Sadly, Universal has decided to turn it's popular Jaws ride into a seasonal attraction, meaning that it will only be open during peak attendance periods. (Just a few weeks per year)

Orlando Sentinal article

Some say that this isn't a good sign for the future of the ride. Jaws is the most expensive attraction to operate on Universal property, and many feel it might soon go the way of Kongfrontation.

I would HATE to see this ride bite the dust. I consider Jaws one of my all time favorite rides, and I just couldn't image USF without it.

*fingures crossed* that the ride will return to normal operation next year.

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It's Homespun Fun!

I was this this morning in our paper. That would suck if it was removed. Jaws is one of the few rides I would consider classic.

I hope not, I really enjoyed the ride my first visit. I rode it 3 times just so i didn't miss anything. I only wish i could have ridden Kong but i was a few years too late. Glad i got to ride Jaws if it's being removed in a few year.

I just hope it's still there in 2007 when i visit again.

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2009 Carolina Cobra Crew
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#6 North Carolina Tarheels 4-1

^ Kong was a great ride, but the animatronics were very dated by the time I finally rode it in 2001.

Jaws is probably in my top 5 rides that I went on there but it's not my favorite.

I would hate to see them remove it. The whole area of the park looks like something out of the movie. Very good theming.

I doubt they will remove it any time soon. They are probably looking for ways to save money and if that's the most expensive ride, I can see their point in cutting down operation of it.

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Intimidator Coming in 2010 to Carowinds!

The Amity area of the park is well themed, without Jaws, then that theming seems out of place. Anyways, Jaws is worth a ride once in a while and is classic, but I'm glad they are cutting down operation. Whats teh point of having actors and such if there isn't going to be any riders. If you ask me, they should just reduce it to weekend only operation.

Besides, rumor has it that BTTF is the next USF attraction to get the ax .

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Whats BTTF?

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2009 Carolina Cobra Crew
Go Panthers! 4-6: Week 12 @ New York Jets

#6 North Carolina Tarheels 4-1

^BTTF, a dated motion simulator ride themed after the Back To The Future trilogy. State of the art in 1990, at every Six Flags park today :P .

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Ahhhh, Thanks for the heads up. I'll make sure to ride a few times next time i go.

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2009 Carolina Cobra Crew
Go Panthers! 4-6: Week 12 @ New York Jets

#6 North Carolina Tarheels 4-1

Back to the future makes me sick. It can go as far as I care. lol

Unless they did a whole revamp of the ride a la Spiderman, but I can't see them doing that when there are newer movies out there to market.

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Intimidator Coming in 2010 to Carowinds!

I still think that Back the to Future is the best simulator in Orlando, and probably the second best attraction at USF after MIB.

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TV/Event Guide Editor

I'm hoping that you forget Mummy, Phil.

I thought Jaws and Back to the Future were the two weakest rides at US:F......so I guess I'm not too sad.

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I think those are staple classics for that park. Kong was too, but I undertand that they get dated, and if the ridership is too low, then I guess it's time to move on. It's neat to have experienced these attractions though. They are very old school.

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I like the Zingo a lot.

I've never ridden it, so I can't know for sure. It looks better, but there have been a decent number of poor reviews.

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TV/Event Guide Editor

Back to the Future might have been great had I not been in the front seat and saw the other cars, thus ruining the experience. Jaws was awesome though. The flames burning you, the shark popping up right on the boat, the actors guiding the boats. Great stuff. Kong was ok, but Jaws was always better in my book.

Is ET still around? The movie always freaked me out so the ride wasn't that appealing, but it was still pretty fun.

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Pleasantly missing since 2006

^Yes Drew, ET is still around, rode it last weekend and I call it "its a small world on acid".

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Heck the news could be worse. This saves money, saves on wear on the ride. We wouldn't want this to go the way of the Disneyland subs for the last few years.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

this is crazy!! its my favorite ride there after the mummy's revenge. i did it 6 times in a row!! haha, thats a little weird. its always seemed very popular when i go. its probably the most famous ride at the park, maybe it won't be taken out, maybe it's getting rennovated and there will be a new show with better special effedts and maybe a new "Jaws"... hmm...?

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Here's the deal. And I'm speaking as a former Jaws skipper (I'm currently a lighting tech at UO). There is only one reason that Jaws is being taken down for a while and it's the same reason that everyone is trading in their SUV's and trucks. The price of fuel is just skyrocketing and those explosions use a lot of fuel. They just did a major rehab of the ride last year.

When it comes to taking the ride out, all I can say is no way. That lagoon is 80 feet deep in some places. The sheer cost of filling it in to build something on top of it is completely prohibitive. As for low ridership, no way. During the summer we ran six boats (the maximum) all day, every day. They were always packed. Even during slow times the boats always had a lot of riders. On top of everything else, don't forget that Steven Spielberg has a lot of pull at Universal and that ride is one of his babies. Jaws is not going anywhere soon.

^Aww, so does that mean "its a small world on acid" (ET) won't be removed? That ride is so dated...

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Well, ET was removed at the Hollywood park, so who knows. But I gotta say, my family and I love ET- even my wife who generally hates anything alien related. (but then she also really likes Men in Black)

The fuel cost explanation makes complete sense to me. It may also be a test to see how many people are upset by it being closed and what might happen if they did replace it with something else. It did still have a pretty decent line when we were there a week ago, but not as many as there were for the other rides and shows (including BTTF)

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I Loved that ride it made me really feel like I was in a movie. Now thats entertainment! sad to here its now seasonal not that I would go to florida and ride it during december or something.

Yeah this ride was really good and a great classic. But the high cost of fuel makes a lot of sense and hopefully for the sake of the ride and us fuel will go down soon.



And Im proud to make my return here after a 1 month break.

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They should add a more realistic looking shark and replace the tarp on top of the sinking boat right around the lighthouse. The tarp (or roof?) has like black stains from being stuck in the water so much.

They can't replace the tarp on the sinking tour boat when it gets black. Anything in that lagoon gets black withing 24 to 48 hours because of oil and hydraulic fluid. And the boat looks really stupid without its canopy, believe me.

Then how come Jaws isn't all black and oily, when he's submerged more then half the time?

Different part of the lagoon. He's not near the same machinery as the sinking boat, so he's probably not getting anywhere near the grime on him that the boat is.

I would also guess that if they have the choice to only clean one thing due to time, that the shark would be the one to get the cleaning. But that's just a guess. :P

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Have you read my number 1 best seller? There will be a test! ~God
Life with God is one thrill ride you'll never want to get off of.
My park & coaster photos: Sir Willow's Smugmug pictures

When's the last time you rode? Jaws is in the same lagoon as the sinking boat (I'm talking about when you first see him). They are probably about 10-20 feet apart...

it's still a different part of the lagoon. It's more than a 20 foot gap between the sinking boat and jaws. And since the black stuff is likely fluid leaked from the hydraulics that make the boat "sink" it's going to stay pretty much around the boat pieces and cling to them. If it was floating around the lagoon where it was hitting Jaws, then you would see globules of the stuff next to your boat as you're drifting by.

And by the way, last time I rode it was 2 weeks ago. Please, Montu, back off a bit on the "I know everything about Universal and you don't" bit. It's getting old.

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Have you read my number 1 best seller? There will be a test! ~God
Life with God is one thrill ride you'll never want to get off of.
My park & coaster photos: Sir Willow's Smugmug pictures

Well, I do usually go at least 2-3 times a month, so I'm not really lying when I say I know more then you. Plus, I know lots of people working on construction and people who work at rides who tell me things and give me Express Passes. It's not a lie that I know more then you.