Lower Lot Redesign

[SOCAL110]

I'm hoping the announcement of the Mummy ride L.A. ride will come until next year or in 2020. It's long past due to the Lower Lot really needs some serious work, and it needs some serious expansion too, especially when Disneyland is gonna up Star Wars Land next year that will drive tourists into OC instead of L.A.

Pure speculation, but I think USH gets a 2nd gate within the next 10-15 years once they are done with the lower lot expansion and maximizing every inch of space on the upper lot.

My prediction is that they bring more Nintendo properties on the 2nd gate along with the most successful lands at UOR 3rd gate.

My BIGGEST DREAM is for Universal to bring a Legend of Zelda land/E-ticket attraction to USH at some point in the future. :celebrate:

 

[Karlito]

I'm just curious but as someone who lives ten minutes up the freeway from USH, where do you see/where would you like to see the second gate to be, location wise?

 

[Freak]

Where's @Freak? I would think he would be on here celebrating with me about DK!

I was too busy watching Infinity War.

 

[Paulio]

Pure speculation, but I think USH gets a 2nd gate within the next 10-15 years once they are done with the lower lot expansion and maximizing every inch of space on the upper lot.

My prediction is that they bring more Nintendo properties on the 2nd gate along with the most successful lands at UOR 3rd gate.

My BIGGEST DREAM is for Universal to bring a Legend of Zelda land/E-ticket attraction to USH at some point in the future. :celebrate:

I'm not sure if Universal City has any more room for the 2nd gate at the moment. The one in the fields right across the studios would have more room for expansion or the 2nd gate, but you would get a bunch of complaints from neighbors in return, as there are houses nearby. The only way to sort the problem out is to buy the residents' houses and demolish them to make more room.

 

[Rawbuhrt]

Pure speculation, but I think USH gets a 2nd gate within the next 10-15 years once they are done with the lower lot expansion and maximizing every inch of space on the upper lot.

My prediction is that they bring more Nintendo properties on the 2nd gate along with the most successful lands at UOR 3rd gate.

My BIGGEST DREAM is for Universal to bring a Legend of Zelda land/E-ticket attraction to USH at some point in the future. :celebrate:

Zelda is definitely a huge property on the west coast (I don’t know about the east coast, so I’m not comparing, just saying I know that it’s definitely huge on this side of the U.S.), and moves insane amounts of merchandise, so I was kind of expecting to see that in our Nintendo area before DK. Regardless, Zelda and DK are two amazing properties and I hope to see them both.

I do think they should consider making themselves a vacation destination though. They definitely aren’t an easy place to plan a trip to as it currently stands. Most people where I live will travel to California for Disneyland, but fly clear to Orlando for Universal, and usually they only do Universal if they’re massive Harry Potter fans. Most don’t bother with it, which is a shame. I took my wife back last year and she was impressed with many of the changes, and floored by the Harry Potter area. (We spent a ton on food/merch...by far the most I’ve ever spent in a park.) Her assessment? “Makes me want to see the Harry Potter stuff in Florida!” I do think that Hollywood would benefit a lot from mirroring more of the Orlando successes, like Diagon Alley.

They also need to announce events SUPER early, if they want to reach outside the LA market! (And maybe have more events with a higher frequency.) We would have gone back for the nighttime lights at Hogwarts that first week in April if they had bothered to give us a teensy bit of notice. We had to book our end of year vacation already, and my wife wanted to see Christmas in the Wizarding World and the castle show, but without having any details about any events past May available from Universal she said “forget it” and we are now just doing an extra day at Disneyland, because we know about the large amount of seasonal happenings we will have there.

I was hoping to get annual passes to Universal for next year, as we tend to do quarterly travel to help out with seasonal depression, but I expect that plan is fully shot.

From an outsider’s impression: it doesn’t seem like management knows what to do with the park’s future, and I expect it will be at least another decade before they try to turn themselves into a vacation destination. I still want to make it back as soon as I can, but I’d love for them to rethink their vacation incentives.

 

[Chris]

I'm not familiar with the dynamics on IU. So is Chris like the top dawg insider on this site?

*blushing*

 

[Wesker69]

I do think they should consider making themselves a vacation destination though. They definitely aren’t an easy place to plan a trip to as it currently stands. Her assessment? “Makes me want to see the Harry Potter stuff in Florida!” I do think that Hollywood would benefit a lot from mirroring more of the Orlando successes, like Diagon Alley.

^Oh dear god no. 10000x NO!. That is the last thing this park needs to be considered. And sadly, that is what they've been doing.

Here is the main problem with that (and it also applies to Disneyland)... this park is NOT meant to be a "vacation destination". That is a disgusting appalling concept. It is meant to be a "locals" park. It can't expand the way Orlando can. Comcast is doing more damage than they are good in a lot of ways. People can plan trips to Cali... but there are so many things to do here, that it'd be pointless to expect USH to be a big central focal point like Orlando or WDW (this again applies to Disneyland too).

