reading them. You add so much to these boards.

Okay I would bring back the character meal at Confiscos. It was always a highlight of our trips. I would also love to see the street characters that were discontinued come back!!! I miss the Adventurer Guy and his imaginative mystical dragon tales. The gypsy (fortuneteller) was a hit with my boys too!

 

[kellymonaghan]

Picking up on the direct park-to-park access idea, wouldn't it be neat if there was a ride you could get on in one park that would end in the other? Either a coaster type ride or a more traditional "dark ride."

One end could be in the Boneyard area at USF and it would zig and zag through what is now underutilized studio space. Maybe the IOA terminus could be where the Sneetches ride is now. Lost Continent might be a better choice, theme-wise.

The big challenge: themeing/story line that would make sense for both parks. A Mummy theme might work (if you used LC in IOA). Maybe it could be a less-intense Mummy experience for those who don't want to do what we assume will be the indoor Mummy coaster replacing Kong.

Another problem: people with one-day, one-park tickets.

Note to Universal creative: Send my royalty checks to your favorite charity.

 

[DocBosch]

Originally posted by JessicaR
Kevin, you have a magic pass?

I guess it could constitute as a card trick. I pulled out a deck of cards (made up of my friend's and my annual passes) and randomly handed my friend a card, and the other to the turnstile attendant. He ran it through the machine, looked at it, and, solely based on the look on his face, I could guess what card he was holding: my friend's annual pass.

I was carrying my friend's pass and money, along with mine, in my money clip so he wouldn't have to carry his wallet. We spent the whole day at USF, and headed over to IOA to do HULK once before we left, when I absentmindedly handed him my card instead of his. It was an honest mistake anybody could’ve made. The attendant looked at my pass strangely and asked me if it was supposed to be me. I asked to look at it, but he pulled it away from me. Up to this point, his actions were completely understandable.

I explained to him that it was probably my friend's card, and that I had made a mistake. He scolded me, telling me that if we did it again, they were going to take our annual passes away. I told him that I was sorry, but that it was just an accident. He said that it wasn't an accident, that we had done it on purpose. He cited that my friend was laughing, so it must've been on purpose. Apparently, laughing at a theme park is grounds for suspicion. (BTW, he was laughing because, up until the attendant started being rude, it was a humorous situation).

That's no way to treat guests, let alone annual passholders. Threatening to take somebody's annual pass away because they made a simply mistake, and then implying that they’re liars is totally inappropriate. The worst part is that I know if it hadn't been a 20 and 18 year old, but a family of four, and the father had the mother’s card by accident, nobody would have been accused of anything.

So yes, my pass is magical. The picture of the young Hispanic on it has the power to make some park employees forget how they're supposed to act toward guests.

-Kevin

 

[the Dark Marauder]

Originally posted by DocBosch
So yes, my pass is magical. The picture of the young Hispanic on it has the power to make some park employees forget how they're supposed to act toward guests.

Only because some of them dont know of your "true title"

 

[kellymonaghan]

I'm bumping this up, because I think the original thread was on to something -- getting people to make suggestions about what they'd like to see new, changed, got rid of, etc. at Universal Orlando.

But the thread got sidetracked.

So let's come up with those great suggestions. I just know they have to be out there!

I'll add another idea, something I've been advocating for years:

One theater at the Cineplex in CityWalk that would show great old films in repertory. Sort of like the repertory cinemas that Spielberg and Scorsese used to go to all the time when they were teenagers in New York. These movie houses typically showed a different double feature every day or two and had regular themed series -- gangster flicks, or Japanese samurai films, screwball comedies of the 30s, or the films of Francois Truffaut, and like that.

You could get some local film prof to program them and write a page of notes and commentary on the films being shown.

I think it would be a great way for Universal to "give back" to the community and help foster film education.

 

[robvia]

Posting in these kind of threads would be fun if we knew the ideas we're being listened to and had a chance of becoming reality. Instead, the future of parks is decided by a few, or in the case of Disney, one. And the parks are broke, so when fans recommend coasters, they say they cost too much, or it's on hold, yet Disney is building a 100 million dollar simulator that may turn out to be a puke machine, go figure. Would I have voted for that? No.
I'd like to see a vote on the ride choices for the coming years, done on park websites or by interviews at the parks.
Do you think fans would have voted for Rhino Ralley at BGT? No.
They need to build the giga coaster in the north west corner of the park.
Getting back to IOA/USF, the family ride stuff should not be considered a major attraction "Buffo and Socco".
Something of the thill nature should be added every year along with a family ride.
Of coarse, 2004 will add the Mummy coaster, but when it opens, that will make 4 years there has been no thrill ride added. The Flying Unicorn was added on 06/29/2000. That's almost 3 years ago, and will be 4 by the time the Mummy coaster opens.
What's after the Mummy coaster? Another 4 year wait while more family rides are put in?
They gotta get back on track with the trill rides at IOA. Go ahead and do a family ride, but at the same time, add a thrill ride. I can even wait 2 years for a major thrill ride, but not 4.

My vote, the B&M Flyer in the JP section of the park. Fully theamed, with huge mountains the train flys down and over, thru tunnels, and past trees. Not the parking lot version that SF has.

If that's not the next thrill choice for IOA, then tell us a few and let the fans vote.