Universal Orlando Resort Expansion (Part 1)

[Dancapt]

Can you laminate your AP or is that a no no?

I'd recommend against it, as they are printed on thermal paper. Generally the lamenting process will turn them solid black.

 

[shiekra38]

If Comcast were to buy SeaWorld Ent. My guess is they would close and rebrand the SeaWorld parks and keep the Busch Gardens parks as is.

But I don't really see this happening. But stranger things have occurred.

Whoever buys the parks would be smart to do that..

 

[quinnmac000]

Why does this seem to have been made for a theme park....hmmmm? Universal's own haunted mansion?

[video=youtube;Zu5AFwl7VXM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu5AFwl7VXM[/video]

 

[King_K.]

^ Anything from Del Toro is gold in my opinion.

 

[graspthesun]

^ Anything from Del Toro is gold in my opinion.

I second that.

 

[Teebin]

posted on Twitter a bit ago.

Rich ‏@RipRideRichIt
Project 766 is for a theme park regarding a large scale environmental attraction. Involving Major Contracts and an Out of Box E Ticket

Is he talking about Universal or WDW? Anyone know?

 

[JungleSkip]

posted on Twitter a bit ago.



Is he talking about Universal or WDW? Anyone know?

He's talking about nonsense. Project 766 was the Employee Parking Garage

 

[JungleSkip]

For reference, here's the thread on Project 766 from last year: http://www.orlandounited.com/forums/showthread.php/8453-Project-766

Also, a post on Parkscope: http://www.parkscope.net/2013/08/project-766-clarification-terminator-2.html

 

[Teebin]

^ Thanks. Yeeesh, I get all of these project numbers so confused in my head and forget the ones without current buzz. Does disney even do project numbers?

 

[JungleSkip]

^ Thanks. Yeeesh, I get all of these project numbers so confused in my head and forget the ones without current buzz. Does disney even do project numbers?

Not usually. Since they're Reedy Creek, they don't show up on the permit site, and on the water management site they tend to just put vague project names down

 

[TylerDurden]

I have to wonder if the fact that Diagon Alley performed under expectations so far will hinder Comcast's ambitious plan for the next few years. An onslaught of new investments in theme parks isnt always a good thing, especially when relying on tourism. I also wonder if the budgets for Universal's next few attractions will be scaled back; not that DA is a failure or anything, but I know certain stores (including Wiseacres, the Gringotts dump store) has not made its budget all summer...this tells me that whatever Universal expected to recoup from the project hasnt quite gotten there yet, meaning maybe they'll want to scale back other budgets elsewhere to prevent the same thing from happening. It would be great if their expansion plans went by unaffected, but the 2015 project is already reported as being pushed back...is it a sign of things to come?

 

[Cole]

Well I don't think universal was expecting all the shops to do wonders this early. I'm probably gonna get a ton of flack for this but a bunch of the shops in diagon are pretty much unmarketable. Not to say any of them are bad, far from it. It's just a lot of the items they sell are just out of interest. Take wheezes for example, sure it's incredibly themed but so was zoinkos and that place never did that well due to the merchandise available. Weezes is just a bigger version of zoinkos and that's your problem right there. The only thing they could really profit on in there are the made to be gross exclusive candies and maybe some toys. A duck on a bike isn't a big selling point. You could say the same with the pet shop and costume shop. Its total eye candy but is there really stuff you'd honestly buy there? Universal really gets their biggest profits from the wands and food items in diagon. I'm sure universal was expecting this is outcome in some way

 

[MillenniumDragons]

Diagon Alley has only been open for 3 weeks. To say it's stores hasn't made it's budget is all Summer is absurd considering that it opened in the middle of Summer and that Summer holiday for some go until Labor Day.

 

[TylerDurden]

Diagon Alley has only been open for 3 weeks. To say it's stores hasn't made it's budget is all Summer is absurd considering that it opened in the middle of Summer and that Summer holiday for some go until Labor Day.

That just means you arent sure what budget is. Every day, each venue in the park sets a goal for how much money it is expected to make. It fluctuates every day based on projected attendance, the season, even the weather forecast. Its different for every store and can change between the years.

Universal set a budget goal for each day of the summer that they expected each store to reach or exceed. The fact that some havent made it doesnt mean the stores are not successful, just that the expectations were too high. So it begs the question...will Universal lower expectations on future projects thus dialing down their projected rate of expansion? Or will it have no effect at all? The reported delay of the 2015 project seems to suggest the former but our lack of knowledge of other projects and their progress could mean the latter. Just wondering what everyones thoughts are, not arguing facts.

 

[JungleSkip]

I have to wonder if the fact that Diagon Alley performed under expectations so far

That isn't a fact. It's patently untrue.

EDIT: Also, considering the fact that Kong just got a bigger budget, I don't think we have anything to worry about

 

[MrRoamer]

I for one love my duck on a bike, but I do think it may be a little early to worry about budgets. There are plenty of reasons they could be performing under at the stores.

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

I have to wonder if the fact that Diagon Alley performed under expectations so far will hinder Comcast's ambitious plan for the next few years. An onslaught of new investments in theme parks isnt always a good thing, especially when relying on tourism. I also wonder if the budgets for Universal's next few attractions will be scaled back; not that DA is a failure or anything, but I know certain stores (including Wiseacres, the Gringotts dump store) has not made its budget all summer...this tells me that whatever Universal expected to recoup from the project hasnt quite gotten there yet, meaning maybe they'll want to scale back other budgets elsewhere to prevent the same thing from happening. It would be great if their expansion plans went by unaffected, but the 2015 project is already reported as being pushed back...is it a sign of things to come?

Over saturation of retail? Business wise? In One area? I don't know another land that has 7 or 8 shops with one ride.

 

[Cole]

I for one love my duck on a bike, but I do think it may be a little early to worry about budgets. There are plenty of reasons they could be performing under at the stores.

Oh don't get my wrong I'm not knocking the duck on a bike because it's awesome, just a under seller

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I have to wonder if the fact that Diagon Alley performed under expectations...

No they're not, please drop this.

 

[TylerDurden]

That isn't a fact. It's patently untrue.

EDIT: Also, considering the fact that Kong just got a bigger budget, I don't think we have anything to worry about

No they're not, please drop this.

Im curious still as to why you guys insist on this. Please feel free to look up the revenues for the summer, attendance figures, and then compare them to projected figures. I have seen the numbers and have yet to hear any evidence to the contrary. The land is undoubtedly a success; there is nothing wrong with falling short of expectations especially considering how high they were. But the point still stands that the projections were overestimated. I will, however, welcome any hard evidence that suggest otherwise. Im simply going off what I have heard from inside the company.