Universal Kids Resort - Frisco, Texas

[Andysol]

I think there's been a lot of criticism on this forum and on social media that seems well warranted or understandable based on what people have seen and what photos have been shown. I don't agree with calling that "rage."

He clearly qualified what he meant by saying rage and specifically carved out a place for this forum. Yet here you are ignoring that completely.

We get it. You hate this park with every ounce of your existence. I usually stop following threads and seeking out more information about things I dislike. But different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[Diservations]

I think there's been a lot of criticism on this forum and on social media that seems well warranted or understandable based on what people have seen and what photos have been shown. I don't agree with calling that "rage." There have been bad reviews from people who were invited to the media event and those who have visited since.

Again, I said the discussion on this forum has been cool and not at all rage-bait. I also said legit criticism is great. I engaged in that myself. But people have gone over the line with me, and several people I respect, over a kids' theme park. All for providing a different perspective that doesn't resonate in their echo chamber.

So I'm not sure what point you're trying to drive home here.

 

[Brian G.]

I think marketing just messed up real bad here. Flying out Orlando and Hollywood-based theme park media and influencers to try out and film your already lower budget regional park, while it is obviously still-in-progress and laughably bare in theming elements was simply a bad move, and it's the reason why there is now a contingent of internet rubberneckers with no prior interest in the park heckling and hoping for another Starcruiser situation.

Again, just another failure of the broader corporation. There should have been much better coordination to ensure that when the media they invited to document and advertise the new park showed up, that the park would be in a presentable state.

The park is totally fine and some of the theming elements and offerings are legitimately great and well-done, but it's unavoidable that it has made a very rough first impression to most active theme park enjoyers online. That won't be a death sentence for the park obviously, but if that was always going to be true, then why bring media that is used to parks like Disneyland and Epic Universe to an incomplete kids park in the first place? There was a problem from first-principles there.

It seems like they wanted to target multiple audiences.

Most of the theme park folk who were invited had young kids, with only a few exceptions. They didn't just invite the usual Universal crowd. Channels like Dev, Pugh Two, and Mr. Morrow weren't there, and even the Mammoth Club wasn't there in their typical capacity but attended as a +1. There were also Dallas/TX-area media/influencers getting previews before and after the main media preview, and they brought in some well-known family influencers with national reach.

No, not every Dallas outlet went, just like not every theme park outlet went. Looking at the invite list as a whole, it feels like they curated the list based on the audience they wanted to reach (families with young kids, regional family creators, and a handful of established Universal voices).

I also don't think Universal expected this level of backlash.

 

[Diservations]

It seems like they wanted to target multiple audiences.

Most of the theme park folk who were invited had young kids, with only a few exceptions. They didn't just invite the usual Universal crowd. Channels like Dev, Pugh Two, and Mr. Morrow weren't there, and even the Mammoth Club wasn't there in their typical capacity but attended as a +1. There were also Dallas/TX-area media/influencers getting previews before and after the main media preview, and they brought in some well-known family influencers with national reach.

No, not every Dallas outlet went, just like not every theme park outlet went. Looking at the invite list as a whole, it feels like they curated the list based on the audience they wanted to reach (families with young kids, regional family creators, and a handful of established Universal voices).

I also don't think Universal expected this level of backlash.

Yes to all of this, especially the last point.

I feel bad for UKR's PR and marketing team. The park's opening timeline was crunched due to Bello Bay Cruise delays. The park needed more time before the reveal. I'm afraid no combination of media would have prevented the amount of criticism they've received.

 

[Tbad556]

Universal loves to open half-finished parks (hello VBay opening while under construction!). But once they settle into the late finishing touches, everyone forgets. I don't see why this would be any different. It kinda is what it is, unfortunately. If they're not even willing to delay the tiny park meant for locals rather than tourists, I don't think that we'll ever see that change with them.

 

[Diservations]

Universal Kids Resort Team Members are giving guests double rides on Rhonda's TrollsFest Express.

 

[themeparktribune]

I think marketing just messed up real bad here. Flying out Orlando and Hollywood-based theme park media and influencers to try out and film your already lower budget regional park, while it is obviously still-in-progress and laughably bare in theming elements was simply a bad move, and it's the reason why there is now a contingent of internet rubberneckers with no prior interest in the park heckling and hoping for another Starcruiser situation.

