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Universal Orlando (Studios/IOA/Epic Universe) : General Discussion

I can't see it being sold. End of service life or not, its footprint is enormous and I think most parks would be hesitant to spend the money necessary to move it. Plus, it must cost a fortune to keep such a large and complex pair of coasters operating. I doubt many parks in the second hand ride market would have a need for a coaster with that kind of capacity. Duelling / two side operation would be a rarity and difficult to justify financially.

I think Duelling Dragons / Dragon Challenge is pretty much a coaster that could only ever exist at a Universal park. It's just too huge and impractical for a park with a smaller budget.

As for B&M's record of never having a coaster scrapped, that has always been impressive but it had to end at some point. As others have already said, I would consider Hulk to be the first B&M that was scrapped as they completely rebuilt it from scratch. It's basically now a new coaster. Given the additional wear and tear that Universal coasters go through, I could easily believe that DC has reached the end of its service life.

I have never been to IOA but I've been following it closely over the years. It is a bit saddening to see the park's original 1999 configuration gradually being stripped away. It was such an achievement in its day and utterly brimming with ambition. Will we ever see a pair of duelling B&M inverts again? I'd say probably not.

Hopefully its replacement will be good enough that it will justify the loss of such an iconic coaster.
 
Great article there, thanks for sharing it with us Brad!

Got to admit that it is quite sad that Dueling Dragons has now closed. You look at the old footage from the early days of it dueling and it was just so spectacular; unlike any other coaster in the world. I wish I had visited IOA before the Harry Potter invasion (I first went in 2009 when construction work was well underway and DD had a temporary entrance).

The coaster had a dagger put through its heart in 2010 though, and this was pulled out in 2011 when they stopped dueling. Ever since then it has been left to die a slow and painful death; the way it was integrated to Hogsmeade with a somewhat hidden entrance and the most ridiculous locker set-up makes you feel that Universal wanted it to fail.

I'm sure whatever replaces it will be fantastic. An immersive thrilling attraction that will help sell ten times the merchanside that DD ever would manage. I am also sure that we have lost a great piece of history, and icon of the rollercoaster world. And that I find is quite hard to forget or forgive.

:)
 
I went couple of months back, it didn't feel right next to hogsmead. Shame as its brilliant on its own never mind the duelling aspect.

Still, hope they do something without 3d glasses. My biggest memory from universal, is mostly of motion sickness. Something I never thought Id get.
 
Slugjc said:
Still, hope they do something without 3d glasses. My biggest memory from universal, is mostly of motion sickness. Something I never thought Id get.
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Tom Scott said on one of his "park bench" videos a while back, "Every ride at Universal Studios is the same: They strap you in a box, put 3D glasses on you, bounce you up and down and squirt water in your face."
Not quite true, but he has a point.
 
Agree, nothing else to say about that. Kong, just has way too much going. Spiderman and transformers are in separable. Harry potter rides have better queues then rides. Natural wind, and g force. What's wrong with that. You still tell a tale. Look at the hulk
 
Absolutely gutted about these DC coasters.

I don't hate the transformation to Dragon Challenge, infact the entire queueline was impressively themed with some nice effects, ok probably not as good as when it was Duelling Dragons but still excellent and of course the coasters are absolutely brillant.

Even in 2010 when Harry Potter was all new, I think they skimped a bit on DC. The biggest issue was the unsigthly mess around the coaster itself. When you look at photos of ride in it's earlier years, the so called "arena" was all nice blue lakes and greenary. Fast forward to 2010 onwards and it honestly just looked like a deserted wasteland.

I found it quite jarring to be immersed in Universals lands and then upon ascedning the DC lifthill you see an unsightly mess. I never expected to see that hiding behind the facades of Hogsmeade.
 
While it is sad to see these coasters close, I have full confidence in Universal to replace them with something better. I first rode these coasters in 2014 after they stopped duelling, and when I rerode in 2016, both rides rode so horrifically, they almost didn't feel like B&M's. We have lost that nice queue, but after seeing what Universal did with Gringotts and Forbidden Journey, I think the new ride will have a much better queue and be much better integrated with Hogsmeade. I appreciate that some people have fond memories of the ride and still loved it, but I was never too struck on them myself and much preferred Hulk.

