Orlando Attractions Area News & Developments

[shardoon]

 

3 hours ago, jrs2 said:

that explains a lot.  it explains why SLR 482 is a direct line of sight E-W and terminates into the 528.  So what they did there is what they are doing at SR 46 where it goes west and then 429 breaks off of it where 46 is like an access road from that point west several miles.

Well, now I see it all. This is an aerial from 1969. Looks like it did in fact go straight through..... but it ended into a dirt road right after I4

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by shardoon

[prahaboheme]

4 hours ago, jrs2 said:

https://orlandoparkstop.com/news/theme-park-news/possible-names-trademarked-for-all-three-epic-universe-hotels/

 

Appears that the land will be almost entirely developed at once — leaving room for expansion plots in the theme park and a few other parcels for future expansion.

[jgardnerucf]

14 hours ago, prahaboheme said:

parcels for future expansion.

Wood framed mold infested apartments jumped.   Saw the future.  Ruined it.   Sucks.                 Decades of nothing, then you get dumb topgolf ruining sightlines and a bunch of apartments for grumpy unattractive servers and bed sheet changers.              Gheeze, I went overboard.  But, just sayin. Lol

[shardoon]

On 9/10/2022 at 9:32 AM, jgardnerucf said:

Wood framed mold infested apartments jumped.   Saw the future.  Ruined it.   Sucks.                 Decades of nothing, then you get dumb topgolf ruining sightlines and a bunch of apartments for grumpy unattractive servers and bed sheet changers.              Gheeze, I went overboard.  But, just sayin. Lol

Universal should put in a bid to buy those apartments. Such a valuable piece of land on the corner. 

[prahaboheme]

52 minutes ago, shardoon said:

Universal should put in a bid to buy those apartments. Such a valuable piece of land on the corner. 

And will be even more valuable in about 3 years time. I’d wager the owner is sitting on that for now.

[jgardnerucf]

Don't drink and urban planet surf. Bad mix. Lol

[spenser1058]

18 minutes ago, jgardnerucf said:

Don't drink and urban planet surf. Bad mix. Lol

Oh my.

[spenser1058]

Some announcements from D23 about upcoming WDW things:

”An all-new nighttime spectacular is coming to Epcot to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary. It will open on the World Showcase lagoon next year.

Moana Journey of Water will open in late 2023 (at Epcot).

Figment will appear as a meet-and-greet character in Epcot starting next year.

At the Magic Kingdom, the Hatbox Ghost is coming to Haunted Mansion next year.

D'Amaro shared video of his test ride on TRON Lightcycle Run, which will open spring 2023.”

Also, some stuff still in “Blue Sky” mode, with plans still in flux and no determined date:

”D'Amaro shared that Dinoland at Disney's Animal Kingdom will be getting a transformation, welcoming Imagineering's Chris Beatty and Walt Disney Studios' Jennifer Lee on stage to talk about how it will be designed, teasing Zootopia as a concept, as well as Moana.

Then for Magic Kingdom, the three tease an expansion, perhaps based on "new frontiers" on the other side of Big Thunder, showing art from "Coco" and Día de Muertos, as well as "Encanto." Then D'Amaro teases Villains as a possible concept for a land beyond BTMRR.”

Having once worked in Frontierland and on the WDW Railroad, I often imagined of what might come in the empty spaces “beyond the berm” on the Magic Kingdom’s west side. I’m really excited about those plans as I recall wistfully the “Western River Expedition “ that was shelved due to focus groups demanding Pirates in Florida. 

https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202209/9133/

From Theme Park Insider
 

Edited September 11, 2022 by spenser1058

[jgardnerucf]

1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

Oh my.

Your carrier pigeons will reach you eventually about Frosty. 

[prahaboheme]

18 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Some announcements from D23 about upcoming WDW things:

”An all-new nighttime spectacular is coming to Epcot to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary. It will open on the World Showcase lagoon next year.

Moana Journey of Water will open in late 2023 (at Epcot).

Figment will appear as a meet-and-greet character in Epcot starting next year.

At the Magic Kingdom, the Hatbox Ghost is coming to Haunted Mansion next year.

D'Amaro shared video of his test ride on TRON Lightcycle Run, which will open spring 2023.”

Also, some stuff still in “Blue Sky” mode, with plans still in flux and no determined date:

”D'Amaro shared that Dinoland at Disney's Animal Kingdom will be getting a transformation, welcoming Imagineering's Chris Beatty and Walt Disney Studios' Jennifer Lee on stage to talk about how it will be designed, teasing Zootopia as a concept, as well as Moana.

Then for Magic Kingdom, the three tease an expansion, perhaps based on "new frontiers" on the other side of Big Thunder, showing art from "Coco" and Día de Muertos, as well as "Encanto." Then D'Amaro teases Villains as a possible concept for a land beyond BTMRR.”