Again, just another failure of the broader corporation. There should have been much better coordination to ensure that when the media they invited to document and advertise the new park showed up, that the park would be in a presentable state.

The park is totally fine and some of the theming elements and offerings are legitimately great and well-done, but it's unavoidable that it has made a very rough first impression to most active theme park enjoyers online. That won't be a death sentence for the park obviously, but if that was always going to be true, then why bring media that is used to parks like Disneyland and Epic Universe to an incomplete kids park in the first place? There was a problem from first-principles there.

I agree with you on the point that Universal set itself up for a bad first impression. And at least some of that was Universal being tight-lipped or unclear about what this park was supposed to be in the first place.

He clearly qualified what he meant by saying rage and specifically carved out a place for this forum. Yet here you are ignoring that completely.

We get it. You hate this park with every ounce of your existence. I usually stop following threads and seeking out more information about things I dislike. But different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Can you please not presume something as inflammatory as me “hating this park with every ounce of my existence?” That’s way out of line and I’m not going to allow you to put words in my mouth.

I’m not leaving the thread or the forum just because you disagree with my opinions. I’m not aware of any rule on this forum that I’m breaking by disagreeing with you or anyone else — and YOU are the one who is inferring intent here, not me.

 

[Brian G.]

I agree with you on the point that Universal set itself up for a bad first impression. And at least some of that was Universal being tight-lipped or unclear about what this park was supposed to be in the first place.

Can you please not presume something as inflammatory as me “hating this park with every ounce of my existence?” That’s way out of line and I’m not going to allow you to put words in my mouth.

I’m not leaving the thread or the forum just because you disagree with my opinions. I’m not aware of any rule on this forum that I’m breaking by disagreeing with you or anyone else — and YOU are the one who is inferring intent here, not me.

You're absolutely right that people shouldn't put words in your mouth or assume you "hate the park." But I don't think you've really extended that same courtesy to others.

I didn't feel like I got that, even after clarifying my position multiple times and giving examples. And now I'm watching the same thing happen here. Diservations has said more than once that he wasn't talking about criticism or even this forum. He was talking about the personal attacks he's gotten for posting positive impressions. That still hasn't really been addressed by you.

You brought up the forum rules, and nobody's saying you're breaking any of them just because you disagree. But one of those rules is that participants must act in good faith.

... and I guess this is the part that keeps throwing me off. You made a post about wanting good-faith conversations, but it doesn't really feel like you're practicing what you're preaching here. Diservations has clarified his point multiple times, yet it still feels like you're responding to your original interpretation rather than what he's actually saying now.

To me, good faith means engaging with the point that's actually being made, especially after someone has taken the time to clarify it, not continuing to argue with the version you already decided they meant.

 

[Diservations]

... and I guess this is the part that keeps throwing me off. You made a post about wanting good-faith conversations, but it doesn't really feel like you're practicing what you're preaching here. Diservations has clarified his point multiple times, yet it still feels like you're responding to your original interpretation rather than what he's actually saying now.

Appreciate you, Brian.

 

[themeparktribune]

I didn't feel like I got that, even after clarifying my position multiple times and giving examples. And now I'm watching the same thing happen here. Diservations has said more than once that he wasn't talking about criticism or even this forum. He was talking about the personal attacks he's gotten for posting positive impressions. That still hasn't really been addressed by you.

As I explained to you before, Brian, I didn't believe your clarification.

You might have phrased it more mildly as "some of the loudest criticism is coming from people w/o young kids or had no intention of visiting anyway" or "I put more weight on the opinions of the families," but to me, you had been essentially saying critiques of Universal Kids Resort don't need to be addressed on their merits because of who is making them.

I was under the impression that any kind of "baiting" would have to involve publicly-accessible posts, if the point was to drive engagement, and not attacks done privately over DMs. If the latter is all that's Diservations was referring to then I certainly don't condone any of that or agree with that. I think I've been really clear that I think all of that stuff is out of line and the discussion should be on the actual park, not about assuming the motivations of anyone's opinion, positive or negative.

To me, good faith means engaging with the point that's actually being made, especially after someone has taken the time to clarify it, not continuing to argue with the version you already decided they meant.

