What Did I Miss?

I just got back from vacation. Why is everybody so upset?

Going on a vacation while you’re still technically unemployed is a very odd feeling, but sometimes you book these things months in advance, unaware of what’s going to happen. Such was my situation recently, as my family went on an Alaska Cruise, with a few days visiting Vancouver. It was lovely, although going on a trip with two kids under 10 can rarely be considered a real “vacation.” The fact that my flight home got cancelled has put me a full day behind in my life, and I’m still not entirely caught up.

It was always the case back when I was working regularly that if I took a day off, there would be some sort of major theme park announcement on that day, and the industry certainly didn’t fail me this time. A lot happened while I was gone.

Universal Kids Resort’s Previews Have People Very Upset

If I hadn’t gone on vacation, I would have been in Frisco, Texas, recently, when the media was invited to check out Universal Kids Resort. I was offered the opportunity to cover it, but had to decline due to the previously mentioned vacation. I was really bummed out because, with the previously mentioned young kids, my family is very much the target audience, and I’ve been excited about the park since it was announced.

From the various responses I’ve seen, there are clearly strong feelings about what we’ve seen. Some seem to feel the park isn’t “enough.” Some seem to feel those people are expecting too much from a “kiddie park.” The first group thinks that kids shouldn’t be treated like they deserve lesser experiences (a statement I agree with). The second group thinks that comparing UKR to a place like Epic Universe is unfair and inappropriate (a statement I also agree with). I can’t render a verdict on who is right because I have always refused to state opinions on anything I haven’t personally experienced. Pictures and videos aren’t really enough to judge.

I hope I can make it out to Universal Kids Resort before too long and bring my kids. As a family that has visited Legoland California several times in the last few years, I think we’d be in a very good position to judge UKR against its real competition.

Universal Studios Hollywood Security (Also) Has People Very Upset

The other major item of interest I’ve caught from my time away was Universal Studios Hollywood’s decision to put security checkpoints and the entrances to Universal CityWalk, rather than just at the entrance to the theme park itself. This puts USH in line with other theme park resorts that include outdoor malls, including Universal Orlando Resort. Still, it has many upset because many people use the mall, and specifically the AMC theater, regularly without ever visiting the theme park.

I absolutely understand that those people are annoyed, but it seems likely that this won’t be too much of a problem in the long term. Once the initial rope drop crowds have dissipated, most security lines at Disney and Universal resorts are negligible, and there’s no reason to believe this will be different at USH. This will add a couple of minutes to your travel time to the theater, nothing more.

I’m slowly getting back up to speed and should be fully conscious soon. I just want to thank everybody who subscribes to this little missive as I figure out how it all works. I especially want to thank the couple of people who are paid subscribers. Your confidence in me is staggering, and it means the world.