New Universal Theme Park: Florida?

[The Interpreter]

http://c.bizjournals.com/ct/c/102982002/NjgyNjcxOTI6OjI0NDk3ODE

[rhyano]

and Universal said they were worried about Skyplex not because of competition   

[kingsislandfan1972]

I'm excited to find this out, I really hope this does happen.

[Gabe]

The acreage they've purchased is roughly the size of KI, albeit 2 miles down the road.  Def more than enough room for a 3rd gate, but with the distance involved, Universal would either have to subcontract shuttle service to/from, or, like Disney, buy a fleet of buses to take people back and forth.  

[upstop]

Or a monorail system. I'm sure if they buy the property there is a good chance they will purchase additional properties or partner in some of the motel properties as 3rd class resorts.

[Gabe]

A monorail isn't going to happen.  Disney has toyed with the idea of expanding the system for years (and they own the land!). As recently as a couple of years ago, Reedy Creek estimated that the cost would be in the hundreds of millions just to build it, not to mention operate it.  Disney figured even with buying a whole new fleet of buses powered by Natural Gas (which is what they're doing), the cost of doing so is a fraction of what it would cost to expand the monorail. Universal would have to pay a pretty penny for the land it needs, or else do a deal with the City of Orlando or FDOT to lease their right of way.  At least for the short term, Universal would either build a 3rd gate and shuttle people over, or just buy and develop the space between the parks plus the acreage they already own. 

[westcoaster]

To the 3rd gate.

[shark6495]

The buses at WDW were better than the Monorail (in my opinion)

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[fryoj]

While busses are almost certainly the route they will go initially, they do have the disadvantage of having to travel down either Universal or Kirkman on public roads, fighting traffic, going past things that Universal doesn't own, etc. I think long term, some sort of monorail would be a preferred solution. Preferably something like the Hogwarts Express where you are immersed in the trip and they can maintain some sort of illusion that you are in one big resort like Disney. Cost and getting permits/ROW will be the things that may keep it from ever happening. 

[TombRaiderFTW]

I feel like buses are the only choice for transporting guests down Universal Boulevard to a hypothetical third park. A monorail, apart from being very expensive, seems like it would require Universal to own every piece of land a support travels on. Something like the Hogwarts Express would have the same issue. And then I wonder if Florida's department of transportation would be concerned about distracted drivers, etc.

Universal Blvd. also isn't particularly fun to drive down, either. The lights take forever, and traffic can get very congested in the evenings. The times I've stayed on International Drive, the two-mile drive from Universal could take 15 minutes or more during Friday night traffic. It's awful, and I could see that being an issue for buses.

It seems most advantageous to me to just make any new park a standalone effort without too many ties to the rest of the resort. But I'm also not a marketing guru, so maybe that's not a great idea.

[fryoj]

Yeah, the main reason for the land acquisition would be to expand the resort. More hotels, another citiwalk and the third park. Something to make guests spend more money and extend their vacations. Keeping it completely separate from the other parks has no advantages whatsoever. 

 

On bus traffic, they are planning a Kirkman extension that would go right by the new land. That will likely be the busses main route. 

 

One thing to consider on the monorail. Universal blvd and Kirkman both have wide medians that you could put monorail supports in. Uni just has to negotiate usage fees from the government for those or whatever legal deal needs to be done. They could very well use busses the first couple years then go to whatever governing body controls that and apply for zoning and usage of the medians for a monorail "to reduce traffic" and it would probably fly through the approval process. 

[marth555]

Back to the Future ride please

[TTD-120-420]

and Universal said they were worried about Skyplex not because of competition   

And I think they were being honest. The new land they are purchasing is right next door. The sight lines in a third gate would be terrible because of this monsterous tower, that won't work 70% of the time anyways (Intamin).

 

Let's be real, the effect this tower would have on Universal's attendance is, at most, microscopic. Fun Spot is bigger competition than this is.

[Gabe]

Yeah, the main reason for the land acquisition would be to expand the resort. More hotels, another citiwalk and the third park. Something to make guests spend more money and extend their vacations. Keeping it completely separate from the other parks has no advantages whatsoever. 

 

On bus traffic, they are planning a Kirkman extension that would go right by the new land. That will likely be the busses main route. 

 

One thing to consider on the monorail. Universal blvd and Kirkman both have wide medians that you could put monorail supports in. Uni just has to negotiate usage fees from the government for those or whatever legal deal needs to be done. They could very well use busses the first couple years then go to whatever governing body controls that and apply for zoning and usage of the medians for a monorail "to reduce traffic" and it would probably fly through the approval process. 

Unless said governmental entities have short memories and recall the awful monorail accident at Disney a few years back. I'd guess the approval process would take a good deal of time.  By that time,Universal might decide to stick with the bus plan.

[Tr0y]

Yeah, the main reason for the land acquisition would be to expand the resort. More hotels, another citiwalk and the third park. Something to make guests spend more money and extend their vacations. Keeping it completely separate from the other parks has no advantages whatsoever. 

 

On bus traffic, they are planning a Kirkman extension that would go right by the new land. That will likely be the busses main route. 

 

One thing to consider on the monorail. Universal blvd and Kirkman both have wide medians that you could put monorail supports in. Uni just has to negotiate usage fees from the government for those or whatever legal deal needs to be done. They could very well use busses the first couple years then go to whatever governing body controls that and apply for zoning and usage of the medians for a monorail "to reduce traffic" and it would probably fly through the approval process.

Unless said governmental entities have short memories and recall the awful monorail accident at Disney a few years back. I'd guess the approval process would take a good deal of time.  By that time,Universal might decide to stick with the bus plan.

You are more likely to be killed in your car on the way to WDW than riding the WDW Monorail between parks. Bus shuttling while cheaper is much more dangerous.

[purdude86]

It seems that the Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Universal has closed a deal to purchase the land. Really not too surprising that they would win a bid on it, though still not officially confirmed. Excited to see what they announce for this property in the coming years though. Sure their current promotional focus will be on the stuff opening through 2017 for the time being though and not things likely years down the line.

 

Here's the source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/brinkmann-on-business/os-universal-orlando-purchase-20151223-post.html

[upstop]

Why not use an electric street car system for inter park transportation...Cincinnati's was installed in the blink of an eye.... At several million or so every 200 feet.