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Universal Orlando
Orlando, FL
NBC Universal / Blackstone Group
---- THE LATEST BUZZ ----
(1/30/12) Early word is that Universal Orlando may be working with their hotel partner (Lowes Hotels) on finalizing plans to open a forth resort hotel by the end of 2013 in one of the (MORE...)
(1/30/12) AmusementPics has posted a new impressive collection of pictures of the Hollywood Drive-In Golf courses at CitiWalk.
(1/27/12) A few new details about the unnamed sand-castle themed water fortress attraction were mentioned in this News13 report. The giant castle structure will stand an impressive 60 feet (MORE...)
(1/26/12) Wet ‘n Wild will open a giant new water fortress attraction themed to look like a giant sand castle. The play area will feature (MORE...)
(1/26/12) Universal Orlando confirmed that an all new Blue Man Group show will open this February. The new show will include some of your favorite (MORE...)
 General Resort News - (1/24/12) This week, Behind the Thrills drops into Universal Orlando for a look at all the latest changes taking place in both parks and CitiWalk.
(1/20/12) There have been a couple of changed to the Mardi Gras concert schedule. The Goo Goo Dolls have actually be listed now to perform on March 3rd, filling in the one TBD date. However, Jill Scott (never heard of her) has now been removed from the March 17th date, which has become a new TBD act.
(1/18/12) Regarding the one TBD act still left on the 2012 Mardi Gras schedule on March 3rd, I’ve heard it said that in the past Universal has frequently brought in Earth, Wind and Fire and/or Kool and The Gang to perform, but nether is on this year’s schedule as of yet. In a bit of a coincidence, Kool and The Gang’s official website does show a confirmed “Booked” performance date for the band on March 3rd, so this could be it.
(1/13/12) Universal Orlando has confirmed their Mardi Gras 2012 concert lineup this week and they’ve filled in a few of those TBD acts that was on the list I was sent previously with dates for Jill Scott and Cindi Lauper. Check out the complete list in the sidebar.
(12/12/11) The latest word about that new storage building going up near the Parade Building confirms that it is expected to be used as a haunt site replacement for the Jaws queue building. The building is now thought to be even smaller than previously estimated however, and may be about a quarter the size of the parade building instead of half.
(9/26/11) According to Orlando Parks News, Universal has been seeking some guest feedback about the use of their Express Pass system, and may be considering adding some new perks it. Read all about it here.
(8/10/11) Universal Orlando reported their best 12 months of attendance ever at the theme parks following the first full 12 months since they opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter last summer. All said and done, nearly 13.4 million guests have come through the turnstyles at the two Universal Orlando theme parks since June 2010, blowing past the resort’s previous record of 12.1 million set back in 2004.
(5/17/11) According to the latest report at the Orlando Sentinel, attendance at Universal Orlando is showing no sign of slowing in 2011 as Harry Potter mania is still in full effect. They report that attendance at the resort was up 68% during the first three months of 2011, which is just huge. Attendance is just the tip of the iceberg, as the sales figures are on the rise everywhere in the resort.
Halloween Horror Nights 21 - (9/29/11) Halloween Horror Nights 21 - Review by Keith Trotter
Halloween is one of my favorite times of year, and I always look forward to Halloween Horror Nights. This year was enjoyable, but nothing radically different than the past few years as far as the overall structure to the event. All the scarezones are pretty much in the same places they always are with a few minor exceptions. Bill and Ted's is in the same theater with the same format. All the haunts are in the same places as the past few years as well. With that being said, the content is definitely better. While most of the scarezones are fairly predictable, for the first time there are no chainsaws running around the park, and the very few that are in one of the haunts aren't real. Before I get into the specific reviews, I am going to complain about one thing... they have gone completely overboard with crew members every five feet in the haunted houses dressed in pants, tee shirts with nametags with a flashlight to hurry you along. I realize they have to move thousands of people through these houses safely and quickly to keep the lines down, but I have an idea. Why can't these cast members be in some sort of generic costume that goes along with the theme of the haunt with their faces covered, no nametag and stand still creepily in the corner and only interfere with the experience if there's actually a problem? PLEASE. These people are the biggest buzzkillingtons of the whole event and it really grinds my gears.
