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Does the Hoop Dee Doo Revue cast meet and greet after the shows?

 

Just spitballing here, but isn't it rather counter-intuitive to build a big new water park, one that they're pushing as a "third theme park", and then implement a queue system that requires a severe cap on attendance?

 

Do you honestly expect that kind of thinking from the parks that has metal detectors for several rides?

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Maybe like you mentioned earlier, if single day tickets aren't available and the only way you can get in is with a 3+ day pass it will keep attendance lower so that kind of system operate with reasonable return times. With all the new resort properties proposed for the future maybe Volcano Bay tickets will only be available through a multi day room and ticket package. That wouldn't totally surprise me at this point.

 

This isn't the Universal thread but this is an interesting topic. I think the fact they haven't said a single word about AP access to VB says a ton. I don't know if they'll avoid single day tickets entirely (at least to start) but it won't shock me if they end up trying to control attendance with high prices, packages, and no-AP admission.

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Surely the system would adjust for this sort of thing, allowing an instant reservation (i.e. walk straight in) if the ride has the space available immediately.

 

You'd think, but who knows? That's a lot of extra programming that needs to be done.

 

I think the idea is admirable, but I'm sure as hell not willing to let my vacation be a beta test for someone's tech.

 

Isn't that already built into the Lo-Q systems? I mean, if Six Flags can separate the tiers of their flash passes by what % of the actual wait time you wait, it has to be built into the system already?

 

I have no doubt that they will work out any kinks. However, I think the bigger issue will be selling the concept of no physical queue lines to anyone. It's the only thing we've all done our entire lives. Our brains are basically wired to know that physical queue lines are part of the theme park experience, so I do have sympathy for the team members who will likely never stop having to explain how the system works. Even if there is no wait and tapping into the ride gets them on the ride only minutes later, people will still struggle with the concept of not having a physical line to wait in...

 

That, of course, is in addition to hoping there is enough to do for people to kill time between major rides...

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Surely the system would adjust for this sort of thing, allowing an instant reservation (i.e. walk straight in) if the ride has the space available immediately.

 

You'd think, but who knows? That's a lot of extra programming that needs to be done.

 

I think the idea is admirable, but I'm sure as hell not willing to let my vacation be a beta test for someone's tech.

 

Isn't that already built into the Lo-Q systems? I mean, if Six Flags can separate the tiers of their flash passes by what % of the actual wait time you wait, it has to be built into the system already?

He's talking about the tier system built into MDX like an Epcot: "Choose one ride from this list of rides, then choose two rides from this list of rides" so you can have multiple rides queued up at the same time. Lo-Q does not do this.

 

However, I think the bigger issue will be selling the concept of no physical queue lines to anyone. It's the only thing we've all done our entire lives. Our brains are basically wired to know that physical queue lines are part of the theme park experience, so I do have sympathy for the team members who will likely never stop having to explain how the system works.

But only if the system doesn't work and the struggle is real. If the system actually "works" then there really should be little to no explanation because it should all fall into place and make sense. If team members are having to overly explain things that means the system is flawed, not the guests. Look at how complex FastPass+ is, and while yes I admit there are some not-tech savvy people who have problems with it, the reality is that millions of people have used it without any flaws or having to overly explain what to do.

Edited by robbalvey
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I thought he was referring to being able to tap into a ride when it is walk up, even if you have another reservation. I hope you will at least be able to do that...

 

I still do wonder how the fact queue lines are ingrained into human psyche will play into it. I think a lot of guests will have to be reminded to tap, as their natural reaction will be to see a line (or lack there of) and want to go right into it. This is the first park where you are not given the option of a queue line at all and that will require an adjustment for people. If it goes great and people can seamlessly go from ride to ride without huge gaps in between, I don't think it'll be much of a problem. But if they can't, I can just see the "why don't you just let me wait?!?!?" complaints piling up or team members consistently have to stop people to remind them to tap in.

 

Ultimately, I only see this going one of two ways: it really does revolutionize Water Park queuing OR it is a complete failure. It is an interesting discussion.

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Yeah, it really is an interesting concept and I'm interested to see how it plays out. To me the only way it will really work is if they limit admission to a level where it can work, but we'll see what happens.

 

It's going to be really interesting to see how they launch the park - between the ticketing being bundled (at first at least) and the queue system... that's a lot of "new" to bring to market at once.