Also, if Screamscape's rumours of a motorbike coaster are true, then the park will be filling a gap in their lineup. I always felt that IOA lacked a mid-ground family coaster for the children who are too big to ride Flight of the Hippogriff and Pteranodon Flyers but too small to ride Hulk, and this will give them that.

RIP Dragon Challenge 1999-2017 (In my opinion, RIP stands for rest in pieces. For others it might not. On a side note, I can't believe that a B&M, which are commonly believed to be quite hard-wearing coasters, has closed after just 18 years.)
 
Matt N said:
I always felt that IOA lacked a mid-ground family coaster for the children who are too big to ride Flight of the Hippogriff and Pteranodon Flyers but too small to ride Hulk, and this will give them that.
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Oh to hell with vile little children. I want a great big hulking, stinking, thrilling, galloping and intimidating B&M that makes the blood rush from my head to my feet. :D

Matt N said:
I first rode these coasters in 2014 after they stopped duelling, and when I rerode in 2016, both rides rode so horrifically, they almost didn't feel like B&M's.
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Most likely Universal following Merlin's cost saving gimmicks by using square wheels.
 
PeteB said:
Oh to hell with vile little children. I want a great big hulking, stinking, thrilling, galloping and intimidating B&M that makes the blood rush from my head to my feet. :D
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Oh trust me, I do too. But a family coaster will probably be what Universal will go with, because a family coaster would give Universal more theming opportunities within WWoHP. I personally think Universal should build a woodie because it would give them that mid-ground family coaster due to its (reasonably) low height restriction, but would also be thrilling enough for enthusiasts. It would also offer something that neither park currently offers. Unfortunately, however, I can't think of any large, towering wooden structures in the Harry Potter universe.
 
Another factor to consider is that Universal feel that IOA does not have the right balance of outdoor rides to indoor rides. So when there is a storm in the area and all of the outdoor rides have to close, the park is left in a bit of a sticky situation capacity wise.
PeteB said:
Even in 2010 when Harry Potter was all new, I think they skimped a bit on DC. The biggest issue was the unsigthly mess around the coaster itself. When you look at photos of ride in it's earlier years, the so called "arena" was all nice blue lakes and greenary. Fast forward to 2010 onwards and it honestly just looked like a deserted wasteland.
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Again, the cynic in me asks if this was all part of a deliberate ploy? They knew all along that Rowling did not like the coasters and the impact they had on her themed world. Come 2017 Universal have ended up with more than enough reasons to get ride, yet you can't help but feel many of these reasons could have been avoided if they really wanted to do so.

:)
 
Lets be honest. It does stick out like a sore thumb. I have no knowledge of potter. Dont know what they'll do. But, I'm sure potter has many things inside its pages to come up with something unique.
 
Rob said:
Another factor to consider is that Universal feel that IOA does not have the right balance of outdoor rides to indoor rides. So when there is a storm in the area and all of the outdoor rides have to close, the park is left in a bit of a sticky situation capacity wise.
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Strange. I always thought that IOA had a pretty good selection of indoor rides compared to other Florida parks, especially when you factor in that USF is just a short ride away.
 
Sorry for double posting, but Universal has gone from one closure to another as it has just been announced that Terminator 2: 3D is set to close on 8th October and be replaced be a new ride in 2019!

Looks like 2019 is gonna be a year of intense competition in Florida, what with Star Wars, Dragon Challenge's replacement and now this!
 
Never actually went on T2 during either of my Florida visits. It is set to be replaced by a currently unknown new live-action experience.

:)
 
Matt N said:
...I can't think of any large, towering wooden structures in the Harry Potter universe.
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The Quiditch Pitch is a large wooden structure. In the first film it even has head chopper moments.

but I think you'd have to build it as some form of wooden, steel, motorbike hybrid to actually get it to look themed. Maybe a job for RMC :p
 
Benzin said:
Universal are REMOVING a screen ride with a live action thing?

Truly the end of days are upon us...
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At least Terminator was a "show" it had elements of live action and animatronics mixed into the theatre show. It wasn't just a vehicle going past screens...
 
I loved t2. They had it at Granada studios early 90's. Back then it was awesome. Still is now. As the guy above said. Interaction, not just here's some specs. Stare at that screen while we spin you round quick.
 
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