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Universal Studios Florida
Orlando, FL
NBC Universal / Comcast
---- THE LATEST BUZZ ----
(5/1/13) The viral marketing part of the Transformers attraction will begin this week as Orlando will follows the style of marketing done by the Hollywood park the last few years (MORE...)
(4/29/13) Curious about when Universal Orlando will finally pull back the curtain and reveal everything about the London themed side of the PotterVerse that has been under construction (MORE...)
(4/17/13) New visual updates for Transformers and how the PotterVerse may look when finished. Scroll down!
(4/15/13) Wild Rumor time… I don’t know how valid this is but according to a Universal Orlando visitor, a cast member staffed outside the Transformers ride area (MORE...)
Ride Rehabs - The following information is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
Nothing is known at this point in time...
 General Park News - (4/5/13) OrlandoParksNews has posted a huge photo update of Universal Studios Florida this week with over 170 pictures. Check it out.
(4/1/13) OrlandoParksNews shows off all the construction areas inside Universal Studios Florida this week, stopping by the Transformers ride building, lots of new steel up for the new London side of the PotterVerse and then over to Springfield. Behind The Thrills has also noted that Megatron is now making appearances inside the park. He is just as big as Optimus Prime (maybe bigger) and like Optimus, Megatron talks as well.
(3/5/13) ParkScope reports the discovery of a new permit that will see the merchandise store in the front of Universal Studios Florida expanded. Read all the details here.
(2/22/13) ThemeParkReview has posted a huge construction update from both Universal theme parks, with a look at the early progress on the Hogwarts Express station at Islands of Adventure, Transformers at the Studios, the future London side of the PotterVerse and the new Simpsons themed area.
(2/4/13) Behind the Thrills is back this week with a new look at what’s going on at the Transformers and London side of the PotterVerse under construction this week, along with a little Mardi Gras fun. Check it out.
(1/30/13) FloridaThrills is back with a new update from Universal Studios Florida, showing off the latest construction project views from around the park.
(12/27/12) All new construction pictures shot at Universal Studios Florida showing off the Simpsons site area, Potter's London and Transformers have been posted to OrlandoRocks.
(11/15/12) ParkScope is at it again, this time finding a new permit for a new unknown project by the name of “Project 007”. No… I really don’t think that it has anything at all to do with James Bond, but it does involve some interior demolition and rebuilding on Building 43. While I’m not entirely certain where Building 43 is, it is possible that it could be the building that is home to the Monster Café, as it is right next door to the former Building 44 which was demolished for Transformers.
That said… could the Monster Café be on the chopping block in order to bring us a new dining experience? Universal Singapore did open the Starbot Café next to their Transformers ride, as a unique new “Human Refueling Center” which I believe even offered a special unique Transformers’ themed drink not sold anywhere else much like how Butterbeer is only sold in the Wizarding World.
Spring 2013 - Springfield / Simpsons - (3/18/13) Get up close with the new buildings of Springfield in a new walk-through video that takes you right next to them this week.
(3/14/13) Hi-di-ho Neighborino… looks like Mo
e’s Tavern got it’s first coat of paint today. Check out the latest photo just sent in. Meanwhile you can see a few more pictures of Springfield area over at OrlandoUnited where digging has begun in full force to prepare the sites for Duff Gardens, the VIP Seating area and the new Kodos & Kang spinner-rooni ride.
(3/12/13) Screamscape spies sent in a little more data regarding the new Springfield / Simpsons themed zone under construction. As I had hoped, the new spinning flat ride will indeed be given a SciFi theme and named after Kang and Kodos. I’m told that our previous rumors about the Duff Gardens facility overlooking the lagoon (and the VIP Seating area below) was right on the money. There will also be several other popular Springfield “icons” to see and pose with as you travel through Springfield. The random food carts that used to exist in this area will be replaced by Simpsons themed Food Trucks instead, along with a small façade of Lard Lad Donuts, complete with the infamous Lard Lad statue. Out front will be Police Chief Wiggum’s squad car parked out front, on top of a fire hydrant. A few other famous Simpson’s themed cars will appear around the area, as well as a character Meet ‘n Greet location between the right exit of the Simsons ride and the Kwik-E-Mart.
Then there is the food court… and the unofficial “list” I’ve been sent of restaurants, running left to right starting next to the Kwik-E-Mart is: General Chang’s Taco Italiano, Moe’s Tavern, Krusty Burge and then Kentucky Fried Panda on the far right side. So far the two buildings on the outside locations have installed the least amount of detail, and neither one looks dead on right just yet, so I wouldn’t be surprised if these two may have swapped locations either.
(3/8/13) All new pictures of the Simpsons themed buildings going up were sent in by a reader this week. You can see the details starting to show, but they are still being careful not to put up any logos until they are ready to announce the project.
(3/4/13) The walls around the new Springfield eateries were down this weekend. Check out two great pictures sent in by a reader showing off Moe’s Tavern and what may be the Krustyburger.
(1/28/13) The latest construction pictures of the Simpsons themed zone posted to OrlandoUnited show two different shaped building façades going up on the restaurant complex. I may be reading a bit into it, but the angled roof shape on the right does look like it could be the shape of a Krusty Burger and to the left of it the flat squared off corner building could very well be Moe’s Tavern. Just to the left of Moe’s looks like there could be another small façade… perhaps for the Kentucky Fried Panda. What do you think?