I am going to push back on a broader point and state that I don't feel like I'm required to accept you or your friends' interpretation of things.

You and another poster who agrees with your opinions have now insinuated that I should just leave the discussion altogether in response to me disagreeing with your interpretations. Coming from the owner of the forum, it feels like an intimidation tactic.

Maybe let's get back to talking about the actual park?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Maybe let's get back to talking about the actual park?

You're the one keep bringing it up. You're the one doing this. You're the one obsessed and not believing things before your eyes. You can stop reading this thread or ignore it but you keep coming back. This is 100% you.

 

[Brian G.]

As I explained to you before, Brian, I didn't believe your clarification.

You might have phrased it more mildly as "some of the loudest criticism is coming from people w/o young kids or had no intention of visiting anyway" or "I put more weight on the opinions of the families," but to me, you had been essentially saying critiques of Universal Kids Resort don't need to be addressed on their merits because of who is making them.

I was under the impression that any kind of "baiting" would have to involve publicly-accessible posts, if the point was to drive engagement, and not attacks done privately over DMs. If the latter is all that's Diservations was referring to then I certainly don't condone any of that or agree with that. I think I've been really clear that I think all of that stuff is out of line and the discussion should be on the actual park, not about assuming the motivations of anyone's opinion, positive or negative.


I am going to push back on a broader point and state that I don't feel like I'm required to accept you or your friends' interpretation of things.

You and another poster who agrees with your opinions have now insinuated that I should just leave the discussion altogether in response to me disagreeing with your interpretations. Coming from the owner of the forum, it feels like an intimidation tactic.

Maybe let's get back to talking about the actual park?

Wtf? Lol

A few weeks ago, I repeatedly explained what I meant, and your response was essentially, “I don’t believe your clarification. I think I know what you actually meant.”

Now you’re doing the same thing here. You argued with Dis for multiple posts over something he repeatedly said he wasn’t saying, only to finally acknowledge, “Well, if that’s what he meant…”

And now this somehow becomes me trying to intimidate you because I finally had to jump in and moderate?

Come on.

Nobody is telling you to leave because you disagree. People are pushing back because you keep telling other people what they “actually” mean after they’ve already clarified their position. That’s the issue. It was the issue with me, and now it’s the issue here.

You made a whole post about good-faith discussions. Maybe start by taking people at their word when they explain their own position instead of deciding you know it better than they do.

 

[Diservations]

I was under the impression that any kind of "baiting" would have to involve publicly-accessible posts, if the point was to drive engagement, and not attacks done privately over DMs. If the latter is all that's Diservations was referring to then I certainly don't condone any of that or agree with that. I think I've been really clear that I think all of that stuff is out of line and the discussion should be on the actual park, not about assuming the motivations of anyone's opinion, positive or negative.

This will be my last post about this. Expect nothing but ride photos from now on.

The rage-baiting was done publicly and privately. The size of the audience doesn't matter when the only point of the post is to make people angry. Also, as many have said, I quickly qualified my original comment by saying I wasn't referring to anyone in this thread. Yet you came back for more. That's the point many are making. You can believe me or not, but I've moved on.

Now, here's what might be my favorite pic of the park.

 

[Jake S]

I’ve mostly stayed out of this thread the past week or so because I think we’ve exhausted the meta-criticism aspect of this debate. Like the park, don’t like the park, whatever. But I think that a lot of people have done a lot of talking past one another instead of focusing on the places where there’s legitimate disagreement.

I don’t think the park is good. I don’t think it’s very close to being good, either. Most of that comes down to subjective evaluation of what is actually at the park or a subjective evaluation about what should be at the park. Absolutely fine for people to disagree with me on either or both of those points.

But I think we’ve got to put to bed the parts of this discussion that imply everyone is working an angle. Sometimes people have takes you don’t like. Sometimes those takes are about something you care about a lot. In those moments, I try with so-so success to take a deep breath and log off.

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable rest of the holiday doing something other than arguing about the range of criticism of this regional theme park.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

As I explained to you before, Brian, I didn't believe your clarification.

Dude, this is a theme park forum. We're not in court.

What reason is there to not believe someone? Lol

 

[mccgavin]

Dude, this is a theme park forum. We're not in court.

What reason is there to not believe someone? Lol