--SCARE ZONES--
ACID ASSAULT- Universal invested heavily and is very proud of their Acid Assault scarezone. All-new digital projection systems give the illusion that the buildings on New York Street are crumbling in an acid assault exposing the framework of the building which consequently crumbles to the ground leaving only a cloud of dust. They are cool effects and are similar to the projection system used at the Magic Kingdom for the nightly castle show. The possibilities are going to be endless in the years to come as the animation can be changed for anything they can dream up. I would expect to see these projection systems used at other events throughout the year as well. Get ready to see this scarezone use this technology for years to come.
YOUR LUCK HAS RUN OUT- This scare zone is located in the alley of the buildings in-between New York and San Francisco. Lady Luck and about ten of her clones have taken over this area, thrown roulette wheels all over the place, ripped the casino apart waiting for you to come along. As in the teaser campaign, you see different faces of lady luck, is she pretty? Or, is she a hideous wreck hidden in the shadows? You never know till you get up close.
7- The seven deadly sins are featured here in this scare zone, although that is not how they are described in the brochure. Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride are the seven themes of each of the temptresses that stand on one of seven platforms throughout the Hollywood street. The setup is elegant and tempts you to come closer for a better look. Be careful when you do!
NIGHTMAZE- I can tell you what this maze is supposed to be like,
because it was raining every time I went through it, and I never got the full experience. there are black walls that can be shifted around all night and even as you are walking down the street leaving you confused about which direction you are going in. There are black-hole shaped characters that roam the street as well. This area has almost no lighting and is fogged out. Sounds a little better in the concept than the execution.
GROWN EVIL- This is the best one in my opinion. Towards the back right of the park as you go through the pathway lined with trees in front of the Garden of Allah is always my favorite area because the trees completely cover the pathway and it just seems creepy to me at night anyway. This year the area has been themed to an overgrown garden with lots of brush and creepy giant birds. The area is very dark, fogged out and seems inherently evil by design.
CANYON OF DARK SOULS- This is a short scarezone with one type of grim reaper type scareactor. There are special lighting effects of the masks that are cool. The area has black walls on either side with fire effects and grim reaper statues that line the walkway. Nothing spectacular about this area, but it serves its purpose of providing atmosphere to the event.
--HAUNTED HOUSES--
Before I review the houses individually, I wanted to comment on my overall observations of the thematical improvements. Last year we were promised that we were seeing the direction Halloween Horror Nights was going. Fear was last year's theme, and you were supposed to be the victim in each house with very little to no victims on display. Wrong answer. They quickly turned against that concept and have gotten back to blood, guts, torture, and all that is unsettling. Thank you. Overall, I think the theming and attention to detail is probably the best it's ever been. Whether the crowds feel it's the "scariest" or not, I feel this is the best ever from a set decoration standpoint. If you take an RIP tour of the event, you can find out about all the back stories for each house, and learn how each theme is about a someone who made a bad choice that led to the premise of the storyline.
THE FORSAKEN- There were actually four ships that set sail for America, but unfortunately one didn't make it. Those aboard were, the forsaken. The Forsaken takes you aboard the ill-fated ship and its crew members. There are parts of the ship that are very cool, especially when you go up on deck. This haunt also has a walkway that is angled which gives you a feeling of imbalance, and is unique to the event this year. They employ lots of wind effects which you of course you would have experienced on such a treacherous journey.
Story-5, Atmosfear-5, FearFactor-3
THE IN BETWEEN- The In Between has a very interesting premise. A red-headed teacher has some sort of dark-sided object stolen from her by one of her students (something along the lines of a ouija board). She threatens that if it isn't returned, the boy will be stuck in the in between, and that's just where he ends up. This is an visually stunning house with 3D fluorescent effects throughout. This has been done before, but this is by far the best use of this technology that has ever been attempted. The use of the different colors and the dimensions they create are amazing. The orange color always stands out the most. One of the characters in the maze is solid black with bright blue outlining of the body and face, but with orange eyes that pop out further than the blue giving a creepy effect that was very well thought out. At the end there is a room that has mirrors on the floor and ceiling and fluorescent string all over the place in every direction giving you a sense of vertigo and the actors blend in with the unusual setting making for an awesome thrill.
Story-4, Atmosfear-5, Fear Factor-5
NEVERMORE- Edgar Allen Poe's works are the theme of this haunt. We get to visit The Pit and the Pendulum, The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, The Tell Tale Heart, and finally witness the maddening of Edgar himself. The house is visually stunning, however this one in particular we were hurried through, so I didn't get to take a lot in.
