The buzz continues to grow surrounding Universal Orlando’s expected Harry Potter expansion and it is hard to deny with the massive construction currently underway. Filling the landscape where Jaws used to call home, a giant Gringotts Wizarding Bank building is going up fast.
Universal Studios has already announced major upgrades and expansions including a new Transformers ride attraction which will open summer 2013. However, it is hard not to notice what is happening across the Lagoon. Widely expected to open in 2014, the Harry Potter expansion is rumored to include a state-of-the-art new attraction and a new working train station that will carry guests from Universal Studios to Universal Islands of Adventure, where Hogwarts and Harry Potter phase 1 are based. In Islands of Adventure, there is a stand-alone Hogwarts Express photo opportunity currently.
There is a lot of space to fill and this massive building has long been thought to be the new home of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, owned and operated by goblins in the Harry Potter series. After the huge success of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, it should be expected that the Gringotts building would be an experience of itself even before visitors reach the ultimate ride, just as Hogwarts Castle is.
Expected to be a dark, indoor ride and coaster hybrid – similar to the Mummy but with more advanced tricks and thrills – Gringotts will also guarantee a good story line and set details similar to the Forbidden Journey ride. It is also rumored to have an exciting simulated elevator ride in the queue to further immerse you in the setting.
It has also leaked that Universal executives are considering a larger “London-based land” in the original park, expanding the Wizarding World which would now include a Gringotts Wizarding Bank ride attraction, the new Hogwarts train station and other possible attractions, food and shopping options engulfing that part of the Orlando theme park. This fits the new business model being implemented by Comcast and Unviersal as they invest heavily in the Universal theme parks and creating “worlds” within the park.
This would also give Universal an opportunity to include more (possibly larger and more accessible) Potter-themed shopping, like the Olivander’s Wand Shop, and spread out the masses who have swarmed the parks since opening.
Just a few weeks ago, the construction was without walls and only a small foundation. Construction is moving along quickly around the entire park. If 2012 was “The Year to Be Here” for Universal, many wonder what 2013 and 2014 will hold.
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