(1/7/13) While not too much to see just yet, three new pictures of the future Simpsons themed area have been posted to OrlandoRocks this week.
(1/1/13) New steel is going up and excavation work is in full force to prepare for the new Simpsons themed mini-land and new flat ride. Check out the latest pictures posted to Orlando United.
(12/12/12) Screamscape has been given the approximate location of where the new Simpsons themed flat ride and surrounding queue paths will go, fitting into the existing area quite well. Take a look at the aerial photo that I’ve modified to show off their location in greenish hues. It’s also worth taking a look at the big empty waterfront pathway area to the right of the ride area. Look for this to become a VIP seating area as a prime viewing location for the night show. Between this viewing area and the main pathway is where the new outdoor Duff Gardens style food and beverage area will be located.
As for the transformation of the old food court… I’m hearing that essentially the newly revised area will still essentially fill the same footprint, with some minor modifications to the shape of the exterior structure, though inside it will be designed like a series of interconnected mini restaurant areas, each with it’s own theme, with an expanded outdoor seating area between the building and main pathway.
(12/4/12) The latest word on the new flat ride being added to the new Simpsons themed area is that it does indeed appear, on the surface at least, to most likely be another Dumbo style fly-in-a-circle ride. Still no solid leads on what the theme may be just yet…
(11/15/12) New rumors about the Simpsons themed land are now growing in size and scope. The latest word around the park is that not only will we see a new Krusty Burger and Moe’s Tavern, there may also be a Kentucky Fried Panda (Finger Ling-Ling Good!) and possibly even a mini Duff Brewery bar set up on the lagoon edge.
The Simpsons expansion wont be limited to new restaurants either, as I’m told that we may also see other classic icons and building facades put in for Lard Lad donuts, the Comic Book Guy’s shop, and even some kind of new flat ride that may be themed to the aliens: Kang and Kodos placed near the bridge on the MIB side of the Simpsons ride building. I doubt Universal would install one of these, but a Gravitron could be perfectly themed to Kang & Kodos don’t you think?
(11/7/12) ParkScope has come across yet another permit for Project 721, which I’ve been told is the mini Simpson’s Land / Restaurant project. Looks like construction is set to being soon as the latest permits are to begin demolition and put up construction fencing. The permits name HW Davis to do the new work, who are said to be the ones who did the original outside portion of The Simpsons ride, as well as Men In Black.
(10/4/12) New pictures of the ready to play Simpsons midway games area have been added this week.
(9/10/12) According to Screamscape sources, we can expect to see the International Food Festival food court eatery next to The Qwik-E-Mart closed in the next few weeks in order to undergo a major transformation to become Simpsons themed. Rumor has it that we will see the addition of a true Krusty Burger and Moe’s Tavern appear here in time for late Spring 2013. I can only assume that we will see Universal take what they learned about adding custom food and beverage items from the Wizarding World and bring some tasty edible Simpsons items to life. Who else is up for a Flaming Moe?
Backing up this rumor is the confirmation from ParkScope back in late August that Universal filed a building permit for “Building 72” that would result in some partial demolition and area development. According to the permits, Universal has dubbed this as Project 971. Between the new themed restaurants and the Simpson themed midway games project, all blended in with the existing Simpsons ride and Kwik-E-Mart, Universal is going to have a rather nice little piece of Springfield.
2013 - Transformers The Ride: 3-D - (5/1/13) The viral marketing part of the Transformers attraction will begin this week as Orlando will follows the style of marketing done by the Hollywood park the last few years for Transformers and King Kong. We can expect some public media stunts, such as the appearance that a large transformer has crashed into a building, or perhaps made an crash landing impact crater near a local stadium. A large building sized vinyl installation is already underway at a local Orlando building as seen on ParkScope.
(4/17/13) The entrance sign for Transformers: The Ride – 3D has now been put up on the building. There are also some interesting rumors about future themeing that may be added to the outside of the building as well as we get closer to the grand opening, so stay tuned!
(4/15/13) Wild Rumor time… I don’t know how valid this is but according to a Universal Orlando visitor, a cast member staffed outside the Transformers ride area was telling the guests passing by that the ride would have a grand opening on Friday, June 21st. Don’t buy your tickets just yet, but if all the other rumors are true, that does sound like a fairly safe bet for it to open by… if not a “soft opening” weeks before that.
(4/8/13) I have my doubts so don’t count on this being true just yet… but I’ve heard a very early rumor claiming that Transformers could possibly soft open by late April. Given the crazy timetable the ride has been under, I’m not quite ready to buy that rumor just yet, though I suppose they could start testing it on Universal Orlando staff around that time. If it happens, there is no way Universal will be able to contain the excited reports from those lucky enough to ride, so stay tuned! You never know what may happen…
(4/2/13) A reader sends in a couple of new pictures of the Transformer building today, one showing off what appears to be a bit of the outdoor queue area and the other
showing off what may likely be the attraction’s entrance door.
(3/8/13) Thanks to a reader for sending in a bunch of pictures of the Transformers ride building, along with a look at the outside of the new gift shop (Supply Vault) which was closed at the time these were taken.
(3/5/13) Just as predicted, the new Transformers gift shop (Supply Vault) did just open. Even better, Behind The Thrills reports that the new Optimus Prime and Bumblebee characters were out meeting the guests outside the Supply Vault.