Story-4, Atmosfear-4, Fear Factor-3
SAWS AND STEAM- This one is based on a city where everything is run by steam in a Jules Verne type version of the future, however the oceans have dried and up and there's only one place to extract water... you guessed it, humans. As you enter you are greeted by two walls of saws coming towards you to grind you up so you'll fit in the compressing machines later on. This is a very raw and real house. Lots of gore and a very unsettling atmosphere if you buy into the premise. By the end you may have gotten wet a little bit and might be electrocuted by the power generators at the end that are now running because they now have the water that they need to run.
Story-5, Atmosfear-5, Fear Factor-5
THE THING- Based on the upcoming PREQUEL (not a remake). Although you don't know which ones, you are promised actual scenes, props, masks, figures from the actual movie set. Since you are in Antarctica, they set you will with temperatures to make you feel you are actually there. COLD!!!!!! SNOWY!!!!!!! You go though the base of operations there where you come in contact with the victims of the Thing in various stages of transformation. You eventually get to see the Thing in alien form. Very exciting and disturbing house with tremendous attention to detail, you actually feel like you're at the base, except for the costumed, name tagged, cast members every three feet which completely ruin the potential atmosphere.
Story-5, Atmosfear-4, FearFactor-4
NIGHTINGALES BLOOD PREY- I actually like this one a lot. It takes place in WWI war trenches and camps. In the middle of the bloody battle field, the soldiers have more to worry about than just the enemy. The watchful caring nurses are slowing turning into cannibal creatures with bird-like beaked mouths with sharp teeth watching over their prey like evil nightingales ready for a meal.
Story-5, Atmosfear-5, Fear Factor-5
WINTER'S NIGHT- Believe it or not, this is the first graveyard haunted house Universal has done in the 21 years of HHN. As far as pure atmosphere goes, this is the best one. Again, they have turned the temperature way down to give you the feeling you are going through and graveyard in the dead of winter. You enter the building and see the ominous gates of the graveyard with snow adorning the trees, the lanterns with blue lights, and the Victorian era stagecoach. Everything looks and feels so crisp. The blue lights from the lanterns help keep the ghosts and undead away, but once the blue lights are gone, you've got a problem. You see everything you would expect to see in a graveyard, ghosts, graves, mausoleum, caskets. At one point you see a few bricks have been knocked out of a wall and you can peek through and see a gorgeous view of the entire graveyard similar to a shadowbox, but be forewarned, there is something behind the wall waiting for you to look in!
Story-4, Atmosfear-5, Fear Factor-5
H.R. BLOODENGUTZ HOLIDAYS OF HORROR- Your host for this house is H.R. Bloodengutz who is a campy B-horror movie host just like Elvira. For the first time ever, there is a thirty minute pre-show movie that shows on the outside of the queue hosted by Bloodengutz himself previewing the horror movies that take place on every holiday imaginable. Before each different room in this house, there is a fifties style television set playing a static broadcast of H.R. Bloodengutz intro to the movie you are about to walk in to. The holidays you get to experience are: Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Fourth of July, President's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course Christmas complete with a beheaded Santa Claus, a murdered Mrs. Claus and rabid elves with guns!
Story-5, Atmosfear-5, Fear Factor-5
(9/19/11) Universal Orlando held an official ‘TweetUp” the other day for HHN fans, where they confirmed the rumors about video projection mapping effects being added for the Acid Assault to make it look like the acid is eating away at the buildings in front of your eyes. During a Q&A session, the response to questions about possibly having HHN take over two parks, or even moving back to IOA even again were interesting. They seemed to think that it was only a matter of time before HHN would bridge over into IOA once again, and confirmed that as of this point, they can’t even guarentee with HHN will set down in 2013.
For a more complete report with some pictures check out Orlando United
(9/16/11) A final package from Lady Luck arrived this evening... and unlike the previous small flat packages, this one was much larger. Join in as I open the FINAL PACKAGE from Lady Luck... joined by Kerry on the camera, all while little Mackenize wanders in at the right moment to see what lurks inside. It’s epic...
(9/8/11) A reader has sent in some great shots of the various props going into the park for HHN 21, including a number of acid damaged items. Universal Orlando has also sent out a fun picture showing off an encounter between Tyra Banks and Lady Luck. Meanwhile Orlando United has also confirmed that a new app dedicated to HHN will premier starting September 23rd.
