Universal Orlando Resort Expansion (Part 1)

[Mad Dog]

I'm a UK visitor and we did a trip this August for 8 days, spending 2 days at Universal and 6 at Disney. After upgrading our 2 week £120 (Approx $180) Universal tickets to Universal Power Pass AP's for $30, we are heading back for 2 weeks of JUST Universal in Feb 2016. We're staying 2 weeks at Cabana Bay for about £750 ALL IN after discounts (Approx $1200).
We went to Guest Services at Disney and were told that it would cost us about $400 to upgrade our 2 week Disney tickets to AP's, which is a hell of a lot more money (That's before the current rise too).
I'll be honest, I am mostly SO looking forward to not having to plan 14 days of which park I will be at on which day, having to wake up at 05:00 UK time to book Fast Passes, make sure we're up for rope drop every day to ensure we get on a decent amount of rides etc. I'm just gonna chill and not feel guilty when we need a pool day to recover!
A small part of me will probably find it strange to have made such a long journey and not head to WDW even once, but I think that financially and from a POV of just 'felling like it's a vacation instead of a military planned operation', I think our future now lies exclusively with Uni, with Disney maybe done every 3 years, or after a new major attraction opens there (which could be even longer!).

That's nearly my exact view of things. We live in Pittsburgh though. We just went to WDW Caribbean Beach for 2 weeks for the first time in three years. We did two day trips to Universal. But during the previous three years we had spent anywhere from two to four weeks each year at Universal on site. We like Disney,it's fun, but it is not a relaxing vacation, and there's no nightlife. Pre planning, stroller & electric vehicle jammed pathways, reservations needed for everything, and distance between the parks making it difficult to take a mid day pool break in Florida's too hot temperatures form the basis for a hectic vacation. The two day trips we took to Universal were like a refreshing break and we really felt comfortable & at home. We even spent an afternoon having wine & lunch on Portofino's beautiful piazza. Next year it will be back to Universal for two weeks in the spring and two weeks in the fall. It will be a return to relaxation & leisure as opposed to the maddening pace at WDW. We spoke to a huge number of adult guests at Disney, a good portion of them Brits. To a person, they said they enjoyed Universal more than Disney now, especially the fact that the park walkways were not so congested with strollers & such and that you could do things at the spur of the moment instead of reserving & pre planning everything. Of course WDW will remain number one because of it's enormous size, superb marketing, and the nostalgia factor. But I think Universal will continue to increase their market share. And, it's important they stay away from the things that generate uncomfortable over crowding of the walkways, too long stand by lines, reservations needed for everything situations, and too sprawling of a resort. It's great when you can walk or take a short enjoyable boat ride to your every destination.

 

[Teebin]

I suppose the Skyplex thing would be an even bigger eyesore viewable from this property. Which makes it even more interesting since Universal has recently been so opposed to this.

Yep, it is just about the same distance. Are there any 50 story buildings in downtown Orlando? They all look more like 30 story to me. Update: Just looked and it appears that the SunTrust building is the tallest at 35 stories and 440'.

Those skyplex people are bonkers.

 

[MrRoamer]

Yep, it is just about the same distance. Are there any 50 story buildings in downtown Orlando? They all look more like 30 story to me. Update: Just looked and it appears that the SunTrust building is the tallest at 35 stories and 440'.

Those skyplex people are bonkers.

I thought the courthouse was the tallest building in downtown.

Edit: Nevermind as usual Teebin is right

 

[ThreePack Shagur]

Those skyplex people are bonkers.

I'm expecting it to be some kind of investment scheme.

 

[TheBig2na]

Any word on a buyer yet?

 

[Teebin]

Any word on a buyer yet?

November 18th or 19th is the auction.

 

[IzzyB]

I thought the courthouse was the tallest building in downtown.

Edit: Nevermind as usual Teebin is right

We finally found his weakness which is sports

 

[TheBig2na]

November 18th or 19th is the auction.

for crying out loud. My own thread and I go and stupid it up. my bad.

 

[Teebin]

On the other hand, it was Disneyhead that recently enlightened us that Viacom was interested in this land for a theme park and now we hear the announcement about the UK Paramount theme park. (Paramount is owned by Viacom). I guess they are a somewhat serious contender.

Who will get it?

 

[JungleSkip]

On the other hand, it was Disneyhead that recently enlightened us that Viacom was interested in this land for a theme park and now we hear the announcement about the UK Paramount theme park. (Paramount is owned by Viacom). I guess they are a somewhat serious contender.

Who will get it?

Paramount Park UK was announced years ago.

 

[Teebin]

Well well well... the land offered isn't as straight forward as I thought. Look at this chop suey ...

I am not as convinced at this point. Not sure why there are so many cut-outs around retention ponds, etc.

 

[ThreePack Shagur]

Wetland conservation is the reason.

 

[Teebin]

Wetland conservation is the reason.

Weeeeell... that isn't quite true in this case. Those retention ponds are brand new, created by the forclosed developer in the past 5-6 years. Theoretically they can be moved or modified by the new owners. See the backhoes and skid steers in the far right of the photo.

Only the canals and some forested areas are conservation and most of them in this (larger) area are owned by Universal to be protected in perpetuity. This probably happened way back when Universal owned all of this land.

That said, I really wonder why they didn't merely highlight over them in that diagram. Highlighting around them is messy and confusing.

