Tag Archives: Universal Orlando

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P1040811With the blockbuster film Jurassic World stomping all over box office records, Universal Orlando is wasting no time slapping the film's logo all over the parks, especially in the Jurassic Park area at Islands of Adventure. So far you'll find Jurassic World banners and logos plastered all over the Thunder Falls Terrace restaurant and Jurassic Outfitters gift shop. There's signage for all the different attractions you can experience at Jurassic World, such as the Gyrosphere ride seen in the film. Unfortunately though, there isn't (yet) an actual Gyrosphere ride here in Orlando. Maybe one day. There's also a few new pieces of merchandise for Jurassic World at the parks, including some exclusive items. Jurassic World theming has not yet made its way to the Discovery Center or River Adventure, perhaps to keep those attractions in line with the original film, but who knows how far they'll take the theming in the future. See the entire photo report below and stay tuned for more Jurassic sized updates!

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Wet-and-Wild-parkUniversal Orlando officially announced on their blog today that Wet ‘n Wild, recognized as "America's first water park", will be closing December 31, 2016, about 40 years since it opened. The announcement comes as no surprise given the recent news that Universal is building its own water park named Volcano Bay, opening in 2017. Back in 2013 Universal purchased the land around and under Wet 'n Wild. With their own water park opening less than a mile down the road it makes sense that they would close down the older park to avoid competing with themselves. Wet 'n Wild opened in 1977 and has been a staple in mine, and countless others' lives, especially Floridians. As Universal said in their statement, (full text below,) "As America’s first water park, Wet ‘n Wild has been the birthplace of numerous innovations that are now considered a common part of the water park experience." It will be missed. No word yet on what Universal plans to do with the land after it is closed. ...continue reading →

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P1040691Jurassic World shirts, hats, toys, candy, and cups & mugs have arrived at Universal Studios Florida in The Film Vault store and the main Studios Store near the park entrance. You can find the most merchandise at the Film Vault store, located near the entrance for Transformers. They have just about all the same items you'll find in Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure. Also, after months of tearing it down and building it back up, the Blues Brothers stage is finally reopened in the New York area of USF. Let's hope that since they've taken the time to revamp their stage that the brothers won't be going away any time soon. The Hollywood park removed the Blues Brothers show earlier this year, but there's no plans as of yet to close it down in Orlando. Check out the entire photo update below!

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SanrioUniversalSanrio, the company that owns the infamous Hello Kitty character, among many other cute money-making characters, has announced a partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts to bring Sanrio retail shops to Universal Orlando and eventually to Universal Studios Hollywood as well. This comes on the heels of the major announcement of the partnership between Universal and Nintendo and adds yet more giant intellectual properties you'll be able to find at Universal Studios parks (and not at Disney). The new retail location is scheduled to open later this year at Universal Orlando, and at a still-to-be determined time for Hollywood. The stores will offer stationery, home goods, apparel, accessories and collectibles. The majority of merchandise will be devoted to Hello Kitty, however Chococat, My Melody, Badtz-Maru, Purin and Keroppi will also have a presence. Exclusive Universal branded Hello Kitty products will be available as well.

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Universal already owns the theme park rights to Hello Kitty and friends in their home country of Japan. There is a section of Universal Studios Japan already devoted to Hello Kitty, but this will be the first time Sanrio characters will be found in a theme park stateside.

Could Lucy: A Tribute become a Hello Kitty store?
Could Lucy: A Tribute become a Hello Kitty store?

No word yet on where the new retail stores will be located, but my money is on the Lucy: A Tribute building inside of Universal Studios Florida for the Orlando location. Not only is it near the entrance to the park as well as several kids' attractions like Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem and Shrek 4D, but they have recently filed a permit for a major interior renovation of the Lucy building. See the entire text from today's press release below and let me know what you think of the announcement. Is Hello Kitty something you think does or doesn't belong in the parks? ...continue reading →

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P1030696The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad at Universal's Islands of Adventure is currently closed for refurbishment and has been since April 25th. It was originally scheduled to reopen after only a couple of weeks, but the official Universal Orlando website now lists the show being down until June 13th. We know from permits that they're making improvements to the sets and interior of the theater itself, but some have speculated about the show also being reworked. I enjoy the show's special effects and stunts, but the story could definitely be improved upon... Just as long as they don't get rid of the line, "Shhhhh, Kabob!" Recent photos of the area below.

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Universal_Nintendo_LogosThe dust hasn't even settled on yesterday's announcement of Kong returning to Orlando and we have another big announcement today. Nintendo and Universal have partnered up to bring Nintendo’s wildly popular games, characters and worlds into the Orlando and Japan parks in the form of major attractions! Nintendo holds the rights to some of the most profitable properties in the world and with Universal's recent successes in bringing IPs to life, this partnership seems like a perfect fit. This will be the first time attractions and theme park experiences will be based on Nintendo characters and worlds. Read below for more information and my take on possible venues in the Orlando parks for Nintendo-based attractions.

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kong_titleUniversal Orlando has officially announced the new King Kong attraction. We've got a name, "Skull Island: Reign of Kong", along with some concept art, descriptions, and even a video! As expected the ride will feature a tour set in the 1930s of the great Skull Island temple. We find ourselves surrounded by prehistoric creatures and then we get an up-close experience with the eighth wonder of the world himself, Kong! This new multi-sensory attraction will be opening Summer 2016 at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Read more below for images, description, and interviews with the creators.

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CEQJ-VfUIAAtWS1.jpg largeFollowing up on their tweet earlier alluding to something Huge coming, Universal has posted a Vine showing the Kongstruction zone with the text "Something HUGE is on the horizon... Join us tomorrow @ 11 AM EDT." So, I'm guessing we can expect an official announcement tomorrow for King Kong coming back to his rightful home of Orlando. Stay tuned for more information, check out today's post from earlier, and see my recent Kongstruction photo update while you wait for the announcement! ...continue reading →

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"Something Huge is on the Horizon" Those are the words on an image recently posted to Universal Orlando's Twitter feed. The image looks to be of Skull Island in the distance, (although it kinda reminds me of Godzilla's back in the water). Looking forward to seeing the actual announcement, hopefully within the week, along with some concept art and ride description! Can't wait.

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Be sure to stay tuned here for more details as they develop. And check out my recent photo update of King Kong construction. See all Kongstruction updates here.