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

MakoMania said:
^There's a new thrill slide coming to Aquatica in 2019 as well, plus a new Killer Whale show and stadium rennovation coming to SeaWorld:)
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Killer Whale shows I thought were being scrapped or did I dream that? I know they said that they won't breed anymore in captivity but I also thought they were putting an end to the shows too. I wish they would personally.
 
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Benjsh said:
Killer Whale shows I thought were being scrapped or did I dream that? I know they said that they won't breed anymore in captivity but I also thought they were putting an end to the shows too. I wish they would personally.
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Don't want to hijack this topic so in short "theatrical" shows are ending and new shows that are more educational and less "showy" (for want of a better word) are being introduced. Orca Encounter has already been introduced at the San Diego park, although I'm told that the show coming to San Antonio and Orlando will not be the same, even if they share the name.
Shows represent an important part of a whale's day in terms of excercise and stimulation so they aren't going anywhere, they're just changing :)

Back on topic, I'm getting really excited for the IOA coaster, looks fantastic. Disney stuff looks amazing as well but I can't say I'll be visiting their parks anytime soon with the extortionate pricing and crowd levels.
 
MakoMania said:
Don't want to hijack this topic so in short "theatrical" shows are ending and new shows that are more educational and less "showy" (for want of a better word) are being introduced. Orca Encounter has already been introduced at the San Diego park, although I'm told that the show coming to San Antonio and Orlando will not be the same, even if they share the name.
Shows represent an important part of a whale's day in terms of excercise and stimulation so they aren't going anywhere, they're just changing :)
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I wasn't referring to all shows. I think the dolphin and sea lion ones are fine to stay and even some of the hardcore animal rights people don't mind them as much.

Don't like seeing Killer Whales in those tanks though. They are majestic creatures and quite frankly far too big to be in them tanks.
 
Benjsh said:
I wasn't referring to all shows. I think the dolphin and sea lion ones are fine to stay and even some of the hardcore animal rights people don't mind them as much.

Don't like seeing Killer Whales in those tanks though. They are majestic creatures and quite frankly far too big to be in them tanks.
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If you think the hardcore animal rights people are fine with Sea Lions or Dolphins being under human care, you have clearly never met these people. They don't want people to have cats and dogs as pets, never mind Sea Lions.

I like the phrase, "love animal welfare, hate animal rights".

You probably know my thoughts on this topic, there's a wealth of scientific evidence that supports the fact that the whales at SeaWorld are healthy, both mentally and physically. The SeaWorld habitats and training ethos are the most sophisticated globally, most people don't understand just how precise and meticulous SeaWorld staff are when feeding and excercising the whales and making sure they are mentally healthy and stimulated.

Despite this, certain extremist activist groups refuse to stop their unrelenting attacks on SeaWorld simply because it brings money in for them.

There are places where the same standards of welfare do not apply and animals such as Killer Whales are really suffering. Activist groups generally do not target these facilities as they are not well known, so will not bring in the same money as attacking SeaWorld. That's the real shame.

Anyway, this is a Universal thread and I refuse to hijack it any further :p

I'm always happy to debate in the SeaWorld thread or via PM :)
 
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Maelstrom said:
They will then build the actual Nintendo world area in the third park that will feature the Mario Kart ride plus some other rideable attractions, most likely also including a Donkey Kong family coaster.
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Indeed. The Mario themed world was initially planned for Universal Studios but seems to have been moved to the third park. It should hopefully feature the Mario Kark dark ride, Yoshi dark ride and Donkey Kong coaster.

I hope we'll hear something more official about the third park in the next year or so.

:)
 
I hadn't heard the rumour about theming the Dinosaur area of Animal Kingdom to Indiana Jones. If it meant the end of Primeval Whirl it wouldn't be any loss, but it'd be a shame for them to theme Back to Extinction to Indiana Jones Adventure. I know enthusiasts tend to prefer the Californian theme but I really like the Orlando version from the comedy pre-show to the increased urgency as the meteor gets closer to hitting. It also means California has a unique ride giving people another reason to make the trip there. I didn't personally think Indiana Jones Adventure was any better, but that might be because I'd read so many comments from enthusiasts saying that it was a lot better, my expectations were very high.
 
Rob said:
Indeed. The Mario themed world was initially planned for Universal Studios but seems to have been moved to the third park. It should hopefully feature the Mario Kark dark ride, Yoshi dark ride and Donkey Kong coaster.

I hope we'll hear something more official about the third park in the next year or so.

:)
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It does sound like that's the direction they are going with it.

If they build a Lord of The Rings area in the new park, which there are early rumours / whispers they could do, I will literally lose my mind. Take my money!!!!!
 
Some new aerial photos from bioreconstruct showing how the Harry Potter coaster is coming along:

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It's all starting to come together quite nicely, and it is pleasing to seethat plenty of mature trees have been planted.
 
Obviously they're two different attractions but the size difference of Forbidden Journey compared to this is astonishing. Exciting to see how it all unfolds
 
This feels like it could be one of the better coaster experiences in the world if it manages to pull off the combinations of trick-tracks, show-scenes and normal rollercoaster thrills well enough. It does feel like Universal are leading in terms of coaster / dark-ride hybrids.
 
I have some exciting news for you all! There was a leak today regarding Universal's 4th park; none of this is by any means confirmed, but it looks like our name may be Universal's Fantastic Worlds! If you're wondering where I got this from, here's my source:

Looks awesome, if you ask me, especially when you factor in the high quality of the rest of Universal Orlando!
 
Interesting actually that they are using a compass as part of the Fantastic Worlds logo, as that is the symbol normally associated with Islands of Adventure.
 
No surprise on this one since it's been on surveys this year along with the trademark which they put in back in June, still nice to see some movement on it though!
 
Good to see some progress on this, and it also confirms that the Mario themed area has been moved to the third park (as expected).

Exciting times ahead!
 
It seems that work has now started on the long rumoured new coaster for Jurassic Park. With construction walls up and various things like games and food stands being moved around. Construction permits that’s have been filed estimate an 18 month construction period, so hopefully should open in Summer 2020 along with a rebrand of the Jurassic Park area to Jurassic World.

It will be a high thrill coaster featuring a 150ft + tall element at the start (likly to be a top hat) feature 2 lsm launches and rest of layout will be a bit like Taron. Will be from Intamin.

The layout won’t be massively themed with theming mainly for the station and queue area.
 
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