Time For Some Rumors

[DizneyFreak2002]

Time to toss out a rumor for us to discuss...

For some time now, there has been rumblings and rumors of a water park coming to Universal Orlando... But nothing ever happened, and there was never any inkling of it happening... That is, until now...

People may get confused... "Didn't Comcast/Universal buy Wet N Wild outright?" Why yes they did... They now own the land under WnW, as well as some surrounding land... They are no longer renting it out... Which led to speculation... Will the new water park go where WnW is? Is WnW's days numbers? Would anyone miss it????? And if WnW does go, what replaces it?

Well, the new water park is NOT going to go over on the land where WnW current sits... The new water park will go next to a plot of undeveloped land just south of Cabana Bay Beach Resort...

The name of the water park, currently working name, is WonderSea.. A name which has been tossed around on fan sites before... I believe Universal copyrighted the name, but I could be wrong as I haven't looked the information up on copyright sites...

The current proposed icon for the water park? A 160' to 200' high erupting volcano... Or at least a volcano... Not sure if it is erupting or not...

Rumored completion date and opening wouldn't be until 2017 which means WnW's days aren't numbered just yet...

So, what do you all think? Good idea for a water park in Universal? How do you feel about it being up close and personal with Cabana Bay?

Personally, I like the idea, but not sure how a volcano and Cabana Bay beach Resort would mesh.. UNLESS, Cabana Bay Beach was supposed to be a Pacific Ocean beach resort, and the volcano represents the Pacific Ring of Fire...

[hauntedmansiongirl]

That would be awesome! Thanks for keeping us updated! As my DH has been saying lately, Universal is becoming so amazing, Disney really needs to step up their game! :)

[Crow]

interesting. still have never gone to the WDW waterparks in all my trips so idk if I would go to universal one, but that might put some more pressure on Dis.

[DizneyFreak2002]

interesting. still have never gone to the WDW waterparks in all my trips so idk if I would go to universal one, but that might put some more pressure on Dis.

I never do water parks, and more than likely won't do Universal's either... But I suspect, if they do build it where I stated above (next to Cabana Bay), I can see it doing very well... Mostly resort guests of course, probably few locals as well, but not many... The water park really helps round Universal into a multi-day destination and a complete resort, instead of just a side visit...

[BrerGnat]

That sounds pretty unlikely. Wet and Wild is a long established water park and it does very well, from what I understand. If Universal owns it, why would they build another water park within stone's throw? Also, isn't Aquatica right there, along with Coco Key Resort? Another water park would be overkill, I think. Unless they did something completely groundbreaking that has never been done before to bring people there, I just don't see the draw.

[goofy for pluto]

"Another water park would be overkill, I think."...BrerGnat
Possibly they have a different plan for the Wet and Wild location.. I could see them leaving that open until the new water park is built, and then announcing something totally new for the area where Wet and Wild is now.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Looking more and more like the water park rumor is turning into a reality... Universal just copyrighted the name Volcano Bay in relation to amusement/water park services... Volcano Bay is expected to be one component to the park, which is still rumored to be named WonderSea Island...

[PirateLover]

I think the market can sustain another top notch water park. Coco Key, if it's anything like the one around here, is not that big. It's not really a destination park as much as a mega perk for staying at the accompanying resort. My in-laws live in FL and love water parks. They'll do water park only weekends at WDW and I'm sure they aren't the only locals who do things like that. I think it's a good thing.

[Mfarquar]

That sounds pretty unlikely. Wet and Wild is a long established water park and it does very well, from what I understand. If Universal owns it, why would they build another water park within stone's throw? Also, isn't Aquatica right there, along with Coco Key Resort? Another water park would be overkill, I think. Unless they did something completely groundbreaking that has never been done before to bring people there, I just don't see the draw.

As someone who has been spending more and more time at the Universal resorts/staying on-site, this water park would attract me. Although I have never gone to Aquatica, Wet N' Wild and Coco Key Resort, something withing a shuttle or walking distance on the property would be something we would check out.

Also, as someone who lives outside of Florida, Wet N' Wild has never struck me as the kind of unique attraction for me to take time out of my vacation for - in fact, I've often heard that it's a bit long in the tooth. HOWEVER, a new, Universal-created water park piques my interest as a potential consumer.

I am curious to see what Universal will do with this - if the quality and innovation of their most recent attractions is any indication, I'd say this project has great promise.

I have to agree with other posters - similar to Disney's strategy, it's all about keeping guests on the property or at the very least, enticing them to purchase multi-tickets that lead to increased spending on F&B, souvenirs, etc. A multi-ticket also commits guests to NOT visiting the competition. Smart move Universal!

As for the Wet N' Wild park and property, I'd venture this purchase goes way beyond operating a park that is presumably not losing money. It is all about the land - something Universal needs to gobble up! I'd say this is a potential location for future hotel/s, attraction or park.

