Universal Orlando Getting Bigger, Better, Wetter, Wilder

[Next Big Thing]

That's why they are called fanbois. But in terms of "many", Disney wins. Go over to The DIS and say something harsh-ish about The Mouse. It's not pretty.

You know why disney wins in the "Many" category? Because they've had quality parks open since 1955. Regardless of the goings on in Orlando, their overall product is still mostly high quality. That's why there's more. Disney wins people over and has for 60 years.

 

[Tony Perkis]

You know why disney wins in the "Many" category? Because they've had quality parks open since 1955. Regardless of the goings on in Orlando, their overall product is still mostly high quality. That's why there's more. Disney wins people over and has for 60 years.

That's fine and all, and while nostalgia wins out for many people, there's an issue when Disney charges $100 per person for a park with 6 attractions.

 

[Donald Razorduck]

I think the fact that Sea World's numbers have declined mixed with the fact that Uni AND WDW's increased is more of a sign that Uni is eating at Sea World, not Disney.

Seaworld just needs an attraction or two that captures folks attention. While I love AK, it's just a zoo without Everest and the other few rides and shows. I'm amazed at Everest's queue and Kali isn't bad. That said and maybe Avatar will deliver a couple more it needs more rides and not the carnival kind. I'm cool with thing like Toy Story Playlands.as long as it's a small part of the overall park to eat up some folks from the ml main attractions. It's why I was ok with Barnstormer, it gave the kids a chance to repeat ride something a few times that they liked instead of waiting an hr. For another go at SDMT.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

And in related news:

http://m.bizjournals.com/orlando/bl...do-area-shopping-center-sells-for.html?r=full

 

[Mike S]

And in related news:

http://m.bizjournals.com/orlando/bl...do-area-shopping-center-sells-for.html?r=full

CCM Universal Plaza LLC bought it? Could this mean what I think it means? Unless they don't have any connection to Universal.

 

[BrerJon]

CCM Universal Plaza LLC bought it? Could this mean what I think it means? Unless they don't have any connection to Universal.

No, it's nothing to do with the parks, just the name of the plaza I think. In the same way lots of the hotels have Universal in their names, Best Western Universal Inn, that sort of thing, it just signifies they're close to the parks, or Universal Blvd, rather than any ownership.

 

[AndyMagic]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-blm-news-bc-comcast24-20150224-story.html

Harry Potter leads Universal to 38% quarterly profit gain

By Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg News Bloomberg


LOS ANGELES — Harry Potter continues to work his magic for Comcast's Universal Studios theme park unit.


The Philadelphia-based media company Tuesday reported a 38 percent increase in profits in the fourth quarter in its theme park division, driven in part by The Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Diagon Alley, which opened in July in Orlando, Florida.


The attraction, an extension of an existing Potter-themed area that opened in 2010, had waits of more than seven hours on opening day. The theme-park unit's revenue rose 30 percent to $735 million in the fourth quarter. Operating cash flow before depreciation and amortization increased to $352 million from $257 million a year earlier.

"Investments in our theme parks are clearly generating strong returns as we drive increased attendance and per capita spending," Chief Financial Officer Michael Angelakis said on a conference call. "We are transforming our parks into must-see destinations and are very enthusiastic about their potential."


The results are part of a wave of amusement park investments that have lifted profits and attendance at operators including Walt Disney Co.

Comcast has an attraction based on Harry Potter, one of the most popular youth book and film franchises in history, scheduled to open at its Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California next year.

Copyright © 2015, Chicago Tribune


It should be noted that nearly every Comcast financial report and conference call has an executive using confident, unequivocal language like, "investments in our theme parks are clearly generating strong returns," and "we are very enthusiastic about the transformation of our parks." These aren't quotes from Universal Orlando brass eager to toot their own horn, they're directly from Comcast financial executives during earnings reports. I hate to use the phrase, "they get it," but clearly there is a completely different culture going on within the Walt Disney Company and it makes me sad. Huge corporations will always be driven by profit margins and shareholders and expectations but the difference between bad and good corporate policy boils down to short-term thinking vs. long-term thinking. You can take risks and think big if your end goal is the long-term health of the business. People like to throw blame at TDO but honestly, the stagnation of Disney parks is ultimately due to Bob Iger and the Yes-Men he surrounds himself with.

 

[mahnamahna101]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-blm-news-bc-comcast24-20150224-story.html

Harry Potter leads Universal to 38% quarterly profit gain

By Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg News Bloomberg


LOS ANGELES — Harry Potter continues to work his magic for Comcast's Universal Studios theme park unit.


The Philadelphia-based media company Tuesday reported a 38 percent increase in profits in the fourth quarter in its theme park division, driven in part by The Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Diagon Alley, which opened in July in Orlando, Florida.


