Today, Universal Orlando filed two new building permits with the City of Orlando for Building 72. Limited information indicates that the building will be partially demolished and altered.
Earlier this summer, permits were filed for Simpsons which is building 73. ParkRumors says that Building 72 is a complex comprised of the Kwik E Mart, restrooms, and International Food and Film Festival.
More on Project 971 as the permits update. As always, follow us on Twitter @Parkscope and @CaptMichael87.
UPDATE: The following plans are only mass drainage plans/changes to the plots of land on Universal property. They do not reflect the final layout or plans of the Cabana Bay Beach Resort.
Universal has submitted documents to the South Florida Water Management District for "Basin Improvements" to the future site of Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Recently, similar documents were submitted prior to the dewatering permits for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter additions at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida.
The documents for Cabana Bay's basin improvements are much more detailed than the Potter ones. As you can see in the following photo, there clearly many parking spots. You can also see the new and/or expanded ponds that are used to mitigate the loss of natural surface for when parking lots and foundations are poured. What is unusual are the lack of any indication of the buildings, pools, etc. Sure, there are the gray spaces within the parking lots, but none are identical and there is no clear main building, just tons of parking spaces.
Even more unusual is that both remaining expansion plots owned by Universal are taken up by this new project and mega-parking. Will the hotel straddle Adventure Way? Are the gray spaces nondescript on purpose but are where the hotel structures will be?
It could just be a placeholder to show the authorities where the new
ponds will be. The original announcement of the resort said it would
occupy 37 acres of the Universal Orlando Resort, but this plan clearly shows a vastly bigger area taken up by the resort. If this is indeed the plans, the resort would take up almost 105 acres of UOR.
On top of that, if these are the plans...who designed them? The original concept art of Cabana Bay gave out a feeling of well designed grounds and plenty of theming and foliage.
But these plans? They scream parking lots and concrete wastelands. Where's the potential for beauty here?
If you can shed any light on this matter, let us know. As I live in Louisiana and am in the current path of Isaac, I may be incommunicado for a few days, but @Parkscope will be holding down the fort.
Deprived of new developments on property, Disney fans, DM, DH, DS, and DSs are reading up on the new Fantasyland bathroom. Will it have an ATTRACTION in it (besides toilets, which knowing Disney... don't give them ideas)? Will it have Tangled influence, as Tangled was all about toilets, bodily functions, and washing hands?
Whatever the case, when you go to your favorite Disney News Site (tm) and read up on all the construction updates, meditate to this music that is played the in Blue Man Group restrooms; the world famous BMG 'Bathroom Song'.
New notice of commencements came out today for WDW, and there were a few that caught my eye. Looks like we should start looking for some sort of construction at Small World and Star Tours, as both had construction permits filed for. There was another filed for Test Track today, as well as a mechanical one for the World Drive/DHS Entrance redo.
And on a more exciting/concrete front, the Notice of Commencements to begin work on the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights have been filed. Links to all can be seen below.
As the resident North Eastern Ohio Parkscope Representative, I apologize for tardiness. I have been on vacation to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando for 10 days, and this never got posted.
Cedar Point, after Screamscape reports and a leaked image of the design was posted, has confirmed the replacement for Disaster Transport and the Space Spiral. I present you Gatekeeper.
Image copyright Cedar Fair Inc.
Image copyright Cedar Fair Inc.
Not only is it replacing those rides, it's replacing the entryway, as now the 'keyhole' element of the coaster will take place over the turnstiles! Demo of Disaster Transport has started, and Gatekeeper will go vertical later this fall. Expect a late May opening.
The up-charge attraction, for better or worse, seems inherently shady. Carnies conning customers in games of 'skill', freak shows on the boardwalk, and fortune tellers are part of the American amusement park culture. With the opening of Disneyland and the suburbanization of the American family, these up-charges died off. Now such opportunities come in the form of gag photos, temporary tattoos, hair braids, and unique package experiences. Even today, a theme park goer can see Vegas or Broadway quality shows or unique dining experiences. Disney has had a lock on this for several years, thanks to it's successful Downtown Disney projects such as La Nouba.
Universal in 2005 filled in the deserted Nickelodeon Studios, and gaps in their CityWalk offerings, with Blue Man Group. An off Broadway hit since the early 90s, they made names of themselves through Tonight Show with Jay Leno appearances, Intel TV spots, and many successful shows around the world.
The Orlando show, as it opened in 2007, was based on a show design from the short lived Toronto version. Prior to Toronto in 2007, Blue Man had their small theater shows (NYC, Boston, and Chicago) and large theater shows (Vegas, Potsdamer Platz). The show features the size and scope of their lager shows (Vegas), while paring it down to have a smaller supporting band and to fit in smaller theaters.
As part of the “Year to be Here”, the Blue Man show was upgraded to feature the material from the new Touring Show. Universal and Blue Man shared the costs of upgrading the theater, to the reported tune of $2 million. The improvements include widening the stage, removal of the set, installation of high tech LED curtains and displays, upgraded lighting systems, and installation of the Zygote Balls.
My past vacation to Universal Florida I got a chance to see the new Blue Man Group show; row F, seat 20. Unlike previous visits, I saw this show alone after my family and friends left to go back home. This allowed my ideas to ferment into what I hope is a six-pack of Parkscope articles.
Blue Man show’s themes center around the expanding role of technology, information overload, absence of physical human communication, gender roles, the human vision system, modern art, and vaudeville comedy. To the Blue Man, there is no fourth wall; you are experiencing part of the world of Blue Man. The stage and seating area are both playgrounds for the Blue Man.
And despite what people say, or what you might think, the Blue Man are not aliens. They are genderless (there have been women Blue Man), raceless, egoless figures who experience the world with new eyes. Captain Crunch cereal is used to make music (what else would you use a cereal advertised for it’s crunch for, anyway?) Art is made with gumballs and marshmallows. And Yves Klein is celebrated.
The whole experience ends in the Exaled Moment. From the original Blue Man Show in New York till very recently, this featured endless rolls of cray paper streaming across the audience as KLF’s ‘Last Train to Transcentral’ plays. The new ending now incorporates a dance party, Blue Man humor, and audience participation into a colorful celebration of your booty.
I have been a Blue Man fan for many years, so it should be no surprise that I recommend this show to everyone. It's not typical production, as equal parts music, improv, and science fair are combined to form a typical show. But if you are open minded and want a fun night at Universal, Blue Man is a great night cap or kick start to a night of partying.
The Blue Man experience is an ideal, condensed theme park experience. We enter the theatre segmented and isolated, yet we leave as a group. Comedy, drama, music, education, and technology all cumulate into a euphoric, exalted moment. What was once was alien turns out to be identifiably human and pure. For 90 minutes, we are a child again exploring the world with the Blue Man.