 

Once operations start, I bet it's going to be interesting to monitor how first month policies change by the end of the year!

 

Who knows what kinds of internal forecasts/expectations they have for the park... but I will say that if Robb is right (and obviously he probably is) about locals not being the market for Disney waterparks, I've got to assume that Universal is seeing that as their plan too... and so the bundled park/hotel guest is going to be the plan longer term. And hopefully they guest numbers just ramp as the hotel expansions come into the market, as the waterpark operations get smoother, and it all works out fine.

 

Maybe Universal will also take a page from Disney's seasonal ticket pricing, and what Great Wolf Lodge does, and eventually just sell 1 day tickets during non-peak times.

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I thought he was referring to being able to tap into a ride when it is walk up, even if you have another reservation. I hope you will at least be able to do that...

 

Thats what I was meaning - They'll know how busy the park is, and how many people have reservations - if these numbers are low enough, the system would just allow you to instantly ride surely - otherwise what would happen at park open when every ride is empty?

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I thought he was referring to being able to tap into a ride when it is walk up, even if you have another reservation. I hope you will at least be able to do that...

 

Thats what I was meaning - They'll know how busy the park is, and how many people have reservations - if these numbers are low enough, the system would just allow you to instantly ride surely - otherwise what would happen at park open when every ride is empty?

 

I mean, this really comes down to how they police the ride entrances in general... if there's no standby line at all, then there pretty much has to be an employee guarding the line, seeing if the doohickey blinks green... who could also just waive people through if there's no/little queue, right?

 

But it does get into the whole "seriously we don't do standby rides" mindset.

 

As someone said earlier, it's a whole different approach to things, and if it's done well... great, people will adapt quickly. If not, it'll be fun to watch how the operations adapt!

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Universal did test this system out almost a year ago at Wet N Wild. You were given an armband at the entrance. Even for slides with no wait, you had to go reserve the slide and then check in. Both times I went I was able to go on every slide immediately after reserving because I went right at opening and there were not a lot of people, but I'm curious how the results turned out from this. Let's just say the water coaster breaks down for 20 minutes...how will that play along to my reservation that claimed a 30 minute wait? Also, I'm curious about when severe weather comes. When all of the slides close and reopen an hour later when the sun comes back out (typical FL weather), what will happen then?

 

I'm very curious to see how this plays out. (Btw...shouldn't all of this discussion be in the Universal thread?)

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(Btw...shouldn't all of this discussion be in the Universal thread?)

The only thing that annoys me more than flawed park operations is someone who back seat moderates a forum.

Edited by robbalvey
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Universal did test this system out almost a year ago at Wet N Wild.

Right. We knew this, but I thought it was brief, a month or so at the most? And from reviews I saw, it appeared that the exact same issues happened during the live test that we brought up here. For example, here's one guy's report:

 

Keep in mind, you can only be waiting in one virtual queue at a time. Say ride A has a 45 minute wait, and ride B has a 5 minute wait. If you scan you band at ride A at 3:00, you cannot scan your band at ride B until after 3:45. All the major attractions have this system in use. While you are waiting for rides feel free to go into the wave pool, lazy river, or explore Blastaway Beach.

 

So yeah, if you had a reservation for a ride with a 45 minute wait, you weren't allowed to go on a ride that only had a 5 minute wait during that time. Your ONLY options were the wave pool, lazy, river, or the kids play area. This just seems super dumb to me. I could never see Disney saying "Oh, hey, will you wait 45 minutes for this attraction, you AREN'T ALLOWED to go on any other rides with a shorter wait."

 

Seriously, if this is what happens at Volcano Bay, I will have zero interest in ever going there.

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Yeah, it really is an interesting concept and I'm interested to see how it plays out. To me the only way it will really work is if they limit admission to a level where it can work, but we'll see what happens.

 

It's going to be really interesting to see how they launch the park - between the ticketing being bundled (at first at least) and the queue system... that's a lot of "new" to bring to market at once.

 

Once operations start, I bet it's going to be interesting to monitor how first month policies change by the end of the year!

