CityWalk Orlando Updates & Changes General Thread

[Jwhee]

I think The Coconut is doing very well with corporate buy-outs, and Universal gets a lot of blow back when they close one of the themed Coconuts for buy-outs. With office Christmas Party season upon us, I think Universal looked at their options, and decided to save money on themeing and make what they can on parties.

Also they usually double dip on these nights, host the event and then open to the public at 10pm or so. Probably makes a nice chunk of change

 

[sonoma15]

Sounds like the club will be getting Holiday themed drinks.

 

[Casper Gutman]

If the corporate buyouts do play a part in the lack of an overlay, and that seems plausible, it makes the situation all the more troubling to me. At a moment when Uni should be thinking like a world-class resort, the constant buy-outs make them look like a cheap local operation - not to mention the negative impact on the guest experience.

I can come up with all sorts of economic reasons the overlays may have been cut, but that’s kind of the point. I have no economic interest in Comcast. My concern is with the guest experience in general and my personal experience in particular. I know EU is coming, but that can only partially offset what I see as a decline in the experience in other areas. I’ll still visit - it will take a lot more to put me off completely - but I’m singing the resorts praises quite a bit less then I did pre-pandemic.

To me, personally, this little change is a big deal. The overlays actually did get me to visit more often, for instance during 2023 Mardi Gras, and they played a very significant part in the overall sense that Uni “got it,” that someone somewhere in the corporation cared about the parks.

I home they get heavy pushback on this move from guests.

 

[Nico]

If the corporate buyouts do play a part in the lack of an overlay, and that seems plausible, it makes the situation all the more troubling to me. At a moment when Uni should be thinking like a world-class resort, the constant buy-outs make them look like a cheap local operation - not to mention the negative impact on the guest experience.

I can come up with all sorts of economic reasons the overlays may have been cut, but that’s kind of the point. I have no economic interest in Comcast. My concern is with the guest experience in general and my personal experience in particular. I know EU is coming, but that can only partially offset what I see as a decline in the experience in other areas. I’ll still visit - it will take a lot more to put me off completely - but I’m singing the resorts praises quite a bit less then I did pre-pandemic.

To me, personally, this little change is a big deal. The overlays actually did get me to visit more often, for instance during 2023 Mardi Gras, and they played a very significant part in the overall sense that Uni “got it,” that someone somewhere in the corporation cared about the parks.

I home they get heavy pushback on this move from guests.

If guests weren’t going to the company’s needed capacity, then is it really a downgrade in guest experience? It’s supply and demand at most.

That said, I’m not loving the buy outs being reasons for the parks closing early. Full disclosure, Im not sure how often those happen. I hope they get to the point where all the parks are open late. That to me has more impact than the level of decor in a CityWalk bar in feeling like a world class resort.

 

[Casper Gutman]

If guests weren’t going to the company’s needed capacity, then is it really a downgrade in guest experience? It’s supply and demand at most.

That said, I’m not loving the buy outs being reasons for the parks closing early. Full disclosure, Im not sure how often those happen. I hope they get to the point where all the parks are open late. That to me has more impact than the level of decor in a CityWalk bar in feeling like a world class resort.

I may be alone in this, but the “level of decor” in the seasonal overlays in places like Coconut and the Tribute store are a huge part of what makes Uni feel special and endears it to me over the competition. I have been very excited to see them steadily expand to IOA and the airport, and this is a pretty significant change in that direction.

I have a very hard time believing that, even if the other overlays didn’t bring in the cash of the HHN one, that they didn’t turn a profit given the relatively minimal cost. I suspect the issue is more a belief that the club will turn a comparable profit without them - or it may just be new management making changes to show they are doing something. Who knows. But I can certainly say it’s a downgrade in MY guest experience, and ultimately that’s the only frame of reference of which any of us can be certain.

 

[Jwhee]

I may be alone in this, but the “level of decor” in the seasonal overlays in places like Coconut and the Tribute store are a huge part of what makes Uni feel special and endears it to me over the competition. I have been very excited to see them steadily expand to IOA and the airport, and this is a pretty significant change in that direction.