The attraction, an extension of an existing Potter-themed area that opened in 2010, had waits of more than seven hours on opening day. The theme-park unit's revenue rose 30 percent to $735 million in the fourth quarter. Operating cash flow before depreciation and amortization increased to $352 million from $257 million a year earlier.

"Investments in our theme parks are clearly generating strong returns as we drive increased attendance and per capita spending," Chief Financial Officer Michael Angelakis said on a conference call. "We are transforming our parks into must-see destinations and are very enthusiastic about their potential."


The results are part of a wave of amusement park investments that have lifted profits and attendance at operators including Walt Disney Co.

Comcast has an attraction based on Harry Potter, one of the most popular youth book and film franchises in history, scheduled to open at its Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California next year.

Copyright © 2015, Chicago Tribune


It should be noted that nearly every Comcast financial report and conference call has an executive using confident, unequivocal language like, "investments in our theme parks are clearly generating strong returns," and "we are very enthusiastic about the transformation of our parks." These aren't quotes from Universal Orlando brass eager to toot their own horn, they're directly from Comcast financial executives during earnings reports. I hate to use the phrase, "they get it," but clearly there is a completely different culture going on within the Walt Disney Company and it makes me sad. Huge corporations will always be driven by profit margins and shareholders and expectations but the difference between bad and good corporate policy boils down to short-term thinking vs. long-term thinking. You can take risks and think big if your end goal is the long-term health of the business. People like to throw blame at TDO but honestly, the stagnation of Disney parks is ultimately due to Bob Iger and the Yes-Men he surrounds himself with.

How high is attendance going to get for USF/IOA? These profits are always astronomical in terms of increase!

 

[Tony Perkis]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-blm-news-bc-comcast24-20150224-story.html

Harry Potter leads Universal to 38% quarterly profit gain

By Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg News Bloomberg


LOS ANGELES — Harry Potter continues to work his magic for Comcast's Universal Studios theme park unit.


The Philadelphia-based media company Tuesday reported a 38 percent increase in profits in the fourth quarter in its theme park division, driven in part by The Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Diagon Alley, which opened in July in Orlando, Florida.


The attraction, an extension of an existing Potter-themed area that opened in 2010, had waits of more than seven hours on opening day. The theme-park unit's revenue rose 30 percent to $735 million in the fourth quarter. Operating cash flow before depreciation and amortization increased to $352 million from $257 million a year earlier.

"Investments in our theme parks are clearly generating strong returns as we drive increased attendance and per capita spending," Chief Financial Officer Michael Angelakis said on a conference call. "We are transforming our parks into must-see destinations and are very enthusiastic about their potential."


The results are part of a wave of amusement park investments that have lifted profits and attendance at operators including Walt Disney Co.

Comcast has an attraction based on Harry Potter, one of the most popular youth book and film franchises in history, scheduled to open at its Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California next year.

Copyright © 2015, Chicago Tribune


It should be noted that nearly every Comcast financial report and conference call has an executive using confident, unequivocal language like, "investments in our theme parks are clearly generating strong returns," and "we are very enthusiastic about the transformation of our parks." These aren't quotes from Universal Orlando brass eager to toot their own horn, they're directly from Comcast financial executives during earnings reports. I hate to use the phrase, "they get it," but clearly there is a completely different culture going on within the Walt Disney Company and it makes me sad. Huge corporations will always be driven by profit margins and shareholders and expectations but the difference between bad and good corporate policy boils down to short-term thinking vs. long-term thinking. You can take risks and think big if your end goal is the long-term health of the business. People like to throw blame at TDO but honestly, the stagnation of Disney parks is ultimately due to Bob Iger and the Yes-Men he surrounds himself with.

 

[AndyMagic]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-water-park-wars-20150306-story.html

This time from the Orlando Sentinel and with quotes from Jim Hill explaining the park in greater detail no less.

Competition among Orlando's water parks to get a little tougher
Sandra Pedicini
Water park competition gets intense.

Universal Orlando recently filed plans for a water playground, with a volcano feature, wave pool, lazy river and rapids ride. The attraction could drive more annual-pass sales and keep more visitors at its resort longer — meaning less time spent with rivals.


"Your goal is primarily is to get the customers to stay a little longer, spend more money at your place instead of going to other facilities, and give them something new and exciting to do," said David Sangree, president of Hotel and Leisure Advisors, which works with water parks.

There are already four water parks in the area — two at Disney, one at SeaWorld and another that is owned by Universal Orlando's parent company.

