Orlando Attractions Area News & Developments

[spenser1058]

Theme Park Insider has an interesting review of how Sea World has fallen so far from grace over the last decade and it may not necessarily be why you think:

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201706/5601/

TPI has some of the most insightful analysis for lay people about the business of theme parks, imho.

[jack]

1 hour ago, jrs2 said:

I'll see your class story and raise you one.  Sunrail.  John Mica talking in Winter Park next to a Sunrail train for the public to view before it was up and running a few years back.  A lady saw me there dressed up (I came from work).  She made a comment on how she did not want Sunrail because of "those people" attending Valencia's campus just down the street that would use the train to come into town.  I was mortified.

Yeah, during that debate I heard plenty of cringe worthy commentary. People really thought the criminals would ride the train, rob them and return to the station for their ride home. Just because you have money does not mean you have common  sense. 

[jrs2]

7 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Theme Park Insider has an interesting review of how Sea World has fallen so far from grace over the last decade and it may not necessarily be why you think:

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201706/5601/

TPI has some of the most insightful analysis for lay people about the business of theme parks, imho.

I read that article.  Very interesting read.  I recently opined that Sea World needs something like the Polercoaster; something taller than tall that you could only get at Sea World.  The Skytower they have was the tallest thing in Orlando until SunBank or DuPont was built.  Now, it's an afterthought in height.  There was a similar tower in Daytona but it was less than half the height.  I'm thinking they need a 4th major roller coaster and a tall tower.  And they need to keep adding these rides and keep keeping on. 

[shardoon]

48 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

I read that article.  Very interesting read.  I recently opined that Sea World needs something like the Polercoaster; something taller than tall that you could only get at Sea World.  The Skytower they have was the tallest thing in Orlando until SunBank or DuPont was built.  Now, it's an afterthought in height.  There was a similar tower in Daytona but it was less than half the height.  I'm thinking they need a 4th major roller coaster and a tall tower.  And they need to keep adding these rides and keep keeping on. 

I believe Sea World's future is gonna be more in line with a marine themed 6 flags. Hopefully their Conservation, Marine Animal Rescue, Animal rescue, and Marine Research continue. It would be a damn shame if that all goes away because of the PETA cult. Talk about cutting off the nose to spite the face.

[jrs2]

There is an ad on some real estate website advertising for Ritz Residences; a tall tower at least 40 stories and their slogan deals with "getting away".  Oceanfront or waterfront with nothing but green around it.  I realized at first it wasn't for Orlando b/c it would've been in the OBJ, I then assumed it would be one of those rural secluded keys in Florida.  It's not.  It's for Sunny Isles.  It's funny though, because there is nothing but tower after tower in Sunny Isles and it is anything but secluded.  That's advertising for you.

[shardoon]

Universal re-filed the lawsuit for Sandy Lake. Apparently, they added some surrounding businesses to the lawsuit. Anybody have OBJ access to find out who? 

[jrs2]

SLR Widening:  Not sure if this is the thread for it.

Did anyone report before whether they were planning to build an overpass at SLR & JYP?  I ask because I just passed by there and it looks like they are going to build a bridge there.  On JYP northbound and southbound, both south of SLR ( near the Walmart) and north of SLR, on the sides of JYP, they have cut out an easement that looks to be home to future ramp lanes.  I don't think it's for regular widening because they already widened JYP from Destination Parkway north to SLR a couple of years back.

[smileguy]

4 hours ago, jrs2 said:

SLR Widening:  Not sure if this is the thread for it.

Did anyone report before whether they were planning to build an overpass at SLR & JYP?  I ask because I just passed by there and it looks like they are going to build a bridge there.  On JYP northbound and southbound, both south of SLR ( near the Walmart) and north of SLR, on the sides of JYP, they have cut out an easement that looks to be home to future ramp lanes.  I don't think it's for regular widening because they already widened JYP from Destination Parkway north to SLR a couple of years back.

They are building one now.

http://www.orangecountyfl.net/TrafficTransportation/TransportationProjects/JohnYoungParkwaySandLakeRoadInterchange.aspx#.WUGCQusrKUk

This is a single point interchange carrying John Young Parkway over Sand Lake Road. The project limits begin at Commodity Circle and end at the Florida's Turnpike overpass along John Young Parkway. On Sand Lake Road the project limits are from Shingle Creek Bridge to Presidents Drive. This project will be constructed by the FDOT with their Sand Lake Road widening project in the same area. The new interchange will carry six lanes of through traffic on John Young Parkway over six lanes of through traffic on Sand Lake Road. Ramps will be provided to connect John Young Parkway to Sand Lake Road at an at-grade signalized intersection .

