Universal Orlando Resort Expansion (Part 1)

[fryoj]

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.

For Water, I was thinking Lake town as the shopping area in front of the Erabor Ride. If they could figure out a way to make a boat ride part of the queue that would be pretty sweet.

 

[ChrisFL]

It's difficult for ride ideas because unlike Harry Potter which is magical, but still set in modern times, LOTR isn't...so any rides etc. have to fit somehow into a waaaay pre-industrial look.

 

[twebber55]

I’m stoked. 100%.



I don’t see them incorporating 4 areas. Not even 3. And remember that they don’t have to. Mordor, for example, almost assuredly won’t be a land. I’m sure we’ll “experience” Mordor. Maybe via queue. Certainly during a ride.

We might get just the shire as the land. And then “experience” Rivendell on a boat ride similar to Navi River Journey (except much better) leading to a grand reveal of Rivendell, etc.


Universal has done so much with queues- and now, interactive/queless queues, that they don’t have to put everything in its own land anymore and you can experience them via an incredibly immersive queue and attraction instead.

i agree
i dont see 4 lands
probably more like 2 at most with the shire being a for sure one of them

It's difficult for ride ideas because unlike Harry Potter which is magical, but still set in modern times, LOTR isn't...so any rides etc. have to fit somehow into a waaaay pre-industrial look.

which take me to my next point
HP is greatest Theme Park land that can and will be built for a while simply because of the setting of the movies/books fits so well into a theme park, including food, bev and merch

what food will be served in LOTR? im sure it will good like Satuli is but still nothing iconic
as far as rides the raft ride from the hobbit or some flying ride on the eagles would be great

 

[ChrisFL]

which take me to my next point
HP is greatest Theme Park land that can and will be built for a while simply because of the setting of the movies/books fits so well into a theme park, including food, bev and merch

what food will be served in LOTR? im sure it will good like Satuli is but still nothing iconic
as far as rides the raft ride from the hobbit or some flying ride on the eagles would be great

Lembas bread....lots and lots of Lembas bread

 

[JungleSkip]

Lembas bread....lots and lots of Lembas bread

Yea, I’m sure they’ll work to make that the special snack of the land.

Plus they’ll build the Green Dragon with its own specialty beer

 

[JungleSkip]

i agree
i dont see 4 lands
probably more like 2 at most with the shire being a for sure one of them

I think there will be more than 3, but I also don’t think they will be full “lands”. I think they’ll work to incorporate as many physical locations as they possibly can

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

I know nothing of Lord of The Rings. I unfortunately can't share the true excitement as many of you. However, looking at what Universal has done with Harry Potter, Fallon, Simpsons (w/o the main attraction building), and New Hulk from a VISUAL perspective alone gets me pretty hype:clap:to SEE how this incorporate.

I just wonder where on the main campus do you put such. There is space available in a few areas but from you alls opinions where do you put it? Is it similar in genre and theming to HP? IF so should it be close to HP or make it furthest away as possible?

This is me trying to catch up and how fast IU Forums move when you don't keep up with every thread!
Used to be easy but with more people, posts, and topics, its difficult these days haha!

 

[ChrisFL]

Here's a thought...and I can see the negatives of this....BUT, what if they made this a boutique park experience, like a tour of Middle Earth with set times for food, drinks, live meet and greets with hobbits, elves, etc. Another thing about LOTR is that most of it was only involving a small amount of people. Having tens of thousands of people exploring could really break up the feel of the land.

 

[JungleSkip]

Here's a thought...and I can see the negatives of this....BUT, what if they made this a boutique park experience, like a tour of Middle Earth with set times for food, drinks, live meet and greets with hobbits, elves, etc. Another thing about LOTR is that most of it was only involving a small amount of people. Having tens of thousands of people exploring could really break up the feel of the land.

I doubt it, not when they have a 3rd park to fill with IP draws.

My guess is they see how all the interactions go with Galaxy's Edge and then ape some of that for Middle Earth

 

[ChrisFL]

Ok, I've been thinking a lot more about this.

