Updates! Universal P*ssed Off A Lot Of People ~ Islands of Adventure

Oh boy, Universal just made an announcement and the internet is angry. A lot of people are P.O'd. Hey, what's going on everybody? Rick here at Islands of Adventure, and we're just going to skip ahead to the drama. Any lands or updates that I missed to get to the drama, we'll address later on in the video. Now, here is the announcement that ticked off the internet, or at the very least Twitter. So I want you to share your thoughts in the comment section below. But, effective July 1st, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will discontinue their express line. After, I don't know what, six or seven years of operation, Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure just got their express line about a year ago, but it's being ended. Now, I was first told about this. Someone messaged me. I didn't see the original tweet or press release on this. So my first thought was, oh, that's interesting. I guess Universal just figures operationally getting more people through the ride, you know, standby line, and the wait times would be better if they didn't have the express line, which makes 100% sense. When you have an express line, you have to pause the regular standby line to let express people go through. So the standby line is constantly going and stopping, going and stopping. So naturally, it's just going to take longer doing it that way. Now, the next day is when I opened up Twitter, and I saw all the comments, all the thoughts, all the feedback that people were giving about this news of the express line for Hagrid's being canceled, and boy, everyone was very, very, very upset. I don't think everyone needed to be upset, but they were. I understand people who pre-bought express passes for after the July 1st date. I understand why they should be upset. I understand why people who chose to stay at one of the premium hotels, such as Hard Rock, that comes with express passes, how they could be upset, because maybe that played a role in their decision to stay at that particular hotel to get the express pass for Hagrid's. So they definitely have a right to be upset. Me, personally, not that upset, but I do understand certain people's anger. Now, the interesting thing to me will be once the express is gone, like as part of your usual express, are they going to add it as an express now option? If Universal does that, it is both diabolical and genius. Now, hear me out. From a customer, or a visitor, or a guest standpoint of view, it's diabolical. You know, you take it off of something that was part of the regular express, and then you make it something you have to buy or pay extra for, and you know, this being the most popular ride at Islands of Adventure, the cost of an express now will be the highest. Some people will be like, well, we paid, I don't know, $300 for the regular express. Let's go ahead and spend the extra 40 or 50 bucks for the Hagrid's only express. I have two trains of thought on this. Should it occur? Should they take it off the regular express and then add it as an express now? As a consumer, wearing my consumer hat, that really sucks. That really, really sucks. But there's a side of me that spent like a decade as a financial analyst in a financial planning department of a large company. From that point of view, it's kind of genius on Universal's part to get that extra incremental revenue. Oh my! So, I appreciate the business savvy. On their end, but, you know, from the consumer's end, really? But we don't know yet. We don't know yet if they're going to add it as an express now. But regardless of that, people are upset that it won't be on the express pass system starting July 1st, as people who purchase express passes and pass holders, premium pass holders, who get after four express also upset. And I think all those people that I've mentioned who are upset should be upset. I don't know if everyone on the internet should be upset. Hagrid's is currently a 225 minute wait right now. One would think that if it didn't have express today, that standby wait would be shorter. I'm confident that Universal has a year of data and have analyzed that data to no end and have determined operationally, it'll be better for them if Hagrid's didn't have express. Now for me, what I am most interested in over time is to see if they add it as that express now. That, for me, is going to be an interesting thing to follow. But I am so interested in what your thoughts are. So again, be sure to go down to the comment section and leave a comment. I really want to know what you guys are thinking. But for now, let's go back and show you any updates I may have skipped over here in Hogsmeade. Let me backtrack a little further and show you the wait line for Hogwarts Express. Studios doesn't open until 10 a.m. So we have a lot of people queuing up to take Hogwarts Express over to Universal Studios. The line is well into the Lost Continent. So should you ever be here this hour and want to