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[🌎 Universal GB] General Discussion

Bowser said:
We seem to treat Christmas quite differently to mainland Europe. Times have changed and in line with demographics increasingly shops are open on Christmas Day here but for the majority beyond services it remains the largest bank holiday in the UK.

Across Europe the likes of Disneyland, Plopsa, Efteling, PortAventura and more are not only open on Christmas Day but rather busy!
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I think it will follow the Euro park trends and be very busy over Christmas, including Christmas Day.

There’s likely a decent % of those who have been to DLP et al for Christmas who would also try Universal.

Up-charge opportunities galore.
 
I think part of the reason why the UK parks are so quiet at Christmas could very well be the considerably reduced ride offering in many cases.

A park like Alton Towers, for example, only opens a very small proportion of the rides at Christmas, so naturally not as many people will want to attend. I feel the crowds situation at the existing parks over Christmas is perhaps as a result of the limited ride offerings rather than the other way around.

The popularity of events like Hyde Park Winter Wonderland arguably prove that going on roller coasters at Christmas is not something that the UK population is inherently averse to. I think Universal will absolutely open 365 days a year, and I think they will absolutely thrust their all into Christmas like they do at their international parks.

Also, places like Center Parcs stay open over Christmas and are open 365 days a year, so I don’t see why Universal wouldn’t do this.
 
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Matt N said:
I think part of the reason why the UK parks are so quiet at Christmas could very well be the considerably reduced ride offering in many cases.

A park like Alton Towers, for example, only opens a very small proportion of the rides at Christmas, so naturally not as many people will want to attend. I feel the crowds situation at the existing parks over Christmas is perhaps as a result of the limited ride offerings rather than the other way around.

The popularity of events like Hyde Park Winter Wonderland arguably prove that going on roller coasters at Christmas is not something that the UK population is inherently averse to. I think Universal will absolutely open 365 days a year, and I think they will absolutely thrust their all into Christmas like they do at their international parks.

Also, places like Center Parcs stay open over Christmas and are open 365 days a year, so I don’t see why Universal wouldn’t do this.
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How much will Universal inspire other parks to give 365
 
Bowser said:
Do the plans confirm that the park will operate 365?

Obviously days and hours can and will change but I’m so curious to see how that will be received in the UK.

We seem to treat Christmas quite differently to mainland Europe. Times have changed and in line with demographics increasingly shops are open on Christmas Day here but for the majority beyond services it remains the largest bank holiday in the UK.

Across Europe the likes of Disneyland, Plopsa, Efteling, PortAventura and more are not only open on Christmas Day but rather busy!

Here in the UK winter is the quietest season for theme parks with limited ride offerings and very short queues. You can even get RAP slots sometimes!

I’m wondering how Universal will be received if it’s both open and fully operational. I know being only an hour away we’d be keen to pop down for half a day but will it be exceptionally quiet or attract an influx of tourists and non-celebrators…
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Hard to say for certain, for many European countries Christmas Eve is the day you eat drink and be merry, Xmas day was meant to be all religion, so there are fewer social/ ceremonial activities on Xmas day so non-religious people are less locked into the home.

UK has more locked into Xmas day so unsure if people will be keen to go to a theme park, doesn’t mean they won’t open though.
 
They would also need to consider how people (both guests and staff) would access the site on Christmas given that little to no public transport tends to operate on the days around it.

Unsure what the UK demand would be for actual Christmas Day to go and do a theme park. Boxing Day far more likely for such an activity.
 
Christmas Day just won't end up happening here. Way too many issues to overcome to make it worth their while.

It will be hard enough to get staff willing to work in the park without incentives (Double time etc) but getting staff to operate buses and trains is out of their hands entirely and again these staff aren't going to work Christmas Day without massive incentives to do so. This is why most transport options simply don't run as it's way too expensive for them.

Nobody should have to work on Christmas Day unless you're in the emergency services. It's one day a year where people deserve a day off.

Also I couldn't think of a place I'd less like to spend Christmas Day than at a theme park personally. Not for me at all.
 