[DizneyFreak2002]

The rumors, the rumors, they are flying!!!

Diagon alley has opened up with a not ready for prime time attraction (Gringotts), and yet, they are still experiencing high crowds...

So, where does that leave us? Well, Kong construction has started... The JP archway has been removed and will soon be relocated to make way for Skull Island's entrance...Kong should be the 2015 attraction...

Land prep has started for what is rumored to be the area for the water park and resort expansions... The resort expansions aren't rumor as Universal has filed the plans... The water park hasn't been announced yet, so we can still classify that as rumor at this point (same with Kong technically)...

So, latest batch of rumors???? Here they are:

San Francisco area will be gone and replaced.. With what? No one is saying....

KidZone replacement will begin after HHN (or somewhere around that time frame)... ET and Animal Actors are the only safe attractions/venues... Everything else going bye bye...

Fear Factor closing sometime soon as well... Making way for, rumor has it, more Potter (Ministry of Magic)...

The plot near MIB is larger than the area Diagon was built on... And is being looked at (which some backstage movement happening already)... But what will go there? A sci-fi area maybe? Star Trek anyone?

Fast and the Furious is also rumored to find its way into the park... Maybe this is the San Fran replacement? No idea...

And here is one which will blow away Disney fans... Especially those who think Disney wants Marvel in WDW... Universal has recently pitched a ride to Disney/Marvel based on either Iron Man or Avengers... The ride is said to be an indoor launch flying coaster... Never done before... Flying coasters have (think Manta in SeaWorld or Superman's Flight in Six Flags Great Adventure)... Indoors because they want to add full detail and immersion and huge sets... it wouldn't be Rock N Roller coaster with card board cut outs painted with black light... This would be fully detailed, immersive sets... The rumored area for this attraction to go would be Toon Lagoon stage, setting the stage for Toon Lagoon's days to be numbered...

Interesting that MSHI may be expanded huh? Oh and before someone says can't happen, Disney won't allow it, it can happen and Disney really cannot stop it... BUT that doesn't mean it will happen now or in the future... it was a pitch for possible plans, providing Comcast/Uni wants to expand MSHI in the future..

[kbean]

Whoa. I got chills over the Ironman ride. Been dying to ride a flying coaster and the set sounds amazing if they do a full on detail.

And SI sounds awesome. I was hoping Kong would be back.

Universal has such a small area to work with. My GF parents live walking distance to Universal. I just cant see where all this will go. But there is construction everywhere. Imagine if they had Disney acres. The things they could do with that piece of land....

As much as i like Potter, I hope Harry doesnt over take the park.

Id like to see them tap into the horror movies more. Do a zombie ride along the lines of the Mummy. A dark ride/coaster. I love that ride. Just too short. Or a horror movie land which features popular characters. A ride through a foggy Elm Street and nightmare. Or opening Pandora' s box into the world of Pinface. An area full of scares all year long.

But then they'd do something silly and have Freddy Kruegers Christmas sing along during the holidays.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Id like to see them tap into the horror movies more. Do a zombie ride along the lines of the Mummy. A dark ride/coaster. I love that ride. Just too short. Or a horror movie land which features popular characters. A ride through a foggy Elm Street and nightmare. Or opening Pandora' s box into the world of Pinface. An area full of scares all year long.
They had plans to do a Van Helsing ride, using the Kuka arms currently in Forbidden Journey... But the movie didn't do so well so that idea went out the window...

An island dedicated to the Universal Monsters would be pretty awesome... I just don't see it happening though... Lost Continent will wind up one of two things: Willy Wonka (already pitched) or more Potter (Fantastic Beasts possibly)... I bet more Potter.. gotta milk the cash cow!!!

Toon Lagoon is the rumored spot for Lords of the Rings.. problem is getting the rights to the IP... Tolkiens aren't so easy to deal with...

Newest rumor:

Third gate is pretty much planned... But where? Well, they would have to buy land obviously.. OR maybe just buy a dying theme park???? Buy a theme park in Orlando which the ownership group as destroyed... Same ownership group which destroyed Universal before unloading it... Blackstone owns SeaWorld... SeaWorld is dying a slow death... Rumors have kicked around that Comcast may be eying buying SeaWorld... Ready made third gate...

Remember, please, these are rumors so lets treat them as such and not as news or confirmations of things happening for certain...

Universal has 3-5 years planned and paid for already so at least 5 years worth of projects are greenlit... It is anyone's guess as to what those projects are... We know Kong... We know KidZone is going... We just don't know when it goes or what KidZone will become...

[Roger's #1 Fan]

Yep, now that DA is open and Kong is underway the rumor mill has swung into high gear.