 

Who knows what kinds of internal forecasts/expectations they have for the park... but I will say that if Robb is right (and obviously he probably is) about locals not being the market for Disney waterparks, I've got to assume that Universal is seeing that as their plan too... and so the bundled park/hotel guest is going to be the plan longer term. And hopefully they guest numbers just ramp as the hotel expansions come into the market, as the waterpark operations get smoother, and it all works out fine.

 

Maybe Universal will also take a page from Disney's seasonal ticket pricing, and what Great Wolf Lodge does, and eventually just sell 1 day tickets during non-peak times.

 

They must have some plan for tons of day guests because they've spent a ton of money redesigning the parking garages and building a new access road to VB. If the plan was to cater mostly to resort guests they could have just built a small drop off and done a shuttle bus from the current resort bus area for the few day guests who parked at the garage on non-peak days.

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(Btw...shouldn't all of this discussion be in the Universal thread?)

The only thing that annoys me more than flawed park operations is someone who back seat moderates a forum.

 

For whatever it's worth as far as forum discussions go this has been a pretty constructive couple of pages.

 

Maybe if the mat racer, quad tube slides, and one of the family style 6 person raft slides were standby only all the time and you have to reserve for the big body slides, water coaster, and the bigger wave bowl slides then you'll have something to do while waiting for the return time for the other more popular attractions. I could see some kind of mixture of reservation only and standby only working out.

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I edited it onto my original post but Everland had a different reservation system than T express' on the old flume ride that was interesting and I feel would work better than reservation only. The standby would be open until the lines hit (x) amount of minutes then it would switch to reservation only. I don't see why this couldn't be a thing here apart from it would ruin their "queue-free" marketing take on this. Like the earlier report it seems silly to have people stuck for 45 minutes when other rides could have 10-15 minute lines which could be open in between while quiet.

 

Sorry to keep high-jacking this thread it's just two things. 1) They keep talking about waiting it out in the wavepool/lazy river as if it's a benefit for the guests and after 7 years in Asia i've tried waiting out in those bfore. I've tried the busy Asian water parks. Seen those viral photos of sardine can wave-pools? Plot twist: They are about as much fun as you think it would be looking at those pictures. It seems like it might be more to get the marketing of "queue free" park than the convenience of the guest. Surely people would rather wait 10-15 minutes than get turned away for their longer reservation or hit what could potentially be a very crowded wave pool. What is the average wait for a tube/body slide/speed slide without elements in Florida? (Here i've seen 40 minutes-an hour).

 

and 2) I've seen and experienced reservation only policies here in Korea a lot, whether the Everland ones I mentioned or Lotte World trying it out on their version of Magic Pass+ either due to necessity due to floor repaving or just general testing and everytime I would have rather just stuck it out in a queue and had more choice on where I could ride. If you haven't noticed I haven't exactly been a fan of it so far. (I even made a thread asking if anyone saw the merits in reservation only parks a few years back) I remember thinking of going to Lotte World to do a Park Index update and finding some of the rides 100% reservation on the pass (which only gave you 3 a day back then) It'd be like showing up at Disney and being told "Enjoy your fastpasses anywhere you like but BTW if you don't use them on Soarin' and Test Track you can't ride."

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I'm curious what would happen if the slide were to go down for a maintenance issue? So would that prevent you from picking another option, or are you stuck waiting? And if you already waited 45 min and the slide went down, I guess your s.o.l. Not to mention, it would be a domino effect for the while system.

 

I could see this working for the larger more popular attractions with lower thruput, but not 90% of the park.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I've never been to either of the Disney water parks but I'm looking to go to maybe both of them at the end of the month. It says you can go to both on the same day with 1 ticket, is this even realistically possible to do and get on the majority of everything? I'll probably just go to 1 or do both on separate days to not have to rush but I was just curious.

Actually, yeah! When we go to the water parks we actually like to go either the first couple of hours of the day or the last. Here's why... in those first couple of hours, people haven't bothered to get up and go to a park yet, and you can usually ride almost everything at the park in the morning before the crowds get there. (get there EARLY like 30 minutes BEFORE the park opens!) In the last couple of hours, people start to get tired and stop riding stuff. So I'd say pick a park to start at, get there for opening, spend a couple of hours there, take your time park hopping to the other park, and close that one out! It's totally realistic to be able to do!