Matt N said:
The popularity of events like Hyde Park Winter Wonderland arguably prove that going on roller coasters at Christmas is not something that the UK population is inherently averse to.
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Although Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is closed on Christmas Day.
WanderingNortherner said:
But we also have the nonsense that the shop at CP has to operate on "Sunday hours". So infuriating when you forget on site and suddenly the shop is shut.
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This is the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004. It prohibits large shops (over 280 square metres / 3,000 sq ft) from opening on Christmas Day in England and Wales.

Whilst the theme park attractions themselves, and the restaurants, fall outside of this legislation, the retail units do not. Universal's business model relies heavily on exiting through the gift shop. If they cannot legally open the main Emporium, or the larger specific IP stores, they are losing a significant chunk of their daily revenue.
Benjsh said:
It will be hard enough to get staff willing to work in the park without incentives (Double time etc) but getting staff to operate buses and trains is out of their hands entirely and again these staff aren't going to work Christmas Day without massive incentives to do so. This is why most transport options simply don't run as it's way too expensive for them.
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This is the nail in the coffin for a full scale operation.

We have spent the last few months debating the critical importance of the new Wixams station and the rail connectivity to London. The UK rail network shuts down completely on Christmas Day. There are no trains. It is not just a case of paying drivers double time; Network Rail uses the shutdown for critical engineering works. The infrastructure simply isn't "on".

If the park is designed around a model where a significant portion of guests arrive by rail, opening on a day when the trains don't run is operationally difficult.

I suspect we will see a model similar to Center Parcs (as mentioned), where the "Resort" is open 365 days for captive hotel guests, likely with a limited park offering or a special event on Christmas Day itself, but the idea of it being a standard operational day for the masses seems unlikely given the legislative and infrastructural constraints of this country.
 
Maybe they’ll just open and know attendance figures are going to be lower because well firstly it’s Christmas Day and secondly there’s no trains.

They’ll just take the hit for that one day. Getting staff to work that day wouldn’t be a problem if the financial incentives to do so are good enough. Just like anywhere else that’s open on Christmas Day really.

Or maybe they’ll stay closed for the first few years of operating and then start to open up once more hotels etc have been built and they’re most importantly occupied. Those people are going to expect it to be open if they’re paying a premium to stay over in their hotels on site.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
Although Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is closed on Christmas Day.

This is the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004. It prohibits large shops (over 280 square metres / 3,000 sq ft) from opening on Christmas Day in England and Wales.

Whilst the theme park attractions themselves, and the restaurants, fall outside of this legislation, the retail units do not. Universal's business model relies heavily on exiting through the gift shop. If they cannot legally open the main Emporium, or the larger specific IP stores, they are losing a significant chunk of their daily revenue.

This is the nail in the coffin for a full scale operation.

We have spent the last few months debating the critical importance of the new Wixams station and the rail connectivity to London. The UK rail network shuts down completely on Christmas Day. There are no trains. It is not just a case of paying drivers double time; Network Rail uses the shutdown for critical engineering works. The infrastructure simply isn't "on".

If the park is designed around a model where a significant portion of guests arrive by rail, opening on a day when the trains don't run is operationally difficult.

I suspect we will see a model similar to Center Parcs (as mentioned), where the "Resort" is open 365 days for captive hotel guests, likely with a limited park offering or a special event on Christmas Day itself, but the idea of it being a standard operational day for the masses seems unlikely given the legislative and infrastructural constraints of this country.
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Not just guests but it's the staff too! I'd wager a good portion of the people who end up working at this place will be non drivers and will rely on the rail network to get to work.

I know DLP tends to be fairly busy on Christmas day but their metro in Paris still runs on Xmas day, albeit on a reduced service, so you can still get to and from the park from the city center.

Maybe they will run a small event for Hotel guests as you say so they can still claim a 365 operation of some sorts. However I just can't see the full park operating.
 
I’ll wager they will open Christmas Day.

Millions of people in this country alone (discounting international tourists) do not celebrate Christmas. I believe there’s a market for both visitors and employees.

Transport is an issue but for day visitors, that’s their responsibility. For employees? I’m sure Universal can work that out. Nobody should be forced to work but I expect incentivised many will be happy to.