Having once worked in Frontierland and on the WDW Railroad, I often imagined of what might come in the empty spaces “beyond the berm” on the Magic Kingdom’s west side. I’m really excited about those plans as I recall wistfully the “Western River Expedition “ that was shelved due to focus groups demanding Pirates in Florida. 

https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202209/9133/

From Theme Park Insider
 

Wow — really bad showing for DW while they continue to prop up DL ( the greatest theme park possibly the world over with DisneySea a distant second).

Let’s see what Epic Universe brings to the table.

Edited September 11, 2022 by prahaboheme

[spenser1058]

8 minutes ago, prahaboheme said:

Wow — really bad showing for DW Whitley they continue to prop up DLR. 

Disneyland is the one they’re having issues with right now so needs the most help, I suspect. The whole over-attendance thing out there is crazy.

It might make sense to add a third gate but where would you put it? I’m not familiar enough with Anaheim to have a clue.

Edited September 11, 2022 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

I always have to chuckle when people whine about WDW while conveniently forgetting the Magic Kingdom sits atop the list as the world’s most attended park by a comfortable margin. Moreover, it’s been that way for years.  (I’m with @prahaboheme that DL is nevertheless my favorite park - it’s Walt’s park, after all, and much more intimate than MK.)

The comments on here about it are like me saying that UCF Football is going to blow away Alabama any day now (and repeating it for the past two decades). Sure, UCF has a great program getting better every year. Nevertheless, the Tide ain’t panicking.

Universal has been here for 32 years now. In that time, exactly how many times has either Universal park come anywhere close to eclipsing MK in attendance? Answer: zip. For that matter, they only rarely pass up Epcot, DHS or DAK (generally, only when those parks are getting ready for or undergoing major refurbs).

Every time Uni opens a park, the fanboys say this is the time Disney will be blown away. Hasn’t happened yet.

Further, if they got close, the assumption Disney wouldn’t do what it needs to surpass the challenge makes me giggle.
 

Edited September 11, 2022 by spenser1058

[ragerunner]

Disney slept with the Wizarding World and lost market share to Universal. Disney will lose even more market share when EPIC opens and they have no response in 2024-25. 
In the past the business concept was in place that new attractions at one resort would rise attendance for everyone. (The whole ‘rising tide’ idea.) I am not sure that will be true when EPIC opens. For the first time many vacationers will have to choose between a Disney vacation or a Universal vacation. 
 

Disney might want to have that Villiansland ready before 2027 or 2028.

Edited September 11, 2022 by ragerunner

[ragerunner]

SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream opening night was on Friday. They have added 2 new houses, new scare zones and expanded its footprint all the way to Manta this years. Here is a look at the new offerings, a cool new light Skull that interacts with the scare zones and more.

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by ragerunner

[spenser1058]

22 minutes ago, ragerunner said:

Disney slept with the Wizarding World and lost market share to Universal. Disney will lose even more market share when EPIC opens and they have no response in 2024-25. 
In the past the business concept was in place that new attractions at one resort would rise attendance for everyone. (The whole ‘rising tide’ idea.) I am not sure that will be true when EPIC opens. For the first time many vacationers will have to choose between a Disney vacation or a Universal vacation. 
 

Disney might want to have that Villiansland ready before 2027 or 2028.

And yet, Disney is still the market leader. 

[ragerunner]

13 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

And yet, Disney is still the market leader. 

I don’t think Disney will lose its market leader status, even when EPIC opens. But it is and will continue to lose market share. Just a decade or so ago this was unheard of. Now it’s a growing reality. 

[spenser1058]

25 minutes ago, ragerunner said:

I don’t think Disney will lose its market leader status, even when EPIC opens. But it is and will continue to lose market share. Just a decade or so ago this was unheard of. Now it’s a growing reality. 

That works. I was a Pontiac guy even though Chevy was always the #1 division of GM.

Of course, Disney and Uni concentrate on different market segments (with some overlap) so it works out well for Orlando overall.

[aent]

3 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

That works. I was a Pontiac guy even though Chevy was always the #1 division of GM.

Of course, Disney and Uni concentrate on different market segments (with some overlap) so it works out well for Orlando overall.

This isn't a division of the same company. If Chevy were to decide they wanted Pontiac to be the #1 division of GM, they could make it happen. If Chevy says they want Pontiac to outsell Ford, they can't.

Your point about them being different market segments is well taken, but Universal is being clear that the goal is for Epic Universe to directly compete with the Magic Kindom demographics, targeting a younger age group. That line is about to be blurred even more.

I said this before, but again:

In 2009, Magic Kingdom had 17.2M visitors, in 2019 it was 20.9M, for a growth of 3.7M visitors or 22% growth

In 2009, Universal Studios Orlando had 5.5M and in 2019 it was 10.9M, for a growth of 5.4M visitors or 98% growth

 If Universal and Disney keep up the growth rate of the last decade over this decade, while Disney will still have the lead, they're gonna be close and in obvious striking distance in the following decade. Remember, a decade is a long time for things to change, but Universal is making gigantic investments to increase capacity and attract more people from a wider demographic, while Disney is just sitting on their laurels, just as Universal did in the last decade with Harry Potter and Disney did... not.