(9/7/11) According to the Orlando Sentinel, HHN 21 goers are finally in for something they’ve been waiting a couple of years for… the confirmed operation of the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit roller coaster. Unfortunately, there will be no special alternate or secret tracks added for HHN, which is just disappointing as they just announced the addition of extra tracks for Rock the Universe.
(8/31/11) Just as I was about to publish tonight’s update, an important message came from through Universal Orlando, with a link to a special video where the Show Director of HHN 21 was instructed to give us all the gory details about HHN 21 before the rest of the world. Lets Start with the 8 New Mazes!
Nevermore: The Madness of Poe - Become Trapped in the Darkness and Insanity of Edgar Allan Poe
The Forsaken - Become surrounded by the vengeful souls of the fourth condemned ship that set sail with Christopher Columbus.
H. R. Blood & Guts Present: Holidays of Horror - A Scare-A-Thon of Holiday Based Horror Films Starring You.
The Thing - What more do you need to know? It’s awesome and based on the new upcomming horror film / prequel of the John Carpenter classic from the ‘80s.
Saws & Steam: Into the Machine - The first ever Scare Zone to evolve into a full house.
The Inbetween - A 3D Haunt, pass through a portal and into your worst nightmare.
Winters Night: The Haunting of Hawthorn Cemetery - Angry Spirits, big Cemetery, what more do you need to know?
Nightingale’s Blood Prey - Where bloodthirsy banshee’s come to feed.
HHN 21 will also have 6 all new Scare Zones and before he can reveal much more... we’re introduced to the finally confirmed icon for the year... Lady Luck... who quickly takes matters into her own hands. Now go check out the official HHN21 website, as the portal has justed opened to everyone.
 Feb. 2012 - Blue Man Group - (1/26/12) Universal Orlando confirmed that an all new Blue Man Group show will open this February. The new show will include some of your favorite bits from the old show mixed with new ideas as they explore the world’s obsession with cutting edge technology.
(1/25/12) While there is no way to know if any of these new acts may be added to the revamped Blue Man Group show yet, a reader did sent us a link to an early 2011 promotional video showing off several new acts. Chances are, some of these may be added to the existing Universal show, though it looks like most of these will depend upon the addition of the three huge GIPads. If you need another reason to suspect a possible show change it’s interesting that the Blue Man Group Insider Facebook page says that they will release details today about an official Fan Meeting taking place on March 3rd in Orlando.
(1/24/12) Blue Man Group fans… be warned. The Blue Man Group show at Universal Orlando is now currently dark (closed) until shows resume on February 9th. An brief annual dark period is normal for high end shows like this as it gives time for some of the cast and crew to take vacations, it also gives the theater time to upgrade it’s equipment and maybe even change up the show a little bit. Check out the details over at Examiner.
Feb. 2012 - Hollywood Drive-In Golf - (1/30/12) AmusementPics has posted a new impressive collection of pictures of the Hollywood Drive-In Golf courses at CitiWalk.
(1/26/12) Universal has confirmed that the Hollywood Drive-In Golf attraction will be ready to open in February.
(1/23/12) A few more pictures of the Hollywood Drive-In Mini Golf course have been posted to Orlando Rocks this week.
(1/19/12) Florida Thrills has posted a few new pictures of the Hollywood Drive-In Mini Golf course progress.
(1/16/12) Orlando Rocks has posted new pictures from the Hollywood Drive-In Golf range at CitiWalk where the main new sign has now gone into place at the entrance.
(1/9/12) New construction pictures of the Hollywood Drive-In Mini Golf course can be found over at Orlando Rocks this week.
(1/3/12) You can find the latest construction pics from the Hollywood Drive-In Mini Golf course posted at Orlando Rocks this week.
(12/27/11) A new construction update on the new Mini Golf course has been posted to Orlando United this week.
(12/5/11) Florida Thrills has posted some new photos of the Hollywood Drive mini golf courses going in at CitiWalk this week.
(12/2/11) A few new pictures of the Mini Golf course going up at CityWalk, as well as a look at some of the resorts Christmas decorations have been posted to the Alexx & Marissa Around Orlando Blog this week. Check it out.
(11/28/11) Orlando Rocks has posted a ton of new construction pictures of the new mini golf going up at CityWalk this week where you can get a good look at the giant robot and haunted house structures going up.
(10/5/11) A new construction report from the CitiWalk mini golf project can be found over at Florida Thrills.
(9/26/11) New pictures of the Hollywood Drive-In Golf course in CitiWalk have been posted to MyTravelingMouse this week.
