Monsters Cafe Closing

[shiekra38]

This has Raptor Encounter vibes to me

Meaning the moved around and rebuilt the Raptor Encounter like 3 times until it found a permanent home

I feel Minion Mayhem, Villain Con, and Minion Cafe are holdovers for when a particular other yellow family's contract expires

If it leads to a bit more cohesion in the front of the park then great

Personally I'd like to see a proper Minions dark ride like a modern day Mr. Toad

 

[Nico]

This has Raptor Encounter vibes to me

Meaning the moved around and rebuilt the Raptor Encounter like 3 times until it found a permanent home

I feel Minion Mayhem, Villain Con, and Minion Cafe are holdovers for when a particular other yellow family's contract expires

If it leads to a bit more cohesion in the front of the park then great

Personally I'd like to see a proper Minions dark ride like a modern day Mr. Toad

A part of me really hopes this true. Universal has so few popular IP that kids love and would double as a great “classic” dark ride. Minions would be the top of that list.

 

[belloq87]

Personally I'd like to see a proper Minions dark ride like a modern day Mr. Toad

A part of me really hopes this true. Universal has so few popular IP that kids love and would double as a great “classic” dark ride. Minions would be the top of that list.

I would be on board with whatever they're doing at the front of the park if -- very shortly after VillainCon opens -- Minion Mayhem is replaced with a dark ride.

 

[anihilnation]

I agree with those who think the whole area there should be turned into a super-silly funland, would be a good re-theme for rip, ride rockit, Minions are Universal not just for kids lol. Then gut Minion Mayhem and maybe a flat ride or something, unless there is enough room there for a proper minion dark ride.

 

[shiekra38]

You all are so cute with your hopes and dreams :bow:

 

[Nick]

Frankly, replace the amphitheater and Rockit with a Minions wild-mouse and a flat. Then put a “concert plaza” in the KidZone that can dump straight back and behind ET straight through the Esoteric Gate (or straight into CityWalk).

That way you can still do a massive show without blocking a main thoroughfare in and out of the park.

You can actually fit the current plaza on top of Curious George, and still enough space for Mummy AND Gringotts to pretty much fit. Take the space, build a VelociCoaster-esque, F&F launch coaster with city-scape background (Tokyo!) with the concert plaza and you fix a LOT.
View attachment 16335

Problem here is the Music Plaza stage is run by Universal Studios Florida Production Group and utilizes the Sound Stage parking lot and the Stages for everything regarding event parking, such as Talent tour buses, Equipment tour buses, catering, etc, etc. I believe booked talent for concerts also are given access to SS22A, which is basically the grooming area so they can have their team make sure they look the way they want to on-stage. Most can probably do this in their buses, but it's nice to have the option in case something goes wrong or in case they prefer that.

Of course you could theoretically make it work, but they would need to probably park talent on a far more sketchy Celebrity Circle, which any random person could stumble upon. You'd also need to build a small USFPG run building back there next to the stage for anything they may need to run an event such as a concert.

Realistically, Universal is going to have no interest in doing all of this. They're way more likely to get rid of the stage without replacement imo. They've already figured out how to make Mardi Gras work without the concerts by adding a ton of F&W and they're doing less and less of them (concerts) anyway. The only other time the stage is used aside from them is during private events (which is a decent amount, but normally it's just a DJ who could be in a much tighter space anyway) and the few times over the years Fallon has come or they film for something such as an Awards show (the filmed something for the Nickelodeon Halo Awards in 2016 or so) or that one time when One Direction filmed a Christmas special that aired on NBC.

 

[Skold]

If they actually ever paint HRRR blue and yellow (big "if", I know) they better keep "HASTA!".

 

[Legacy]

Problem here is the Music Plaza stage is run by Universal Studios Florida Production Group and utilizes the Sound Stage parking lot for the Stages for everything regarding event parking, such as Talent tour buses, Equipment tour buses, catering, etc, etc. I believe booked talent for concerts also are given access to SS22A, which is basically the grooming area so they can have their team make sure they look the way they want to on-stage. Most can probably do this in their buses, but it's nice to have the option in case something goes wrong or in case they prefer that.

Of course you could theoretically make it work, but they would need to probably park talent on a far more sketchy Celebrity Circle, which any random person could stumble upon. You'd also need to build a small USFPG building run building back there next to the stage for anything they may need to run an event such as a concert.

Realistically, Universal is going to have no interest in doing all of this. They're way more likely to get rid of the stage without replacement imo. They've already figured out how to make Mardi Gras work without the concerts by adding a ton of F&W and they're doing less and less of them anyway. The only other time the stage is used aside from them is during private events (which is a decent amount, but normally it's just a DJ who could be in a much tighter space anyway) and the few times of the years Fallon has come or they film for something such as an Awards show (the filmed something for the Nickelodeon Halo Awards in 2016 or so) or that one time when One Direction filmed a Christmas special that aired on NBC.

