Universal Orlando Resort (USO, IOA) Discussion Thread

Honestly, it's going to be bad all days. Between visitors, camp field trips, weekends, the holiday early in the month, more europeans later in the month...

 

If you have ONE day, consider getting the Express Pass to avoid a lot of the lines.

Depending on how quickly we can do Busch Gardens, maybe we will have two days. The last time I was in orlando, I was too young to ride anything in IoA really, so I'm pretty excited to go back, but especially for Harry Potter. That Express seems really good value, so that definitely is an option.

http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/orlando/index.html

The legendary Jack the Clown makes his triumphant (and twisted) return to present the biggest and scariest Halloween Horror Nights® ever, select nights from September 18th through November 1st. Now in its 25th year at Universal Orlando® Resort, the nation’s premier Halloween event puts you right into some of the most pulse-pounding moments in horror history.

http://blog.universalorlando.com/whats-new/hhn25-jack-is-back/

Irreverent, sarcastic, trash-talking, sadistic, prankster, psychotic… Yeah, I missed him, too.

 

Is this your first introduction to Jack? Welcome! He’s your master of ceremonies, your host—and your worst nightmare. The things he has in store for Halloween Horror Nights 25 draw on our past and on terrors yet to be seen.

 

For fans who know his tale, you’ll notice he has escaped the shadow of Oddfellow completely. He has shed his old coat for something of his own design. His face is more weathered, more lived in.

 

Jack has come into his own, and he is eager to preside over the spectacle of it all—especially if that spectacle is filled with screams, blood and gore. He, most certainly, wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

HHN25 Jack TunnelHistorically, Jack represents a key change in the story of Halloween Horror Nights. From 1991 to 1999, the event’s visual presentation—from chainsaws through pumpkins to green eyelid-pulling-demons to the Crypt Keeper’s decaying features—were just illustrations that filled the marketing materials. Halloween Horror Nights hadn’t really established a unique character that could speak for it.

 

That was about to change in a big way…

 

In early 2000, the creative minds of Entertainment’s Art and Design team developed an insane clown by the name of Jack. His look played into people’s inherent fear of clowns and would hopefully give the event the sledgehammer to the chest needed to take it to the next level.

 

Well, a monster was unleashed, both literally and figuratively. Unbridled, uncontrollable, freakish and violent, Jack the Clown sprang from his box and completely took over. He grabbed the event by its face and crushed it, laughing manically the entire time.

 

Jack made appearances all over downtown and the Orlando area, yelling and cackling and scaring everyone within his broken-fingernailed-reach. He even presented tiny, gore-covered jack-in-the-boxes to local TV stations and City Hall. Cops were called. Screams were heard.

 

Job well done.

 

Jack made an impression, no doubt. So much so that, to this day, fans stop us and exclaim passionately, “Bring Jack back!! He’s my favorite!! He is Horror Nights!”

 

That statement really says it all… Jack is Horror Nights.

 

Among all the characters that have headlined Halloween Horror Nights over the last 25 years, Jack represents the event in the purest way possible—he is the embodiment of all the tricks and the treats. And I couldn’t be more thrilled that we’re bringing him back for this year’s historic event.

 

Happy Halloween to us all.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/150508qa/index.html

I would like to ask you about Nintendo's business alliance strategy. You have announced the alliances with DeNA and Universal Parks & Resorts one after the other. What are your criteria and conditions for choosing a partner? Is it likely that you will establish stronger alliances with future candidates by way of using your own treasury shares for capital participation? As for the potential alliance partners, I understand that, in the past, you have often collaborated with your licensees and utilized external resources in the software development field, and most recently, it appears to me that you have been willing to collaborate with others in new business fields. Are there any business fields for which you will need further alliances? Is it likely that you will form an alliance in the hardware field? Or, has the company already decided on a fairly precise outline of the overall future alliance strategy, including the new business fields into which Mr. Iwata intends to advance?

 

Iwata: The fact that we have not only executed a business alliance with DeNA but also a capital alliance with them seems to have had a certain level of impact. I mean, although Nintendo had been citing the possibility of such an alliance for years, we had not actually executed many and since we announced an alliance with a company that many of you didn't expect, the announcement seems to have been received with surprise and had an impact on you. Nintendo is a company that, when considering possible alliances, believes that it must carefully review such factors as whether or not each company's strengths and weaknesses will smoothly complement each other and if the corporate cultures of both companies will work in harmony, rather than focusing on the potential short-term advantages. Talking about alliances in general, most of them in today's business world, as I see them, have not worked out very well. More specifically, it is often the case that the corporate cultures of the two companies just do not integrate well or that even though the top executives have agreed to work together, the people at the forefront of the actual projects are not able to establish common grounds for working together. We believe that if we are going to make an alliance, we have to produce results. If we cannot produce results, it will not only make the alliance meaningless but also may hurt the company's corporate value in the mid-to-long term. In that sense, Nintendo is a fairly cautious and careful company. As a result, we spend a significant amount of time to comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of both companies and to confirm each company's corporate cultures. We not only carry out discussions with key people at the management level but also involve those who may actually work together in order to review if the alliance will be truly beneficial for both companies. We do so in order to avoid situations where we seemingly have the same interests but are in conflict behind the scenes. Because of such a thorough review process, some may say that we are slow in making alliances, but if we are going to make an alliance, we want to lay the foundations for the best possible results.