I firmly believe Disney can easily solve this problem and secure their top spot for more then another decade by increasing their investment, but as of now, they appear to be doing nothing at all.

[popsiclebrandon]

7 hours ago, aent said:

This isn't a division of the same company. If Chevy were to decide they wanted Pontiac to be the #1 division of GM, they could make it happen. If Chevy says they want Pontiac to outsell Ford, they can't.

Your point about them being different market segments is well taken, but Universal is being clear that the goal is for Epic Universe to directly compete with the Magic Kindom demographics, targeting a younger age group. That line is about to be blurred even more.

I said this before, but again:

In 2009, Magic Kingdom had 17.2M visitors, in 2019 it was 20.9M, for a growth of 3.7M visitors or 22% growth

In 2009, Universal Studios Orlando had 5.5M and in 2019 it was 10.9M, for a growth of 5.4M visitors or 98% growth

 If Universal and Disney keep up the growth rate of the last decade over this decade, while Disney will still have the lead, they're gonna be close and in obvious striking distance in the following decade. Remember, a decade is a long time for things to change, but Universal is making gigantic investments to increase capacity and attract more people from a wider demographic, while Disney is just sitting on their laurels, just as Universal did in the last decade with Harry Potter and Disney did... not.

I firmly believe Disney can easily solve this problem and secure their top spot for more then another decade by increasing their investment, but as of now, they appear to be doing nothing at all.

I think you also have to take into account that Disney is not really trying to grow the guest count, just the revenue.

[spenser1058]

Another part of this that interests me is that the US, as well as most other developed nations (and even developing nations such as China) are getting older every year.

Other than exceptions like Dollywood, the rest of the theme park industry Is pretty much ignoring that rapidly growing demographic. The attractions I’ve seen projected for Epic aren’t really addressing that either. That’s another market segment Disney will mostly own going forward. As we’ve seen with the Food & Wine Festivals, it’s a group with lots of cash to spend.

 

[codypet]

On 9/9/2022 at 3:11 PM, shardoon said:

 

Well, now I see it all. This is an aerial from 1969. Looks like it did in fact go straight through..... but it ended into a dirt road right after I4

 

Interesting note to me when looking at these aerials was that BayHill golf course is waaaaaayyyyy older than I expected it to be.   Also the former Texaco/Shell/current CircleK on Sand Lake just east of I-4 can be seen in this 1969 aerial.  Albeit in a different incarnation.  

[spenser1058]

In 1975 when I first moved into the Sand Lake Mobile Home Park, we had to either go to the Winn-Dixie at Kirkman and Conroy or to the Publix at 441 and Sand Lake Rd to buy groceries.

Granada Properties (Dr Phillips) was just widening Sand Lake Rd to 4-lanes west of Turkey Lake Rd. I-Drive ended just past Sand Lake Rd.

Bay Hill was there but the Florida Citrus Open golf tournament didn’t leave Rio Pinar (on the east side of town) until 1978 or so. 

Edited September 12, 2022 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Btw, The Arnie has been bumped up to an “elevated status tournament”on the PGA Tour.

Because that will almost double the purse of the event, we’ll likely see even more of the sport’s top players every spring.

Thanks to LIV, The Arnie is bigger, better than ever | Commentary
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/mike-bianchi-commentary/os-sp-liv-golf-arnold-palmer-invitational-mike-bianchi-commentary-20220908-ysbeld5l2bbrzascllzv755feq-story.html

From The Sentinel 
 

 

[jrs2]

22 hours ago, shardoon said:

Universal should put in a bid to buy those apartments. Such a valuable piece of land on the corner. 

those are like brand new apartment buildings; two phases with the newer being maybe a year or so old and the former being maybe five years old...

[jrs2]

18 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

I always have to chuckle when people whine about WDW while conveniently forgetting the Magic Kingdom sits atop the list as the world’s most attended park by a comfortable margin. Moreover, it’s been that way for years.  (I’m with @prahaboheme that DL is nevertheless my favorite park - it’s Walt’s park, after all, and much more intimate than MK.)

The comments on here about it are like me saying that UCF Football is going to blow away Alabama any day now (and repeating it for the past two decades). Sure, UCF has a great program getting better every year. Nevertheless, the Tide ain’t panicking.

Universal has been here for 32 years now. In that time, exactly how many times has either Universal park come anywhere close to eclipsing MK in attendance? Answer: zip. For that matter, they only rarely pass up Epcot, DHS or DAK (generally, only when those parks are getting ready for or undergoing major refurbs).

Every time Uni opens a park, the fanboys say this is the time Disney will be blown away. Hasn’t happened yet.

Further, if they got close, the assumption Disney wouldn’t do what it needs to surpass the challenge makes me giggle.
 

Spenser, Spenser, Spenser...

Do you own a bunch of Disney stock or something?