Child Swap: An increasing problem?

For those who might not have had the joy of child swap, the premise is that a member of a party with a young child, waits off of the ride with the child (either in a room at the attraction or at some parks, not in the attraction at all) whilst the rest of the party rides. When the party come off the attraction, the person that waited off the attraction is allowed to ride with none or limited wait time, with 1 other person (Disney I believe allow 2, or they did in 2009).

SheiKra: Busch Gardens' Child Swap
appears to work efficiently.

Firstly, Busch Gardens (Disney also do, however, didn't have to use Child Swap at Disney!) actually have the best system in place. The person waiting with the child is free to stroll around the park, perhaps waiting in a kid's area for the rest of the party. Those in the queue have a child swap ticket that is stamped at the top of the queue by the ride op. When the person re-rides, this ticket is collected. (For some reason the system was a little different at SheiKra, though the TM seemed to not have a clue what he was doing!) A system that doesn't allow for people to completely abuse Child Swap, allowing people to merely walk up the exit, re-ride the attraction or use multiple combinations via the Child Swap queue. Which brings me to Universal...

At Universal, Child Swap lines are often
easily accessible through the exit.

Now I am a 100% full-fledged Universal fan. The abuse of this queue isn't even the TM's fault. People would merely go round and round the Child-swap again as there was no proving that the rider who stayed off with the child hadn’t already been on (no receipt). One day there was a receipt system in place at Rip, Ride and Rock It, however, I still witnessed families going round and round again with different combinations of family. Some people even had the audacity to enter the ride through the child swap line (often it’s very accessible through the exit) and claim they were using Child Swap, and then proceed to ride again and again. Ultimately this makes the queuing time longer for everyone else, including the almighty Express Pass lane.

Whilst it’s not a huge issue currently at the parks, it’s something that theme parks should take note of. This is a form of queue jumping which shouldn’t go unnoticed! What are your views? Please post them in the comments below!

Tomorrow: WetnWild’s unique selling tactics!  

Monorail Hours Cut and Primeval Whirl Testing

The Orlando Sentinel recently reported that the iconic Monorail service at DisneyWorld will now be running a reduced service. 

Monorail closures: Will the reduced operating hours
impact on-site guests?

This is mainly a problem for on-site guests that pay a premium for these kind of perks, however, the boats will still be operating. As someone that doesn't stay on-site at Disney, I wonder how much this will impact those that do. Will this encourage them to perhaps rent a car rather than rely completely on Disney's transport systems? The main advantage of Disney providing transport, is that it doesn't allow guests to venture off into Orlando to visit other theme parks, other amenities and restaurants! I personally don't think it is a big enough push to persuade someone to rent a car, but who knows.


On a side note, Primeval Whirl has been reportedly begun testing according to Screamscape. Perhaps we will see this attraction re-opening before the summer's end. However, this could merely be part of their on-going investigations into the attraction.

Que jumpers: Beware!

Whilst all theme parks condemn the idea of que jumping, que jumpers are a prominent problem within theme parks today. Why is this such a big issue? Could the parks be doing more?


All the major theme parks of Orlando do have signs that state that queue jumpers will be ejected from the park without reimbursement of their admission. However, this problem continues to happen. These signs must be more prominent and basically have more of them!

Clarity: Alton Towers clearly define the premise and
consequences of queue jumping.

Another problem is that the theme parks do not necessarily define what a queue jumper is. Perhaps they should take a leaf out of Alton Towers' book, who clearly state what queue jumping is at various points in the queues. 


So what is the problem? Why should the theme parks be bothered? Simply because it can cause upset between guests and also often acts as a spark to ignite arguments between guests - putting a downer on what is supposed to be a 'magical' day.


It is one of my biggest annoyances at the parks. Surely it is only fair for everyone to wait for an attraction! It is understandable with families with young children who may need that impromptu visit to the bathroom, but holding a place for a group of friends? Not on my watch.

The Showdown: Disney's Fastpass Vs. Universal Express

Once upon a time, Universal Orlando offered it's 'Universal Express'* as something accessible, for free, for all guests, which operated similar to Disney's FastPass** system. However, one day, Universal woke up and found a new way to get even more money - charge for the Express pass! The humble Disney kept its system and still to this day does not charge its adoring guests for this service.

So the FastPass seems better right? Well, the best benefit is that it is absolutely free! It is a virtual queing system and relatively fair as only one ticket can be used to get one fast pass (tip: read the fast pass! It has the time on which you may get another fast pass, which may well be before you have been on the attraction you have the FP for!) Though, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. And here's why.