Oh, I know. Theoretically, they could build better makeup/greenroom space into a larger venue that unloads directly from the street between the parade buildings. You also have 108, which already has a lot of that infrastructure in place (theoretically, you could also add parking lot and back gate where the parade shed is). Accommodating those requirements is completely viable. Would they do it? Nope.

I have just always hated the way shows at the current amphitheater cripple crowd flow through the entirety of the park. Moving it would greatly improve movement.

 

[Nick]

Oh, I know. Theoretically, they could build better makeup/greenroom space into a larger venue that unloads directly from the street between the parade buildings. You also have 108, which already has a lot of that infrastructure in place (theoretically, you could also add parking lot and back gate where the parade shed is). Accommodating those requirements is completely viable. Would they do it? Nope.

I have just always hated the way shows at the current amphitheater cripple crowd flow through the entirety of the park. Moving it would greatly improve movement.

I actually think by having the stage at the front it causes minimal impact on crowds in my experience. The only thoroughfare that may be cut off is if there's a huge artist and the crowd is stretching all the way back to the Monsters courtyard, which would prevent easy traffic flow from Fallon to Minions for example.

If you're anywhere from Mummy back or Bourne back on the other side, you wouldn't even really know that a concert is going on and the park is typically pretty empty. The biggest impact is once the concert is over and you have a mass exodus, but that can still be avoided.

 

[Legacy]

I actually think by having the stage at the front it causes minimal impact on crowds in my experience. The only thoroughfare that may be cut off is if there's a huge artist and the crowd is stretching all the way back to the Monsters courtyard, which would prevent easy traffic flow from Fallon to Minions for example.

If you're anywhere from Mummy back or Bourne back on the other side, you wouldn't even really know that a concert is going on and the park is typically pretty empty. The biggest impact is once the concert is over and you have a mass exodus, but that can still be avoided.

The only time I went for concerts was when it was a big artist

Which is why I think shifting would be a huge boon.

 

[shiekra38]

It would be funny if this didn't become Minions Cafe and was instead flipped to more of an all encompassing film prop kind of look

Universal's version of Connections Cafe, if you will

If they actually ever paint HRRR blue and yellow (big "if", I know) they better keep "HASTA!".

View attachment 16337

I know everyone is making fun of it, but HRRR is only what 13 years old? I think it's going to stick around for a bit

 

[Mad Dog]

It would be funny if this didn't become Minions Cafe and was instead flipped to more of an all encompassing film prop kind of look

Universal's version of Connections Cafe, if you will


I know everyone is making fun of it, but HRRR is only what 13 years old? I think it's going to stick around for a bit

HRRR is popular with the general public. That's what counts.

 

[GA-MBIT]

The main issue with creating any sort of blue sky idea for Production Central is that darn stage lol. It takes up so much space and the traffic flow can get crazy cause of it. RRR and it are kinda symbiotic as well. I think the perfect result would be gutting every building on that strip from Shrek/Mayhem to Monsters Cafe and building from scratch. If they could move the stage to a more tucked away corner of USF and a more accessible area to Hard Rock Hotel/Citywalk that sounds like a huge improvement.

 

[anihilnation]

HRRR is popular with the general public. That's what counts.

And a big coaster looks good at the front of the park as it provides a lot of kinetic energy. HRRR might not be the best coaster, but I find it aesthetically pleasing.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Re: Music Planza Stage, based on what Universal has been surveying about and the Maroon 5 concert in August, I think they are going to expand the concert offerings to have both included in admission and large upcharge concerts.

 

[anihilnation]

Re: Music Planza Stage, based on what Universal has been surveying about and the Maroon 5 concert in August, I think they are going to expand the concert offerings to have both included in admission and large upcharge concerts.

How would upcharge work, a mixture of separate entrance just for people who want the concert, combined with a holding zone for people already in the park? Anyway, I have never attended a concert at Universal, but for something upscale the bowl seems rather small, unless it is more upscale and intimate. I forgot now who mentioned this above, but the idea of creating a new music venue, is that something theoretically possible? The other thing I thought off, would it maybe not be easier to incorporate a music stage where Epic is?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

How would upcharge work, a mixture of separate entrance just for people who want the concert, combined with a holding zone for people already in the park? Anyway, I have never attended a concert at Universal, but for something upscale the bowl seems rather small, unless it is more upscale and intimate. I forgot now who mentioned this above, but the idea of creating a new music venue, is that something theoretically possible? The other thing I thought off, would it maybe not be easier to incorporate a music stage where Epic is?

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[Nick]

Re: Music Planza Stage, based on what Universal has been surveying about and the Maroon 5 concert in August, I think they are going to expand the concert offerings to have both included in admission and large upcharge concerts.

Did I miss when the hell a Maroon 5 concert got announced?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Did I miss when the hell a Maroon 5 concert got announced?

It's been kinda quiet, almost like another company is planning and running this. But it is happening.

 

[Mad Dog]

Yeah. Betting that they don't need concerts to draw people for Mardi Gras now that they get the crowds for the food too. The days of free concerts may well be gone. Expensive package concert upcharges sound like a Universal spin of Disney upcharge events. May well be the wave of the future.