Regarding SeaWorld, I heard another interesting concept where Uni would build out on one side of the property and make it into an animal related section, thus creating an AK type park with both land and sea animals. Sounds kind of blue sky to me considering BG and AK are already in the area but you never know!

[DizneyFreak2002]

Yep, now that DA is open and Kong is underway the rumor mill has swung into high gear.

Regarding SeaWorld, I heard another interesting concept where Uni would build out on one side of the property and make it into an animal related section, thus creating an AK type park with both land and sea animals. Sounds kind of blue sky to me considering BG and AK are already in the area but you never know!

Now THAT would be interesting... But yes, all blue sky and just rumors at the moment... Maybe more internet fanboy dreams and wishes... Until they buy SeaWorld, and there has not been any indication they are (but these things do happen behind closed doors for the most part), it is just that... But hey, fun to wish, dream, and discuss the possibilities....

[Roger's #1 Fan]

Being a SciFi fan, the Star Trek rumors are the most interesting to me.
Talk of a Sci-Fi City concept (like US Japan) with an immersive Trek environment similar to the one that was in Las Vegas has me ready to go!!

[MizMissy]

Now THAT would be interesting... But yes, all blue sky and just rumors at the moment... Maybe more internet fanboy dreams and wishes... Until they buy SeaWorld, and there has not been any indication they are (but these things do happen behind closed doors for the most part), it is just that... But hey, fun to wish, dream, and discuss the possibilities....

Are the rumors to buy just SeaWorld Orlando or buying all of SeaWorld? It doesn't seem like it would be beneficial for Blackstone to sell only Orlando.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Are the rumors to buy just SeaWorld Orlando or buying all of SeaWorld? It doesn't seem like it would be beneficial for Blackstone to sell only Orlando.

The online fanboy wishes, dreams, and rumors are SeaWorld Orlando... There was nothing from Uni or Comcast which even suggested they were, in fact buying or interested in buying...

They do have plans for a 3rd gate... They have things fleshed out... But, we won't see any 3rd gate for a while... if ever... Plans change... Before they even think about a 3rd gate, they need to get their hotels done and the work inside IOA and USO completed first...

[Roger's #1 Fan]

Agreed. They need to build-out the last hotel plot between CBBR and PF to add more on-site room capacity and provide more attractions to make them more than a 2+ day destination. Right now, with their current configuration, an on-site guest with Express (excludes CBBR) and early entry can easily see every single attraction in the span of 2 days.

[vallerii]

For some reason it's sticking in my heard that I head years ago that the WonderSea idea was going to somehow compete or relate to Sea World....so more than just a "water slide" type park.

I'd always imagined some sort of waterpark/marine life/discovery island type of place.

[BIGDOG]

Sorry for being off topic ahead of time.
My question is the new King KONG ride under construction; is it 100% fact going to happen and if so is there a estimate opening date?

[Mfarquar]

Totally a timely question! They have broken ground and have already moved the Jurassic Park gate (it's not going anywhere far - just a new location that makes sense with the flow of foot traffic to the JP attraction). I believe they broke ground in early June and the area has mostly been cleared of foliage.

If you do some searching on blog sites, you can see great photos of some of the dirt getting pushed around behind the construction fences. Not much to see just yet, but they're well underway!

I used to love the old Orlando Kong ride as a kid - the queue was crazy cool! I'm glad to see that the king is returning :)

[DizneyFreak2002]

Sorry for being off topic ahead of time.
My question is the new King KONG ride under construction; is it 100% fact going to happen and if so is there a estimate opening date?

Ground is broken... prep is complete... Vertical construction could be happening at any time... Probably after summer..

Opening date? Nothing in stone... They have announced a reboot of the Kong franchise with the movie Skull Mountain coming out in, 2016... I wouldn't be surprised to see the mini-land and attraction opening right before or in conjunction with the movie...

Late 2015 seems to be the date tossed around online... But reality is, no one knows...

[GoBlueLacheta]

An Immersive experience with cutting edge new thrills and the ability to reach a large range of the age spectrum at the same time ? This battle even in the rumor mill seems to be drastically tipping the scale Universal's way.

So say even 1/4 of those listed rumors become reality…HP and LOTR in the same venue vs. Avatar and possibly a small Star Wars expansion ? Give me a break. It would be game over.

Geographically for IoA it would make sense that Lost Continent would go by the wayside into a newly adapted Jurassic Park area with Kong and the River Adventure headlining and Toon Lagoon to be the HP expansion at Islands.

[DizneyFreak2002]

An Immersive experience with cutting edge new thrills and the ability to reach a large range of the age spectrum at the same time ? This battle even in the rumor mill seems to be drastically tipping the scale Universal's way.

So say even 1/4 of those listed rumors become reality…HP and LOTR in the same venue vs. Avatar and possibly a small Star Wars expansion ? Give me a break. It would be game over.

