Today was EPIC for Universal Orlando as they announced their 3rd theme park (though they count Volcano Bay water park as a theme park and would tell you that the new park will be their 4th). The new theme park will be called Epic Universe and will be located approximately a 3 mile drive away from the rest of the Universal Orlando Resort.
The new 750-acre lot (from Destination Parkway to Sand Lake Road) is estimated to be large enough to hold several theme parks, hotels, shopping and dining. This expansion could more than double Universal’s current capacity in the long run. The lot is adjacent to the Orlando Convention Center and not far from SeaWorld.
. Image Credit: Universal
Universal estimates they will hire an additional 14,000 team members on top of the 25,000 current resort positions.
Universal did NOT confirm individual lands and rides, but from concept art and industry comments, we expect the following:
The new park could feature lands inspired by blockbuster franchises such as Harry Potter, Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon, and Universal Monsters. A unique new design element might leave the entry street (think Main Street USA) open to those without theme park tickets. It’s a bit like having CityWalk as Main Street. Then facial recognition (or admission media) would be used for guests to enter the lands. Facial recognition tests are occurring right now throughout Universal’s Orlando Resort.
Epic Universe Concept Art
Here’s the official concept art. While huge and impressive, it has also been sanitized to remove specific details, colors and themes which would allow you to easily figure out what the new lands will be. However, an eagle eye will reveal some clues.
While it is difficult to know what goes where, let’s make some guesses. You can see a Harry Potter-ish area in the upper right of the image, a possible Universal Monsters village in the upper left, what appears to be the layout of a Nintendo themed land on mid left (previous concept art for Nintendo showed a multi-tiered land), and a land featuring a large coaster on the mid right (which could be the expected How to Train Your Dragon themed area).
Here are some closeups of that concept art. Let us know what you spot (Coasters, show buildings, a stadium of some sort, aqua amphitheater, etc. Help us figure this park out) :
You can also see large areas for future expansion, which will allow this already huge park to grow and add additional themed areas.
During the press conference announcing Epic Universe, Company officials stated that the new park could be the company’s largest investment ever and has the potential to be the state’s most expensive theme park ever.
Velocicoaster
We had hoped that Universal would also announce a project currently underway at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. They had teased an announcement on their Instagram:
It is believed that the coaster under construction in the Jurassic Park area will will be called the “Velocicoaster,” based upon trademark filings made by Universal. Track pieces are already on site and the ride could open for the 2020 season.
Who’s ready for Orlando’s next Epic theme park? What are your thoughts on Epic Universe? What do you spot in the concept art? Will this add more fuel to the theme park wars, and how would you like to see the other theme park chains (Disney, SeaWorld, Legoland, Busch) address Universal’s massive new project (and potential resort doubling potential)?
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