[shardoon]

a little more details on the universal hotels...... still unhappy with the I-Drive interaction..... or lack there of. 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-biz-city-wet-wild-development-20170615-story.html

[bqknight]

15 hours ago, shardoon said:

a little more details on the universal hotels...... still unhappy with the I-Drive interaction..... or lack there of. 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-biz-city-wet-wild-development-20170615-story.html

Meanwhile, Aventura is going up QUICK. The rate at which they are building in the I-Drive area is insane. 

[jrs2]

^^

It's funny, bc Aventura's garage and Sapphire Falls' garage are in the back, away from their front entrances.  But, the back for the WetnWild property is the lake, and you can't put it there.  Also, to put things in perspective, Hyatt's massive garage is on Pointe Plaza Blvd.   Pointe Orlando's and I-Drive 360's and Hollywood Plaza's garages are all in your face.  It looks like the tall part of that hotel property, probably 14-15 stories tall, will abut I-Drive while the "arms" of the building straddle Universal Blvd on one side and towards the north on the other.  That's a tight space.  That's gonna have to be more of an "urban" resort by design.  

They should buy the Skull Kingdom property, build the garage along I-4, and build a massive skywalk to the hotel at an angle across the intersection.  Disney just built a whole bunch at the springs...

[jrs2]

Maybe Universal's new resort at Wet n Wild should look more like the Magic Development proposal for US-192:

 

[TRENCH]

On 6/14/2017 at 2:37 PM, smileguy said:

They are building one now.

http://www.orangecountyfl.net/TrafficTransportation/TransportationProjects/JohnYoungParkwaySandLakeRoadInterchange.aspx#.WUGCQusrKUk

This is a single point interchange carrying John Young Parkway over Sand Lake Road. The project limits begin at Commodity Circle and end at the Florida's Turnpike overpass along John Young Parkway. On Sand Lake Road the project limits are from Shingle Creek Bridge to Presidents Drive. This project will be constructed by the FDOT with their Sand Lake Road widening project in the same area. The new interchange will carry six lanes of through traffic on John Young Parkway over six lanes of through traffic on Sand Lake Road. Ramps will be provided to connect John Young Parkway to Sand Lake Road at an at-grade signalized intersection .

thank god, this intersection has become a mess with the population boom, and the lights always turn red so fast 

[cwetteland]

On 6/17/2017 at 3:26 PM, W7edwin said:

thank god, this intersection has become a mess with the population boom, and the lights always turn red so fast 

I'd like to put Colonial over Alafaya in the queue for an overpass.

[spenser1058]

Proposed $500m expansion of the OC Convention Center:

From the Sentinel 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-convention-center-update-20170620-story,amp.html

I always wonder with OCCC if the additions are necessary (much of the cavernous space sits empty much of the time) or if they just spend the money because they can (Vegas' facilities, for example, have been noted as much less palatial but the city seems to do just fine in attracting meetings.) Nevertheless, glad to see us keeping our place in the top 3.

Epcot expansion moving forward?

From the Sentinel:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-disney-epcot-new-permits-20170622-story,amp.html

Edited June 23, 2017 by spenser1058

[sunshine]

Can this 500m convention center be in downtown? like right next to the Citrus Bowl or next to Creative Village. We already have Sunrail

[jack]

Seems like they expand for the sake of expanding. When will it enough? I don't have an answer but I am curious. Money flows in from the TDT and they spend it. 

[spenser1058]

Sadly, I think that ship has sailed. Convention planners like all those facilities together with convention hotels within easy walking distance whenever possible. Also, for convention purposes, the Orlando brand is all about theme parks and golf courses. Unfortunately, the location was decided by vote back in the late 70's when downtown was moribund. After Mayor Bill started resuscitating the core, Expo Center (and the attached Omni) and later the proposed Orena were supposed to accommodate local meetings, but that never reached critical mass.

Edited June 23, 2017 by spenser1058

[codypet]

38 minutes ago, jack said:

Seems like they expand for the sake of expanding. When will it enough? I don't have an answer but I am curious. Money flows in from the TDT and they spend it. 

Should spend it on a transit system on I-drive to the airport instead of relying on I-ride and Lynx.

