READ THIS - Express and On-Site Hotels

[Beckles]

Originally posted by Bob O
The big advantage was riding a ride mutiple times in a row without having to exit and re-enter and the changes proposed ruin it.

You haven't been able to do that for a while ... with the original FOTL you could, but with the new Express system you can not do this, you can exit and go back in the Express Line.

 

[Beckles]

EARL ~ My only concern would be with Dueling Dragons. I really do not have any desire to ride over and over again in general, however, I do like to do both Fire and Ice back-to-back so I don't have to come back. I'm thinking because there is only one Express line for both this will not be possible unfortunately Maybe there could be a twice/hour limit for Dueling Dragons? (I'm assuming maybe you can provide feedback to whoever is in charge )

 

[Beckles]

Originally posted by robvia
I'd like to put a vote in to give Early Entry back to Multi-Day ticket holders, and have it on Thursday and Friday. Why? Because I drive up to visit on one of those days to avoid the crowds. Early entry is on a Monday and Wednesday for IOA. That's in the middle of the week, I don't drive up then, I take long weekends.

Monday is in the middle of the week? You should take Friday and Monday off for a four-day weekend, gives you two four-day weeks (just a friendly suggestion ).

How many hotel guests actually enter the park early? Most of them are having breakfast and take their time getting to the park.

With the current system where hotel guests get Express access all day, I could not imagine dragging my butt out of bed and never have With the original FOTL, which was only until noon, things were different ... we did drag ourselves out of bed to make early opening

This is not criticism ( ), but the impression I get is some people are insistent on taking advantage of every perk and amenity they can (such as Early Entry) while they are there. Nothing wrong with that, just not my cup of tea ... I like to sleep in when I'm on vacation

 

[Beckles]

Okay ... going for five posts in a row

Actually, I was wondering if I had misinterpreted something along the line and wanted to see if maybe *I* made it up, since I know I've been one of the people saying they were going to once per day (which I believed to be accurate until Earl's post here) ... so I went back trying to find where that started, and I think this is it:

http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4526

Anyway, I'm guessing that somewhere along the line someone decided that once per day was too much restriction and decided to go with once per hour.

I don't think CoasterFEV was wrong when he posted the information in the thread above, I think things have just changed (like they have oh so many times already)

 

[JCO]

Thanks for the info. Earl. This adjustment sounds very reasonable to me, although with rides like Spiderman, it would not surprise me to see limits like once every three hours.
I'm looking forward to staying on site at Universal next summer, and these proposed changes don't bother me a bit. In fact, I think this makes the system more fair for everyone attending Universal and IOA.

 

[goofy about mickey]

Earl,

Others have said it already, but I just wanted to add my thanks! The plan sounds very fair and well thought out. I appreciate that you went through trouble of getting the "inside scoop."

 

[S.W. Fan]

Sounds very fair to everyone enjoying the parks. Too bad some greedy people had to ruin it for the others though.
Thanks again Earl.

 

[jcl110]

Hi,
I dont mean any disrespect here, but would someone tell me why Earl's explanation is actually the final word on the new policy?
, I hope its correct because it sounds fair.

 

[BarbOKW]

We loved FOTL access when we were there last March. But if they're having a problem with lines I think the once an hour solution sounds very reasonable. It sounds as though they are doing their homework by collecting data before they make a final decision and I think that's exactly what they should be doing. Thanks for posting the information. We'll be back March 2002 staying at the HR, the FOTL access sold us.

By the way is it just once an hour per ride, or is just one FOTL access per hour. For example can you ride Hulk, then go ride Spiderman even though it hasn't been an hour? Or is just the Hulk that you can't ride for an hour?

 

[xl]

Although I prefer "unlimited" FOTL access, the 1/hour plans sounds OK.

I am however getting a little sick of hearing some people using terms like "abusing the system", "ruined it for everyone else", and "geedy" when refering to those who choose to repeat a ride "over and over". I'm not sure who you are trying to impress, but get off it. I even suspect it's disingenuous at best, and hypocritical at worst.

Not only was/is "unlimited" access the current program, but it was encouraged by the receptionist at HRH when we checked in. It is entirely inapproprite to accuse others as "greedy" when they are using an acceptable, intended perk.

 

[S.W. Fan]

Do you think that using a perk over and over again just because you can is acceptable, even if it makes the other people in the line have to wait longer???

If it weren't a problem then Universal wouldn't be studying it and getting ready to put restrictions on it.

BTW I live near the parks have an annual pass and could really care less about the wait time for myself, since I've ridden the rides many times and can be choosy on which rides I go on. A family who isn't staying at 1 of Universal's hotels for 1 reason or another and only has a day or 2 to do the parks, doesn't have that luxury.

