The transportation issue
As you might have noticed from the map shared on the previous page, this new land area is several minutes' drive away from the current Universal Orlando Resort. Though guests can easily walk between Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, while Universal is planning this massive expansion they will definitely need to figure out how the best way to "connect" these two massive resort areas. An elevated rail similar to Walt Disney World's monorail has been hinted at in the past, but such a project would require extensive permitting from the Orange County Government and could pose issues for other local businesses as well as residents in the area, making this a feasible, but unlikely option.
Though there's no way to know for sure, we'd guess that Universal will likely elect to expand their bus system (which currently only connects guests to Volcano Bay and specific hotels) to include stops at the theme parks and hotels built in this new area to create a cohesive resort. Though busses aren't the most ideal form of transportation, Walt Disney World has used them to great effect, and Universal is likely hoping it can do the same.
So what happens next?
Image: Universal Orlando Resort
It's hard to believe that Universal's "secret" plan to build additional theme parks, hotels, and more has been in the works for over two years now, with not as much as a peep from officials about this ambitious undertaking. However, those hoping for an official announcement sometime in the near future will probably be disappointed, as Universal is reportedly looking to purchase a few more land parcels before they are done with the acquisition phase of their big expansion plan.
In the meantime, expect Universal to focus on its plans for the Aventura hotel (opening in 2018) as well as share the first details for the two new Harry Potter attractions coming to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and of course Nintendo Land. With so many current projects in the works at the existing Universal theme parks, and no definite land boundaries (yet) for the future park space, it seems safe to say that we're probably still at least another year or two from an official announcement of this massive expansion.
Are you still excited for this new project? What do you think Universal will end up building? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Comments
I really hope they go with the rumoured 'Legends of Literature' park concept, with huge franchises such as Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Roald Dahl's childrens books, CS Lewis, etc... this could be an amazing park.