Universal Orlando Resort Expansion (Part 1)

[Frank Drackman]

Only the original 3 hotels (Portofino, HRH, RP) are 50-25-25 (Loews-Universal-Seminole). The rest are 50-50 between Loews-Universal.

As for which employees are which, it's complicated because the hotel employees aren't consolidated into the rest of Loews' Hotels operations. The employees' contracts are assigned to the joint venture in question. The Universal employees are all Universal now that Comcast owns all of UOR.

Thanks, that makes a lot more sense than the article that I thought implied that HR had the same stake in CBBR...and Loews didn’t put their name on CCBR as it was below them or something...

or...to expand on your excellent boat ride idea...the boat ride could be a HE type experience and transports you from The Shire Land to the Rivendell Land......Of course there would be a land entrance to Rivendell also, maybe a mystical bridge across the same river.....and that solves a way to get rid of some of the water on the new property..........I'm still thinking at least two lands. The IP rights will be too expensive to limit it to one land. And then there's the profit potential of two lands with merchandise and food very different from one another.

Dang, i’m having memories of seeing Claypool once when he broke into Wilder from Willy Wonker on that boat ride...that could be some fun use of a 360 technology for an HE type boat ride between areas...

Fun to dream!

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Random

Eventually, I want to see Universal have a shuttle service from airports to resorts! Now that there will be multiple resorts with thousands of guests doing far more vacation package deals, I would like to see that as a part of Universal's new vacation packages. It can be from airport to hotel, airport to transit hub, doesn't matter. Orlando will get it's act together with rail/public transit EAST TO WEST in this next decade. I just want Universal to be ready!

This is seemingly thinking if it is not something they already offer in a vacation package.

 

[Scott W.]

Random

Eventually, I want to see Universal have a shuttle service from airports to resorts! Now that there will be multiple resorts with thousands of guests doing far more vacation package deals, I would like to see that as a part of Universal's new vacation packages. It can be from airport to hotel, airport to transit hub, doesn't matter. Orlando will get it's act together with rail/public transit EAST TO WEST in this next decade. I just want Universal to be ready!

This is seemingly thinking if it is not something they already offer in a vacation package.

This new plot of land would make an ideal transport hub to and from the airport.

For people connecting to late flights, a trip to CityWalk would be a perfect way to kill some time.

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

This new plot of land would make an ideal transport hub to and from the airport.

For people connecting to late flights, a trip to CityWalk would be a perfect way to kill some time.

Exactly. Right near 528/Beachline exits. Hope something like this happens!

 

[Andysol]

Random

Eventually, I want to see Universal have a shuttle service from airports to resorts! Now that there will be multiple resorts with thousands of guests doing far more vacation package deals, I would like to see that as a part of Universal's new vacation packages. It can be from airport to hotel, airport to transit hub, doesn't matter. Orlando will get it's act together with rail/public transit EAST TO WEST in this next decade. I just want Universal to be ready!

This is seemingly thinking if it is not something they already offer in a vacation package.

The fact I have to get a driver to go from the airport to Universal for a 4 day trip is mind-numbing vs what Disney offers. I'd think that with the 2 WNW Hotels and 2800 more rooms- that we will finally get some transportation that doesn't require booking an entire vacation package.

 

[Scott W.]

The fact I have to get a driver to go from the airport to Universal for a 4 day trip is mind-numbing vs what Disney offers. I'd think that with the 2 WNW Hotels and 2800 more rooms- that we will finally get some transportation that doesn't require booking an entire vacation package.

Money saved is money spent at the parks.

Looks like all the expansion is too much for, Matt Korn.

 

[Frank Drackman]

Shouldn’t a world class city like Orlando have decent transportation options to their convention center?

 

[Scott W.]

Shouldn’t a world class city like Orlando have decent transportation options to their convention center?

I think Disney will try everything in their power to oppose it.

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Shouldn’t a world class city like Orlando have decent transportation options to their convention center?

Orlando tried about 20 years ago to do a rail in the middle of I-4 to connect roughly from Altamonte to Disney area with stops in between of course (Including international and convention center) and voters shot it down. Thats about 20-30 miles.

Then Maglev was supposed to connect Airport to International Drive and Possible second phase segment to Disney, which got approved from private funding but American Maglev never came through. Their right of way on the Beachline expires in December from FDOT.

Now in the 2020 decade (assuming no money comes any earlier unless privately) there is a push for transit in this area because leaders finally realizing it could actually be successful here. I think nearly 100,000 people ride the bus here alone. Our Bus system can take you into 6 counties and connect you with some other service.