Geographically for IoA it would make sense that Lost Continent would go by the wayside into a newly adapted Jurassic Park area with Kong and the River Adventure headlining and Toon Lagoon to be the HP expansion at Islands.

I think you may have your areas mixed up...

Lost Continent isn't by Jurassic Park... it is by Potter and Seuss... LC is rumored to become more Potter... Kong is going right next door to Jurassic Park, in the expansion pad behind Thunder Falls Terrace...

Toon Lagoon, if it goes away (and it is on the chopping block), is not by Potter... Toon Lagoon is between Marvel and Jurassic Park... And that area is where fans are thinking LOTR (if Universal gets the rights) will go...

[Mfarquar]

I hope Toon Lagoon doesn't go :(

I know it's a strong possibility, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it sticks around.

I think Dudley Do-Right has a great drop (even with the stupid lap bars) and my husband and I LOVE Popeye. It's just high on the fun factor, a great way to cool off, very different than the other options on the property and most of all, is one the BEST places for people watching in the world. NO ONE ever believes that they will get as wet as they actually do and that makes for some really funny results. Hey, we try to warn them :) Seriously, on a hot day, we can ride it like 7 times in a row - we have some of the FUNNIEST vacation stories from that ride.

[MizMissy]

I hope Toon Lagoon doesn't go :(

I know it's a strong possibility, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it sticks around.

I think Dudley Do-Right has a great drop (even with the stupid lap bars) and my husband and I LOVE Popeye. It's just high on the fun factor, a great way to cool off, very different than the other options on the property and most of all, is one the BEST places for people watching in the world. NO ONE ever believes that they will get as wet as they actually do and that makes for some really funny results. Hey, we try to warn them :) Seriously, on a hot day, we can ride it like 7 times in a row - we have some of the FUNNIEST vacation stories from that ride.

I agree completely! Our group loves these rides. Also, because the hotels are so close to the parks, many times, after spending the morning in the parks and resting at the hotel/pool, we will head to IOA in the afternoon just to ride the water rides over and over and over. (This is also when the kids head over to Jurassic Park to stand next to the big splash and really get soaked.) When we are tired of being in wet clothes, it's a fairly quick walk back to the hotel to change.

[Mfarquar]

That's so true! You really don't mind getting wet because you're so close to the hotel. It's even really convenient to wear a bathing suit and board shorts in the morning and then change later in the afternoon back at the hotel. I also think that Popeye is a really nice option for guests of IoA that aren't fans of the more thrilling rides.

Jurassic Park is also a good point to bring up. We usually go on that simply because we're already wet. It's nice having a group of water rides that makes it "worth it" to get so wet (vs. just 1 ride like Kali River Rapids at AK where it seems like a bother to get soaked for just 1 quick experience).

I'm not a fan of LOTR and I personally feel it's not as accessible to the non-fan as Harry Potter is (I'm not a big fan either in that I haven't read any of the books and have only seen about 1 and a half of the movies). Yet, there's something special HP has that really appeals to a giant audience. I'm not sure if this is also true for LOTR, although I know first-hand of the loyalty of the hard-core fans as my husband's old company developed one of the most popular LOTR video games. Good luck to Universal keeping that detailed-conscious/by-the-book group happy! I am not sure if it is possible!

[Melanie]

King Kong confirmed today by Comcast.

[NJGIRL]

King Kong confirmed today by Comcast.

Loved the original. I have faith that they will be able to out due themselves. Can't wait!

[DizneyFreak2002]

Loved the original. I have faith that they will be able to out due themselves. Can't wait!
Game changer... :)

That will be what, three game changers in Universal now? :)

[NJGIRL]

I still enjoy Disney attractions but IMO they have been stale for quite some time now. Nothing exciting or cutting edge for a long time. For me the last new attraction with the "wow" factor was Soarin and that was what 10 years ago.

Universal has continually added exciting attractions for the past 10 years.

I can only guess that the management at Universal has specific goals and plan to go after them aggressively.

I don't get what the management at Disney is trying to do. Adding "meet and greets" instead of attractions is just lazy or cheap, not sure which one drives them to these decisions. Even the attractions they have added or re-purposed are just OK.

Add the fact that Universal is a more relaxed vacation (not planning every minute of your trip180 days in advance). And everything in one location (no transportation needed). More and more people are going to start visiting.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Universal is building and growing... Disney rests on their laurels and sells nostalgia... They are no longer the leaders in theme park technology... They aren't viewed that way in the industry any longer... Universal is taking chances... Disney plays it safe... Disney no longer takes chances..

Avatar's D ticket (Sorry can't call it an E), is strictly Soarin only in 3D... Nothing exciting there... And a jungle cruise style boat ride... again, nothing too exciting...

My hopes are dwindling for something exciting with Star Wars....