 

If I can talk a bit more about our just-announced alliance with Universal Parks & Resorts, we first met with them in April last year when I was visiting the U.S. on a business trip. We met with people from NBCUniversal who proposed the possibility of the theme park business to us. Even before then, the possibility of theme park attractions (with Nintendo IP) had become an often-discussed topic in society. Even inside Nintendo, the possibility had been discussed several times. But we had not made this a reality because, on each occasion, the time was not ripe yet or we were not able to find an appropriate partner with whom to work. In the case of our first meeting with Universal Parks & Resorts, they provided us with a very detailed proposal right from the beginning. Also, as we met right after they had opened the Harry Potter attractions, we were able to learn precisely how they had been created. We received a great deal of useful information from the first meeting for us to review if they possessed a corporate culture which would ensure us the ability to license our IP to them and to work well together. Since the proposal was so specific, as soon as I returned to Japan, I informed Mr. Miyamoto, of our company, and told him that I wanted to give positive consideration to it. Since then, we have met with them several times in Japan and in the U.S., and not only me and people who carry out our negotiations but also members from each company's creative side, namely, people who will be assigned to make the actual attractions and Nintendo's game producers who have been creating our games for many years. As a result, we confirmed that we share a lot of common ground between our corporate cultures, and because parts of the proposal made us really excited, we have decided to work together on a long-term basis.

 

Back to your questions, various alliances are possible, not only for software development but also for hardware and for the active use of our IP. In fact, we have received quite a few proposals for business collaborations as well as the proposals that take advantage of Nintendo IP. On the other hand, the probability that these proposals will eventually materialize as a business alliance or IP license is not very high. When it comes to capital alliances, since they require the decision to make a deeper relationship between two companies for the mid-to-long term, we foresee even less probability. Having said that, however, our basic idea is that if our partnering with another company will enable us to do something that we cannot do by ourselves, we should do it. When we enter into a business alliance, if we are able to establish a firm capital relationship by wisely using our treasury shares, it is an important option for us to consider, and we will not rule out that possibility for the future, either. If we conclude that we should do so, we would like to boldly make that kind of decision. Accordingly, I hope you understand that (when we consider our business alliances) Nintendo makes decisions only after spending a considerable amount of time thoroughly reviewing whether or not we will be able to establish a favorable mid-to-long term relationship, if the corporate cultures of both companies blend well and whether or not the strengths and weaknesses of each company will complement each other.

The recent Nintendo investor call yielded a comment from Nintendo on how the now-public partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts came about... It looks like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was an audition of sorts to convince the IP-protective executives that their brands would be in good hands with Universal in the form of fully fleshed-out lands and experiences.

Universal Orlando has sent us a press release announcing a huge addition to the Universal Orlando Resort, Volcano Bay, a new water park opening on property in 2017!

Universal Orlando Resort today announced a project of remarkable vision: to bring to life an entirely new water theme park experience. Called Volcano Bay at Universal Orlando Resort, it will join Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure and become the resort’s third incredibly immersive park.

 

Universal’s Volcano Bay will be a place for the entire family. It will be a whole new generation of experience that reimagines what it means to be a water park.

 

Imagine a place that offers radically innovative, thrilling attractions, peaceful moments of relaxation and an inspired guest experience that will forever change the perception of water theme parks. It will be set in a highly themed, completely immersive environment inspired by postcard-perfect tropical islands. And it will be the kind of special place that only the Universal team – the same team that has changed the face of Universal Orlando Resort in recent years - can envision and create.

 

Universal’s Volcano Bay will be located within Universal Orlando Resort, just south of the Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Work is already underway and more details will be released in the future.

 

Universal’s Volcano Bay is the next in a series of boldly creative experiences that have opened and will continue to open at Universal Orlando. It began with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade in 2010 and quickly moved to Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Springfield, hometown to America’s favorite animated family, The Simpsons, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, eight new venues at Universal CityWalk, the breathtaking Cabana Bay Beach Resort and more. It will include Skull Island: Reign of Kong and Loews Sapphire Falls Resort in 2016.

 

And then – in 2017 – will come Universal’s Volcano Bay.

