Let's play being head of Universal Creative...

[TheCodeMan95]

My favorite part about this timeline is the VB expansion. I think with all the talk of future expansion and changes.. VB has kinda fallen to the side in people's minds. They need to keep that looking and feeling just as great as the other parks!

 

[UniversalRBLX]

It'll be very interesting to see what happens over the next few years. Ideally, Universal will probably be incentivized to work on multiple projects at the same time... I just can't think of a good reason outside exclusivity rights to hold back Pokemon.

LC not having anything until 2030 to me is inexcusable. That'll be 7 years from the closure of Poseidon's.

 

[TheUniC6]

It'll be very interesting to see what happens over the next few years. Ideally, Universal will probably be incentivized to work on multiple projects at the same time... I just can't think of a good reason outside exclusivity rights to hold back Pokemon.

LC not having anything until 2030 to me is inexcusable. That'll be 7 years from the closure of Poseidon's.

If Pokemon debuts in 2027 maybe if they work fast enough on the construction, Zelda can be the 2029 addition for IOA.

 

[Brian G.]

It'll be very interesting to see what happens over the next few years. Ideally, Universal will probably be incentivized to work on multiple projects at the same time... I just can't think of a good reason outside exclusivity rights to hold back Pokemon.

LC not having anything until 2030 to me is inexcusable. That'll be 7 years from the closure of Poseidon's.

Gonna be honest - LC should be low on the totem pole. IOA is strong enough to shoulder the load for the short term. I know "best laid plans.." and all that but there was a time when Universal was hoping to ride Poseidon into a post-EU world and not have this gap.

 

[TheUniC6]

Gonna be honest - LC should be low on the totem pole. IOA is strong enough to shoulder the load for the short term. I know "best laid plans.." and all that but there was a time when Universal was hoping to ride Poseidon into a post-EU world and not have this gap.

Versus IOA which has gotten two great coasters, USF has been starved of true large scale additions. I fully support the attention being on USF for the next two things in the pipeline post EU.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Gonna be honest - LC should be low on the totem pole. IOA is strong enough to shoulder the load for the short term. I know "best laid plans.." and all that but there was a time when Universal was hoping to ride Poseidon into a post-EU world and not have this gap.

I agree, Pokemon is 100% a higher priority (USF in general), I just can't process having to wait until 2028-2030 for anything at Lost Continent, which is why I'm hoping both projects are tackled somewhat simultaneously.

With that said, if we're still looking at a handful of years until any work gets done in LC... can we at least get some entertainment in the park?

Edit to add context: If we don't get anything in LC until 2028... it would be a full decade since Sinbad's closure.

 

[Brian G.]

I agree, Pokemon is 100% a higher priority (USF in general), I just can't process having to wait until 2028-2030 for anything at Lost Continent, which is why I'm hoping both projects are tackled somewhat simultaneously.

With that said, if we're still looking at a handful of years until any work gets done in LC... can we at least get some entertainment in the park?

Edit to add context: If we don't get anything in LC until 2028... it would be a full decade since Sinbad's closure.

Oh, I think they'll have multiple projects going - which is why I think LC will be later on in the timeline.

Especially when you consider they still have to make sure EU and VB get their share, too.

 

[IzzyB]

Gonna be honest - LC should be low on the totem pole. IOA is strong enough to shoulder the load for the short term. I know "best laid plans.." and all that but there was a time when Universal was hoping to ride Poseidon into a post-EU world and not have this gap.

I personally think having an entire land shuttered that you have to walk thru is not a good look for another 5+ years. They really should at least put a show in the theater of some kind. It would really help with capacity during busy times. I think that could be a quick thing they could have up in a year if they really tried to put a stop gap in there.

 

[Brian G.]

I personally think having an entire land shuttered that you have to walk thru is not a good look for another 5+ years. They really should at least put a show in the theater of some kind. It would really help with capacity during busy times. I think that could be a quick thing they could have up in a year if they really tried to put a stop gap in there.

They would have to re-do the Sindbad stage. That makes no sense for a very short-term band-aid.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

If anything, enjoy LC now before it’s under construction walls in 2/3 years and just use it as a place to enjoy some shade, drinks, and the genuine good food they have in that area.

 

[belloq87]

It's a bit of a catch-22. I don't think Lost Continent should continue to be vacant indefinitely. But I also think USF needs a lot more attention than IOA, and I would prioritize several larger projects there.

Now, ideally, Universal could/would service big projects at both parks at the same time.

 

[Brian G.]

It's a bit of a catch-22. I don't think Lost Continent should continue to be vacant indefinitely. But I also think USF needs a lot more attention than IOA, and I would prioritize several larger projects there.

Now, ideally, Universal could/would service big projects at both parks at the same time.

That's basically my line of thinking.

Problem is, per TomFoolery, that USF is about to get a few big project - so that's where the trade-off is.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Ultimately, IOA holds Forbiden Journey, Hagrid’s, Velocicoaster, and Spider-Man. That’s anchor attractions for the resort as a whole all in 1 park, it can handle the wait for Zelda imo.