If that Fast Train to Miami Connects the airport at some point, Orlando won't have a choice.

Sunrails Second link is coming on board, and downtown is about to get more transit friendly. So it should have already been that way but our leaders chose to have other things. We did get a Commutertain and a Beltway out of the would have been Lightrain Money eventually. Charlotte North Carolina got Orlandos light rail money and it's done wonders for their city. Orlando is great but leaders and giant companies have a hard time working together on transit. Has always been this way.

I think Disney will try everything in their power to oppose it.

This was the case with the High Speed Rail Initial proposal to Tampa.

 

[Legacy]

I think Disney will try everything in their power to oppose it.

They have. Big talk in the late 90s was how Orlando wanted a monorail/train line from the airport to like Lakeland with stops at the major points. They needed Disney to help fund it. They refused on one condition: it by-passed downtown, I-Drive, and the Convention Center, and only went straight to Disney.

 

[Frank Drackman]

K, thanks all, the art of politics...I do not do politics, but I see room for public/private funding somewhere in all this if Comcast where to decide to start building out there...I assume it would be a small loop to plug something UNI to a Convention Center line....but who knows what transport will look like in 5 to 10 years.....I hear things are changing fast as companies get close connected cities....

 

[Mad Dog]

The difficulty with new mass transit systems is that Federal matching funds are not as readily available as they were in the past. It's tough for a municipality to tackle those huge costs on their own, even with private partnerships.

 

[quinnmac000]

Soooo.....

What if the Fox/Comcast deal goes through, which and what deals will go to the wayside for more IPs to be used?

 

[JungleSkip]

Soooo.....

?

 

[GoUCFKnights]

Then Maglev was supposed to connect Airport to International Drive and Possible second phase segment to Disney, which got approved from private funding but American Maglev never came through. Their right of way on the Beachline expires in December from FDOT.

This proposal was shot down by the airport as they were worried about losing car rental revenue and the airport wanted guarantees to cover any losses in transportation fees to the airport, which American Maglev said they could not provide. The airport approval was a condition of the county approval, so they never truly had approval to build anything.

 

[captainmoch]

Soooo.....

What if the Fox/Comcast deal goes through, which and what deals will go to the wayside for more IPs to be used?

Honestly, I can't think of much from Fox to be used in a theme park. They already have Simpsons and X-Men/Marvel, Disney already has Avatar, and Blue Sky Animation only makes garbage movies. Not much else would really fit in a parks environment.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

Honestly, I can't think of much from Fox to be used in a theme park. They already have Simpsons and X-Men/Marvel, Disney already has Avatar, and Blue Sky Animation only makes garbage movies. Not much else would really fit in a parks environment.

If Cedar Fair didn't own the US Theme Park rights for Peanuts, I would say different.

 

[JoeCamel]

The fact I have to get a driver to go from the airport to Universal for a 4 day trip is mind-numbing vs what Disney offers. I'd think that with the 2 WNW Hotels and 2800 more rooms- that we will finally get some transportation that doesn't require booking an entire vacation package.

They will eventually offer what the competition does but til now they didn't have the room count to support it. Services like Tony Hinds charge $100 RT so that is what you can expect to be rolled into the room rate as Disney does. I would rather have the lower rate and find my own way to the resort but the "Magical Express" (not so much) can take 2.5 hours to get your overpaying butt from MCO to your overpriced crib at WDW. I do not want that type of service at UOR even if they show Minions movies on the way there.

Edit to add: Magical Express just announced they want 4 hours to get you to the airport. Not my idea of added service and not one I would ever use. I will gladly pay someone like Tony Hinds to pick me up and get me back to the airport, it is not an added expense if I don't have $300 rolled into the cost of the room for a $100 trip.

 

[Bulldog45]

There is a new high speed train service called All Aboard Florida that is supposed to run from Miami to Orlando. They have already completed stations in West Palm and Ft. Lauderdale and are working on Miami, but the new line from West Palm to Orlando is facing heavy opposition. However, I'm sure they will get the approval to finish running the line all the way to Orlando International Airport.

 

[fryoj]

Honestly, I can't think of much from Fox to be used in a theme park. They already have Simpsons and X-Men/Marvel, Disney already has Avatar, and Blue Sky Animation only makes garbage movies. Not much else would really fit in a parks environment.

Hmmm, I wonder if that could lead to them being able to use the X-men movie versions in the parks? A legit X men ride with Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, and Ian Mckellen would be interesting.