(9/19/11) Orlando Rocks has posted a few new photos of the Mini Golf course project under construction at CitiWalk. From what I’ve heard the large central structures on each side of the bridge being built will likely be for the ‘icon’ type structures to represent the theme for each of the two courses. We’ll see a bit haunted house structure to go with the horror movie themed side, and a giant robot with a golf-ball looking head for the SciFi movie themed side.
(9/13/11) A new construction update from the CitiWalk mini-golf site has been posted to Orlando United this week.
(9/1/11) Orlando Rocks has posted a new construction update from the new Mini Golf project going in at CitiWalk. Check it out.
(8/3/11) A new set of construction pictures for the Hollywood Drive-In Mini Golf course can be found at Florida Thrills.
(7/25/11) Orlando United takes a peek at the latest construction progress on the Hollywood Drive Mini-Golf course at Universal CitiWalk.
(7/18/11) Another photo update from the mini-golf construction site can be found at Coaster101 this week.
(7/11/11) All new pictures of the Mini-Golf course under construction at CityWalk can be found at Orlando Rocks this week.
(6/20/11) Construction for the new Mini-Golf attraction at Universal CityWalk has started. You can find a bunch of good pictures posted to Orlando Rocks this week.
(5/13/11) More details about the Hollywood Drive-In Golf attraction coming to CityWalk next year can be found here, describing the Sci-Fi and Hollywood Blockbuster style themeing that will be used. One course will be called The Haunting of Ghostly Greens while the other will be Invaders from Planet Putt, each will feature cutting edge effects, themed elements and LED edge lighting on the course. It will be located just below the first level next to the AMC Theater, which sounds like it will take the place of the Valet parking area you pass as you enter CityWalk.
While this sounds very cool… I do have to chime in with one request I’d love to see if Universal was going to take the FEC entertainment route. How about a high-end laser tag experience (or paintball if your willing) in high-quality Hollywood style sets, inspired from famous action and Sci-Fi movies? Aliens anyone?
(5/12/11) Universal Orlando sent out a Tweet earlier today announcing that Hollywood Drive-In Golf, a 36-hole mini-golf course, will be added to CityWalk by early 2012.
Summer 2012 - Wet ‘n Wild New Attraction - (1/27/12) A few new details about the unnamed sand-castle themed water fortress attraction were mentioned in this News13 report. The giant castle structure will stand an impressive 60 feet into the air and will be built on the site of the current “Kids Park” attraction. This is the area directly to the left of the main entrance, sitting in the shadow of the Mach 5 slide tower.
Universal also claims a unique feature that I’m sure all parents will be glad to know about… it will feature only one exit, making it easier for parents to keep track of their children. I’m a bit confused myself as to how this will work, as there are numerous slides leading away from the fortress in all directions, so I can only assume that they may be planning on surrounding the entire play area with a barrier of some kind, so that there is only one way in or out of the entire attraction area, keeping the little ones from wandering off.
(1/26/12) Wet ‘n Wild will open a giant new water fortress attraction themed to look like a giant sand castle. The play area will feature 15 slides and over 100 water soakers, cannons, jets, etc. Look for this to open in Summer 2012.
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2015/2016 - New Waterpark - Rumor - (3/17/11) Over the years I’ve talked on and off about the long term plan for Universal to build their very own on-site waterpark. This is because the land under Wet ‘n Wild was only leased to the park when it was built back in the mid ‘70s, and the clock has been ticking down towards the inevitable expiration date of the deal. While no one with solid knowledge of the deal has ever come forward to give an official answer about just how long the lease was for, several years ago I did read a report in the Orlando Business Journal that did confirm that the land owners would not be looking to sign another long term lease deal.
Why bring this up again? Because a few days before the Blackstone news broke, I had started to hear rumblings about possible preparations beginning again to get the official plan for this new on-site waterpark in development again. The plans would drop the new waterpark onto that remaining vacant site across the street from the backside of Ripsaw Falls and the big Jurassic Park building.
This time they are apparently not just in a Blue-Sky dreaming mode, as they have been previously when submitting a few guest surveys to find out just what kind of waterpark experience the public expected from the Universal brand name. If the rumors are true, the idea this time may be to put a solid entry for the waterpark project into the new 5-year Masterplan that Universal is working on as a follow up to the Potter-verse.