(3/4/13) I’m told that most of the construction walls around the Transformers gift shop and new Meet Donkey area are down. The word from insiders is that the new gift shop could open as early as Monday so keep an eye open.
(2/27/13) With the opening of Tranformers only about 3 months away, I’m hearing new rumors suggesting that the Monsters Cafe could soon be closed and “transformed” into a new Transformers / Sci-Fi themed dining experience, not unlike the StarBot Cafe that opened along with the ride in Singapore. Along with a possible restaurant, remember that Universal Orlando is also most likely to introduce the Orlando resort to the special Transformers themed beverage that is sold at the other parks: Energon. Also ,much like the Chocolate Frogs of the Wizarding World, guests should expect to be able to purchase a Milk Chocolate AllSpark cube. Nom! Nom!
Conquering the galaxy was never quite so tasty!
(2/25/13) I’m told that the pathway that runs between Shrek 4D and the Transformers ride building has reopened on Friday. The all new Donkey photo op area wasn’t open yet, but was visible and looked like it was ready to reopen anytime. Meanwhile I’m told that there is expected to be a Transformers gift shop also being set up behind the construction walls, and that the gift shop will likely open ahead of the ride, whenever they are ready to remove the construction walls from in front of it. This could happen sometime in March.
(2/11/13) A new construction update from Universal has been posted to FloridaThrills this week that focuses on the new Donkey meet and greet next across from Shrek and Transformers. The Transformers building has had a lot of military style lettering and graphics added to the outside of the structure along with Autobot symbols and the NEST designation. So far it looks like they have not touched the entrance side of the building however.
(1/28/13) New construction pictures from the Transformers ride building site have been posted to OrlandoUnited this week. Not a lot in the way or exterior themeing has been done to the building yet, but they do seem to be mounting metal pipes or possible conduit lines along sections of the exterior. Not sure if this is to run cables to control some exterior lighting and effects, or hardware to mount some kind of themeing to the outside of the building. As for what’s going on on the inside… Screamscape sources tell us that the first couple ride vehicles are on site, and already making the first early test runs around the track.
(1/18/13) Universal Studios Florida isn’t wasting any time as they have begun to stock and sell Transformers: The Ride merchandise… even though some of it still says Universal Studios Hollywood on it. Take a look in this report from BehindTheThrills.
(1/14/13) The latest pictures of the Transformers building site posted to OrlandoRocks shows that they’re pretty much sealed off the exterior of the building, and have some interesting looking access doors up on the second level. All the big hardware that needed to get inside before they button it up for good has done so, including a rumored middle of the night helicopter drop off of the Megatron figure. From what I’m hearing from various sources, the construction timetable is intact and so far no major glitches have arose from the vendors supplying the various parts and pieces, including the fleet of ride vehicles on the way.
(1/7/13) OrlandoRocks has a new construction update for Transformers: The Ride here.
(12/12/12) Some fun night pictures of the Transformers building going up at Universal Studios Florida have been posted to HorrorNightsArchive. It’s interesting to see that the power is on inside the building frame, which is lit from within on both floors.
(12/3/12) A few new nighttime images of the Transformers ride building can be found over at HorrorNightArchives this week.
(11/12/12) Some new pictures of the Transformers The Ride building, now with a fairly complete second level in place, can be seen over at OrlandoRocks.
(11/5/12) Set up right at the front entrance to Universal Studios Florida this week is what appears to be a true scale model figure of Bumblebee set up near signs announcing that Transformers The Ride: 3-D is coming in Summer 2013.
(11/2/12) As part of a big in-park announcement, Universal Studios Florida confirmed the rumors that Transformers The Ride: 3-D was under construction and would be ready to open in time for Summer 2013. The official website, www.prepareforbattle.com was updated to show off information about the Orlando project and a new video announcement from Optimus Prime was shown detailing the project for everyone.
(10/25/12) For anyone wondering, Screamscape has drawn up our own rough track layout of the Transformers ride building (see sidebar), as it was built in Singapore and Hollywood. So far the Orlando version seems to be a dead on match for what we saw go up in Hollywood last year, based on how the first floor is laid out at least. Now you can see just how the lower floor will connect with the layout to come on the upper floor.
June 2014 - PotterVerse: London / Ministry of Magic - (4/29/13) Curious about when Universal Orlando will finally pull back the curtain and reveal everything about the London themed side of the PotterVerse that has been under construction now for over a year? According to the latest rumors, Universal may continue to keep this secret very close to the vest for another 5-6 weeks… choosing to announce it all while they have the focus of the world’s media already on them during the opening of Orlando’s new Transformers: The Ride in early to mid June.
(4/17/13) This is just fan artwork, but damn they did a good job. Check out what the outside of the London / Ministry of Magic side of the PotterVerse may look like when finished.
(4/10/13) While the image appears to be about 4-5 months old, an aerial photo showing off the construction of the London side of the PotterVerse has been captured by Google Maps. You can see the large new attraction building and then pan down along the backroad where you can clearly following the newly constructed supports for the Hogwarts Express all the way over to Islands of Adventure.
Speaking of which, an anonymous source has also sent in a new picture showing off our first look at a section of the track installed for the new Hogwarts Express that will run from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure over to the new London / Ministry of Magic area. Visit our Islands of Adventure page to see it.