To just keep riding the same ride over and over and over again (during PEAK hours of the day) while also making the other lines grow longer is showing little or no respect for your fellow guests of the parks. Johare's scenario was a perfect example of this.

 

[snickers]

Thank you Earl. You are always so helpful. I agree with everyone on this thread. I do hope that there is something built into the system for less than one hour is the wait line time is listed for a certain time period.

 

[Earl]

To answer the question from BarbOKW, the concept would be once per hour for the same attraction. You can go from attraction to attraction as fast as your feet will carry you. Remember, you can still use your ticket for more access.

To jcl110, I never said it was the last word. I said this is what the intent is. Rest assured that this information is accurate. As in anyyhing else, all things are subject to change, but this is defintely the plan.

 

[kellymonaghan]

Once again, Earl is the cool calm voice of reason.

Thanks again, Earl. You're a real asset to this board. Let's hope the powers that be never break your cover.

 

[Bob O]

Notatourist- When i rode Hulk/spiderman/dd etc i would just exit the ride and walk a very short distance and get right on(usually thru child swap but for hulk it was about 10 steps) and ride again. I would ride the coasters 506 times in a row with no wait and then move, i went in december when it wasnt that busy but that was the beauty of fotl to me. I would also agree with Xl that by using a perk you paid alot of money for isnt abusing it, if you dont use the perk youre paying alot of money for nothing. The perk was set up for this purpose and using it is whats expected, or should you have the perk but wait in line and not use the privilege you paid good money for.

 

[nhrenee]

Earl!

Thanks so much for keeping us up to date, it is really appreciated!

 

[Beckles]

Originally posted by Bob O
Notatourist- When i rode Hulk/spiderman/dd etc i would just exit the ride and walk a very short distance and get right on(usually thru child swap but for hulk it was about 10 steps) and ride again. I would ride the coasters 506 times in a row with no wait and then move, i went in december when it wasnt that busy but that was the beauty of fotl to me.

What you are describing is no longer allowed, even before the changes that are being discussed here. FOTL as you are describing was discontinued earlier this year. For instance, on the Hulk, you no longer come up the exit and enter through baby swap (and can therefore ride again just by going through baby swap), you come up the (relatively) new Express line and wait in line (which varies from no wait to fifteen minutes, average about five minutes in my experience, YMMV).

 

[johare]

You don't have to abuse perks to get your moneys worth. If use ask at the hotel you can get free toothbrushes, toothpaste and shampoo. Nice perk, but if you took 506 toothbrushes you would be abusing it. If a hotel offered free a continental breakfast would you take a dozen pastries to go and fill a few thermos with orange juice? No, because it would be abusing the perk. Same goes for FOTL. Riding a ride 506 times in a row while everyone else waits is abusing the priviledge. btw: You paid for the room. FOTL was a FREE perk so there should be no need to "get your moneys worth" when it comes to that.

 

[KarenH]

Guys - I think he had a typo. I think he meant 5 or 6 times, not 506. Much more practical. I don't think you could ride a ride 506 times in one day. 506 would be abuse - 5 or 6 is not (although if the lines are real long, you might consider stopping after 3 times).

 

[DaveOBrien]

Not to jump into an arguement, butI'm siding with Xl. For those who consider me abusing the system if I choose to ride the Hulk 15 times in a row, that's just too bad. I paid big bucks for my room, my perk is for "unlimited rides", not what others think is appropriate. Since I have unlimited rides, I will decide how many I should do, not kowtow to other's perception of rudeness. I love the way some people think that their behavior is the conerstone for which all others will be judged.

You know what irks me at Universal? Not the coaster enthusiast who rides all day, but

1) Getting hit in the back of the leg with a stroller by an idiot who dosen't even have the coutesy to apologize.

2) Rude a-holes who will yell and scream and hold up the entire Spiderman line so they could have the front row.

3) Guests who don't act like guests, but self serving primma donnas who assume just because they paid to enter a park, employees have to kiss their asses. I can't count how many times I've seen on this board people ragging about how a cast member was rude because they didn't smile or say something the right way. So naturally, the ****** guest complains to guest services about how their vacation was ruined because of an insensitive employee. If this is the worst thing that happens to you on vacation, consider yourself lucky and get a life.

4) Incompetant parents who let their snot nosed brat run around the restaurant causing mayhem and disturbing other's meals. "Oh, children must be children and play". Yeah, right. Your child's rights stop where my table begins.

5) People who CONSTANTLY complain about the walk from the parking garage to the parks. Or even better, the HORRIBLY long walks from park to park. That's the way things are. If you don't like it, don't go but please shut up and stop demanding Universal does something about this travesty. Deal with it. We don't always get what we want.

I could go on forever, but I think I've made my point that I find many of the above(and some I didn't mention)items more offensive than someone who rides a ride for an hour. Thanks Earl for your info as always.