At The State Of I-Drive 2015 meeting yesterday evening presented by Rick Singh, the Orange County Property Appraiser, some information about Universal's new water park was released. An info-sheet containing information about upcoming projects for the I-Drive area available from idrivedistrict.com shows not only the supposed name for Universal's water park, but also an opening date. Universal's Volcano Bay Water Park shows as opening Fall 2016!
Tag Archives: Florida
Kongstruction Update: Rockwork Going Strong and Structure Interior Taking Shape
Workers are working at a furious pace at Project 340 in Islands of Adventure, wrapping the facade in beautiful rockwork. Meanwhile the inside of the structure is taking shape while the walls continue to enclose the main show building. There are always dozens of workers on site every day. The temple facade is growing to the right of the gate opening, with large supports being installed and readied for more rockwork continuing to the right on the structure. Check out all of the construction photos below.
Universal Orlando is Building a Water Park
Since March of 2011 there have been rumors flying around that Universal Orlando was getting into the water park business. That was when they filed a trademark on the name Wondersea Island, with the description of use for "Entertainment services in the nature of water parks". Four years later, we're finally seeing some action beyond just a name, and it may be getting a new name to boot. Continue reading.
Garden of Allah Villas Construction Update and More Rumors
While I was at Universal Studios Florida earlier this week I noticed that the pathway from Hollywood to the Springfield area was closed off. Cast members were redirecting guests through the Central Park pathway along the lagoon instead. Construction continues on the Garden of Allah Villas. It has been told to me that the two buildings are being connected and that's where the current construction seems to be focused. Construction pictures are below.
The latest word from Screamscape is that the inside of the buildings are being remodeled into series of conference and special event rooms. The rooms are being equipped with several monitors mounted to the walls. It doesn't seems as though anyone was right in guessing the area would be used as a Universal museum for the 25th anniversary or as a new entrance to E.T. Adventure. I'll keep posting in case of any new developments.
It also seems that Fieval’s Playland will close for a brief rehab from March 1 to March 12, 2015, so no hope of that area being rethemed or torn down any time soon. ...continue reading
Kongstruction Update: Rocks, Rocks, Rocks – Rockwork Begins as Comcast Announces Kong Ride
The rockwork has finally begun over at Project 340 in Islands of Adventure. Things are shaping up to make for a gorgeous facade. In addition to the temple gate area a flat two-dimensional "rock-like" structure is being applied to block the show building from guests inside the park. It looks like that's what will be seen looming behind the Thunder Falls restaurant in Jurassic Park, which is good, as rocks look better than another big building ruining the skyline. Construction photos from today are below!
.@Comcast's exec just CONFIRMED KING KONG at @UniversalORL ORLANDO!
— Richard Bilbao (@RichOBJ) February 24, 2015
Also, today Comcast executives let the cat out of the bag during an earnings call, confirming that Kong is in fact returning to Orlando. "As we continue to invest in attractions, including Harry Potter and Fast and Furious in Hollywood and a King Kong attraction in Orlando, investments in our theme park are driving strong returns," said Michael Angelakis, CFO, during the fourth-quarter conference call. There has not yet been an official announcement from Universal Orlando, but at this point in the construction it's pretty hard to deny what's being built. This is clearly the temple gate from Skull Island we're seeing. ...continue reading
The History and Future of the Garden of Allah at Universal Studios Florida (with Construction Update)
Lately I have been noticing a bit of construction happening between the Kids Zone and Hollywood areas of Universal Studios Florida. The area is currently empty of attractions and just for show, except for the seasonal restaurant Cafe La Bamba. I remember visiting in the 90's when they had a walk-through attraction there, but I always wondered what would come of the area. Now it seems something is happening , so I thought it might be a good time to look into the history (and future) of the Garden of Allah area. Be sure to also check out the construction update below to see how it's looking now! Continue Reading...
...continue reading
Kongstruction Update: Rockwork About to Begin
In checking in on the construction progress at the site of Project 340 in Islands of Adventure, it looks like rockwork for the facade is about to be applied. The steel skeleton has been wrapped in some sort of cloth and then a wire mesh that resembles a tough chicken-wire, to maintain its shape. In addition to the huge facade, a two-dimensional cutout of what looks like rough rocks has been added behind the gate to block the view of top of the show building. This flat piece is being wrapped in weather-proof materials in preparation for its forthcoming aesthetic covering. Check out today's Construction photo report below and be sure to subscribe for more updates! ...continue reading
Kongstruction Update: Skull Island’s Temple Gate Facade Comes Together
The huge facade on the front-side of the building at the site of Project 340 in Islands of Adventure is starting to really resemble the temple gate from the King Kong films as construction continues. In addition to the facade work, walls have started to go up around the indoor queue section near the right side of the structure. See the construction photos from today below to catch up on the progress.
Here's a comparison of the current structure to a still from the 2005 King Kong film:
Kongstruction Update: Facade Stretches Upward as Walls Continue to Wrap Around
Kongstruction is back in swing and stronger than ever this week. More and more steel has been arriving each day to the site of Project 340 in Islands of Adventure. The walls on all sides of the building are almost all up while the large facade supports continue to grow along the front edge of the structure. What looks to be the steel skeleton for the left-side of the large gate from Skull Island can now be seen. Below are the construction photos from today's visit. ...continue reading
Kongstruction Update: Facade Structure Takes Shape and Indoor Queue Building Added
Since we last checked in at Project 340 in Islands of Adventure, what looks to be the supports for a temple facade has gone up, and a smaller portion of building has been erected in front of the large show building. This smaller structure will most likely house sections of the indoor queue, leading up to the load area deeper inside. Rumors from this forum thread point to the queue being an underground temple theme. Compare pictures from today's update below to the last update and you can see this entire offshoot was freshly added within the last few weeks. See all the construction update images below.
In Skull Island movie news, the film's release has been pushed back from November 4, 2016, to March 10, 2017. It's also getting the new title of Kong: Skull Island, (in case you weren't sure which Skull Island it's going to be about). J.K. Simmons has been added to the cast, hot off the heals of the critically acclaimed Whiplash. He'll co-star beside Tom Hiddleston in the King Kong movie Legendary is calling a“new, distinct timeline” within the iconic beast’s canon. In other words, it's going to be a reboot and maybe take place in a different time period besides the 1930's, perhaps even modern day? That could be interesting.