The FastPass is free so it is used by EVERYONE (except for those tourists who do not even bother to read a park map!) hence the ques for the FastPass aren't always that 'fast'. The tickets for the major attractions run out very early on in the day, I can recall running to get ToyStory mania tickets 10 minutes after opening, only to find out my return time was 7pm! Twenty minutes later, there were no FastPasses left for this attraction. So the system isn't amazingly beneficial to those who wish to park hop around Disney, hitting its major attractions.

Whereas the Universal Express Plus, means only those who are willing to depart with even more cash (on top of the admission, parking, drinks, food, souvenirs, Shrek ears and butter beers...) and those staying on property (more $$$ for Universal!) get to use this service. So on the one hand, this is bad for us mere commoners, too poor or stubborn to splash even more cash at the park, but it is very beneficial to those who are willing, who will endure shorter ques due to the limited numbers on the passes available each day. 


However, Universal Express Plus gives only one ride per attraction, unlike the FastPass system where if you please, you could get FastPasses for the same attraction all day! Though, yet again, those staying onsite at Universal get UNLIMITED priority access (Wowsa!) so perhaps staying onsite might be worth considering if you want many of the perks Universal offer, including priority access.


So who wins? For those Disney lovers who refuse to admit such a thing as Universal is even a theme park, FastPass by a long shot - it is free afterall! And those Universal purists will claim Universal Express is the best thing since sliced bread and the money deters people making the system more effective.


Me? I'm willing to wait in long lines to spare a few Dollars and enjoy the themeing of the que. I also know the parks well enough to know how to minimise my wait time.


Oh I love you Single Riders....


* Universal Express is a premium service that guests pay on top of admission in order to gain access to attractions faster. Prices may vary from each visit and are highest during peak periods. Only one use per attraction. However, on-site guests have unlimited use for free (included as an on-site perk). More information can be found here
** Disney's FastPass is a free virtual queing system in which guests put their admission ticket into a booth near the attraction they wish to ride. A ticket is printed that gives the guest a return time to the attraction and they use an alternate que, skipping the long line of the stand-by que. Each ticket has a time on which the guest may get another FastPass ticket. More information can be found here


Tomorrow: Que jumpers - What should the parks do?

Disco Yeti, Primeval Whirl down: Animal Kingdom in need of a face lift?

Disney have confirmed to TheLedger that Animal Kingdom's family attraction 'Primeval Whirl' will be down for the summer.

Extinction: Primeval Whirl is expected to remain closed
until September 14th 2011

The closure is due to a fatal incident of a cast member that occurred earlier on in the year. The closure is to enable investigations of the incident as well as annual maintenance and perhaps some rumored changes to the attraction. The article reports that the attraction is expected to be closed until September 14th. 

Disco Mountain: The main animatronic
has been down for months

Animal Kingdom, a park which by some is considered the 'lesser' of the Disney Parks (tied with Disney's Hollywood Studios) hasn't got that many ride attractions. Expedition Everest's big selling point of the attraction, the yeti, has been down for months and whilst the attraction is open, it still leads to question the priorities of Disney. Now with the closure of Primeval Whirl, what consistent world-class attractions remain open? 


Another E-ticket attraction in the park is DINOSAUR, which has its fair share of dislikings in the theme park community. My dislike of the attraction is purely the name itself - DINOSAUR? Come on! I know its based on a movie flop, but surely they could've came up with a better attraction name.


Animal Kingdom needs some love - a few rehabs here and there, and a new big E-Ticket attraction to help distribute park guests evenly around the park.

Universal Orlando: A Look to the Future

With the huge success of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and expected huge increases in the annual theme park attendance report, what we can expect for the future?

Spiderman Replacement: Will the beloved Spiderman be 'transformed'?

My personal predictions? I do not think Universal will be adding a third park anytime soon. They have A LOT of updating to do in their current parks. For instance, the Marvel contract will at some stage run out, and with Disney having the rights to Marvel, Universal are going to want to most likely re-theme the whole of Marvel section of the park. Perhaps replacing Spiderman with the new Universal Hollywood attraction, Transformers.

Jeep Tours: Concept art, courtesy of Orlandorocks

There have also been a lot of rumors over the past 10 years about a Jurrassic Park concept, the "Jeep Tours". However, the ride concept sounds extremely similar to DINOSAUR at Animal Kingdom and the premise of the ride where "something goes wrong", is already done on the JP attraction 'River Adventure'. So I think we can forget about this attraction for the time being, unless the new JP film is extremely successful.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter:
Expansion already?

