The fourth gate is here, and it’s expected to be the most EPIC expansion in Universal Parks & Resorts HISTORY!
The news was announced this morning at Universal Orlando’s press conference, introducing
Universal’s Epic Universe to the media. The new addition will include the theme park as well as shops, an entertainment district, and a hotel. According to
Universal Orlando, it will be “the most immersive and innovative park we’ve ever created”.
What We Know So Far
Orlando has not seen a new full-fledged theme park since 1999 when Universal’s Island’s of Adventure made its debut. Theme parks take YEARS to create, and that is almost a given considering how long it takes to build a single ride. However, we may not have to wait as long as normal. Land for the expansion has already been cleared as of 2018, which means we are that much closer to construction.
We’re still unsure of land details, but we have our guesses for what may make the cut.
Nintendo,
Fantastic Beasts, and
How to Train Your Dragon are all fan-favorite contenders. We have our hearts set on
Nintendo and we have faith that the final lands will be fantastic.
Tom Williams, chairman, and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts also noted that “a Universe is bigger than a World”, hinting toward competing parks. This leaves us with HIGH expectations for something grand.
We studied the map layout of the current parks and the new park plans. By the looks of it, the new area should be larger than all of the
Universal Orlando® Resort.
In other words, this may actually live up to the “Universe” references just from size alone!
Location Details
The 750-acre site will be located just 12 minutes away from the current Universal Orlando theme parks and hotels. Traveling between the current theme parks to the new park area will be improved with the current Kirkman Road extension. There are also plans for train construction aimed to have train travel from the Orange County Convention Center-area to South Florida. This will offer an easier way to visit the park.
Due to the expansion, Orlando will be able to create 14 thousand new jobs in this central location. This is a great economy booster for the area and, once completed, will offer a base rate of $15 an hour to employees. It is aimed to also boost tourism in the “theme park capital of the world”.
The Best is Yet to Come…
We cannot wait to see what this expansion has in store and when it will open. We will keep you updated on all of the latest news from Universal Orlando® Resort! You can view this morning’s full press conference
here.
Until then, if you’re looking to book a vacation for any of the area’s current theme parks, make sure to check out some of our
Magical Vacation Homes!
We’ll see you in the next blog post. Have a MAGICAL day!