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

So, I decided to google "street view" travel from the the Universal overpass down to this property that is coming up for auction. I was surprised at how few stop lights there were and how fast it was to get there. The only thing I was mortified by was how Universal Blvd drives right by the Orlando Eye. This had me deflated for a moment until I made the curve and traveled halfway down the property to the center of the convention center property. When I turned back looking across the land in question, I was pleased to see that the Eye was but a speck on the horizon:

You could have just asked for some photos lol/ You say a spec in the Horizon but when the trees are removed,it will seem bigger. From this exact location in the photo to where the eye is looks far, but it's less than a 4 minute drive . . From the Eye to the Universal Orlando overpass is about a 5 minute drive if that. (All of this with normal traffic) From this exact location to the Universal Overpass there are 5 traffic lights. Minimal traffic usually until you cross Sandlake.

 

[Teebin]

You could have just asked for some photos lol/ You say a spec in the Horizon but when the trees are removed,it will seem bigger.

Oh that is right... Universal theme parks don't have any berms or trees or plants. No landscaping at all. Just flat concrete. Silly me...

Really, what an odd thing for you to say!

 

[fryoj]

Well well well... the land offered isn't as straight forward as I thought. Look at this chop suey ...



I am not as convinced at this point. Not sure why there are so many cut-outs around retention ponds, etc.

Yeah, if that is indeed that property, and those cutouts are firm, I really can't see that being practical for a Universal theme park, hotels etc.

 

[brianlo]

I'm a UK visitor and we did a trip this August for 8 days, spending 2 days at Universal and 6 at Disney. After upgrading our 2 week £120 (Approx $180) Universal tickets to Universal Power Pass AP's for $30, we are heading back for 2 weeks of JUST Universal in Feb 2016. We're staying 2 weeks at Cabana Bay for about £750 ALL IN after discounts (Approx $1200).
We went to Guest Services at Disney and were told that it would cost us about $400 to upgrade our 2 week Disney tickets to AP's, which is a hell of a lot more money (That's before the current rise too).
I'll be honest, I am mostly SO looking forward to not having to plan 14 days of which park I will be at on which day, having to wake up at 05:00 UK time to book Fast Passes, make sure we're up for rope drop every day to ensure we get on a decent amount of rides etc. I'm just gonna chill and not feel guilty when we need a pool day to recover!
A small part of me will probably find it strange to have made such a long journey and not head to WDW even once, but I think that financially and from a POV of just 'felling like it's a vacation instead of a military planned operation', I think our future now lies exclusively with Uni, with Disney maybe done every 3 years, or after a new major attraction opens there (which could be even longer!).

This is getting severely off topic, but why exactly does one need to military visit the parks for two weeks straight and not take a day off... or half day(s) off... or do other things? I get a week could be a crunch to do/see everything. But does one really need to push themselves to get that 5th... or 10th ride on whatever?

Also what exactly are people doing at USO/IOA to occupy two full weeks of vacation time? I too only visited Universal my last time in Florida, but three days at the parks was quite adequate.

 

[Mad Dog]

This is getting severely off topic, but why exactly does one need to military visit the parks for two weeks straight and not take a day off... or half day(s) off... or do other things? I get a week could be a crunch to do/see everything. But does one really need to push themselves to get that 5th... or 10th ride on whatever?

Also what exactly are people doing at USO/IOA to occupy two full weeks of vacation time? I too only visited Universal my last time in Florida, but three days at the parks was quite adequate.

USO Orlando for two weeks is basically doing it as a "non military" visit We treat our hotel, usually Portofino, as the resort destination. We relax for two weeks & explore the Theme Parks & Citi Walk at our leisure. Some days we don't even hit the parks, but we'll spend the late morning and afternoon at one of the hotel pools. Then have a good meal at one of the fine hotel or Citi Walk restaurants. The evening could be a few drinks at the Thirsty Fish on the scenic Portofino Bay Piazza or at Pat O'Briens or Bob Marleys in CitiWalk. We rarely spend more than six hours a day in the parks, and the only mid afternoons at the parks are when we hit the IOA water rides. Florida afternoons are too uncomfortably hot & muggy to spend time in the parks instead of the pool. A good vacation is about leisure and relaxation and the Universal layout is perfect for that. Plus with hotel express there's no aggravating lines to wait in. And we also enjoy walking the scenic hotel to theme park paths. We do the water taxi about half the time. Universal has the perfect balance for us of great interesting things to do in the parks & CitiWalk and the easy opportunity to balance that with relaxation at the resort hotels. When we first started doing 10 to 14 night stays in 2011, most people & employees we ran into considered that an unusual long stay. But the last couple of years we have been talking & meeting quite a few people that are spending long stays at Universal. So I think the perception is changing, though I would guess the majority of guests only stay for three to five days. We just got back from 2 weeks at Disney's Caribbean Beach. We are worn out. We enjoyed Disney but it's nearly impossible to have a leisurely & relaxing vacation due to the pre planned dining reservation/ride system, long travel time distances from your hotel to the park entrance gates, overly crowded park walkways, and long ride lines. We did two day trips to Universal & it was like coming home. We instantly were revitalized. Next year we'll be back to doing two vacations at Universal, 10 to 14 nights each. Do not underestimate the importance of relaxation & leisure for vacations, especially once you get a little older. :thumbsup: (This was a paid political announcement. :wink

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Oh that is right... Universal theme parks don't have any berms or trees or plants. No landscaping at all. Just flat concrete. Silly me...

Really, what an odd thing for you to say!

You took it too far. My point is when you are in and around the wheel, it itself seems big but not overbearing. There are dozens of trees and buildings all around it and it still seems large. it's not over done. But since you like Sarcasm so much, have fun deciphering this post as well.

 

[Jon84]

Paramount Park UK was announced years ago.

And they are still just consulting!

Doesn't sound like it'll ever happen