jedimaster1227

I'd be very interested to see how much of this plan actually comes to fruition...

I'm really glad to see Mango's is doing so well so quickly. That has been prime real estate left abandoned for a very long time and to see this corner of I-Drive and Sand Lake so successful is a great indication of what we can expect just across the way when Skyplex opens. There's no question, Joshua Wallack and his partners know how to breath life in Orlando and with Mango's now open, the new parking garage/shopping complex/rooftop restaurant and Skyplex on the way, I truly believe that their developments will spur continued investment in the I-Drive corridor. The area needs a lot of work still, but I think everything that Wallack and his team are bringing will be the spark that lights the fuse on bigger redevelopment of the rest of I-Drive.

Phoenix at Knoebels is seriously one of the most fun coasters I've ever been on. The ride is still one of the best wooden rollercoasters, but when I think of fun times on any one ride, ERT during the last night of the 2006 East Coast Tour sits high on my list as one of the most fun theme park experiences I've had on a ride... That or the water challenge on Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags over Georgia.

^Given the larger investment that is Monster, I think it is totally possible that 2017 will be an off year with park improvements not necessarily including any new ride, show or attraction additions.

^I'd agree with you. I was underwhelmed when I first saw the original announcement but I have warmed up to the concept and I think it will truly end up being a sleeper hit of 2016. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay doesn't often mess up when it comes to new additions, so I have faith that this will be another win in their books.

Interesting that the train would arrive before the track is even built. This looks like such a neat ride... I'm curious to see how the finished product turns out!

This ride is looking fantastic! That first airtime hill looks like it will give some wonderful floater air!

This looks like a really solid addition to Paultons Park! I'm always happy to see smaller parks investing in rides like this.

Universal has closed a deal to purchase over 450 acres of land near the Orange County Convention Center, minutes away from the existing Universal Orlando Resort! http://www.growthspotter.com/news/idrive-developments/gs-474-acre-package-from-colony-capital-sold-last-week-to-unknown-buyer-price-untraceable-20151223-story.html http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/brinkmann-on-business/os-universal-orlando-purchase-20151223-post.html White outlines show the new Universal property (CBRE) A look at this plot in relation to major neighboring Orlando offerings along Universal Blvd and International Drive. A view of proximity to the existing Universal Orlando Resort.

^^They allow the inclusion of LEGO Star Wars Miniland and videos in the 4D theaters but no rides have been made or announced as a part of that agreement.

^Very sad news indeed... And it will surely be exploited by the anti-SeaWorld entities out there.

That ride (whatever it ends up being called) is going to have some great maneuvers to be experienced on the outer wing seats! I can only imagine flying through those turns like that!

^I'm still anxiously waiting to see how the update to the ride turns out... The world needs more Shiriki ASAP!

The region is also EXTREMELY populated when compared to other parts of the world. The reason that China is able to sustain so many theme parks is because the country is so huge and the audience is so large for each park because of the size of the neighboring population. The same principal holds true for many of the neighboring countries in the region. South Korea is also among several emerging tourism markets springing up within the last decade (alongside Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Malaysia and even India). Keep in mind, the United States is actually another great example of how you have run a similar setup for a park under the same umbrella and set them up only three to five hours' driving distance between each other and be able to find success. Six Flags and Cedar Fair are known for being "regional amusement parks" because they offer affordable amusement park experiences within a relatively accessible driving distance from key markets throughout the country (and in the case of Six Flags, throughout North America and Mexico). The experience may be redundant if you look at it by comparing one park to the other, but from the viewpoint of the general guest that will drive three hours to get to one park and would never consider driving another four to six hours after that to visit the next-nearest park, the challenge of redundancy or market saturation is moot. The spheres of influence of these regional parks rarely overlap to the point that a potential guest would be visiting both parks within the same driving distance. This is also very much a reason why Disney has yet to build another theme park resort destination in the United States, because the spheres of influence for the Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort end right at each other with little to no overlap. The addition of a third resort in the US would cannibalize both resorts' business with audiences between the two now split between three potential resorts. Bringing this back to the original topic, the addition of this park will not detract from any of the other Universal Parks in the region, or from those beyond. There is ample market for each of these destinations to support each park without fear of one pulling business from the other.

