Universal Orlando has released incredible details about all of the attractions and features of the upcoming Volcano Bay water theme park. Firstly, they have said that tickets will be available to visit the new park as early as June 1, 2017. This won't be the official grand opening date, but the park itself will be open by then. In addition to information about the four themed areas of the new park and 18 different attractions, Universal is also touting how this will change the way you experience a water park as well. "Here, thereβs no standing in long lines. No wrestling with tubes. No waiting for the fun to begin. Which means you spend more time drifting leisurely down a winding river, plummeting down a tropical volcano, catapulting into pools of blue water, and reconnecting with your family." See all the great details below along with some new amazing concept art and stay tuned for more theme park news!
Volcano Bay Construction Update: Volcano Rises Higher – Plus Wave Pool, Lazy River and Water Slide Progress
Things have not slowed down over at construction for Universal's Volcano Bay, even after the minor fire last week. The centerpiece of the new park, the large volcano, is now nearly twice as large as it was during my last update. Many new water slides have showed up on property, including some that intertwine with the volcano. The wave pool, lazy river and more features are becoming more recognizable as well. Universal has said that the park will open with 18 different attractions! Hopefully they can keep this mighty pace and get this new water park open within a year, in time for summer 2017. Check out the video as well as complete photo report below. Plus, a new image of Volcano Bay and all its attractions for the new Universal Orlando map is also below. Stay tuned for more theme park updates coming soon!
It’s Official: Secret Life of Pets Ride Coming to Universal Parks
NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke told analysts at an investor conference last week that Universal is working on an attraction based on the upcoming film, "The Secret Life of Pets". While there have been rumors of a family friendly dark ride featuring the characters from this upcoming film coming to both Universal Hollywood and Universal Orlando, this is the first time we have had any confirmation on the matter at all. Burke did not say which theme park or parks would feature the attraction, but if rumors prove true we could see this new attraction appear at both coast's parks before the end of the decade.
Burke did go on to say "We are doing -- we have started a Pets attraction even before the film comes out, which if the film doesn't do as well as I think, it will be painful. But I think it will do very well." The Secret Life of Pets comes to theaters July 8. It was produced by Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures, the same folks that brought us Despicable Me and Minions. I believe that SLoP, as I am calling it, will do wonderfully at the theaters, and like Despicable Me, will feature characters we'll be seeing plastered on every product imaginable for years to come.
Check out my recent park updates featuring new merchandise for The Secret Life of Pets that has shown up in Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. And stay tuned for the official announcement and more information about a SLoP ride (hopefully) coming soon!
Williams of Hollywood Prop Shop Update: Props from JAWS, Disaster, Twister & More – Universal Studios Florida
Williams of Hollywood is a shop at Universal Studios Florida where you can buy actual props from old rides, stores, events and more! While on my last visit I noticed some new items in the shop from the JAWS ride, Twister, Disaster and even a giant Woody Woodpecker figure too! Man, if I just had 2000 dollars lying around I would so pick up that shark from the old JAWS wait time sign. Really brings back memories. Check out the video or photo report below and stay tuned for more theme park updates.
Kongstruction Recap: Two Years in 2 Minutes – Skull Island: Reign of Kong Construction History
Check out the video below for two years of Kongstruction is 2-ish minutes. I've been documenting the progress of this project from the very beginning when the land was being cleared, to the ride's soft opening this month. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this photo-journey from start to finish of the new attraction Skull Island: Reign of Kong. And see below for a complete timeline all construction updates and news stories about Kong that we've posted in the previous two years, listed in order. Thanks for sticking with me through this incredible journey!
Universal Orlando Resort Introduces a New Logo
Universal Orlando has started rolling out a brand new logo, which has already been noticed in commercials featuring King Kong. The new logo was designed to be more modern and to align with the master Universal brand, matching the style of their film company's logo. The new logo will be rolled out slowly over the course of several years. During this time guests may see both the old and the new logos in different places throughout the resort on signs, brochures, marquees, etc. Personally, I like the new logo, especially the way the Earth looks in the background, much more realistic and modern. But it's unfortunate that they just started replacing annual passes with new plastic ones that still carry the old logo. Missed it by this much. What do you think of the new design?
Fire at Volcano Bay Construction Holding Area: Slide Pieces Destroyed, No Reported Injuries
A fire was spotted in a field holding many slide pieces and other construction items being staged for the upcoming Volcano Bay Water Park. It's being reported that the fire started around 2:15 p.m. ET, Tuesday. The staging area is located across the street from Wet 'n Wild, near the parking lot for Wet 'n Wild. It took Orlando and Orange County fire crews less than an hour to control and stop the blaze. It is not known yet what caused the fire. No injuries have been reported. Images below from the News 6 helicopter. Universal says they don't know cause of fire but it is contained, and there is no impact to the parks.
Islands of Adventure Update: More Secret Life of Pets Merchandise in the Parks, Camp Jurassic and Kongstruction
More Secret Life of Pets merchandise is showing up in the parks. This time we're taking a look at the new stuff showing up at Islands of Adventure, including plush toys and collectors pins, in addition to the many shirts, cups, and mugs we saw over at USF last time. We also take a look at some minor construction going on in Camp Jurassic, and some minor additions to the Skull Island: Reign of Kong area. The roof over the park exit turnstiles is missing while work continues over there as well. Check out the video and image updates below and stay tuned for more updates.
Kongstruction Update: Reign of Kong Soft Opens with Full Queue Walk Through Video
It was only the second day that Skull Island: Reign of Kong had soft opened to the public when I got to ride this magnificent beast! What an incredible experience this has been, not just getting to be one of the first to ride this amazing new attraction, but also covering the story since it was just a pile of dirt and a rumor two years ago. So, Friday I decided to stick it out. As long as it took. To be one of the first to ride this baby! And after 7 and half hours in the hot sun, I got to do just that! It was totally worth it. You can see video from my experience at Friday's soft opening, plus a walk-through of the entire queue below. And there's lot of screenshots below as well with descriptions. Stay tuned for more Kong news as this thing goes from soft opening to grand opening in the coming weeks! And to those of you that have been following this project with me, thank you. I hope you stick around, as we have some amazing new things on the horizon for theme parks in Central Florida, as this time in history has become somewhat of a theme park Renaissance, and we're just getting started!
Skull Island: Reign of Kong SOFT OPENS!
It's happening! At long last, Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Universal's Islands of Adventure has begun soft opening to the general public as of 6PM! I will be there tomorrow for my chance of reign, but for now here are a few reports from Twitter. UPDATE: Check out my full soft open report here!
HEY GUYS! KONG HAS SOFT OPENED! #KongWatch #ChanceOfReign 100% πππππ pic.twitter.com/LQqtmaAf8s
— Orlando United (@Orlando_United) June 9, 2016