take the Hogwarts Express over to Studios, you know you're gonna have a long line. The standby wait for Hagrid's has dropped down now. It was at 225, right? Now it's 160 minutes. Hogwarts Castle is fully refreshed with a new paint job, except for the actual entrance. Now I did show this in a live stream, but the bridge from Hogsmeade to Jurassic Park has reopened. It's looking pretty sharp. I wonder, is this mahogany? That was a little homage to the movie Hunger Games. The bridge is looking good, but the arch here, the entrance, we have no flames today. Zero out of four burning. Oh crap. I got to go back and do something. Welcome to Jurassic Park. It's been a while since I've been able to do that. How could I have forgotten? Well, I only forgot for a little bit. I didn't remember eventually. First time through I was distracted by the lack of fire. Currently a 75 minute wait for Velocicoaster. That's the regular line. That's the Express line. I did notice an update I'm excited to share with you in one of the lands we passed through to get to the Hagrid's News. So stay tuned for that. Today is hot and very humid. The humidity is up. Not surprising because we do have a lot of rain in store for the next several days starting with this afternoon. So I'm trying to get this done before it hits. Inside of Jurassic Outfitters this fan is still not running. What the hell man? It's hot and humid today. The one on this side not running either. It was running last week. I'm trying to give summertime beat the heat tips and Universal cutting me off at the knees. Inside of Camp Jurassic. Pteranodon flyers. Still not ready for guests. Still closed. Looks like a touch-up paint for the exit of the Jurassic Park River Adventure is completed. Earlier in the video I brought up Universal Express Now. Let's see what is offered as Express at the moment. Express Now is... Nothing. We caught them in between offers. There's nothing available as an Express Now. At least not here at Islands of Adventure. Outside of Toon Lagoon have a box here. I think, I think a ball was where the box is. Oh wow, look at this Scooby-Doo shirt for $30. I think I like that. It's a weekday. So Wimpy's Burgers is closed. Do you want a Wellington? Go get the double Wellington at the Comic Strip Cafe. The play area known as me ship the olive is closed through June 9th. Should be reopening June 10th. By the way, the Pteranodon flyers that I showed you earlier should be reopening July 3rd. My advice after doing the water rides, just walk around wet. We should be used to this by now, but it is a weekday, so Blondie's is closed. Should be open on Saturday, so it's not the case today. But when I was here this weekend doing the live streams, this area up here was a cool zone, fun zone. They had a DJ up here. They had chalk art happening, different types of games, but I obviously not on a weekday. I need a hero. I'm looking out for a hero. This is where Captain America should be. Even a hero needs a break. An announcement just came over the intercom and says the heroes will be out in five minutes. I think we'll do some shopping until then. I'll show you the Marvel merch of the week, which is this $20 Captain America mug. I wanted to make this the merch of the week, the Marvel merch of the week, because I bought this like like 10 years ago, so I've had one of these in my house for a decade. $20. Probably didn't pay $20 for it back then. Got the siren going off. Incoming transmission from S.H.I.E.L.D. Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, and Rogue have been spotted on radar and are approaching gravity. Clear the main roadway through Marvel Super Hero Island. The main roadway is kind of crowded right now, but look, they have it roped off over there, too. They are really, they've never, I've never seen them do that. Your targets are Doctor Doom and Green Goblin. They're stopping them. They, they really want to give the superheroes their moment. Not, not as big of a moment as when they had those K&M motorcycles. We got three of them, though. Wolverine, Captain America, and Rogue. I don't know that Rogue. At least two of them are wearing yellow, that's good. I do like that they, they clear the road for them. That's kind of nice. And the team meeting is right in the middle of the streets today, not over there by the, the Spiders. Huh, that's interesting. Haven't seen them do that either. Just, just be careful when Wolverine puts his hands in. Be careful. Not attending the meeting, Spidey. His ride, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, currently a 45 minute wait. The arcade here in Marvel Super Hero Island, a nice way to cool off. Play some games, get some air conditioning, cool off, have some fun. The pathway between the arcade into the Cafe 4 is open. This has not been open like this in a long, long time. A lot of people just like watching the Hulk in action. I do have an update in each of the areas I skipped over at the beginning of the video. Update here for the Port of