 

Just want to say thank you for this amazing tip, we had an awesome day today. Got to typhoon lagoon right as it opened and did everything numerous times. Hung out in the wave pool after finishing the rides, grabbed something to eat and headed over to blizzard beach around 1:30 and was able to do everything over there as well. Crowds were way lighter than I ever expected.

 

Blizzard beach was also trying out the no queue system, I didn't bother trying it because there were basically no lines but it's interesting to see if they are going to make it a complete park thing. I believe it was only being tested on the taller body slide, I forget the name. They were giving out wristbands at the bottom of the steps for a time to come back and then you just walked up when it was your time and they would let you in front of the people in the queue. I would have tried it but I maybe waited 5 mins in the line so I didn't bother.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Levy Restaurants has sent us a press release including concept of the new restaurant concept replacing the former Portobello Country Italian Trattoria restaurant at Disney Springs.

 

Levy Restaurants, a Chicago-based restaurant company which operates more than 100 food-service locations in the United States and Canada, is excited to announce the development of a new, Italian restaurant concept at Disney Springs. James Beard award-winner and Top Chef Master, Tony Mantuano, is leading the development of the restaurant, which will replace the space at Disney Springs currently occupied by Portobello Country Italian Trattoria. The new restaurant’s menu will feature dishes inspired by Chef Tony’s adventures across the many regions of Italy.

 

In order to accommodate the large-scale renovations, Portobello closed its doors April 24 with plans for the new concept to reopen in early Fall 2017.

 

“We've been grateful to serve our loyal guests at Portobello for the last seven years,” said Andy Lansing, President and CEO of Levy Restaurants. “We look forward to welcoming our guests back to the location early this fall when we unveil a new concept at Disney Springs.”

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Edited by jedimaster1227
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  • 2 weeks later...

Morimoto Asia has sent us a note about their upcoming Mother's Day promotion! If you're in the area on Sunday and looking for a place to celebrate the mother(s) in your life, consider dining at Morimoto Asia!

 

This weekend is all about Moms! Make your mothers feel pampered at Morimoto Asia this Sunday for Mother's Day. Let her indulge in exceptional Pan-Asian specialities and decadent cocktails. On Mother's Day, each mom will receive a complimentary mimosa and flower to make her feel extra speical. Even if you can't be with Mom this weekend, consider a Morimoto Asia Gift Card for her! This Mother's Day Morimoto Asia is ready to help you give your Mom all that she deserves.

IMG_9164.PNG.c97e1fa65d31c4045ee8c88598dc24b0.PNG

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  • 3 weeks later...

Morimoto Asia has sent us a note about their upcoming Father's Day promotion!

 

Celebrate dad this Father’s Day at Morimoto Asia with a complimentary pint of Crooked Can Brewing Company’s finest Barrel Breaker Lager, free with the purchase of an entrée. Featuring a dry, clean, and crisp aroma with low bittering hops, the light bodied Barrel Breaker is as refreshing as it is flavorful. With a conservative ABV of 5.34% and only 11 IBU’s, this golden colored, cold-conditioned seasonal offering is easy and approachable to drink due to the Pilsner malt used in the brewing process. Start off with a heaping bowl of Morimoto’s crispy rock shrimp tempura bathed in a spicy gochujang aioli or the garlic soy sauce soaked chicken wings, and make sure to leave room for an entrée like the hoisin sweet chili glazed sticky spare ribs to pair with dad’s new favorite lager.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I wasn't sure where the attack happened on the property but Disney is going to put up a sculpture. It seams nice.

 

Disney to Honor 2-Year-Old Killed by Alligator a Year Ago With Lighthouse Sculpture

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/disney-to-honor-2-year-old-killed-by-alligator-a-year-ago-with-lighthouse-sculpture/ar-BBCFWdM?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=spartanntp

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  • 3 weeks later...

DDxau4nXcAAo0gd.thumb.jpg.c174461e3889d2ae802405bbaebadfff.jpgSo DisneyQuest closed forever tonight. Let me express how sad this makes me...

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.

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OK, I'm done.

 

DDxoe9cXYAAFDac.thumb.jpg.cba02f80ee4aedd5761db83ece1ceb7b.jpgThere are a group of people holding a funeral for DisneyQuest. We found the five people who care! lol

 

DDxjIHGW0AAnNVM.jpg

DDxjIHGXYAQowNr.jpg

Rest in Peace DairyQueen....

Edited by robbalvey
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