2017 will forever mark a paradigm shift in Florida's theme parks in general, but perhaps Universal has been most affected. Many classic attractions are leaving this year as we speak. Disaster in particular did not need to go. That being said and all........
I think it's time for Florida's parks to change, even if only to a small extent. Dark rides in general get stale for me very fast, and in many cases they do not age well with time, unless they are by Disney. Even Disney has trouble keeping their dark rides from being stale. But I feel like the classic Universal attractions for the most part did not age well with time, and in a whole state's worth of parks that evolve at such a rapid pace this is not a good thing. Of the myriad of classic attractions leaving this year in Florida, many of them are either very dated (Disaster) or have been more or less butchered by the park at some point in time (Dueling Dragons). Think about it. Was Disaster really "educational?" When was the last time the Dragons dueled each other 'till bitter defeat? I think it's time for us to move forward. Universal's Florida parks are not exactly targeted towards enthusiasts, sacrificing things the general public does not like seems logical.
As for why Universal would scrap Dueling Dragons rather than send it to a park in Vietnam or something? Actually I have no idea. Surely at least one person working there knows they will be upsetting scores of coaster enthusiasts across the globe, right? And for sure they do not wish to carry the dubious honor of being the first park to scrap not one but two classic B&M inverts, right? Really, I think Universal needs the money to build whatever will be replacing Dueling Dragons. Why else would they scrap a functional B&M invert?