 

About Universal Orlando Resort

 

For 25 years, Universal Orlando Resort has been creating epic vacations for the entire family – incredible experiences that place guests in the heart of powerful stories and adventures. Guests can soar above Hogwarts with Harry Potter, swing above the streets with Spider-Man, grab a Krusty burger in Springfield, join the ranks of the Minions and so much more.

 

Universal Orlando’s two theme parks, Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, are home to some of the world’s most exciting and innovative attractions. Its on-site resort hotels, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort are destinations unto themselves. Its entertainment complex, Universal CityWalk, offers dining and entertainment for every member of the family. And just minutes away is Wet ‘n Wild, a family water park.

 

Universal Orlando Resort has unveiled 18 new guest experiences in the past five years – powerful attractions, incredible dining opportunities and a dramatically themed hotel. And more is on the way. Coming in 2016 is Universal Orlando’s fifth on-site hotel, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort; and Skull Island: Reign of Kong, a groundbreaking attraction in Islands of Adventure. And in 2017 will come Universal’s Volcano Bay, an entirely new water theme park experience.

http://blog.universalorlando.com/whats-new/volcano-bay-announcement/

Today, we are announcing a project of incredible vision – bringing to life an entirely new water theme park experience for our guests. This addition will join Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure as our destination’s third highly-immersive park and will be called Universal’s Volcano Bay.

 

This is one of the most exciting projects we have had the opportunity to be part of because Volcano Bay will completely redefine the water park experience for our guests.

 

The park will feel as if it is set in picture-perfect tropical islands, formed by a massive volcano – and it will have something for every member of the family. It will feature radically-innovative attractions, peaceful moments of relaxation and an experience that we hope will change the way guests think about water theme parks.

 

We’ve already broken ground on Volcano Bay, just south of Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Construction will move quickly, and the park will open in 2017.

 

Volcano Bay shows how Universal Orlando is continuing to evolve at an unprecedented rate that will not slow anytime soon. Since 2010, we’ve launched more than 18 remarkable experiences across the destination – from new attractions and theme park lands to new on-site hotels and restaurants. Our team will continue delivering new guest experiences that push the limits of theme park entertainment.

 

More details on Volcano Bay will be announced at a later date. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or via email for the latest news.

Wow, looks really good. Looking forward to learning more about this park in the future.

There are so many places left in the world that I want to visit, but Florida just keeps insisting that all of my vacation time and money gets used planning return trips there. Damn you Florida!

Will people park in the main garage and get bussed here? If not, and they build a parking lot, this could be really tiny. Also, what will happen to Universal's existing waterpark, Wet N Wild? Will they sell it? Tear it down?

Looking at side by side satellite shots of both Volcano Bay's construction zone and Typhoon Lagoon it looks to me like there is a similar (rather large) amount of space to work with. Much more so than that of Wet ' Wild's current location.

It also appears there's a parking allotment in the ripped up area across the street (on the East side of the construction zone, directly South of Loews Royal Pacific).

Interesting concept art, also looks like there will be some kind of water coaster coming from the right. I'm very interested in this. I hope they incorporate some dark ride elements to some water slides, that would be very cool.

I mean, it's exciting, but it doesn't really look different from many other water parks, including Typhoon Lagoon. It would've been nice to see them go with a more unique theme, but the park should still look pretty awesome.

I mean, it's exciting, but it doesn't really look different from many other water parks, including Typhoon Lagoon. It would've been nice to see them go with a more unique theme, but the park should still look pretty awesome.

Well...we really haven't seen much except that one picture...

Just a comment on the space issue, but for me water parks can be more compact than amusement parks and still be effective. You can pack a ton of great slides and attractions into a smaller footprint and still have a great park. Long walks in between slide exit pools and entrances and your chair and such gets to be a hassle at times so the more stuff in a smaller space the better to me.

With their claims of "It will be a whole new generation of experience that reimagines what it means to be a water park," I'm hoping we finally get to see some real "rides" in a wate park setting. I've always though a rapids ride or a log flume in a water park would be awesome so maybe, we'll see.

Typhoon Lagoon.

While the concept art doesn't reveal much of anything and while it does look amazing I have to admit I thought of exactly the same thing. It does seem to be built around the same mountain centerpiece concept.

I actually would like to see innovation in the water park experience. There has to be more achievable than just wave pools and slides. Hope Universal can achieve something amazing. The concept art is quite nice.

I am very hopeful for Volcano Bay, but I do have concerns with its location. Driving by the space, it's not a big area...yes bigger than wet n wild but wet n wild is also one of the smallest footprint Waterparks there is. I don't see the space for say...a river rapids or boat ride or many show buildings. If they go in that direction they will be capped on space immediately. Second, the plot is literally adjacent to the interstate, less than 40 feet from it. Noise is something can be dealt with but again it caps expansion and just like the walls next to turkey lake road they can't reduce all impact (example: all of the outside city you can see from dueling dragons). Thirdly, day-trippers are going to have to be bussed from the parking garage it would seem. That's certainly a relaxation drawback in comparison to something like typhoon lagoon with close free parking right at the gate. If they add parking for the Waterpark then that's even less space for the park itself.