(4/1/13) While there is still a lot of work left to do inside the expansion land for Harry Potter, I’ve been sent information from a source showing that the estimated opening date for the new land is in early to mid June 2014, specifically looking to happen around the week of June 11th. With over a year left in the construction timetable, a lot can happen and dates can shift, especially with a project of this size, involving the construction of an entire new land with several buildings, and the Hogwarts Express to run between the two parks.
(3/14/13) Lots of steel is rising quickly into place over at the London side of the PotterVerse this week. According to the pictures posted to OrlandoUnited, they believe we could be looking at the structure for the Leaky Cauldron.
(2/19/13) One of our readers snapped off a nice shot of the Gringott’s building, as seen from the employee parking lot. I tried to zoom in a little and light
en it up a little, but you still can’t see a whole lot inside the building area.
(2/11/13) Construction is moving forward quickly on the London side of the PotterVerse. Work crews are focusing on finishing up the inside of Gringotts, while scenic crews should start preparing the exterior façade as well as crews working on the building up London. As for the Hogwarts Express, I’m told that the supports for the train ride between the parks all appear to be in place right now, so we should see the railways installed very soon.
(1/14/13) A few more pictures, aided by some good sunlight, looking into the interior of the Gringott’s building were added to OrlandoRocks this week, both from the typical in park view, as well as a view from some new angels where we can see interesting steel platforms in place as well as various concrete block structures.
(1/7/13) OrlandoRocks has added a couple of new pictures of the Gringot’s bank building in the London side of the PotterVerse this week.
(1/1/13) Today we have a new look at the latest goings on over at the London side of the Potterverse, courtesy of Orlando United.
(12/21/12) The latest update to Spins The World takes a look into a new potential shop we may see added as part of the Diagon Alley area. How would you feel about being able to tour the shop started by the Weasley twins… Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, a sort of magic effect and practical joke shop. But the question is… will it just be a shop, or could it also serve as a walk-through attraction area?
(12/18/12) Slowly but surely, little bits and pieces of information are starting to leak out about what is going on inside the Gringotts Bank structure. Don’t expect to find any close up pictures however, as sources tell me that Universal has essentially put Skynet on the job here and has security cameras watching over the entire building site. So we’re left with basic descriptions, but the stories are starting to come together enough to form a bit of a picture.
So far I’m told that the track installed does appear to be a dual sided loaded station setup in the back left side of the building area, and a flat straight piece of track along the back wall just before the track switch, which may actually be for a separate single-track unload area. So after the dual load station, the track appears to turn to the left and head towards the back of the building and into a right turn so far before we come to the end of what has been built and reported on.
Elsewhere in the building, sources tell me they’ve spotted what appeared to be up to four individual elevator shafts with access to two levels which are located next to the loading platform area. I wonder what kind of magic we will find inside a wizard’s elevator. I’ve also heard about a large themed “pit” dug down in approximately the center of the building.
The latest word on the ride system is that the cars themselves may be unlike anything we’ve seen before… incorporating a motion base system on top of a roller coaster car track system.
(12/13/12) SpinsTheWorld is back with some top secret close-up pictures of the Gringotts Bank coaster building, including a look at the installed track for is likely to be a dual-sided load station, much like Mummy. They have also confirmed the existence of the long-rumored freefall track section, with the added hint that Kuka robot arm technology may also be put to use for this effect somehow. Color me curious…
(12/12/12) UK newspapers are all abuzz over the gathering of several key Harry Potter franchise stars back to the Warner Brothers Studio for some top secret filming of a “mini-movie”. In actuality, select film performers are returning to film the needed media clips that will be used in the new and yet to be announced Harry Potter expansion phase under construction at Universal Studios Florida. Helena Bonham Carter who played Bellatrix Lestrange has already been spotted.
It stands to reason that Bellatrix Lestrange will play a primary villain role in the new Gringotts Bank coaster ride, as a trip into the Lestrange family bank vault deep in the bowels of Gringotts was a major plot point in the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2.
Also spotted on site, though possibly for another reason was Mark Williams who plays Arthur Weasley (father to the Weasley clan), who works for the Ministry of Magic and who I believe has a bit of a curiosity for Muggles and Muggle technology, which could make him a good character to deal with any pre-attraction videos used in the queue. That’s all speculation on my part however, but it was confirmed that Wiliams was on site on Dec. 8th to give a very special surprise tour to the one millionth visitor to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, which ended up being a young Harry Potter film fan.
Just for fun, here is another look back at the “coaster” style transport as seen in the movie.
(12/10/12) Several great photo updates of the huge attraction building under construction for the Gringotts Wizarding Bank coaster ride. The walls have been going up on the sides seen by guests in the park, but the back sides are still open where more black coaster track can be seen from afar. Check it out at OrlandoUnited.
(12/3/12) OrlandoUnited has posted some new aerial construction picture of the London side of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter this week (scroll down!). The building walls are going up very quickly, but you can see just how massive in size this building for the new indoor coaster is going to be. You can also make out early foundation work for the other nearby buildings as well as the clearing made in the midst of Dragon Challenge for the other side of the Hogwarts Express station.
