Theme Parks News & Rumors
Posted Thursday, March 23!
Universal Studios Islands of Adventure
Sylvester McMonkey McBean & His Very Unusual Driving Machines is expected to open Spring 2001. The company who originally was going to construct the ride vehicles made several design errors. The ride is presently being redesigned by a new company. We can only hope that the original details remain the same.
Next week's featured park: SeaWorld Adventure Park.
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls is currently shut down for refurbishment. After a woman claimed that her neck was severely injured by the final drop and bunny hop, Universal has decided to end operation for approximately one month. There are several rumors that the bunny hop will be increased in length to ensure a smooth finale. This flume ride will be up and running by the beginning of May.
Unicorn construction has not begun yet. This "family" roller coaster will be built in and around the Dueling Dragon's castle. Land has rumored to have been cleared and hopefully the ride, which will feature an estimated 40 foot drop, will be open by the end of the summer. Stay tuned for more information.
Storm Force construction has not begun yet. The small area of construction on Marvel Super Hero Island is supposedly related to repairing a section of sidewalk. This is an odd repair at a theme park, but maybe Universal is trying to keep details secret. The conceptual work for the ride is wonderful and once completed, no one will ever have the desire to ride that non-technologically advanced Teacup ride in the Magic Kingdom.
The Incredible Hulk Coaster and Dueling Dragons are featured in the latest and greatest America's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills: The Next Generation. Be sure to get your copy now from Amazon.com.
Grinch ride rumors have unfortunately quieted down quite a bit lately. Stay tuned for more details.
Name Change! Universal Studios Islands of Adventure will be changed to simply Islands of Adventure theme park in hopes of easing the bewildered visitors who thought Islands of Adventure was a new land in Universal Studios Florida. The name will gradually be changed once the new Universal Orlando ads have been running for a few more months. One more note, all signs on the property will remain Universal Studios Escape despite the Universal Orlando ad campaign.
Zero Profit For 1999. This has got to be one of the most disappointing news reports that I have ever released. According to several reliable sources, Universal Studios Escape lost an estimated 8 million dollars last year because of the poor attendance at Islands of Adventure and the sheer cost of all construction for the new park, CityWalk, and hotels. Islands of Adventure only generated 3.4 million, far below the expected number. In the United States, Islands of Adventure was the thirteenth most visited park last year. Universal Studios Florida, in comparision, generated 8.1 million and was the sixth most visited park nationwide. We must keep in mind that Islands of Adventure had a rough opening year due to poor advertising and marketing and because the park opened in late May. This leads me to conclude that 2000 profit should be anywhere from 6 to 7 million if the new ad strategy works and since the park will be open a whole 5 months more than the year before. But then again, Orlando is reaching the saturation point and maybe nothing can be done... that's an entirely different and more complicated issue.