Universal would not comment and has given few details about the 53-acre tract south of Cabana Bay Beach Resort and east of Turkey Lake Road. The resort has said in plans filed with the state it expects to complete construction in November 2016.
A new water park might persuade Dave Harrison of Altamonte Springs to buy Universal annual passes. Harrison has been reluctant because his 6-year-old daughter isn't yet tall enough for many of the rides there.

"Everything they've done lately has been over-the-top, so I think it could be really, really cool," said Harrison, 39.

Universal has become known for intense, cutting-edge rides and meticulous attention to detail at its traditional theme parks. Industry experts expect the same at its new water attraction.

"It's going to take the sort of theming Disney did at Blizzard Beach and just throw a lot of exclamation points behind it," said Jim Hill, an industry blogger and editor of JimHillMedia.com. "This will be park that is built for the next generation of water-park visitors."


The park is part of a Universal expansion that will also include a King Kong attraction and a fifth hotel. Universal last year opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley. Even before that, in 2013, attendance at Universal Studios Florida jumped 13 percent from the prior year.

Universal's park will make a splash in a market that is already thriving. All four of Orlando's major water parks are in the top 10 worldwide for attendance, according to estimates from the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM.

Disney has Nos. 2 and 3 — Typhoon Lagoon, where swimmers can snorkel in a manmade coral reef; and ski resort-themed Blizzard Beach. SeaWorld's Aquatica is ranked 7th, and Wet 'n Wild is 9th. The world's No. 1 park is Chimelong Water Park in China, northwest of Hong Kong.


The United States has more than 850 water parks, mostly outdoors and many of them smaller city-owned ones. Except for Orlando's, only one of the United States' water parks is in the top 20 worldwide: Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, Texas, with 1 million annual visitors.

Disney's Orlando water parks welcomed 2 percent more visitors in 2013. Each drew about 2 million visitors. Its theme parks, by contrast, draw between 10 million and 18.5 million annually.

Aquatica, Orlando's newest water park at 7 years old, had 1.6 million visitors, and Wet 'n Wild had 1.3 million.

Once the new water park opens, the other parks could see a decline or slowdown in attendance, Sangree said.

"I'm sure the other water parks will all experience some drop-off in attendance, when you have a 20 percent increase in supply," he said. "Hopefully that drop-off will not be every day, just on some of the slower days."

Disney and SeaWorld had no comment.

Water parks have become increasingly sophisticated over the years, Sangree said, with high-end ones costing between $2 million and $3 million an acre.

"The thrill rides have come into the water parks over the past years. Each one of them goes a little faster and is feeling more exciting," he said. "Originally when water parks came in there were a couple of slides, a lazy river, a wave pool and that was about it."

Twenty-year-old Blizzard Beach has the motif of a melted ski resort. South Seas-themed Aquatica has unique features including a slide that sends riders racing past a Commerson's dolphin habitat.

It remains uncertain what will happen to the almost 4-decade-old Wet 'n Wild, the more no-frills water park owned by Universal Orlando's parent company. It lies across Interstate 4 from Universal Orlando, about a mile from the new water-park site. Last year, NBCUniversal replaced the park's general manager and another top leader with Universal veterans.

Wet 'n Wild attracts a lot of locals such as Julien Meyer, 22, a student at Rollins. He doesn't mind the park's age and thinks its more basic look gives it an edge.

"It's not overdone," he said. "It's just the big slide you're genuinely scared to go on."

spedicini@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5240

 

[Mike S]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-water-park-wars-20150306-story.html

This time from the Orlando Sentinel and with quotes from Jim Hill explaining the park in greater detail no less.

Competition among Orlando's water parks to get a little tougher
Sandra Pedicini
Water park competition gets intense.

Universal Orlando recently filed plans for a water playground, with a volcano feature, wave pool, lazy river and rapids ride. The attraction could drive more annual-pass sales and keep more visitors at its resort longer — meaning less time spent with rivals.


"Your goal is primarily is to get the customers to stay a little longer, spend more money at your place instead of going to other facilities, and give them something new and exciting to do," said David Sangree, president of Hotel and Leisure Advisors, which works with water parks.

There are already four water parks in the area — two at Disney, one at SeaWorld and another that is owned by Universal Orlando's parent company.

Universal would not comment and has given few details about the 53-acre tract south of Cabana Bay Beach Resort and east of Turkey Lake Road. The resort has said in plans filed with the state it expects to complete construction in November 2016.
A new water park might persuade Dave Harrison of Altamonte Springs to buy Universal annual passes. Harrison has been reluctant because his 6-year-old daughter isn't yet tall enough for many of the rides there.

"Everything they've done lately has been over-the-top, so I think it could be really, really cool," said Harrison, 39.

Universal has become known for intense, cutting-edge rides and meticulous attention to detail at its traditional theme parks. Industry experts expect the same at its new water attraction.

