Sunday, December 29, 2013

1.15 - MySkyfall+


Joe, Mike, Nick, and Sean take part in festive cheer and discuss...
  • Our Christmas gifts!
  • Universal's patent application for a MyMagic+ style ride reservation system
  • Disney's monorails and Hidden Mickey's
  • Universal NYE, Diagon Alley, Hollywood Potter, and Blue Men. ALL TWINKIES MUST GO.
  • Answer your questions!
Email us at parkscopeblog at gmail dot com or follow us at ParkscopeParkscopeJoeCaptMichael87MrX_381, and/or Sean_Huckel.

Universal Applies for Patent Detailing Queue Management & Ride Reservation System

An anonymous friend sent us a link to a patent Universal applied for in June 2012 detailing a queue management and ride reservation system that shares similarities to Disney's MyMagic Plus (also known as "Next Gen".)

The patent was published on December 12th of this year, and it can be read in its entirety here.  Warning, it is considerably dull and difficult to read, but all of your favorite Next Gen buzzwords are there.  The concept was invented/the patent was authored  by three Universal guys who have worked in Universal Creative and Ops roles and have been with the company for decades.

It will be interesting to see if this system is ever  implemented or if it will ever see the light of day.  If you will recall, Universal has dabbled in a similar system in the past year with Q-Bot.

Check out the latest episode of Parkscope Podcast to hear more about this patent and our thoughts.

Follow us on Twitter @Parkscope

Monday, December 16, 2013

1.14 - 13 Years of Anticipation


TODAY! Mike decides a free meal isn't as important as his friends, so he joins Joe, Nick, and Sean as they discuss the world of theme parks.

  • Nicks' weekend trip to see Universal Orlando during the Holidays!
  • Joe visits Disneyland to see new DCA and Disneyland holiday offerings. 
  • Who is CityWalk actually for?
  • :Skyfall: with Jurassic Park/World additions.
  • Your questions!
We WILL be taking a winter hiatus to recharge, visit family, and have look at our podcast production. If you have any comments on our set up, production, or podcast format, leave a comment below or message us on twitter!

Email us at parkscopeblog at gmail dot com or follow us at ParkscopeParkscopeJoeCaptMichael87MrX_381, and/or Sean_Huckel.

The Holidays Are Here!

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!


The holiday season is here and Universal Orlando Resort is fully engulfed with the spirit of the season.  This past weekend, my wife and myself had the fortunate privilege to make another pilgrimage to the resort for the festivities.  I'm going to share some pictures from this past trip. You'll get minimal commentary, as I like for the pictures to do the talking. We will start off with some construction updates, followed by some Holiday decorations and activities from around the resort. Ready? Lets do it!

CityWalk

I will start off in CityWalk. Not many pictures from this area, but below are a couple of shots of Red Oven, the wall placement for the Starbucks move/Cold Stone, and Antojitos.




Hogsmeade Station

Next up, some shots from the new Hogsmeade Station going in and the location of the, assumed, turnstile being added. 









Diagon Alley

Next up, the impressive new addition of the London waterfront to Universal Studios Florida. Pictures do not do it justice guys, this is going to be simply stunning!














Naughty and Nice

With Christmas in the air, Universal sparkles. The decorations in Seuss Landing at IOA and the New York section of USF are stunning. I really wish they would carry this level of decor to the whole park, but the rest of the parks are lacking. Below are some shots from the Parade and around the parks in general. My Grinchmas pictures did not turnout all that well, but I'll give you a couple here. 

Grinchmas





Macy's Holiday Parade















Mannheim Steamroller

The highlight of the Holidays at Universal is Mannheim Steamroller. I have limited shots, but should have a full video posted in the near future. Once again, these shots are not the best, but here are a couple. 



General Atmosphere

I will leave you with a few of my favorite shots from around the parks. I hope they give you an idea of the level of decorations up in some sections.






























If you have never made it to Universal for Grinchmas, I cannot tell you how much fun it is. USF gets really crowded in the evenings because of the timing of all the activities, but it is an extremely well done event. 

Until next time Freedom Fighters!



-Nick