(11/30/12) Who’s up for a visit to Borgin & Burkes? According to the latest update at Spins The World, one of the most fascinating new additions that will be part of the new London expansion project will be a visit to the infamous Borgin & Burkes, hidden in Knockturn Alley. Guess will be brought into the store and encouraged to explore the shop and interact with numerous items, including the “Hand of Glory”. The shop, as seen in the film series, was a dark creepy shop filled with the magical artifacts of evil dark magic. Sounds like a perfect place for theme park guests to explore.
(11/16/12) The first piece of track on the Gringotts Bank coaster (or first visible one at least) has been spotted and photographed by the team at OrlandoUnited a few hours ago. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page.) While the angle isn’t the best and much of the ends are covered in plastic, it does appear to match up with the latest Intamin track designs. In fact, it looks rather similar to the track Intamin used on SkyRush at Hersheypark, with a single spine instead of a double.
If Intamin does prove to be the company behind the coaster, then the rumors about using a bigger and improved version of the Freefall Drop Track gimmick are also very likely to be true as well. It certainly would fit in well into a Harry Potter themed coaster at the very least.
(11/14/12) ParkScope found another permit for the park this week, this time for Mosley, Inc to come on site and begin ‘Mechanical Equipment Installation”. Of course the Mosley in question is Mosley Erecting, known for their work putting up big roller coasters all over the South-Eastern United States. They’ve put up coasters at Carowinds, Kings Island, Dollywood, Hard Rock Park, Kings Dominion, several Six Flags parks… and were the ones brought in to put up the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit for Universal a few years ago. So it looks like we could see the Gringott’s Bank coaster pieces being put into place before you know it, which also means that they’ve got to be on site already somewhere in Orlando.
(11/12/12) Want a sneak peek at what the London side of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter could look like? Some talented artists have drawn up their own ideas of what the land could look like, based on the leaked plans and artistic style of the films. One shows off a great aerial sketch of how the detailed land may look from the air, while the other is a computer simulated layout of how the maze of buildings within the London area may appear, creating an interested and cramped layout that appears to only have one major pathway in or out.
Next up are some spoilers about the two major attractions to be added, the Hogwats Express and Grincott’s Bank ride. According to this article at Spins The World, much as I’ve heard before, the train ride on the Hogwarts Express may very well be a surprise hit and far more thrilling than anyone expected. From the sound of things, Universal Creative have decided to take the ball from Disney’s Star Tours 2 project and create their own version of offering different possible storylines that you will encounter on your journey between the parks. The window screens will be aided by an arry of 4D theater technology gags to really drive the story home. One long rumored version of the ride would include a visit by the Dementors where the train would go dark and the cabin temperatures will drop as the windows frost up.
They also talk about a unqiue “elevator” simulator experience guests will go through before getting on the Gringottt’s Bank coaster.
(11/9/12) Local spies tell me that the back wall for the first large building in the London area is now going into place. Looks like they will be ready to start walling this one off from prying eyes before you know it.
(11/7/12) ParkScope reports that permits for Nassal to begin wall layout and installation work at the park have been filed. Nassal did all the scenery for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, so it sounds like they may be ready to start installing hardware inside the Gringott’s bank building or elsewhere in the London side of the new PotterVerse expansion. ParkScope also wonders if it could be for Tranformers as well, but I don’t believe Nassal had anything to do with Transformers in Hollywood or Singapore, but I have heard rumors of Potter themed scenery pieces under construction in Orlando.
(10/24/12) New pictures of the future London area have been posted to OrlandoRocks his week, showing off the locations of the two massive tower cranes on site. I’ve also heard that the heavy machinery has begun moving out the large mountain of dirt as well.
(10/17/12) One of the big questions about the London project has been an endless speculation about just who will build the coaster ride system inside the rumored Gringott’s Bank. Almost every coaster manufacture in the book has been mentioned once or twice, with only a few exceptions.
It was the mention of one of these rare exceptions to me earlier this week that just made my brain explode. While most have been expecting to see Premier Rides come in to work on the project, or one or two other choice favorites, someone slipped the name Intamin to me the other day. The primary reason behind the rumor was the idea that a Freefall Drop Track gimmick may be used at some point in the ride, very similar to the one Intamin build for Thirteen at Alton Towers. Unfortunately that ride, like many Intamin coasters, was plagued with issues and some extended bouts of downtime it’s first year, which was a primary reason Busch Gardens Williamsburg opted to try out Zierer’s version of the same element on Verbolten. (Not to mention getting stung by the Intamin downtime bug with Cheetah Hunt in Tampa just the year before…)
So would Universal opt to try out Intamin on Gringott’s of all things? On top of having their own rumored bad experienced with past Intamin products, I shudder to think that Universal would be willing to risk their big Harry Potter themed coaster ride, one that will have people lined up around the resort for hours, all hinging on the hope of little to no downtime issues from an Intamin coaster. After all, we saw what a quick poor choice selection of coaster manufacture did for Universal over at Hollywood, Rip, Ride, Rockit. And if Universal thought they had unexpected issues with the size of the restraint system used on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, most Intamin restraints are even more size restrictive to those who are overweight.
Anyone else know anything more solid about who may be behind Universal’s next coaster project?
(10/3/12) Three new construction pictures added.
(10/2/12) Screamscape sources tell us that large footer holes have been dug along the backstage road behind Mummy and Disaster about every 30 feet or so, which should be for the footers and support beams for the new Hogwarts Express attraction.