"It's going to take the sort of theming Disney did at Blizzard Beach and just throw a lot of exclamation points behind it," said Jim Hill, an industry blogger and editor of JimHillMedia.com. "This will be park that is built for the next generation of water-park visitors."


The park is part of a Universal expansion that will also include a King Kong attraction and a fifth hotel. Universal last year opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley. Even before that, in 2013, attendance at Universal Studios Florida jumped 13 percent from the prior year.

Universal's park will make a splash in a market that is already thriving. All four of Orlando's major water parks are in the top 10 worldwide for attendance, according to estimates from the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM.

Disney has Nos. 2 and 3 — Typhoon Lagoon, where swimmers can snorkel in a manmade coral reef; and ski resort-themed Blizzard Beach. SeaWorld's Aquatica is ranked 7th, and Wet 'n Wild is 9th. The world's No. 1 park is Chimelong Water Park in China, northwest of Hong Kong.


The United States has more than 850 water parks, mostly outdoors and many of them smaller city-owned ones. Except for Orlando's, only one of the United States' water parks is in the top 20 worldwide: Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, Texas, with 1 million annual visitors.

Disney's Orlando water parks welcomed 2 percent more visitors in 2013. Each drew about 2 million visitors. Its theme parks, by contrast, draw between 10 million and 18.5 million annually.

Aquatica, Orlando's newest water park at 7 years old, had 1.6 million visitors, and Wet 'n Wild had 1.3 million.

Once the new water park opens, the other parks could see a decline or slowdown in attendance, Sangree said.

"I'm sure the other water parks will all experience some drop-off in attendance, when you have a 20 percent increase in supply," he said. "Hopefully that drop-off will not be every day, just on some of the slower days."

Disney and SeaWorld had no comment.

Water parks have become increasingly sophisticated over the years, Sangree said, with high-end ones costing between $2 million and $3 million an acre.

"The thrill rides have come into the water parks over the past years. Each one of them goes a little faster and is feeling more exciting," he said. "Originally when water parks came in there were a couple of slides, a lazy river, a wave pool and that was about it."

Twenty-year-old Blizzard Beach has the motif of a melted ski resort. South Seas-themed Aquatica has unique features including a slide that sends riders racing past a Commerson's dolphin habitat.

It remains uncertain what will happen to the almost 4-decade-old Wet 'n Wild, the more no-frills water park owned by Universal Orlando's parent company. It lies across Interstate 4 from Universal Orlando, about a mile from the new water-park site. Last year, NBCUniversal replaced the park's general manager and another top leader with Universal veterans.

Wet 'n Wild attracts a lot of locals such as Julien Meyer, 22, a student at Rollins. He doesn't mind the park's age and thinks its more basic look gives it an edge.

"It's not overdone," he said. "It's just the big slide you're genuinely scared to go on."

spedicini@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5240

I can't wait

 

[Mouse_Trap]

Wow, planning for completion by November 2016.

I saw pictures of the ground this past week and its empty right now, levelled by nothing yet built.

To think, Disney can't clone a Wii Videogame ride this quickly!

 

[twebber55]

Wow, planning for completion by November 2016.

I saw pictures of the ground this past week and its empty right now, levelled by nothing yet built.

To think, Disney can't clone a Wii Videogame ride this quickly!

im kind of surprised with the end of 2016....seems like march of 2017 would be about the right time weather wise

 

[BrerJon]

Wow, planning for completion by November 2016.

I saw pictures of the ground this past week and its empty right now, levelled by nothing yet built.

To think, Disney can't clone a Wii Videogame ride this quickly!

I guess they'll rope in Optimus and Bumblebee to help kick the construction workers butts like they did last time. No time for messing around when you work for Universal!

 

[BrerJon]

im kind of surprised with the end of 2016....seems like march of 2017 would be about the right time weather wise

That's pretty much it I think, as it's just construction completion in November, not full opening. I could see construction finishing before Christmas, then during the closed season all the testing is done, staff trained up, then it opens properly in early February 2017 for the new season.

 

[twebber55]

That's pretty much it I think, as it's just construction completion in November, not full opening. I could see construction finishing before Christmas, then during the closed season all the testing is done, staff trained up, then it opens properly in early February 2017 for the new season.

yeah 2015 is the calm before the 2016 and 2017 storm... should be fun

 

[Mike S]

yeah 2015 is the calm before the 2016 and 2017 storm... should be fun

Will it be all calm though? We still have no idea if Uni is doing something for the 25th. I hope they do.

 

[twebber55]

Will it be all calm though? We still have no idea if Uni is doing something for the 25th. I hope they do.

well im one of the last people to ask about 2015 but I don't think anything he is happening this year...UNI still in DA mode