Any idea on the expansion announcement?

[czycropper]

So here's the thing my DD12 wants to go back to WWoHP this year (we were there last April) and I would also love to go but my DH wants to wait to see when the "expansion" is done.

Has anyone actually heard anything about it? Other than rumors.....

 

[damo]

There has been no final word but there are plans out for grading the new area and it looks very much like London with Gringotts. The expansion won't be done for several years, though, so it is a long time to wait!

 

[Badge]

So here's the thing my DD12 wants to go back to WWoHP this year (we were there last April) and I would also love to go but my DH wants to wait to see when the "expansion" is done.

Has anyone actually heard anything about it? Other than rumors.....

Like Damo has said, Universal has made no announcement about the current plans. Everything right now is just rumors. Something (most likely HP themed) will be taking up the whole Jaws area. They don't destory a whole land and not have any plans. Most likely once they start building on the land, they will make the announcement. If they start building soon, there is a SLIGHT change that it could open at the end of 2014. Most likely it will open in 2015. 2016 if there are any delays in the plan. Its a long time to wait!

However, there are some new things going on THIS YEAR that would be worth a visit. The biggest is the new Despicable Me ride that opens soon. On top of that, there is the re-make of the Spiderman ride (all new upgraded projections with HD animations), the new parade, and the new night time water/firework display that should run nightly all summer long. Also, Citywalk has two brand new, highly themed mini golf courses which look like a lot of fun!

After all this new stuff is up and running, I am not excepting anything else major to open until the new park expansion is done. So, this year might be a great year to go and then you can take a year or so off and visit again when the expansion is done.

 

[CentralFloridian99]

We know it's coming, just not where. We're asuming Amity or the rest of The Lost Cotinent. I'm hoping HP won't be coming to Amity, because I'd rather see a new property.

 

[Metro West]

I'm guessing it will be at LEAST six months to a year before anything is officially announced on the Jaws replacement.

 

[ky07]

I'm guessing it will be at LEAST six months to a year before anything is officially announced on the Jaws replacement.

I agree

 

[damo]

Ya, not until the summer is well over. Don't want people delaying their vacations.

 

[czycropper]

Thanks everyone.

My DD12 wants to go during the Nov. break (yep - Jersey Week) and flights are reasonable now but DH wants to wait and keeps telling her that she'll get her HP fill when we go to England next June and go to the Warner Bros. studio tour. We'll see who wins out!

 

[Latel]

A friend that has just started working at Universal said that the Amity area is definitely going to be Transformers and not HP.

 

[*LittleMermaid*]

I doubt your friend "definitely" knows. And if your friend "definitely" knows then she or he shouldn't be telling you or anyone else for that matter. It is grounds for that persons termination of employment.

 

[Metro West]

I doubt your friend "definitely" knows. And if your friend "definitely" knows then she or he shouldn't be telling you or anyone else for that matter. It is grounds for that persons termination of employment.

I would agree and stress again I don't see Universal placing an attraction just like Spiderman in the other park...it just doesn't make sense.

 

[*LittleMermaid*]

That is true. I have friends that have been on the Transformers ride and one of them even said that they like it better than Spiderman. It is the same technology. I doubt they would place a similar ride.

 

[Badge]

Plus you really don't close down a whole land to place one ride. They removed the whole land to replace it with a whole new land. The odds of it not being a HP expansion are really slim. People flooded Universal when they opened the first "phase" of HP and they will do the same again whenever the next phase happens.

IMO, Universal is going to time the opening around the time that the Avatar area opens at Disney's AK and they are really smart for doing it that way. More people would visit Universal to see HP than they would do see Avatar and Universal likes to draw the attention away from Disney as much as they can.

As far as Transformers go, I really could see Universal holding off on bringing it to Olrando. When (its only a matter of time before it happens) Universal loses the theme park rights to Marvel, they have a ride concept in their back pocket to toss into Spiderman. Since they use the same ride system, it would not require a ton of work to turn Spiderman into Transformers.

 

[*LittleMermaid*]

I never thought about that Badge (about how easy it will be to make Spiderman into Transformers if something happens with the Marvel contract). That is a good point that you bring...

 

[CentralFloridian99]

Like I said before, I would like for it to be something besides HP. If it will be HP, it better live up to Jaws. There are great unused properties out there.

 

[JoShan1719]

A friend that has just started working at Universal said that the Amity area is definitely going to be Transformers and not HP.

I doubt your friend "definitely" knows. And if your friend "definitely" knows then she or he shouldn't be telling you or anyone else for that matter. It is grounds for that persons termination of employment.

As a Universal employee, I agree that your friend knows squat about what is happening there. We don't get told anything about what's happening until the day before, and sometimes day of, the public announcement, in order to prevent leaks.

Personally, I don't think the HP expansion will take the spot of jaws, but that's just personal opinion. We'll have to wait and see what they do.

 

[DOOM1001]

I'm no huge Potter fan at all but the rumors of the London Potter area expansion are in two words "Significant and Major",I just saw pics from Universal Hollywood of the Transformers ride and quite honestly I wasn't too impressed at the building and queue,and knowing it's basically a Spider Man clone I would be upset if they announced that's what they shut down Jaws for.If they instead pull off a super themed London Potter area with an indoor Gringot's bank coaster and a train ride over to the IOA Hogwarts area,that's major and would not feel bad Jaws had to go to make room for it.

 

[jkshel]

 

[CentralFloridian99]

I just saw pics from Universal Hollywood of the Transformers ride and quite honestly I wasn't too impressed at the building and queue,and knowing it's basically a Spider Man clone I would be upset if they announced that's what they shut down Jaws for.

I wasn't impressed either, and I don't get what all the hoopla is about it being better then Spidey.

 

[damo]

I wouldn't be disappointed if they traded out one of the existing rides like Twister or Terminator for Transformers but I would be disappointed if they tore down Jaws to put it in.