So when will the Kid Zone closures begin?

[Ryan]

Nobody said it was all going at once...

 

[deathcab4cutie]

nope i see kid-zone for the most part staying till late 2018.They might start tearing down backstage stuff but all things in front stay.

 

[Paulio]

Honestly, even if Kidzone is not going anytime soon, it really needs a revamp. It has the lowest foot of traffic out of any lands at Universal Studios Florida and no one goes there, it's boring as hell. Put something really useful there instead of just limiting to kids under the age of 10.

 

[JungleSkip]

Honestly, even if Kidzone is not going anytime soon.

It's going to be Super Nintendo World, whether it closes next week or next month or next year, it's gonna be Nintendo

 

[Scott W.]

Honestly, even if Kidzone is not going anytime soon, it really needs a revamp. It has the lowest foot of traffic out of any lands at Universal Studios Florida and no one goes there, it's boring as hell. Put something really useful there instead of just limiting to kids under the age of 10.

I think that UOR as a whole is a bit more teen/adult oritentated, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to have an area only for under 10s.

 

[jrn14]

We explored KidZone a bit this October and I was pretty surprised by the amount of people back there. The park wasn't that busy overall and there were a lot of little ones there having fun. I'm excited for Nintendo to takeover, which is coming soon, but I wouldn't say the area was a ghost town by any means. Our Animal Actors show was decently attended.

 

[captainmoch]

Not sure where else to post this, but at this point, my expected timetable for rest of these closures is:
- FFL lasts until after the holidays, than shutters just as the new year starts.
- KidZone closes very shortly after F&F formally opens.
- Shrek closes shortly after Labor Day.

So timeline-wise, my overall guess for USF's next five years is:
2018 - FFL closes in January, Fast and Furious opens in Spring, KidZone closes shortly after, CineSpec replacement starts in Summer, Shrek closes in Fall.
2019 - T2 replacement opens in Spring, Forbidden Forest opens in Summer, a clone of USJ's new parade opens in Summer (total spitball), and Ministry of Magic opens late Fall.
2020 - Secret Life of Pets opens in Spring, Men in Black closes shortly after.
2021 - Super Nintendo World opens in Summer, Simpsons Ride closes for upgrade (another total spitball).
2022 - Pokemon opens in Summer, Simpsons Ride reopens.

 

[GAcoaster]

I got to talk to one of my insiders today and it looks more and more like EVERYTHING for Nintendo has been pushed back by a year. The impression they got was there is some kind of trouble between what Nintendo wants and what Universal was giving them. Not sure how true any of it is, but the management level TMs from Kid Zone are not expecting it to close for another year now.

 

[quinnmac000]

I got to talk to one of my insiders today and it looks more and more like EVERYTHING for Nintendo has been pushed back by a year. The impression they got was there is some kind of trouble between what Nintendo wants and what Universal was giving them. Not sure how true any of it is, but the management level TMs from Kid Zone are not expecting it to close for another year now.

Like Ride Ideas and concepts or more so which IPs being used?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I got to talk to one of my insiders today and it looks more and more like EVERYTHING for Nintendo has been pushed back by a year. The impression they got was there is some kind of trouble between what Nintendo wants and what Universal was giving them. Not sure how true any of it is, but the management level TMs from Kid Zone are not expecting it to close for another year now.

Yawn.

 

[Alicia]

Seems unlikely that would be the reasoning considering Nintendo already approved most of the land’s design for Japan, already under construction.

But thanks for relaying the info. Always interested to hear what TMs are thinking.

 

[JungleSkip]

I got to talk to one of my insiders today and it looks more and more like EVERYTHING for Nintendo has been pushed back by a year. The impression they got was there is some kind of trouble between what Nintendo wants and what Universal was giving them. Not sure how true any of it is, but the management level TMs from Kid Zone are not expecting it to close for another year now.

If that is the case Universal should be panicking a lot more than they are

 

[Ryan]

Yeah Japan already broke ground so it definitely wouldn't be that. But if it indeed has been delayed a year (I mean, we'll find out soon enough) then that's a total bummer.