Should be good but they don't have gobs of space to work with, less even than some regional park's included water parks.

OTOH, the architecture and space of Both Harry potter areas and a place like Lotte World prove you can do great things in small areas.

^I agree with you quite a bit. We drive by that plot of land a lot (and just decided AGAINST buying a home in the community across the street) because of the location.

Here's the plot right between the Sand Lake Road offramp and the Toscana neighborhood as of today 5/28/15

Most likely Wet N' Wild will close as soon as Volcano Bay opens. The Wet N' Wild plot will probably serve as a 'overflow' parking area for the resort, not just Volcano Bay.

Universal opted to hide the structure of the water slides, which means they had to put them in a mountain. Same thing leads Disney to build 3 mine train coasters in Florida. As for expansion, using Disney's water parks as an example; Typhoon Lagoon's last new slide installation was 10 years ago. Blizzard Beach has never had any expansion at all and has the same slides it did when it opened 20 years ago. My guess is that long term massive expansion isn't considered a necessity there.

As for expansion, using Disney's water parks as an example; Typhoon Lagoon's last new slide installation was 10 years ago. Blizzard Beach has never had any expansion at all and has the same slides it did when it opened 20 years ago. My guess is that long term massive expansion isn't considered a necessity there.

This exactly. If there is one thing that Disney has proven for water parks in Orlando (at least their parks) is that they still PACK them in every single day without having a single new ride. And if I had to guess, I'd say that 99% of the people visiting those parks on a daily basis have visited less than twice in their life, the majority visiting for their first time ever, so even though the park hasn't gotten anything new, they don't need to because to most of their guests, even a decade old is still "new" to them.

Yes amazing! Please give me more concept art. I love concept art!

I hope they go for the UAE style of park ( Dubai ) where you use water coasters to get to all the slides. But love the look of the single art work that has been released

I understand the apprehension about the interstate. I thought the same thing when I first saw the site. Tractor trailer drivers speeding past chicks in bikinis does seem like a recipe for disaster.

Still, the proximity between the two resort hotels is pretty great. Assuming they'll allow in/out for resort guests it would be such a chill day to hang out at the park for a bit, skip over to your room for a break/beer/nap, head back to the waterpark. I can see myself really enjoying that. The one thing about waterparks for me is I tend to need relief from the screaming children and chlorine shinky dink every couple of hours.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/150508qa/index.html

 

Also, as we met right after they had opened the Harry Potter attractions, we were able to learn precisely how they had been created. We received a great deal of useful information from the first meeting for us to review if they possessed a corporate culture which would ensure us the ability to license our IP to them and to work well together. Since the proposal was so specific, as soon as I returned to Japan, I informed Mr. Miyamoto, of our company, and told him that I wanted to give positive consideration to it. Since then, we have met with them several times in Japan and in the U.S., and not only me and people who carry out our negotiations but also members from each company's creative side, namely, people who will be assigned to make the actual attractions and Nintendo's game producers who have been creating our games for many years. As a result, we confirmed that we share a lot of common ground between our corporate cultures, and because parts of the proposal made us really excited, we have decided to work together on a long-term basis.

 

The recent Nintendo investor call yielded a comment from Nintendo on how the now-public partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts came about... It looks like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was an audition of sorts to convince the IP-protective executives that their brands would be in good hands with Universal in the form of fully fleshed-out lands and experiences.

I was thinking this exact thing. Knowing how much of a perfectionist Miyamoto (and really everyone at Nintendo) is, and how protective of their IP's they are, the sheer attention to detail and respect to JK Rowling's vision is exactly what Iwata needed to see before considering putting his company's creations into another corporation's hands. I'm thrilled that the creators of each game series will be actively participating in the development of these new attractions, this is going to be incredible. It may just be my nerdy Otaku nature, but this news is still more exciting to me than Kong, Volcano Bay, and all the recent coaster announcements combined

I read that as "we saw how much money can be made in this partnership...oh, and I guess it was cool they kept the integrity of the brand as much as possible."

^ Pretty much. I guess you have to really take your hat off to Rowling to taking that risk and putting your IP into somebody else's hands, but then again that's not much different for what she did with the movies.

To Nintendo, I have 2 comments. First is, "Oh yee of little faith." But I will follow that with "better late than never." And honestly, it was probably a bit advantageous for this deal to take place later. Even as the Nintendo consoles are dropping off, their brand is obviously still very very strong, and their IP's have an immense fanbase that I believe will continue to carry on for generations much like the original Disney cartoon characters and other entertainment property.