Entry, update in Seuss Landing, and an update in the Lost Continent. But first, we'll cozy mosey through the Port of Entry. Where would be a good spot to put the Mystic Fountain? Where can we move that to? Can we just replace that waterfall? I mean, there's got to be plumbing there already. Maybe that's the best spot. Water pipes already there. We'll let Universal figure that out. That's above my pay grade. So there's still construction walls by the Croissant Moon Bakery. It's open! It's open. It's just there's construction walls here at the entrance, but there's less construction walls here in the Port of Entry now because, as you see, as I round the corner, the construction walls that were here around Confisco have been removed. See? The entrance is all good now. So we still have a little bit of rigging for that was for Grad Bash and Grad Venture. It is starting to be taken down. Not completely, but mostly. Still some construction wall over here by the the Backwater Bar. There's still an entrance though, right? Right? Yeah, right there. You can still get to the bar, just not the patio, looks like. Oh, maybe you can. Maybe from inside. Maybe it's just that little square there. So it looks like you can still go to the patio area and no walls around the restroom area. So construction walls greatly reduced in the Port of Entry. Now, here's something. Here is an update. A long time coming. We've waited a while for this update. In fact, I'm not even gonna walk through, I think, the main... Well, I should just in case I discover some update. But first, check out Drain Eggs and Ham. And let me zoom in. It has signage now. Look at that. That took a long time to get back here. I don't know what type of specially signage place that had to go to or had to make it, fabricate it, whatever. But it's finally here. Now, you know, if you didn't know by just the shape of the building and the eggs on top of the tables there, it's Drain Eggs and Ham. Sign looks pretty sharp though. Those look pretty sharp. Alright, I guess I should walk this way. Because, you know, sometimes I don't know what updates I'm going to discover. There could be something amazing to discover this way. Or it could be as usual. But we're gonna find out together now. I don't think anything's gonna top the Drain Eggs and Ham signage return though. That would be the biggest update of the day if it weren't for that, that Hagrid's Express line. As long as we've been waiting for that freaking sign to come back. I think I said, I even said in videos or live streams that I would do a big dramatic title and thumbnail when that sign came back, but Hagrid's is still in the thunder. It looks like is Looks like Cat in the Hat's not operating right now. In a 35-minute wait for one fish two fish, that's a high wait time for it. I mean you see that at 35, so the High in the Sky Trolley has to be longer than that you would think. Looks like a, oh the stories you'll hear is about to start. Or if the meet-and-greet is about to come out, that's that's what it looks like it's gonna happen. 11 is the next story time. Oh, they're doing it right now. Where they at? Oh, okay over there. The Lorax and the Grinch. That's what's happening. So the High in the Sky Trolley sign still not working, still not spinning and the wait time is 40 minutes. So it is still the longest wait time in the park. Not in the park, but in Seuss Landing by five minutes. 35 for the fish. 40 for the trolley. So is that all I see? I think that's all I see. There's a nice shot for you though. Now into the Lost Continent where I do have an update I'm aware of. I might discover something I'm not aware of but I noticed something as as I ran through this morning trying to get you to the the Hagrid's Express update. The Lost Continent. It's losing everything. First it lost all its attractions. Now it's losing stores. Shopping. So where are these construction walls here by the old Poseidon's Fury? I said it before I said again, I don't think that waterfall is ever gonna turn on again. Mythos won't last forever. The thing about Universal Dining, it's not as hard to get as like Disney Dining. Some people, I was gonna say a lot, but just some people kind of plan their whole vacation at Disney around the restaurants that they can get reservations at. But anyway, Forever Pearls closed as you can see, right? And then the main store Treasures of Poseidon now closed. So we're starting to close shops now. Attractions went a long time ago. Now the shops are going. And let's see if we can get another shot of the demolition of Sinbad's Theatre. Oh wow. There's a good demolition shot. Even have some heavy machinery in it. It is exciting to see the destruction because we know afterwards something new. So what you guys don't know is that as I was making this video, I was making a video within this video. My visit today consisted of two videos. The second video won't come out until probably Monday. So until then, don't miss the magic, don't miss the fun, and watch this next.