 

[tielo]

I get the whole millennials reactions like "I want it NOW, I NEED it or I start a tantrum" (actually I don't). But in the end we all want the best Universal and Nintendo can be. When I look at game development at Nintendo they go for perfection, they build on ideas and development often take longer resulting in delays. As usual the millennials scream murder and stamp their little spoiled feets (as big pants gamers swallow their disappointment) but in the end it's always worth the wait.
As I said before, I expect this will not only the development of a theme park land but also the development of many games.

 

[Nick]

Honestly, I won't be surprised one bit if Kid Zone is still open for HHN next year and parade building being used again.

That's not based on any inside info, that's just how I feel about it at this point. If KZ doesn't close in January, I don't see it closing until after HHN next year.

 

[Joel]

As usual the millennials scream murder and stamp their little spoiled feets (as big pants gamers swallow their disappointment)

This was unnecessary - calling an entire generation spoiled shows your biases and undermines your opinions.

Honestly, I won't be surprised one bit if Kid Zone is still open for HHN next year and parade building being used again.

That's not based on any inside info, that's just how I feel about it at this point. If KZ doesn't close in January, I don't see it closing until after HHN next year.

EDIT: also what are you guys doing up so late.. HHN is over!

 

[Bobharlem]

It's interesting that the closing range discussed here, September 2017-Spring 2019. Pretty big range, if things did change it certainly appeared if HHN prepared for the possibility of the area closing.

I don't know how anyone could have expected it to close before all the new parade buildings were complete (superstar, Macys, and Mardi Gras Floats have to go somewhere). That's probably the best sign.

That said, I still think Jan 7th, 2018 (or fairly soon after all the parade buildings are complete)

For the original poster n i c k asking if it's good to take his daughter around Thanksgiving, the answer is yes.

 

[Andysol]

Honestly, I won't be surprised one bit if Kid Zone is still open for HHN next year and parade building being used again.

That's not based on any inside info, that's just how I feel about it at this point. If KZ doesn't close in January, I don't see it closing until after HHN next year.

I said it from the get-go Nick. If Universal has taught me anything- it’s that I’ll believe it when I see it. That goes for these alleged physical attractions too. Color me jaded.
And, yes, I realize there are people who will say I can calm my fears because they saw the plans- and while that might be true, they are the same people who said Kidzone would be closed by now.
I.e.- plans change

This was unnecessary - calling an entire generation spoiled shows your biases and undermines your opinions.

The worst living generation are the baby boomers. The creators of debt and divorce- and the epitome of being self-centered. Millenials are a dream compared to them. They didn’t even give us any good music outside of Springsteen.

That said- your reaction reinforces his point. It’s ok to generalize- there are exceptions to all rules. Part of the obnoxious things about millenials are their refusal to accept generalizations. Yes, not all milllenials are spoiled- but they are, as a whole, very spoiled. It’s like saying millennials, as a whole, value experiences over long-term financial planning. That’s not every millennial, but it does summarize them well- and it’s factual.

This coming from a fringe millennial (1983).

Whoa- talk about off-topic. Lol

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I get the whole millennials reactions like "I want it NOW, I NEED it or I start a tantrum" (actually I don't). But in the end we all want the best Universal and Nintendo can be. When I look at game development at Nintendo they go for perfection, they build on ideas and development often take longer resulting in delays. As usual the millennials scream murder and stamp their little spoiled feets (as big pants gamers swallow their disappointment) but in the end it's always worth the wait.
As I said before, I expect this will not only the development of a theme park land but also the development of many games.

Can you help me find my eyes? They rolled out of my head after I read this.

 

[Nick]

I said it from the get-go Nick. If Universal has taught me anything- it’s that I’ll believe it when I see it. That goes for these alleged physical attractions too. Color me jaded.
And, yes, I realize there are people who will say I can calm my fears because they saw the plans- and while that might be true, they are the same people who said Kidzone would be closed by now.
I.e.- plans change

I've always been of that belief with Kid Zone closing as well. It'll happen when it happens.

If I were to guess right now, I could easily push it out as far as January 2019 until it closes. Basically, if something doesn't close before HHN ends, it's probably not closing until January due to Holiday crowds. Multiple things just in the past few years have closed during HHN (Disaster!, Twister, T2), but the one thing that was scheduled to close after HHN ended (Beetlejuice) ended up getting an extended run due to holiday crowds.