Copying... Cloning... Mirroring, whatever you want to call it, is NOT the route to take. Certain rides/attractions back in the day, sure.. (BTTF, T2:3D, ET)... sure. But when you start to clone everything basically making each park pretty much offer the same content, you actually do more harm to yourself. Wanting to go to Orlando, Japan, or Singapore to experience what they have... IS A GOOD THING. The less the parks have in common, the better. You should want new and different experiences. At least Universal did do things the Disney route when it came to Mummy due to their locations. Same ride, but completely different experiences within each park. Same sort've applies to JPRA too (hell, one park has it as a river rapids ride).

This also applies to HHN as well.. all haunt events really. If they all offered the exact same thing the same way, you'd end up pretty bored during haunt season.

So my point is... trying to turn this tiny park into a vacation destination like Orlando, is a terrible idea. Making everything the exact same, also a terrible idea. People will look at it and say "oh, its the same thing we already have. no reason to waste our money there".

 

[SOCAL110]

Zelda is definitely a huge property on the west coast (I don’t know about the east coast, so I’m not comparing, just saying I know that it’s definitely huge on this side of the U.S.), and moves insane amounts of merchandise, so I was kind of expecting to see that in our Nintendo area before DK. Regardless, Zelda and DK are two amazing properties and I hope to see them both.

I do think they should consider making themselves a vacation destination though. They definitely aren’t an easy place to plan a trip to as it currently stands. Most people where I live will travel to California for Disneyland, but fly clear to Orlando for Universal, and usually they only do Universal if they’re massive Harry Potter fans. Most don’t bother with it, which is a shame. I took my wife back last year and she was impressed with many of the changes, and floored by the Harry Potter area. (We spent a ton on food/merch...by far the most I’ve ever spent in a park.) Her assessment? “Makes me want to see the Harry Potter stuff in Florida!” I do think that Hollywood would benefit a lot from mirroring more of the Orlando successes, like Diagon Alley.

They also need to announce events SUPER early, if they want to reach outside the LA market! (And maybe have more events with a higher frequency.) We would have gone back for the nighttime lights at Hogwarts that first week in April if they had bothered to give us a teensy bit of notice. We had to book our end of year vacation already, and my wife wanted to see Christmas in the Wizarding World and the castle show, but without having any details about any events past May available from Universal she said “forget it” and we are now just doing an extra day at Disneyland, because we know about the large amount of seasonal happenings we will have there.

I was hoping to get annual passes to Universal for next year, as we tend to do quarterly travel to help out with seasonal depression, but I expect that plan is fully shot.

From an outsider’s impression: it doesn’t seem like management knows what to do with the park’s future, and I expect it will be at least another decade before they try to turn themselves into a vacation destination. I still want to make it back as soon as I can, but I’d love for them to rethink their vacation incentives.

Great post dude.

An insider revealed on here that Diagon Alley will be coming to USH where the current loading tram station is. I'm pretty stoked about that. So just imagine all this in 1 park: Super Nintendo World (Mario & DK), Hogsmeade/Hogswarts, Jurassic World, Diagon Alley, and whatever's coming to SS 22-25. Not too shabby!

Eventually the park is going to be bursting at the seems and they will need to expand to a 2nd gate. It's prob still 10-15 years away though. I like the strategy of optimizing park 1 before moving to park 2. I don't want a WDW situation where they build a half day park after half day park then let the other parks rot for a decade!

Honestly, I'm more excited about Universal's future than I am Disney's future. And this is coming from a huge Disney fan.

Do you live in the Pacific Northwest?

 

[Chris]

As long as the taxes go into the City of LA pockets, Universal will one day become a resort location in California. Where there is money, there is growth.

I hope it happens because we all know what the Universal product can do. First, we need hotels!

 

[SOCAL110]

^Oh dear god no. 10000x NO!. That is the last thing this park needs to be considered. And sadly, that is what they've been doing.

Here is the main problem with that (and it also applies to Disneyland)... this park is NOT meant to be a "vacation destination". That is a disgusting appalling concept. It is meant to be a "locals" park. It can't expand the way Orlando can. Comcast is doing more damage than they are good in a lot of ways. People can plan trips to Cali... but there are so many things to do here, that it'd be pointless to expect USH to be a big central focal point like Orlando or WDW (this again applies to Disneyland too).

Copying... Cloning... Mirroring, whatever you want to call it, is NOT the route to take. Certain rides/attractions back in the day, sure.. (BTTF, T2:3D, ET)... sure. But when you start to clone everything basically making each park pretty much offer the same content, you actually do more harm to yourself. Wanting to go to Orlando, Japan, or Singapore to experience what they have... IS A GOOD THING. The less the parks have in common, the better. You should want new and different experiences. At least Universal did do things the Disney route when it came to Mummy due to their locations. Same ride, but completely different experiences within each park. Same sort've applies to JPRA too (hell, one park has it as a river rapids ride).

This also applies to HHN as well.. all haunt events really. If they all offered the exact same thing the same way, you'd end up pretty bored during haunt season.