I have a very hard time believing that, even if the other overlays didn’t bring in the cash of the HHN one, that they didn’t turn a profit given the relatively minimal cost. I suspect the issue is more a belief that the club will turn a comparable profit without them - or it may just be new management making changes to show they are doing something. Who knows. But I can certainly say it’s a downgrade in MY guest experience, and ultimately that’s the only frame of reference of which any of us can be certain.

Think we might be overreacting a tad bit here..

They just completed their most elaborate and expensive overlay of the club that they’ve ever done. They still have confidence in the concept. The club is still highly decorated for Christmas, although no official “overlay.” And apparently the seasonal drinks are coming

 

[Brian G.]

I have a very hard time believing that, even if the other overlays didn’t bring in the cash of the HHN one, that they didn’t turn a profit given the relatively minimal cost. I suspect the issue is more a belief that the club will turn a comparable profit without them - or it may just be new management making changes to show they are doing something. Who knows. But I can certainly say it’s a downgrade in MY guest experience, and ultimately that’s the only frame of reference of which any of us can be certain.

Sure... if you don't consider the man-hours to conceptualize, design, build, and set up.

I'm 100% with you on the buyouts but as far as everything else; It's not gone - it's just changed based on the season. They needed to make adjustments based on the demand. We still have a Coconut Club open that spent the better part of the last decade either empty or closed.

 

[Alicia]

Seasonal drinks and decor. Hmmm. Does it play classic holiday music prior to the DJ set? Because I’m starting to consider heading over to vibe if so.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Think we might be overreacting a tad bit here..

They just completed their most elaborate and expensive overlay of the club that they’ve ever done. They still have confidence in the concept. The club is still highly decorated for Christmas, although no official “overlay.” And apparently the seasonal drinks are coming

I understand that noting negatives in the park without copious caveats will be viewed as “overreacting” here. Different things matter differently to different people, and I can only offer my own perspective. I can assure you my reaction to the exquisite current makeover of the IOA Halloween store is similarly hyperbolic, though probably wouldn’t be noted as such.

The current decorations are absolutely not comparable to one of the overlays. They are generic, largely off-the-shelf decorations that read as an afterthought. I’m glad that Coconut is open, but without the overlay and with contemporary club music, it doesn’t interest me.

 

[OrlLover]

I understand that noting negatives in the park without copious caveats will be viewed as “overreacting” here. Different things matter differently to different people, and I can only offer my own perspective. I can assure you my reaction to the exquisite current makeover of the IOA Halloween store is similarly hyperbolic, though probably wouldn’t be noted as such.

The current decorations are absolutely not comparable to one of the overlays. They are generic, largely off-the-shelf decorations that read as an afterthought. I’m glad that Coconut is open, but without the overlay and with contemporary club music, it doesn’t interest me.

Which is fine but then you start making generalizations about Uni as a whole trying to reach for something that’s not there. One random decorated club isn’t the end of the world.

It doest’t determine if they are going downhill or not. They have budgets just like most large companies and maybe this year decided not to allocate as much.

 

[Mad Dog]

The corporate buyouts always pi_ _ed me off. In Citywalk they killed my plans way too many times since you never know when they're coming. With the parks it's even worst. I cancelled an entire Mardi Gras vacation in 2022 when they changed park hours to a bunch of early closings three weeks before my arrival time, which was a huge downgrade from the hours they posted on their website when I booked. This was in mid March, a super crowded time, so it had to be corporate buyouts. That's just WRONG. Too often, Universal puts the already booked guests behind their corporate buyouts. There needs to be a better way to do it. As others have said, this shouldn't happen anymore with the size Universal has become. It's very bush league. Even Disney rarely ever does this.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Which is fine but then you start making generalizations about Uni as a whole trying to reach for something that’s not there. One random decorated club isn’t the end of the world.

It doest’t determine if they are going downhill or not. They have budgets just like most large companies and maybe this year decided not to allocate as much.

