Universal Orlando Resort Expansion (Part 1)

[UniversalRBLX]

I don't expect water taxis, not because Universal doesn't want but because I don't expect any new "deluxe" hotels other than a possible one at the park entrance.

 

[FatalBubbles]

Plus, water taxis are not too efficient and costly. They'd be better off with a gondola or train-type system.

I don't really care if it's water taxi, I didn't mean to infer that it had to be that. Any type of transportation that keeps you "in Universal" is what I was meaning. Gondola, monorail, are both fine. It's pretty cool to not have to leave the resort and break the immersion. Getting a bus and going down the highway would break immersion for me.

 

[JungleSkip]

I'll take "immersion ruining" buses that allow more funds to go to the parks than an expensive mass transit system they may never get approval for.

 

[FatalBubbles]

I'll take "immersion ruining" buses that allow more funds to go to the parks than an expensive mass transit system they may never get approval for.

That’s cool. To each their own. I think IoA and USF are awesome. Staying on site and never having to leave the parks is a highlight for me. If you could care less about stuff like that, that’s fine.

But if they aren’t ever going to get approval for it I’d say you have nothing to worry about.

 

[Bobharlem]

I don't expect water taxis, not because Universal doesn't want but because I don't expect any new "deluxe" hotels other than a possible one at the park entrance.

I'd always assume the resort boats were there to make lemonade out of the fact that the drainage requirements (ponds) had to be met and they wanted to make them somewhat useful. If they have boats at the south complex it would be likely for the same reason... (Watch where they put the ponds) however the proximity to shingle creek makes it a little more interesting.

 

[Mike S]

“Immersion ruining” only matters inside the parks imo.

 

[zg44]

The best option for those who do care about immersion will be to split your stay between the two resorts after the 2nd is fully built.


First couple of years, stay 4 days at a current UOR hotel and deal with taking a bus to the 3rd dry park. You get to keep your immersive experience for USF/IoA/VB.


After the 2nd resort is complete (somewhere around 2030-2034 is my best current guess), it will be reasonable to split your stay among both resorts if you don't want to deal with buses:

Split a 6 day visit with 3 days at a current UOR hotel and 3 days at the south resort. Just really have to move one time. Not that bad if you care about immersion.


We're talking about a resort that may eventually have up to 6 parks and 20000 hotel rooms.

Buses will be everywhere. On the busiest days, you could see upwards to 125k-150k people across the resort. Impossible to move that many people around without mass transit like buses.

 

[DisneyDoof]

After looking at the road plans in-depth, I've picked up a few details I think may have an impact on the layout of the resort.

1. Their is no bus lane on the main east-west road except for the portion from the circular ramp to the first intersection. This I assume is because buses will turn left/North onto that intersection where there will be some sort of bus loop / transportation center.
2. If parking was planned to be on the south side of the main east-west road then I would think the main circle ramp would not direct cars back into the middle of the road. It would instead keep to the southernmost side of the eastern portion and possible have a dedicated lane to garages. To get cars to cross over 2 or 3 lanes of traffic in such a short time would be a nightmare.

Also, I wanted to share my first blue sky draft of the resort's layout if there were 2 garages on the north side of that road.
Now I know that this won't happen but it's just a thought. Keep in mind that those 2 large retention ponds on the southeast side of the resort can always be moved around more to create space for a potential second park, water-park, and hotel. Additionally, each of those hotel plots are HUGE and can easily fit 2000 rooms each, they can also be split up into more hotels too.
P.S. This is draft number one, going back to the drawing board after I post this

 

[quinnmac000]

After looking at the road plans in-depth, I've picked up a few details I think may have an impact on the layout of the resort.

1. Their is no bus lane on the main east-west road except for the portion from the circular ramp to the first intersection. This I assume is because buses will turn left/North onto that intersection where there will be some sort of bus loop / transportation center.
2. If parking was planned to be on the south side of the main east-west road then I would think the main circle ramp would not direct cars back into the middle of the road. It would instead keep to the southernmost side of the eastern portion and possible have a dedicated lane to garages. To get cars to cross over 2 or 3 lanes of traffic in such a short time would be a nightmare.

Also, I wanted to share my first blue sky draft of the resort's layout if there were 2 garages on the north side of that road.
Now I know that this won't happen but it's just a thought. Keep in mind that those 2 large retention ponds on the southeast side of the resort can always be moved around more to create space for a potential second park, water-park, and hotel. Additionally, each of those hotel plots are HUGE and can easily fit 2000 rooms each, they can also be split up into more hotels too.
P.S. This is draft number one, going back to the drawing board after I post this

Yours essentially about 80% of what I envisioned. The main difference was for Park one the hotel was in the front connected to city walk rather than on the back side of the park.