(9/26/12) AmusementPics has posted a new construction update from Universal Studios Florida as the construction walls have shifted over and moved the guest pathway right along the edge of the new waterfront that was just built. As you can see, the steel framework for one massive building is already up, including the roof’s framing. They also check out the new Simpson’s themed game area under construction, some Transformers steel and HHN merchandise stands.
(9/17/12) The dam is being removed from the London waterfront, and the water has been let back in to cover the new wall. Check out the pictures of the workers removing the dam over at Orlando Rocks.
(9/12/12) As suspected, new tower cranes are now on site in the London section of the PotterVerse this week. Check out the new pics over at Orlando Rocks.
(9/10/12) A new addition to the London PotterVerse was spotted this week at OrlandoRocks as a large crane was brought out on site and I’ve head bases for two possible crane towers have been spotted in the area as well, one near Disaster and one over on the Fear Factor stadium side of things.
(8/24/12) The first sections of vertical steel have risen up in the former Jaws area this week. Check out the pictures posted to OrlandoRocks.
(8/21/12) Orlando United has added some great new aerial pictures of Universal Studios Florida that show off the future Transformers and PotterVerse 2.0 construction sites. This gives you not only a good look down into the bottom of the Transformers site, but a couple of big holes have also been dug in the former Jaws area as well. Looks like the dirt may have been piled up closer to Disaster. Meanwhile I’m told that construction behind the scenes for the Hogwarts Express will go full tilt this week.
(7/27/12) New pictures of the former Amity area slowly being prepared to become London have been posted to Behind Universal Studios.
(7/16/12) New construction pictures along the water’s edge by the former Amity area have been posted to OrlandoUnited.
(7/9/12) Ever wanted to see what the bottom of the Universal Studios Lagoon looks like? Now you can via the latest Amity construction site pictures at Orlando Rocks. The construction crews have pumped out the water from behind the new barrier revealing what looks like a concrete bottom with a few pipes running around across the bottom.
According to the latest fact-finding mission posted to ParkScope, the plans submitted by the park to the county actually say that the square concrete sections of the existing shoreline will be demolished and be replaced with new wall segments to give the area a more smooth and direct shoreline. So in the end, the lagoon will actually get a little bit bigger, and not smaller as I had originally guessed.
(7/2/12) Construction in the former Amity area (soon to be London) has taken an interesting turn this week. Our local man Keith was on site earlier this week and snapped a few pictures showing off a large crane now on site. However new pictures added to Orlando Rocks shot on Sunday show off some curious new objects dropped into the lagoon. A large metal framework structure has been dropped into the water and topped off with blue tarp material, lining the entire Amithy area shoreline. This forms up a new interesting barrier, which I think is actually the start of a new shoreline for the lagoon in this area. Looks like the London project will require a little land-reclamation by filling in a portion of the lagoon from the bridge to Pier 51.
Just a hunch on my part, but since the London project is going to require reconstruction of the entire old Amity area, including the current main pathway, I’m guessing they’ll need to expand the lagoon to add in space for a new walkway to allow guests to go around the expanded construction site. This is similar to how they added the bridge across the lagoon over at Islands of Adventure when the Wizarding World was under construction.
(4/19/12) A reader sent in a final picture of the former Jaws / Amity area… now nothing more than a flat giant dirt lot. Kind of depressing… but something new will rise here very soon that I hope will make up for it.
(3/5/12) The local news has posted a picture of a new overhead basic plan Universal filed for the Amity area, showing off the layout of several new buildings to go onto the site. With the aid of Photoshop I was able to layer this new image plan over the Jaws site, where it fit in perfectly like a missing puzzle piece. As described previously, there does seem to be only a single entrance into the land, roughly mid-point between the old Jaws unload and load docks. To the left appears to be a medium sized building that has a connecting hallway that goes all the way back to the exact site where I was told to expect to find the loading platform for the Hogwarts Express.
Beyond there are three smaller buildings, various minor structures and one single massive building that takes up about about 40% of the old Jaws ride lagoon area. This massive building is where we can expect to find the Gringott’s Bank themed indoor coaster ride. The main guest pathway along the outside of “London” will remain the same as it always has. Looks like universal was also careful to leave the berm behind the Jaws ride lagoon in place, though I suppose they could use this site in the future for another new attraction a few years down the line as well. (Remember that rumored Knight Bus simulator ride?)
(2/29/12) Lets talk a bit more about that Hogwarts Express project today. According to Screamscape sources the transportation ride hardware may be provided by Doppelmayr, who recently created the Ocean Express themed funicular transportation system for Ocean Park in Hong Kong that travels through a 1.3 Kilometer long tunnel and through the use of a two train system, it can transport up to 5000 passengers an hour in each direction. Also of interest here is the fact that the inside of these trains were wired up with fake video screens pretending to be glass-ceiling panels for an undersea voyage. Sounds a little familiar?
While the Hogwarts Express wont be a Funicular going up a hill, or even through a tunnel, the company does also make a series of regular cable powered shuttles that transport riders on aerial tramways. You’ll find a few of these in Las Vegas or various airports around the world. Now, the insides of these cable cars will be an entirely different matter, and will appear more like the inside of what I believe is called a “sleeper car”. (Forgive me if I’ve used the wrong term… I’m not train person.) The interior will feature a narrow walkway down one side of the car, with individual doors leading into the separate rooms, each furnished with a pair of face-to-face seating bench seats, with a single large window (ie: video screen) to the outside world on the far wall end. This will be your window into the Wizarding World for the duration of your journey between London and Hogsmeade.
