SLIDE 3 Expansion of Universal in the I-Drive Area
- Orange County records show that Universal bought eight parcels in all from Southwest, totaling about 52 acres. In
addition to the land under the water park, the park's administration building and parking lot, the sale included several smaller parcels that are currently vacant or being used for warehouses. Wet 'n Wild drew a little more than 1.2 million visitors in 2012, according to estimates by the consulting firm AECOM. That places it well behind competing water parks in Orlando, including the Walt Disney Co.'s Typhoon Lagoon (2.1 million) and Blizzard Beach (1.9 million) and SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.'s Aquatica (1.5 million). The purchase fits the aggressive growth strategy that Comcast has laid out for Universal Orlando, where attendance and profits have soared since the mid-2010 opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal's Islands of Adventure. Comcast wants to make the resort a true multi-day destination similar to the Walt Disney World, and it is currently spending hundreds of millions of dollars to expand Universal Studios Florida with projects such as the just-opened Transformers: The Ride — 3D. Comcast and Universal are also moving deeper into the hotel business in hopes of capturing more of their visitors' total vacation spending. A top Comcast executive noted earlier this month that Universal currently has about 2,400 on-site rooms, which he called only "a fraction of our competitor." That was a reference to Disney World, which has roughly 25,000 hotel rooms and time-share suites across its vast property. Universal and partner Loews Hotels and Resorts are now building a fourth on-property hotel: the 1,800-room Cabana Bay Beach Resort, which is scheduled to open as soon as January. But more hotel rooms are likely on the way
- These 52 acres right by Wet ‘n Wild would be the perfect place for the expansion of the Hotels for Universal. This
would add even more hotel rooms with in the business area of the Ice Cream Parlor. Also there are talks of expanding Wet ‘n Wild which would increase the attendance to this park. There is great potential of growth for this Ice Cream Parlor business.