 

[belloq87]

Problem is, per TomFoolery, that USF is about to get a few big project - so that's where the trade-off is.

We'll see, of course.

Unless there's more going on that hasn't been hinted at, I don't think a (presumably lightly-themed outdoor) coaster and "Pokemon by 2030" (whatever that's going to be) should preclude additional projects (both at IOA and USF).

Six years is a long time for those to be the only significant things happening at both parks.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I think if attendance at IOA flags, they'll punt something over to the Toon Lagoon Theater, but I don't expect attendance at IOA to flag.

My only really qualm about the timeline (and some people are probably gonna hate me for this), is that I don't think a VB expansion in and of itself would be big enough to warrant taking up an entire year. It's probably on the scale of importance as the Great Hall to be honest, especially if it's just like two additional slide towers. It's not like the expansions to Disney water parks (when those used to happen), were advertised as the resort's yearly additions.

So I guess my timeline would be...

2025: Nothing of note.
2026: Great Hall and RRR replacement, start on Zelda
2027: Luigi's Mansion (I think if they have plans, they start working on this later this year, especially if we're just talking about a show building and a courtyard. Maybe it's a really expansive courtyard with some play structures that connects to both Mario and Donkey so we don't have to deal with the DK dead-end).
2028: Pokémon (USF defenders rejoice)
2029: Zelda opens
2030: Eh, idk second Potter ride at EU or new Dragons ride at EU, depending on the success of respective new entries.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I think if attendance at IOA flags, they'll punt something over to the Toon Lagoon Theater, but I don't expect attendance at IOA to flag.

My only really qualm about the timeline (and some people are probably gonna hate me for this), is that I don't think a VB expansion in and of itself would be big enough to warrant taking up an entire year. It's probably on the scale of importance as the Great Hall to be honest, especially if it's just like two additional slide towers. It's not like the expansions to Disney water parks (when those used to happen), were advertised as the resort's yearly additions.

Depends on how substantial a VB project is, it might need to be considered. Not an expert, but there's a bit of a battle over construction crews throughout Florida, and with WDW ramping up investments, it'll make it challenging for Universal to decide which projects to emphasize and work on. So while a VB expansion isn't "major" compared to other projects, it might impact other projects if they have limited options and push things around.

With how fast Universal builds, a Lost Continent "retheme" shouldn't take too long. Lost Continent's foundation (bathrooms, kitchen, etc.) are fine, they just need to work on fitting exteriors to whatever IP/setting they want and the ride building would be the bulk of the work.

If Universal can demolish and build Diagon Alley from scratch in 2 years, they can certainly replace LC in 2 years if they keep a good chunk of existing structures.

 

[IzzyB]

If anything, enjoy LC now before it’s under construction walls in 2/3 years and just use it as a place to enjoy some shade, drinks, and the genuine good food they have in that area.

I guess I am the only one that hates that long walk to HP with 3 kids and nothing to do in between. It bothers me. My friend said the same thing, she forgot how long of walk it is between Suess and HP and it annoyed her. So I guess I am more looking at it from a GP standpoint. It is a good distance not to have anything. Food and Beverage is not what most families are looking for. They are looking for kid friendly food when their child is hungry. So it is what is nearby my kids will eat. Which I honestly forget about until I am on theme park FB pages and reading posts and replies. My kids eat wherever and find something at any place out there, but I am not a typical family.

For me I hate the walk of nothing. We are never ready for food after doing just one land so we never stop to eat there.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I guess I am the only one that hates that long walk to HP with 3 kids and nothing to do in between. It bothers me. My friend said the same thing, she forgot how long of walk it is between Suess and HP and it annoyed her. So I guess I am more looking at it from a GP standpoint. It is a good distance not to have anything. Food and Beverage is not what most families are looking for. They are looking for kid friendly food when their child is hungry. So it is what is nearby my kids will eat. Which I honestly forget about until I am on theme park FB pages and reading posts and replies. My kids eat wherever and find something at any place out there, but I am not a typical family.

For me I hate the walk of nothing. We are never ready for food after doing just one land so we never stop to eat there.

I mean this is a very fair take, even put up meet n greets or something small. You also wouldn’t want to eat before possibly going on rides in Hogsmeade necessarily either. I’m not saying it’s disappointing, it will just sadly get worse until Zelda is finished.

 

[Rhian]

I was going to say part of the reason the walk through LC feels so long is because it doesn't have a ride. Then I remembered. It's only been 14 years.

I like the idea of a meet and greet with mythological characters or something along those lines. The lack of kinetic energy in this space, and with most of the land tucked away from the main path, LC does feel like a "dead" land. TL is entertaining to walk through because there's a lot going onto look at. They don't even have the waterfall and fire turned on out on the PF facade now do they? If they let guests walk around the outside queue it would be at least a little interesting.

Unless Zelda came along were there any other ideas thrown around of what else Universal was going to do with LC? It sort of sounds like besides sacrificing parts of it to Potter and updating PF before its closure the land was going to stay as-is for the foreseeable future (no shows, no rides).

 

[Brian G.]

I like the idea of a meet and greet with mythological characters or something along those lines.

Bring back Poseidon's Pals!