(2/13/12) Screamscape sources came through over the weekend with some new details about the controversial Hogwarts Express train ride that would connect the back of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. From what I’ve been able to learn so far, which I was expecting to hear, the Hogwarts Express train ride should not be a true locomotive style train ride. There will be a locomotive and coal car, but purely for appearance’s sake, connected to a trio of passenger cars.
By design, there should be two separate train units which will load and depart their respective stations simultaneously, along a single section of track, that will split into two side by side rails only in the middle of the trip, allowing the two trains to slip past each other. The trackway between the two parks will actually be elevated up in the air the entire way, which will technically place Platform 9 ¾ on the second floor of the King’s Cross station on the London side. I’m not certain, but the raised ground elevation at Islands of Adventure may allow for the depot to appear at ground level. The elevated track system will allow for large trucks to still pass underneath along Universal’s busy back roads. I’ve also attached a graphic depicting where I believe the track and stations will be placed. As for the magic that will transpire inside the train cabins… I’ll address that at a later time.
(1/26/12) Screamscape sources tell us that those new survey markers spotted backstage behind Universal Studios Florida actually do run down towards the backstage area behind the Sinbad stunt show at Islands of Adventure.
(1/23/12) According to once source demolition work in the old Jaws area has been going full steam ahead this week, as Amity will soon be nothing more than a giant muddy crater as the work crews are said to be moving quite fast on this. Elsewhere, sources tell us that a bunch of survey markings can now be found all along the main backstage road leading towards the Jaws / Amity area. No word yet on if they stretch all the way from Amity to the Wizarding World at IOA or not, but this sounds like the start of the Hogwarts Express to me. So far markings have been spotted in the area behind Soundstage 33 and down behind the Revenge of the Mummy attraction building.
(1/2/12) Theme Park Insider posted a great scoop late yesterday, featuring concept artwork showing off the long rumored Gringotts Bank themed dark roller coaster ride cars as well as going over details from the proposed plan that sure seems to fit everything I’ve been hearing for the last few weeks. In addition, they describe your journey into the bank vaults will also feature a brief “elevator” ride experience. The coaster cars appear similar in basic design to those used on Revenge of the Mummy, but with only 3 rows of 4-seats across, but with two cars trains instead of individual cars. (24 seats per train).
The report also described how those motion-base platforms I mentioned previously will be put to use in the ride, as well as taking us scene by scene through the various destinations we’ll zoom through along the way including Thief’s Downfall (protected by a dragon) and Sirius Black’s Vault.
(12/22/11) Some great detective work linking the demolition permit of Jaws to the rumored new Harry Potter expansion project has been posted to HHN Rumors this week. Really worth checking out to see just what kind of people are linked to “Project 722”.
As for the meaning behind the 722 codename... it could just be nonsense... or on a hunch I did pull out a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to see what it had to say on Page 722. Sure enough... there is a line about being in King’s Cross where it would be possible to board a train. Of course I may just be reading a bit too much into that, but you never know.
(12/21/11) I’ve got a quick Studio item today, plus another interesting piece of the puzzle over at the Islands of Adventure side of things. Today… we’re going to talk about The Hogwarts Express. Most of the Naysayers out there immediately bring up the fact that any train that runs between the park’s backstage is going to run through some very unattractive behind the scenes areas along the way.
The report I keep getting on this issue is that the riders view of the world from the train will not be of the backstage area, or even the real world at all, but instead be an artificial view of the journey from London to Hogwarts. What is not clear is just how this will be accomplished… either through the use of video screens instead of windows… or the rumored use of the King Kong 360 technology that wraps projection screens around both sides of the Backlot Tour tram ride at the Hollywood park in an enclosed building.
Personally, I’m kind of hoping for the later, as it would allow for some unique thrills and sights to be had along the way during both sides of the journey. In the end, you never know… Universal Creative has some fine clever folks on the payroll like Thierry Coup. As the masterminds behind projection based attractions like Spiderman, Kong 360, Harry Potter and Transformers) who constantly break new ground, anything is possible for the Hogwarts Express.
(12/8/11) While I did speculate that the proposed Potter Phase 2 project could also take over the Fear Factor stadium area, I’ve heard elsewhere that is not planned to happen, and that the show theater will remain. No word on if they will keep it running as Fear Factor returns to the airwaves, or if there is some other kind of plan in the works.
While on the subject of Phase 2 of the PotterVerse (London), as I had suspected, the rumors of the Knight Bus attraction were wrong. This doesn’t mean that we wont see the King Kong 3D 360º technology put to use somewhere… it just wont be themed as the Knight Bus. The ride focus seems to be entirely on the Gringott’s Wizarding Back dark ride / coaster concept, as they apparently have some really grand ideas for this project. What kind of ideas? Remember that uncovered technology patent Universal files a couple of years ago that would have a coaster car ride up onto a detachable piece of track that was hooked up to the top of a simulator style motion base platform able to tilt and rotate in any direction? (Click here to see it) The latest Screamscape rumor claims that we may see this new idea brought to life as part of the Gringott’s coaster ride.