The UK is a global anomaly as pretty much the only country to close down on December 25th and with each passing year the demographics and cultural trends move away from it.
 
I’d be interested to get a consensus on the feasibility of Stranger Things as a long-term IP in a Universal Studios park.

Obviously it’s been rolled into HHN before, but does it have the longevity?

I think it’s particularly interesting at the moment as the ongoing reputation of the franchise could possibly hinge on the upcoming final episode of the show.

Could a truly satisfying ending to the franchise (ignoring the inevitable spin-offs) propel it to timeless IP level? Would a wet turd finale shift it into (shame about) Game of Thrones territory?

Aesthetically, a lot of ST feels perfect for a themed world.
 
It would be interesting to see. We haven’t really seen streaming franchises explored in much of a meaningful way in theme parks, despite Netflix having been big for at least the better part of a decade now, and Stranger Things would probably be one of the more lucrative streaming IPs to go for. I haven’t watched it myself, but it does seem like a relative heavyweight of the Netflix IP world.

Another one from Netflix that I think could be quite interesting to see in a theme park environment is Wednesday. It’s one of Netflix’s biggest English language series, Nevermore is a “fantasy” environment similar to those in Harry Potter that would arguably lend itself to a theme park quite well, the IP’s roots in the Addams Family universe are well-known and could arguably give it cross-generational appeal… despite Wednesday perhaps being pitched at an older audience than some theme park IPs, I think it could work if Universal or someone were to give it a go!
 
Matt N said:
Another one from Netflix that I think could be quite interesting to see in a theme park environment is Wednesday. It’s one of Netflix’s biggest English language series, Nevermore is a “fantasy” environment similar to those in Harry Potter that would arguably lend itself to a theme park quite well, the IP’s roots in the Addams Family universe are well-known and could arguably give it cross-generational appeal… despite Wednesday perhaps being pitched at an older audience than some theme park IPs, I think it could work if Universal or someone were to give it a go!
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The rights for Wednesday are particularly tricky. Amazon actually wholly own the rights to the entire Addam's Family franchise, through their acquisition of MGM in 2021. The merchandising rights remain with The Tee & Charles Addams Foundation.

Netflix secured a licencing deal with MGM, specifically for the Wednesday production, before the Amazon acquisition was finalised. This agreement allows Netflix to produce and stream the show exclusively on its platform (for the duration of their deal), but doesn't give them any other rights.

Amazon owns the underlying characters, Netflix maintains ownership of its specific adaptation, meaning any future Addams Family projects not associated with the Netflix show could potentially be developed by Amazon MGM Studios or other partners. Any adaptation of the Wednesday property would need permission from Netflix and Amazon.
 
If universal has a Back to the future land then I cant see Stranger Things being a land. As although not in the same time period (well some of b2tf was 80's) it would be to similar wouldn't it?
 
Without heading into spoiler territory have any Stranger Things spinoffs been announced?

It doesn’t strike me as something that will have longevity for a permanent theme park attraction, let alone one that wouldn’t materialise for many years post the end of the series.

80s nostalgia has already made way for 90s nostalgia and the drawn out delivery of the series hasn’t done them any favours.
 
Bowser said:
Without heading into spoiler territory have any Stranger Things spinoffs been announced?

It doesn’t strike me as something that will have longevity for a permanent theme park attraction, let alone one that wouldn’t materialise for many years post the end of the series.

80s nostalgia has already made way for 90s nostalgia and the drawn out delivery of the series hasn’t done them any favours.
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A spin-off is happening but it will have no connection with the original cast or time setting. Hoping it's going to be set in the 90s and will be it's own thing. Certainly looks like a franchise that has legs but it legacy will be defined by how it handles the final episode
 
Bowser said:
Without heading into spoiler territory have any Stranger Things spinoffs been announced?
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There are a few spinoffs in various forms:
- A Nancy Wherler novel set between seasons 4 and 5 is out now
- The theatre show, The First Shadow is being performed now
- An animated series based between seasons 2 and 3 has been announced
- A live action show focused on different characters in a different decade appears to be confirmed
 
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