Five years is also an important date that may fit well into the scheme of things. While Wet ‘n Wild Orlando opened in 1977, the lease on the land would have likely been signed the year before (1976) which would make 2011 the 35th year of the lease. Many long term lease deals use rounded numbers, and while this is just speculation, 2016 would be year 40, and a good possible year for the lease to end. Again, this is all just speculation… but I’ve got a good feeling about this possible timeline. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, as the current ownership shifts taking place between Comcast and Blackstone could cause some major ripples here.
(7/10/10) Universal Orlando is conducting a survey online that asks a lot of questions about a possible new blue sky waterpark concept. It claims that they don’t have anything planned yet, but are using this to find out what people think about waterparks for “when a project does come up”. Well we all know the lease on the property Wet ‘n Wild sits on will eventually expire or just become too cost prohibitive, so the fact that Universal is fishing for waterpark ideas and freeback is a good sign.
Overall they seem interesting in what the public’s perception of an official Universal themed waterpark would be, and what it should have. Should they have attractions tied into movies and entertainment properties? If so, they want suggestions as to what you would like to see, so go give them your ideas.
(8/2/07) Today we have to discuss the fate of Wet ‘n Wild. It’s been a few years since anyone talked about this, but the latest rumors claim that the end of the road for Wet ‘n Wild may be in sight. For those who need a little history lesson, I confirmed a few years back that the property under Wet ‘n Wild is actually not owned by the park or Universal, but was part of a land lease deal signed by the creators of Wet ‘n Wild back before it opened in 1977.
Even today no one really knows for sure just how long the term of the lease was for, but shortly after I uncovered that fact one of the local Orlando papers did their own research to contact the property owners who confirmed that there was little chance of them signing a deal to renew the lease due to the increased value of the property and it’s key location on I-Drive that could be put to better (and more profitable) uses. An older article in the Orlando Sentinel about Aquatica once mentions that the terms of their lease start to change in 2007 and the price is expected to rise through the roof by 2012.
The bottom line… Wet ‘n Wild is living on borrowed time. This has led many to speculate about when and if Universal Orlando may take the next step to build their own new water park on their own resort property. It’s also been noted that all of the “new attractions” added to the waterpark over the last few years have either been rehabs of older attractions (The lazy river, The Blast) or larger above ground attractions (Storm, Disco H2O, Brain Wash) that would be fairly simple to move to a new location when the time comes.
These days the rumor mill has picked up once again claiming that 2009 could very well be the last summer for Wet ‘n Wild. If this is true, then my best guess may be that Wet ‘n Wild signed a 35 year lease possibly as early as 1975 which could come to an end in 2010. Remember that the park will need time to remove their property from the site, so you can see where the 2009 closure idea may be coming from.
Keep in mind that other than the fact that there is a ticking clock… everything else is just speculation right now. For all we know the park may have another 10 years left on their lease… or they could already be in some kind of overtime extension where the fees grow higher and higher each additional year. If the end is near, I’m sure we’ll hear more about this very soon and Universal is likely to promote this fact to drive up attendance in the final season when they find themselves up against the new waterpark on the block, Aquatica.
Late 2013 - New Resort - Rumor - (1/30/12) Early word is that Universal Orlando may be working with their hotel partner (Lowes Hotels) on finalizing plans to open a forth resort hotel by the end of 2013 in one of the empty lots beyond the Royal Pacific. More than likely, they may opt to build this resort of the bigger plot of land, which is also the furthest one away, directly behind the giant Jurassic Park ride building.
The rumored theme of this resort may be a 1960’s era California ocean side resort hotel with a heavy surfing theme. The Surfing theme may be played up quite a bit here, with the creation of an on-site waterpark for hotel guests that will include an abundance of surf wave equipment (wave pool, stationary surf waves, etc). From what I’m hearing, a surfing lesion may even may be included as part of the experience for hotel guests. Even better news, it seems the price point they are shooting for with this new hotel may be to fit in more with Disney’s Moderate resort level price point.
In a previous master plan amendment filed with the city back in 2007, they did identify both of the empty lots beyond the Royal Pacific as future resort sites. The closest site (labeled Site D) was planned to have an 800 room, 8-story tall hotel structure, while the bigger site we’re talking about here (Site E) was to hold a proposed 1800 room resort with 16-story tall hotel tower wings branching off a central structure. The plan at the time did show that Universal intended to expand the river system to allow for transportation to these two new hotel projects. (This was the same master plan where they revealed the apartment complex that was built behind the Jaws area and The Promenade at Universal Plaza office complex that went in across from the Hess station.)
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