Planogirl
I feel the nerd in me stirring
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2000
I almost said "new" in my defense but good point.Not that I can think of. But then again...you used the word "newer" and WDW in the same sentence.
I almost said "new" in my defense but good point.Not that I can think of. But then again...you used the word "newer" and WDW in the same sentence.
I almost said "new" in my defense but good point.
I can guarantee that my elbow will not be killing me when I step off Gringotts either!
And then there is the whole Soarin 2.0 in 3D they are putting in Avatarland. I bet screens will be perfectly acceptable then.
I would agree, Splash Mountain is one of my favorite rides as well. I think the key is attention to detail. On Splash Mountain they paid attention to every detail. Journey of the Little Mermaid isn't bad but it's missing that something that makes it great. The queue to the old Dueling Dragon was excellent and everything except the opening video was static. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlJT_-0zqYk
Some people are just a little less enthusiastic about rides based on screens, even if the technology is impressively executed. I haven't had a chance to ride Gringotts yet (that will be in October), but I was a little disappointed to hear that it has few or no physical effects, unlike FJ. I love the dragon, the whomping willow and the Dementors from that ride. In Gringotts, why are the AAs all in the queue?
I remember when Transformers and Radiator Springs Racers both opened in summer 2012. Of the two, Transformers seems to be the more cutting-edge ride. Yet, I prefer RSR because it has physical sets and AAs, whereas Transformers is mostly about screens. And I'm saying this as someone who's always been a sucker for 3D!
When Spider-Man first opened, it was certainly a highly advanced and innovative ride -- and Transformers pushed the envelope even more when it comes to 3D/4D rides. That seems to be the case with Gringotts, too. But, for all the technological advances that Universal has pioneered, I'm afraid that critics have a point when they say that Universal relies too heavily on screens. A little more balance would be good.
Disney may not be innovating as much, but they more often put something in front of you which is real, which could be touched (if you were close enough). And our minds can tell the difference.
This is not meant as a criticism of Universal. I just want to add to this discussion by pointing out that cutting edge tech is not the be all and end all when it comes to the ride experience.
Ellen is pretty bad but Ripley in the GMR is even worse. Both of them really need to be redone stat!
Ellen and Bill Nye were added to Universe of Energy during a redo many years ago. I don't think that Ellen was in anything else before that.
Are there any newer attractions at WDW that don't use screens or are just kiddie rides? I might be forgetting some but that seems to be what the themeparks use a lot nowadays.
I know there is a rumor about King Kong coming back to Universal Studios....I really hope it's an actual AA but I have a feeling that it's just going to be 3D glasses and screens.
The current rumor is it will be a combination of both (similar to Expedition Everest but not a roller coaster) were you will meet both a video production of Kong, probably with 3d Glasses similar to the part of the backlot tour at Universal Hollywood, and you'll meet an Animatronic Kong. The rumors I've heard also suggest it will be a combination outside inside ride. Of course early rumors had an AA Dragon in Gringott's.
I've also heard it will be a guided tour similar to how JAWS was.
I think we all read the same forums.
I see you over there but I have a different name than here.
And how many thrill rides with massive G's can one really take in a "half day park" anyway?
All Universal seems to do is the movie simulators.
E.T. forever!
Let's find out. Looking at the past 14 years (this century), the "major" new attraction (rides and purpose built shows) and in my opinion on a scale of 0-5 how much projection is involved.
MK
2014 - 7DMT -1 (Dwarf shadows on lift hill)
I think I've only posted about three times over there. Lots of good information but also a lot of silliness.
So we just got back from our first family trip to Universal. On Monday we went and really had it in our heads we'd ride the new Gringotts ride.
So after arriving at around 8:15am, we headed straight back and proceeded to wait close to 4 hours to ride. it.
Wait time said 150 minutes. But the ride evidently kept breaking down. So we had long periods of waiting.
So up front - no ride is worth a 4 hour wait. Period.
That said, I thought it was a cool little ride but was kinda disappointed it didn't have as much interesting stuff in the line as Forbidden Journey (I had a chance to go with my company this past year).
I thought Daigon Alley was really well done and it helps that it's built such that you really don't see the rest of the park (one of my bigger complaints around Universal as a whole in terms of theming).
Now interesting thing is, we rode the ride and all liked it. I did have issue making out everything being said and didn't really get the storyline. But I digress.
We spent the rest of the day in park and rode Simpsons, Despicable Me, Transformers, Mummy - and after riding a lot of the other rides my wife turns to me and says, "ya know - I'm not as impressed with the Harry Potter ride now as I was this morning. All Universal seems to do is the movie simulators".
And that was an issue for me as well. My favorite ride was the mummy - it was a real roller coaster and I didn't realize how much for me a ride like that makes more of a difference.
Again, loved the theming of Daigon Alley and if there is a wait of less than an hour I'd totally do the Gringott's ride again, but for my money I'd like a bit more ride to the ride than movie. Ok, just my $0.02.