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

[EuroSatch]

For the less-informed people amongst us - ie me - could someone explain what is meant by the q-bot and express passes? What will be available during the busy period? I'm confused as to why they would cancel operation of a queue-pass system because its busy, surely it should be more encouraged during this time?

Also... RFID drinking capsule? How does that work?!

 

[Alastair]

For the less-informed people amongst us - ie me - could someone explain what is meant by the q-bot and express passes? What will be available during the busy period? I'm confused as to why they would cancel operation of a queue-pass system because its busy, surely it should be more encouraged during this time?

Also... RFID drinking capsule? How does that work?!

Presumably, the capsule is chipped and when you put the chip underneath the machine it recognises the signal and fills it up.

 

[BigAl]

This section from Orlando Informer may come in use:

Universal slowly joining Disney with the RFID technology
We’ve talked in previous rumor columns of all the groundwork Disney has been doing throughout their resort to set up an entirely new guest experience. Many of Disney’s on-site hotels have switched over from the standard hotel room key to one based on the RFID — or radio-frequency identification — so that you no longer need to swipe the key to get in the room; you just hold that key up to the door and it unlocks. In the near future, your key (or bracelet) will be able to do almost anything during your vacation, including holding your theme park admission, your FastPass Plus info, checking into dining reservations, etc.
Universal is dipping their feet into the RFID pool with the introduction of the new Coke Freestyle unlimited refill bottles.

Coke Freestyle cup at Universal Orlando.

Recently the Coke Freestyle machines (which I’ve declared as one of the Top five drink options at Universal) have been expanded throughout the theme park, and also have introduced a new one-day refillable cup deal that offers unlimited refills for $10.99 plus tax. The RFID info will activate on your initial filling of the cup, and grant you access to additional refills all day long. And it does more. The RFID info also stops any machine from dispensing soda into the cup before a five minute window has gone by. In addition, it tells the machine it can dispense into the cup, so you can’t activate the machine with your cup and have your friend fill up a gallon jug.
Because the new RFID encoded cups can only be refilled for one day, there are rumors that Universal will sell a new RFID enabled sticker to place on a cup that has already been purchased. Hopefully cheaper than the $10.99 price to encourage people to reuse old cups.
If you’d like to learn more about the Coke Freestyle machines, how the refill program works, and what happened to the Meal Deal cup program, visit OI’s totally updated Refillable cups and popcorn buckets at Universal page.

Also, Screamscape has been told that the new hotel is now going vertical and will post images as soon as possible.




Edit: (21/12/2012)

Spins the World has another Diagon Alley update for us!

 

[BigAl]

I don't know if this is true or whether many know about this, bu I was just reading a few forums about Dragon Challenge / Duelling Dragons and came across this discussion. It seems that Universal may be adding some pine trees around the ride next year. This may also bring more landscaping and a possible repaint too.

I hope it's true as the queue was nice and the rides were decent but they don't half look worn out. :/

 

[CoasterCrazyChris]

I hope it's true as the queue was nice and the rides were decent but they don't half look worn out. :/

They completely p1$$ed over Duelling Dragons with Harry Potter.

Possibly the best themed queue in the world - stripped and replaced with a tent.

 

[BigAl]

A nice tent nonetheless, imo! There are much, much worse queue lines out there.

 

[Wilsy]

I hope it's true as the queue was nice and the rides were decent but they don't half look worn out. :/

They completely p1$$ed over Duelling Dragons with Harry Potter.

Possibly the best themed queue in the world - stripped and replaced with a tent.

And then Forbidden Journey was built and the best themed queue in the world was there instead.

 

[BigAl]

I wonder if there's a chance that they'll ever add replacement dragons after they removed the original ones from the entrance?

They looked very nice.

 

[AstroDan]

I never understood their removal as they fitted in with Harry...!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Sam]

Utterly bizarre that they changed anything major about that ride, or its queue, or its entrance dragons. It should have been an absolute gift to them! A ride in an area that was about to be rethemed, that pretty much already exactly matched the new theme. With its original theme and name, it still would have fitted in the new area perfectly.

One of most baffling decisions in the industry in the last decade.

 

[AstroDan]

The ride had to be rethemed slightly because at no point in Harry Potter do dragons fight each other. Therefore it was themed as the Dragon Challenge from Goblet of Fire.

The queueline I found was pretty good in 2010 although nothing on Forbidden Journey, Wodan, DVH etc.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Alastair]

I don't see what's wrong with the DC queueline? The only issue I had was it's far, far too long. Other than that the rock theming and everything is all infitting with the specific Triwizard Tournament setting in the GoF film.

 

[Rowe]

I never got to queue as far as what's shown in this video of Dueling Dragons, as all I can remember is a cattlepen and smoke during a very rainy day, but it honestly looked brilliant and intimately detailed with embellishments.

DDQlow

 

[Lordy]

I really liked the DC queue line, though I agree that it is far too long. It's a bit of a chore when it's walk on! But I guess you can't have everything....

And my word. It's been years since I've seen an image of the dragons. They went from the most spectacular entrance, to the most bland.

 

[Plastic Person]

Dragons has certainly suffered it's fair share of bad luck, losing it's iconography, and more recently, the duelling element. The original DD queue was genuinely incredible though, it was a shame to lose that, even if it was ultimately a necessary decision to accomodate the Potterverse. Interestingly, and absurdly, even the lake underneath the ride is dragon shaped.

 

[AstroDan]

A lake?

Gosh. I found the viewing from "on ride" to be nothing short of hideous.

 

[BigAl]

The giant walls between the coaster and the roads beside the park are the worst aspects. There was no attempt to theme them except the shape and dodgy paint scheme if you look at the walls from outside of the park. Eurgh!



Not sure what's going on with that embedded link!

 

[Alastair]

The giant walls between the coaster and the roads beside the park are the worst aspects. There was no attempt to theme them except the shape and dodgy paint scheme if you look at the walls from outside of the park. Eurgh!



Not sure what's going on with that embedded link!

I think the whole point was not to theme them. It'd draw attention. As it is, they're ugly but don't exactly stick out - the colour scheme and shape attempts to blend them in with the trees.

 

[BigAl]

The giant walls between the coaster and the roads beside the park are the worst aspects. There was no attempt to theme them except the shape and dodgy paint scheme if you look at the walls from outside of the park. Eurgh!



Not sure what's going on with that embedded link!

I think the whole point was not to theme them. It'd draw attention. As it is, they're ugly but don't exactly stick out - the colour scheme and shape attempts to blend them in with the trees.

But they don't look like that on the other side (in the ride area), they look like this:

Yeah, lovely....

 

[Moley]

I wonder if there's a chance that they'll ever add replacement dragons after they removed the original ones from the entrance?

Hopefully not. They should either bring back everything that made the original ride as good as it was or leave it as a constant reminder that Potterville has made the rest of the park a complete afterthought.