 

[Scott W.]

The best option for those who do care about immersion will be to split your stay between the two resorts after the 2nd is fully built.


First couple of years, stay 4 days at a current UOR hotel and deal with taking a bus to the 3rd dry park. You get to keep your immersive experience for USF/IoA/VB.


After the 2nd resort is complete (somewhere around 2030-2034 is my best current guess), it will be reasonable to split your stay among both resorts if you don't want to deal with buses:

Split a 6 day visit with 3 days at a current UOR hotel and 3 days at the south resort. Just really have to move one time. Not that bad if you care about immersion.


We're talking about a resort that may eventually have up to 6 parks and 20000 hotel rooms.

Buses will be everywhere. On the busiest days, you could see upwards to 125k-150k people across the resort. Impossible to move that many people around without mass transit like buses.

I’d like to think that if you’re staying at a Universal hotel and paying for parking that you will get free parking at the other resort. I don’t know if that’s the case now but it would be pretty pointless if it was.

 

[Coasted]

The plans specifically mention how much parking will be provided, so yes, it looks like it's a surface lot:

@ParkRumors original post showed “maximum allowed building height 400 feet” - that’s twice ToT or more than twice Aventura! Unless “building” is a verb and thus relates to crane height!?

 

[JunoSynth]

After looking at the road plans in-depth, I've picked up a few details I think may have an impact on the layout of the resort.

1. Their is no bus lane on the main east-west road except for the portion from the circular ramp to the first intersection. This I assume is because buses will turn left/North onto that intersection where there will be some sort of bus loop / transportation center.
2. If parking was planned to be on the south side of the main east-west road then I would think the main circle ramp would not direct cars back into the middle of the road. It would instead keep to the southernmost side of the eastern portion and possible have a dedicated lane to garages. To get cars to cross over 2 or 3 lanes of traffic in such a short time would be a nightmare.

Also, I wanted to share my first blue sky draft of the resort's layout if there were 2 garages on the north side of that road.
Now I know that this won't happen but it's just a thought. Keep in mind that those 2 large retention ponds on the southeast side of the resort can always be moved around more to create space for a potential second park, water-park, and hotel. Additionally, each of those hotel plots are HUGE and can easily fit 2000 rooms each, they can also be split up into more hotels too.
P.S. This is draft number one, going back to the drawing board after I post this

That's pretty neat. Thanks for making that! BTW Do we know for sure there's going to be 2 parks and a water park or that's just speculation?

 

[Jwhee]

@ParkRumors original post showed “maximum allowed building height 400 feet” - that’s twice ToT or more than twice Aventura! Unless “building” is a verb and thus relates to crane height!?

It's probably in the same zoning area that the Orlando Eye is in. Hence the 400 feet height.

 

[Teebin]

That's pretty neat. Thanks for making that! BTW Do we know for sure there's going to be 2 parks and a water park or that's just speculation?

Only speculation.

 

[GoUCFKnights]

That's pretty neat. Thanks for making that! BTW Do we know for sure there's going to be 2 parks and a water park or that's just speculation?

Universal's attorneys have confirmed 2 parks, but did not confirm the water park.

 

[Teebin]

Universal's attorneys have confirmed 2 parks, but did not confirm the water park.

Anything stated by their attorneys are “options” and not actual plans. I will give you that land will be set aside for such an option but that does not guarantee a second park will ever be built.

 

[JunoSynth]

Universal's attorneys have confirmed 2 parks, but did not confirm the water park.

Cool. Hopefully they will be open late and take away some of the HHN crowd. lol

 

[JungleSkip]

Universal's attorneys have confirmed 2 parks, but did not confirm the water park.

Anything stated by their attorneys are “options” and not actual plans. I will give you that land will be set aside for such an option but that does not guarantee a second park will ever be built.

Also, as a reminder, Universal considers Volcano bay a “park”, so 2 parks does not mean 2 dry parks.

 

[GoUCFKnights]

Anything stated by their attorneys are “options” and not actual plans. I will give you that land will be set aside for such an option but that does not guarantee a second park will ever be built.

Thats not what Universal's attorneys have said, infact, they requested the more detailed plans for Universal's land use be sealed (which was granted) and did use that as evidence they were actively working towards 2 parks and the lawsuit damaged them by delaying both parks.

 

[darkridelover]

Thats not what Universal's attorneys have said, infact, they requested the more detailed plans for Universal's land use be sealed (which was granted) and did use that as evidence they were actively working towards 2 parks and the lawsuit damaged them by delaying both parks.

The second park referenced in that statement was Universal Beijing.