Here are the advantages of a fully immersive "boutique experience" in my mind:

-Fully pre-paid experience...no worrying about registers and modern money (maybe have a gift shop at the very end/outside)
-Smaller tour groups for a more personal experience
-Can appeal to the smaller rabid fanbase who would pay for a premium and authentic LOTR/Hobbit experience. As people have stated that LOTR isn't as big a draw as HP or Star Wars for people who visit theme parks. I tend to agree with this somewhat.
-They could even have some cosplay options
-A tour of the progression from Hobbiton to Mordor
-A scheduled boat ride through the lands
-No clashing with other sections of a theme park


I just think that this theme really needs its own separate experience that is not like what we've seen already in the parks.

 

[JungleSkip]

I just don't see it being a good idea. I think they could maybe do the boutique resort idea Disney is doing with Star Wars though

 

[fryoj]

I just wonder where on the main campus do you put such. There is space available in a few areas but from you alls opinions where do you put it? Is it similar in genre and theming to HP? IF so should it be close to HP or make it furthest away as possible?

This will go into either Toon Lagoon, Or JP(if they decide to do a full on JW at park 3).

Ok, I've been thinking a lot more about this.

Here are the advantages of a fully immersive "boutique experience" in my mind:

-Fully pre-paid experience...no worrying about registers and modern money (maybe have a gift shop at the very end/outside)
-Smaller tour groups for a more personal experience
-Can appeal to the smaller rabid fanbase who would pay for a premium and authentic LOTR/Hobbit experience. As people have stated that LOTR isn't as big a draw as HP or Star Wars for people who visit theme parks. I tend to agree with this somewhat.
-They could even have some cosplay options
-A tour of the progression from Hobbiton to Mordor
-A scheduled boat ride through the lands
-No clashing with other sections of a theme park


I just think that this theme really needs its own separate experience that is not like what we've seen already in the parks.

A boutique park for a single IP excludes anyone who isn't a die hard fan. And even then, at the price point it would have to be to be all inclusive like you suggest, it would be cost prohibitive to a lot of the die hards as well. There just aren't enough fans of any IP to make a fully immersive single IP park practical.

 

[Scott W.]

Ewww. Is LOTR still relevant?

While this is some fine trolling, I think it’s an interesting point.

It may not be as relevant today as it was a decade ago certainly but with the new tv deal that’s just been inked, I fully expect it’s popularity to rise again and I can see this to be as big as Game of Thrones.

Given the timelines of how long all this could take, Universal could be opening a LOTR land just after its first season and in its prime.

This is kind of like what Disney had planned with Avatar but I think this has far more potential to succeed.

 

[JungleSkip]

This will go into either Toon Lagoon, Or JP(if they decide to do a full on JW at park 3).

It will almost assuredly be the corner stone of Park 3, if you ask me

 

[captainmoch]

I think there will be more than 3, but I also don’t think they will be full “lands”. I think they’ll work to incorporate as many physical locations as they possibly can

That's what I was going for with my art. The "Middle-Earth" area was essentially a super pretty/large pathway. The "Mordor" area was just a Dark Tower attraction and surrounding Mordor-themed queue/facade. The only super elaborate ones are the Shire and Rivendell, which feature the majority of the shopping and dining. That's about what I'd expect in the final version too.

 

[JungleSkip]

Dark Tower

Bara-dur. The Dark Tower is a whole different epic book series.

 

[captainmoch]

Bara-dur. The Dark Tower is a whole different epic book series.

Oops. I haven't watched the movies in a while, despite being a pretty big fan of them, LOL.

 

[Scott W.]

It will almost assuredly be the corner stone of Park 3, if you ask me

That's how I see it. The current resort has plenty coming and this is the perfect killer IP for the new park and the timing will should work perfectly.

 

[Disneyhead]

Po-tay-toh & Onion Soup, Rosemary Lamb Shanks, Lavender and Lemon Muffins, Beef Stew in a sourdough bowl.

And Ale.

 

[Andysol]

Ewww. Is LOTR still relevant?

While this is some shitty attempt at trolling,

FTFY