So my point is... trying to turn this tiny park into a vacation destination like Orlando, is a terrible idea. Making everything the exact same, also a terrible idea. People will look at it and say "oh, its the same thing we already have. no reason to waste our money there".

Part of me strongly agrees with you & the other part strongly disagrees with you. Lol

As I've stated before, I could care less about the parks in Orlando. I live in CA, I just care about the parks here.

It is a fallacy to think that most people park hop between Orlando and LA. Not the case. The majority of people tend to stick to whatever park is closer to them. It's the reason why Pirates of the Carribean was built at WDW, The Imagineers thought that nobody wanted to ride the same attraction from CA. That was not the case.

Though I do agree that I don't want the parks to be cookie-cutter clones of each other, just based on principle. USH should be rooted in the CA culture the way DL is and not try to replicate Orlando. Last thing I was is that soulless, corporate vibe that WDW has. But that's what you get when you want to be a tourist destination that appeals to everybody.

Once heard a quote about DL/WDW: "Disneyland was built by a father for his children. Disney World was built by a board for the masses."

 

[SOCAL110]

As long as the taxes go into the City of LA pockets, Universal will one day become a resort location in California. Where there is money, there is growth.

I hope it happens because we all know what the Universal product can do. First, we need hotels!

Agreed bruh. Do you foresee a 2nd gate coming within the next 10 years?

 

[Chris]

Agreed bruh. Do you foresee a 2nd gate coming within the next 10 years?

It would be madness to build a 2nd Park after the Olympics. If they do it...it has to start after Nintendo opens. It just makes sense.

 

[Mad Dog]

The number of people that visit multiple Universal locations, or even Disney for that matter, is so insignificant that it really has no significance in planning attractions for different park locales.

 

[Freak]

The number of people that visit multiple Universal locations, or even Disney for that matter, is so insignificant that it really has no significance in planning attractions for different park locales.

So much so that the majority of people in Cali have no idea Spiderman even exists at UO.

 

[SOCAL110]

The number of people that visit multiple Universal locations, or even Disney for that matter, is so insignificant that it really has no significance in planning attractions for different park locales.

Thanx for summing up what I was trying to say in such few words. Lol

 

[SOCAL110]

It would be madness to build a 2nd Park after the Olympics. If they do it...it has to start after Nintendo opens. It just makes sense.

Huh. I guess that's the million dollar question. Build a 2nd gate or massively expand 1st gate in time for the Olympics? With so many changes going on, I'm sure Universal doesn't even know what direction to go in.

 

[SOCAL110]

So much so that the majority of people in Cali have no idea Spiderman even exists at UO.

I didn't even know it existed until I joined this site. Everybody talks about it as though its the greatest attraction UC has ever built.

I'm excited for Spiderman @ DCA, permitting they build what they showed in the patent.

 

[Rawbuhrt]

I didn’t specifically argue that the parks need the exact same content. But having some comparable areas, like Diagon Alley, would help attract visitors, because that place is incredible. I don't think anyone minds if there's variation within that. Just as a hypothetical, say Hollywood wanted to expand Hogsmeade, but instead of copying the roller coaster they’re building in Orlando, they make a more space-conscious attraction, perhaps a dark ride type experience. That would still be a large pull for prospective visitors.

I do concede that Hollywood feels like a park that caters to locals, but my kids bring home vacation pamphlets from school all the time, and Universal has a huge advertisement in all of them. The pitch companies use is usually "it's close to Disneyland!" and tickets are generally sold as an add-on. I think that's a reasonably good pitch, except that Disneyland makes it easy to plan early (trips like these are expensive for a family), and Universal Studios doesn't. I'd just love it if they upped their game in this regard. Yes, for my own sake, but I also want Universal Studios to be as successful as possible, because higher cash flow provides for growth and new experiences.

An insider revealed on here that Diagon Alley will be coming to USH where the current loading tram station is. I'm pretty stoked about that. So just imagine all this in 1 park: Super Nintendo World (Mario & DK), Hogsmeade/Hogswarts, Jurassic World, Diagon Alley, and whatever's coming to SS 22-25. Not too shabby!

Woah! I didn't know Diagon was actually coming to Hollywood! That will be absolutely incredible, all from IPs that I absolutely love. I also can't wait to see the future of Jurassic World. Thank you for telling me!

Though I do agree that I don't want the parks to be cookie-cutter clones of each other, just based on principle. USH should be rooted in the CA culture the way DL is and not try to replicate Orlando.

One of the things I love about California parks is that they may be smaller, but they sure make the most of every inch.

Anyway, sorry everyone for my detour. I'm insanely excited about the prospect of Donkey Kong, and I can't wait to see how the lower lot looks in the future. I want to ride the Mummy one last time, but sounds like it may close before I make it back. I guess we will see!

 

[SOCAL110]

One of the things I love about California parks is that they may be smaller, but they sure make the most of every inch.

I'm insanely excited about the prospect of Donkey Kong, and I can't wait to see how the lower lot looks in the future.

I like the cut of your jib.

 

[Zed]

I agree with @Rawbuhrt