Now, here is what I think will most certainly happen. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has so much more potential - and the land to go with it too! This would certainly bring in the crowds. However, for how long? Will Harry Potter pass the test of time, and retain its cult status like other timeless series such as Star Wars? Only time will tell, and with the last film coming out this year, I would personally prefer Universal to concentrate their efforts else where and cater to others. Harry Potter has bought in so many visitors who would usually spend their vacation at Disneyworld, however, not all of Disneyworld's visitors also like Harry Potter. So perhaps Universal would benefit by creating a bigger focus on another ride...

Asta La Vista Baby: Will the 1996 attraction be soon replaced by Camerons' Avatar franchise?

Within the next ten years, I can also see a lot of Universal's attractions being replaced. Terminator 3D in my opinion is extremely outdated and is also the rumored position for a new Avatar ride. The likelihood of this happens could be perhaps determined by the success of the future Avatar sequel. Shrek 4D is also becoming a little rundown, it doesn't seem to run as smoothly as it once did. The film itself is set after Shrek (2001), which is now over 10 years old and 3 sequels behind. However, Shrek may also pass the test of time and also may increase in popularity as the franchise appears to be releasing more films based on its minor characters.


What would I love to see replaced? Twister. Words do not describe my hatred for this ride. Sure, it is a cool experience the first time or so. But why on earth does this ride still exist? It's effects, which are the attraction's selling point, are way outdated and far less impressive than other shows. However, it is one of few attractions, like Disaster, that compliment Universal's tagline of 'Riding the movies'.

Madagascar: Would it be a 'crate' replacement?

"But what could replace Jaws?" I hear you ask. Well, perhaps it could be the new Universal Singapore attraction, a family dark ride based on Madagascar. Would this fit into the theming? No! But Universal have disregarded the local themeing before and I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Personally, I wouldn't like to see this attraction at USO because not only is it tame and boring (from what I have seen), I like it when theme park companies keep successful attractions in different parks (like Journey into the Centre of the Earth at Tokyo DisneySea). However, there are a lot of families who argue Universal doesn't cater enough towards young children, and this could be the perfect answer.


For now, however, we will simply look forward to the upcoming Despicable Me attraction and the hopefully amazing updates to Spiderman...

Officially Open!

In order to catch up with what has been an exciting couple of weeks in the bustling Orlando, I will be going through each park and getting you up to date on what has been happening in the theme park world.

Despicable Me 2012 Attraction: Confirmation

Firstly, we'll begin where we left off - Universal Orlando.


In an announcement on May 19th, we got the big 'surprise' we were all expecting, but yet personally, secretly not hoping for. This was indeed the confirmation of the upcoming 2012 Despicable Me attraction:

"Gru, one of the world’s greatest super-villains, is bringing his high-tech empire – and his three adopted daughters – to Universal Studios, and he is looking for all the help he can get. [...] And that kicks off an unforgettable ride experience that creates a hysterical mix of chaos and family fun." 

So what is this attraction going to be exactly? Amongst all the jargon and hype of the media release, I've picked out the elements we can expect to hopefully see:

"[...]entirely-new, high-tech 3-D digital adventure"

"swept into a first-ever, minion-inspired, interactive dance party where they [the guests] can show off their best moves" 

Despicable Me Going Interactive:
Will the attraction hold up against TSM?

Therefore this suggests we are getting a 3D simulator. With the attraction going into the existing Jimmy Neutron building, I guess we couldn't have expected much more! The use of 'interactive' suggests that this attraction will immerse the guests into the attraction, perhaps this will be an element similar to Toy Story Mania? However, who knows. Rides from their concept to their finished product, often change radically and we can only keep our fingers crossed for an exciting new addition. What this DEFINITELY means, is that Jimmy Neutron is expected to close forever around mid-late August, operating during peak times throughout the summer.

In the same announcement, it was also announced that Spiderman will undergo a few changes in the near future:

"All-new digital animation done in 4K high definition" and "Universal Orlando is adding entirely new details to the film – and leaving it up to guests to find them."

It is unclear when these changes are to take place as projectors are currently being replaced. However, there are rumors that Spiderman could go down at the end of the summertime for these updates.

Over at Disneyworld, Disney's Hollywood Studios has seen the opening of Star Tours 2! In which your ride experience differs each time you ride the attraction, it is unclear how many 'versions' of the ride you can actually experience. Updates on this to follow...