Meanwhile it seems like the Diagon Alley Olivander’s location will be much larger than what we’ve seen built at Islands of Adventure. Rumor has it that the store will feature up to three different “wand shops” instead, but a single queue that will keep them hidden apart from each other, so it looks like you are entering the one and only shop. I’m also hearing something about a possible Wizard’s Duel show… though I’m hoping this isn’t true, as I think the “magic” needs to stay indoors for the most part.
(12/7/11) During the big announcement in Hollywood confirming that a version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter would be coming to the California park, the company also confirmed that the Orlando Wizarding World would also be expanded, with details about that promised to come sometime in the future.
“This is an incredible moment for Universal Studios and the millions of guests who visit our theme parks,” said Ron Meyer, President & COO, Universal Studios. “The Harry Potter stories are some of the most powerful of our time and we are honored to expand our Orlando experience and bring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Hollywood, forever changing family tourism in Los Angeles.”
Keep in mind that they did not confirm if the Phase 2 expansion was coming to replace Jaws, or if it may go into Islands of Adventure instead, but at this point, every source is in agreement as to the location, confirming what I reported previously about the London focused expansion taking the place of Jaws, Amity, and very likely... the seldom used Fear Factor show theater as well.
(12/5/11) In case you missed the late breaking announcement on Friday afternoon, but Universal Orlando announced that the Jaws attraction and the entire Amity themed area around it will be closing down forever after January 2nd to make way for a new attraction. While they were not ready to disclose what is in the works yet… I’ve done a good bit of digging since then and have come up with an amazing proposal that is going to both shock and likely amaze you at the same time.
If my various sources are correct, the Amity / Jaws area will be replaced by the proposed Phase 2 expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Now, before you flip out… lets go over it all, because for starters this really isn’t going to be the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at all. Instead, from what I’ve been able to gather, the new land to be build in Universal Studios Florida will actually represent the “London” side of the PotterVerse… including an entrance to the infamous Diagon Alley.
Diagon Alley, as seen in the movies, is home to infamous locations such as The Leaky Cauldron, Gringott’s Wizarding Bank and the true Ollivanders wand shop location, as seen in the films. The London location is also said to be home to King’s Cross station, where students would board the Hogwarts Express train from Platform 9 ¾.
Many of these locations have been mentioned in the rumored development plans for Phase 2 of the Wizarding World for months now, including an innovative indoor dark coaster ride said to take place inside Gringott’s Wizarding Bank. It’s no secret that the Wizarding World has been popular…so much so that it needed to be expanded to spread out the crowds, and come up with a way to provide new locations for guests to buy Butterbeer, Ollivanders wands and more. But it seems that Universal Creative really decided to try a new idea… and think really outside the box this time. Literally… because this new expansion is going to allow for guests in both parks to get a taste of the PotterVerse… but to get the ENTIRE experience, you’d going to have to have a 2-park ticket.
Speaking of having access to both parks… connecting the dots is said to be a true recreation of the Hogwarts Express, allowing guests with two park passes (and Universal Resort guests) to recreate the true journey from the Muggle world of London and actually board travel to the train station and board the train for a trip over to Hogwarts and the rest of the Wizarding World at Islands of Adventure.
Now if all that wasn’t enough, I’ve heard some rumors about another possible new attraction likely to go into this Phase 2 project, that may attempt to take advantage of the new 3D projection tunnel technology Universal created for King Kong 3D 360 at the Hollywood park earlier this year. I don’t know if this may be put to use during your train ride on the Hogwarts Express, or if this will be an entirely separate ride experience. (One source suggested it could be a trip on the 3-decker Knight Bus, but I’ve heard that this isn’t likely to happen).
Either way this is huge… and apparently it all has a rather aggressive construction timeline as Universal is said to be shooting to have it all up and running by 2014. I’ve also heard that an official announcement or teaser could be released very soon, so stay tuned!
(12/2/11) While the overall theme of every rumor regarding Phase 2 of the Wizarding World is that it’s a sure thing… the one factor up in the air was the ‘when’. When will the construction start? According to new rumors starting to flow through the park staff, construction walls could go up for the first phases as early as February 2012.
With the various news sources all aflutter about the reports of a Hollywood version of the Wizarding World being finalized over the next week or two, it would only make sense to get those same people at Warner Brothers to sign off on Phase 2 of the Orlando attraction at the same time, don’t you think?
(4/8/11) According to a report at the LA Times, Universal has been conducting some guest surveys about a possible expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that could double the size of the entire land. Apparently the phase, "twice as big with twice as much everything." was used. From the report and rumors I've heard myself, the inclusion of Diagon Alley and a Leaky Cauldron restaurant are a virtual lock in at this point. Unfortunately, no new rumors about the possible Gringott’s dark roller coaster ride, but give it time...
2015/2016 - KidZone Revamp - Rumor - (11/15/12) While Universal Creative has their hands full right now with Transformers and then the Potter expansion, the early rumors for what could be next are already coming down the pipe. According to the latest buzz, the general plan right now is to overhaul the KidZone area in either 2015/2016. Expect Woody Woodpecker to say, but Curious George, Barney and Fieval may be given their walking papers. With the E.T. Adventure right in the middle of it all, it too may be either replaced or given an extensive overhaul.
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