June 21 Announcement

[Ryan]

SLOP construction is going to happen really soon. Once construction starts Team Members are going to be bombarded with questions from guests about what is being built, and they need to have answers. The time is right for a SLOP announcement.

The answer is "a new attraction". They were building Kong for a year in Orlando before announcing it, T2:3D was being converted into Minion Mayhem for a good six months before announcing it here, same with Springfield. Building things without announcing them is practically their modus operandi at this point.

I'm expecting Secret Life of Pets, since it would be two weeks before the movie opens and could serve to drum up extra publicity for the movie. A hotel would be awesome to see. I would be most excited about something Jurassic Park related but I'm not holding out for it. I suppose I'll set expectations low and the greater chances are of being surprised. 

Wouldn't it be a far better idea to wait until the movie comes out? Public interest would be higher than usual. You put out a limited edition cereal or Happy Meal toys to get an upcoming film publicity, not announce a $100+ mil theme park attraction. I have no idea why they wouldn't just wait if this is indeed SLoP. (which I'm convinced it isn't and y'all are within your rights to tease me if it turns out to be while I stand befuddled as heck  )

 

[BruceTheShark]

The answer is "a new attraction". They were building Kong for a year in Orlando before announcing it, T2:3D was being converted into Minion Mayhem for a good six months before announcing it here, same with Springfield. Building things without announcing them is practically their modus operandi at this point.


Wouldn't it be a far better idea to wait until the movie comes out? Public interest would be higher than usual. You put out a limited edition cereal or Happy Meal toys to get an upcoming film publicity, not announce a $100+ mil theme park attraction. I have no idea why they wouldn't just wait if this is indeed SLoP. (which I'm convinced it isn't and y'all are within your rights to tease me if it turns out to be while I stand befuddled as heck  )

You make a good point, which is why I've also been intrigued by the idea of plans for a SLOP attraction so soon before the movie releases. If they announce it and the movie flops, that would be a real comedy of errors. Who knows, I guess I'm just used to USH doing this bass-ackwards.

 

[Wesker69]

If Potter didn't make the park implode with people, I doubt a new hotel would. Also.... I don't know why you'd all wish a new big hotel upon the park when the park still doesn't have enough rides/attractions to handle huge crowds. We're getting a little dinky walk-through attraction in 2 weeks... and then allegedly a new dark ride next year. Wanting the park to become more resort-like when the park barely has enough rides/attractions/shows seems a little odd to me. Adding more to Citywalk isn't going to really draw people in when they still have to pay $20 to park. USH is going to have to do A LOT to improve itself & do it in a timely manner, not take 10+ years after it is announced to complete.

The Walking Dead Attraction has yet to open....

So we can get a "huge" USH announcement before TWD attraction opens.... but we can't get the JP queue maze announced before it opens because.... it'd steal its hype/thunder?...

What if they also bring in that Willy Wonka-esque candy store? Toothsome, I think it's called.

Its not so much a candy store, it is a restaurant with chocolate... reminds me of a restaurant you'd find at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. They use chocolate in their different menu options....

 

[Ryan]

So we can get a "huge" USH announcement before TWD attraction opens.... but we can't get the JP queue maze announced before it opens because.... it'd steal its hype/thunder?...

Um, that's HHN and doesn't apply to the park in the same way, plus I don't think this announcement is about the park so... yeah.


Also this isn't about attracting people, this about making guests' stays easier, more comfortable and convienent. It helps USH in the long run, along with CityWalk having better options.

 

[Park Man]

Personally, I think they're just going to announce a new hotel. After all, Disney just announced they're building a new hotel. It seems like a natural reaction for Universal to come out and announce their's. Hopefully their concept art will trump Disney's. It wouldn't be too hard. And I think we can also count on this new hotel being of the 4 diamond variety, $300.00 a night minimum. 


I don't think they're going to announce anything at all for the theme park. No one would announce a major future attraction just before the prime tourist season. That might give those big spending tourists a reason to delay their trip, and they want that money now, and another visit later when the new attraction opens.


They may touch on City Walk additions, what's already under construction and maybe something we don't know about yet.

 

[BruceTheShark]

If a hotel comes, I will be sorely disappointed if it doesn't include movie themed rooms, at least for suites. 

 

[Wesker69]

They already have 2 hotels right there on the hill.... the park does not need a 3rd onsite hotel until it actually has more to offer. If they really are announcing a new hotel rather than a worthwhile expansion of rides, attractions, etc ....it will be very disappointing.