[spenser1058]

I think a lot of it has to do with the players in the tourism industry who historically have looked at the TDT as theirs only and the rest of us should keep our grubby little hands off of it. I think it was former  OC mayor Mel Martinez who once observed Walmart doesn't get to decide what we do with the sales tax but he was mostly ignored. The theme park folks have moderated some over the years on the but old school hoteliers like Harris Rosen have stuck to their guns. As that generation passes, it will be interesting to watch.

Edited June 23, 2017 by spenser1058

[jrs2]

6 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Proposed $500m expansion of the OC Convention Center:

From the Sentinel 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-convention-center-update-20170620-story,amp.html

I always wonder with OCCC if the additions are necessary (much of the cavernous space sits empty much of the time) or if they just spend the money because they can (Vegas' facilities, for example, have been noted as much less palatial but the city seems to do just fine in attracting meetings.) Nevertheless, glad to see us keeping our place in the top 3.

They need it.  

OCCC has been taking it to McCormick Place the past 20 years because of the unions up north, etc.  Vegas is it's own animal because of the casino industry, so they will probably always be No.1 because of that for conventions.  And it's the LVCCC as well as all of the major hotels that each have a ton of space.  Orlando is making good headway in that regard, with big spaces at hotels like JW-Ritz, Shingle Creek, Dolphin-Swan, Marriott World, Gaylord, Hyatt, Hilton-Waldorf, Rosen Centre, Royal Pacific-Sapphire Falls, etc...etc...

The last renovation of the West Bldg. was fantastic;  it was the oldest section.  Now, that section looks like a nice hotel ballroom area (near Rosen Plaza).

Megacon took over the N/S Bldg the same weekend that Citrix took over the West Bldg. 2M sq ft.  It doesn't happen everyday, but that was the reason the N/S Bldg was built in the first place.

The N/S Bldg's design is nice in theory, but not in practice, and they absolutely need to connect the N & S concourses by building out the West side of the structure with new lobby space so that people aren't walking out in the heat to go from the N to the S side.  I would personally add another million sq ft to that building and extend it east.  I think the plan is to add 200k sq ft of expo space there.  They've got a lot of room to expand east BTW.

Chicago... gotta love 'em.  They couldn't stand it that Orlando's center technically was larger than McCormick Place, so they added another like 600k to 800k gross sq ft to it over the past 8 years or so.  "Sears is taller..."

So now, OCCC has skywalks that connect it directly to Hyatt (just opened), Rosen Centre, Hilton Orlando, and Rosen Plaza, as well as the skywalk that connects the two buildings and also connects to Hyatt's expo space.  That's a big selling point.  But what they need is yet another major hotel connected to the center and more entertainment options.

The I-Drive Circulator proposal would've been fantastic if built and extended north and south.  TopGolf will be a good new option for conventioneers.  But they need to build out the land along Universal Blvd and behind Hyatt.  They need to urbanize the borders of the center and also build a couple of garages and ditch the surface parking.  I-Drive 360 is great, but it's a tall order to walk in the heat that distance.  

Shows drive occupancy rates.

^^

if downtown wants to attract shows, it will have to be convention space that's part of a major flag.  That's the only way.  That was the big selling point of Hyatt taking over from Peabody; i.e., the marketing aspect.  Same with the introduction of Hilton into the mix of adjacent hotels to the OCCC.

^^

To Jack:  it will never be enough- but there also have to be more adjacent hotel rooms and entertainment options too.  

Too bad about Maglev.  That would have been awesome to have that direct connect to OIA from the OCCC.

[Boomer136]

It's not always LV #1 destination, Orlando has been #1 a few times recently. 

Moving sidewalks on those bridges more than the small segment that has them would be better. I had thought that was part of the original plan. 

[spenser1058]

Speaking of tourist tax money, here's something that will benefit downtown - $350K for the MLS All Star game.

From the Sentinel:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-bz-orlando-mls-all-star-game-20170623-story.html

It will put heads in beds and Orlando City didn't ask for TDT to build the stadium, so I assume the I-Drive crowd will be supportive.

[spenser1058]

A little more specific(but not official) on what's happening at Epcot from Theme Park Insider:

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201706/5623/

[WAJAS]

An update on Epcot future plans:  Permits have been filed for pre-construction prep for new attractions at both the France Pavillion (Rumored Ratatouille ride from Disneyland Paris) and Universe of Energy (rumored Tron/GotG).  Innoventions is currently completely closed and not expected to reopen with new attractions till AT LEAST the 50th Celebration in 2021.  Epcot is rumored to be getting most of the new additions as a part of the 50th Celebration for WDW in 2021, so I wouldn't expect anything significant till then to open here.