^^I wasn't implying that Star Wars is a lower end franchise (it has been recently suggested that it is the highest profile IP in the portfolio)... Rather that if someone really wanted to say, invest in John Carter or Mars Needs Moms (for example) and Disney saw no value for those IPs in their own properties, they might consider a licensing agreement for the guaranteed kickback they'd receive consistently as a part of the agreement... Again my point was not that Disney ever would do something like this, even for a lower end franchise--the question that was posed by the original poster at the beginning of this thread was could Disney allow this to happen. They absolutely could... They almost definitely won't any time soon.

^I agree. There's a lot of history behind franchise/IP licensing in theme parks and it is certainly not out of the question that Disney would share the rights (for a cost) of one of their lower end franchises to earn a little extra money... It just isn't likely to happen because if it is in any way desired by the market, Disney is likely already employing the brand in its own parks or planning to...

This thing is really starting to come together! I can't wait to see the finished product!

In theory, they could... If Disney granted them the rights (at insane expense) and allowed them to build attractions with the license. That being said, it won't happen. Disney will hold those rights tight and use them to the fullest because that IP is a HUGE draw for potential and repeat guests, and they'd much rather direct that kind of attention on properties they own and operate rather than licensing the property and earning a small chunk of revenue to do so. Onsite guests bring revenue from resort stays, food & beverage, merchandise and ticket admission, most of which Disney wouldn't get anywhere close to if they simply licensed the rights. You can reference Marvel Superhero Island at Islands of Adventure as a perfect example of why Disney wouldn't allow such a valuable franchise to be farmed out to another company... Marvel wasn't what it was today when the comic company signed an agreement giving Universal Studios theme park rights to the major characters (any characters represented in Marvel Superhero Island in any way are off limits in all capacities) East of the Mississippi. Creative approval of the use of these characters is given to Marvel, but Universal has those rights in perpetuity as long as they continue to pay fair value (as determined by an intermediary, unbiased third party) and thus Disney has to skirt around the use of any Marvel properties in the Florida parks (which is why, save for a few movie previews, monorail wraps and the one-time appearance of Guardians of the Galaxy characters for the Villains Unleashed event, there has been no major Marvel movement at the Walt Disney World Resort). If Marvel knew then that it would become the major player (under the Walt Disney Company) that it is today, it wouldn't likely have shared the rights with Universal, or at least would have signed a very different agreement that allowed for far more control on East of the Mississippi. IP agreements like this potentially block the IP owner from doing with their properties what they wish to do. Hindering their ability to fully control Star Wars would be a highly counterintuitive decision that Disney simply would NEVER do. Star Wars has international appeal, so it is safe to say that this isn't something Disney would consider sharing with an international park in a region they themselves would never build a resort in (like with IMG Worlds of Adventure in Dubai).

^And the best news is you can get them not only at Busch Gardens now but you can get them at SeaWorld Orlando at Mama's Pretzel Kitchen near Shamu's Happy Harbor... So you can enjoy these awesome pretzels in even more places now!

^The original Starliner didn't really survive the transformation from Cypress Gardens Adventure Park to LEGOLAND Florida. The Meeks (the owners of the Miracle Strip at Pier Park) advised in 2013 that they had some of the original parts of the ride (http://blog.al.com/gulf-coast/2013/06/developers_hope_to_bring_starl.html), but when the new version was announced with Great Coasters International last year all mention of the original ride seemed to quiet down. LEGOLAND Florida took great care in carefully deconstructing the Starliner with the intention of letting a new owner take possession of the coaster for their own use, but after the wood was packed and wrapped, it was no longer their problem. I don't recall seeing those clusters of wood re-appearing anywhere else since that time.

I'm glad they expanded on some of the stage tech from Mickey and the Magical Map for this show but made it their own. I think The Golden Mickeys is a solid show, but it was definitely time for something new, so I'm happy to see that this looks like a solid replacement.

^The Pretzel Bacon Fury is awesome!

^^Universal Orlando still uses return time ticketing during peak periods for both parks' Wizarding World areas. When the lands each first opened return time tickets were more common but after the initial rush died down each time, the system was used sparingly depending on the expected crowds. I'd imagine Hollywood will follow this example moving forward.

Dueling Tilt Coasters. I'm just trying to let that sink in...

I'm surprised to see development like this spring up in Turkey, but perhaps that is an emerging market. It will be interesting to see just how close to the concept art this turns out, if it actually gets built.