 

[Ryan]

Hilton/Sheraton are not hotels that cater to the park, they cater to business and studio clientele. There is almost a reluctance to accept what they're near, nowhere close to an embrace.


The Sheraton does have a shuttle that runs to CityWalk, but that outside of a few ad displays they don't want anything to do with it. Then you have the Hilton, which I stayed at last month... to say that it doesn't want anything to do with the hotel is an understatement. The building faces away from the hill, and the walk out to the park and CityWalk is, to put it bluntly: insane. You have to choose between walking on the street pathway or milling thru the convention center area or a terrace space that's quite often hosting weddings and the like. Finally you reach the hill and after a short hike, you get dumped into a dodgy-looking parking area and climb again to the aging bridge over the road that is just built for safety reasons, not for convienence. 


I was greeted with odd glares that I wasn't all dressed up by the front desk and other guests alike and was dumped to a lower floor, alongside the few families there. Tourists aren't what they want there, especially the theme park/family crowd. 


The entire Hollywood area does not have many hotels that really cater to tourists, especially around USH. A resort hotel much like that found in Orlando would cater to a booming crowd that may spend a full day at Universal, from dusk to dawn and want to hop over and rest. Considering that the layout would obviously fold the Frankenstein garage, its deep elevator system and mini-Starway set of escalators and connect them straight to the new hotel, which would be extremely efficient for guest flow. 


Also that one joke from Minion Mayhem would actually work at USH. We finally have a pool to go straight to!

 

[sickle_claw]

I'm expecting Secret Life of Pets, since it would be two weeks before the movie opens and could serve to drum up extra publicity for the movie. A hotel would be awesome to see. I would be most excited about something Jurassic Park related but I'm not holding out for it. I suppose I'll set expectations low and the greater chances are of being surprised. 

Its been a year since Jurassic World came out, and as far as i know, nothing on social media by the official JP accounts even registered the anniversary. So I doubt they would honor the "JW2' two years to go thing.

 

[William]

I'm personally hoping for an attraction announcement, but a hotel announcement would be more logical. 


I'd also be pleased if they were announcing the return of Energon.

 

[Imdbman]

I'm personally hoping for an attraction announcement, but a hotel announcement would be more logical. 


I'd also be pleased if they were announcing the return of Energon.

Universal mentioned "latest happenings at the world-class theme park and adjacent Citywalk," so expect a theme park related announcement too. 

 

[Alexshow.]

Universal mentioned "latest happenings at the world-class theme park and adjacent Citywalk," so expect a theme park related announcement too. 

And for what it seems, we can guess that there may be an announcement tomorrow pertaining to this..


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-secret-life-pets-attraction-universal-20160620-story.html

 

[Freak]

Tomorrow is the big day. I hope that they will announce several attractions for the theme park, but I'm going to keep expectations low. I think they'll at least announce SLoP and DA.

 

[chris.g]

SLoP yes, DA no. I'm just curious to know what else is coming to CW

 

[Ryan]

Yeah Diagon Alley 100% is not being announced tomorrow.


A Comcast executive last year slipped about Kong at IOA several months before the formal announcement... and so I'll continue to repeat that to myself before the inevitable eating of crow tomorrow.


(I still think a hotel is being announced)

 

[foodstampsFTW]

I hope they announce a hotel tommorow, I think it would be about time to make one, with the way the park has been going the last few years, this would be an even bigger push to become more like Disney. I'm glad it's practically confirmed the SLOP ride is happening, unless the ride is something else than what I think it is, I'm pretty excited for it. And hopefully they'll announce come Orlando citywalk restaurants coming over here

 

[GoodO'lDays]

Everything that I think will be announced tomorrow:


-SLOP


-new hotel


-hello kitty store


-Diagon Alley (because WWOHP comming here was announced 5 years ago so they could announce DA coming  in 4-5 years)

 

[GoodO'lDays]

Sorry for the double post, but could this tweet link to a new attraction coming to Universal? https://mobile.twitter.com/FantasticBeasts/status/744877673827033088. Could this be one of the things they anounce if the video tomorrow? Also look at this

 

[Alexshow.]

Sorry for the double post, but could this tweet link to a new attraction coming to Universal? https://mobile.twitter.com/FantasticBeasts/status/744877673827033088. Could this be one of the things they anounce if the video tomorrow? Also look at this

I believe that relates more to the Set-Visit that they may have already had with internet web-personalities.

 

[javierm27]

SLOP, DA and hotel will be announced is my call.  We will then get another pass available starting on July 1st.