Even though this is a change I find particularly distressing, I can assure you it is far from the only thing determining my opinion of the resort as a whole, a opinion which is far from entirely negative. I made that clear in a previous post.

The most sweeping subjective statement I will make is that, since the pandemic, the various overlays have been the most consistently positive element of the resort. Other elements - maintenance, additions, entertainment, etc. - have seen a pronounced mix of positive and negative developments.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I'd imagine regardless of the other seasons, Dead Coconut is here to stay. It seems to be very, very popular during the event.

 

[Casper Gutman]

A question - do they have the Holiday village in CityWalk with all the different food stands this year?

 

[Brian G.]

A question - do they have the Holiday village in CityWalk with all the different food stands this year?

It was one & done and cut last year to go all in with the Green & Red Coconut Club. This year, they’re seemingly doing a blend of a Coco Club and a smaller version of the Pines.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

A question - do they have the Holiday village in CityWalk with all the different food stands this year?

Nope, I think they regular drink stands just offer a holiday beverage or two now.

I think they were trying too much expanding stuff like Mardi Gras food into CityWalk/IOA lol

 

[Casper Gutman]

That’s a shame. I really loved the expansion of the seasonal offerings. They made an AP seem worthwhile, which was particularly important as they cranked the prices way up.

 

[Brian G.]

Nope, I think they regular drink stands just offer a holiday beverage or two now.

I think they were trying too much expanding stuff like Mardi Gras food into CityWalk/IOA lol

Yeah, it was either dead - or a congestion nightmare during busy times, especially during the park closing. Cool idea but I get why it needed to go/be changed.

 

[SeventyOne]

That’s a shame. I really loved the expansion of the seasonal offerings. They made an AP seem worthwhile, which was particularly important as they cranked the prices way up.

For most of this century, UOR has been the #1 park in Orlando for Halloween and Spring events (excepting St Patrick's at Raglan) ... and a distant third for Christmas. So they pumped up the Grinch content, built a shiny new parade that could run earlier in the season, put a mini F&W in CityWalk ... and remained the third Christmas park in Orlando.

Variety of reasons for this, but I think a big one has to be the people who love traditional Christmas are largely distinct from those who love Halloween, Mardi Gras and Universal IPs. Much like they did with NYE, at a certain point, offer the bare minimum and rely on the fact the parks will be filled with casual guests in late December even if you do very little.

(FTR, the 20+ year-old Blues Brothers Holiday Show is my favorite Christmas thing in any theme park. But I also get its aesthetic is far from Candlelight or Wonderous Night.)

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Yeah, it was either dead - or a congestion nightmare during busy times, especially during the park closing. Cool idea but I get why it needed to go/be changed.

Poor TMs at IOA were bored to death every time I passed by their booths. I get trying to expand the event, but expanding events outside of USF felt off-putting especially with no real entertainment offerings outside of the event.

For most of this century, UOR has been the #1 park in Orlando for Halloween and Spring events (excepting St Patrick's at Raglan) ... and a distant third for Christmas. So they pumped up the Grinch content, built a shiny new parade that could run earlier in the season, put a mini F&W in CityWalk ... and remained the third Christmas park in Orlando.

Variety of reasons for this, but I think a big one has to be the people who love traditional Christmas are largely distinct from those who love Halloween, Mardi Gras and Universal IPs. Much like they did with NYE, at a certain point, offer the bare minimum and rely on the fact the parks will be filled with casual guests in late December even if you do very little.

(FTR, the 20+ year-old Blues Brothers Holiday Show is my favorite Christmas thing in any theme park. But I also get its aesthetic is far from Candlelight or Wonderous Night.)

Universal for whatever reason also doesn't like to decorate CityWalk for Christmas. All we get is a few light-up stars at night and some decor at the CityWalk Universal store.

At IOA, outside Seuss, there's not really much of Christmas outside a 4-minute show at Potter and minor decor at Port of Entry with lousy Christmas pop music playing. (Should be instrumental mixed with the traditional IOA soundtrack)

At USF they have surprisingly not expanded the food & beverage offerings for the event and really only put decor in Hollywood, Diagon & New York.