It seems you can’t hop onto a theme park blog these days without hearing about Universal. There’s a reason for that—they’re expanding and we’re excited. Let’s talk about some of the ongoing expansion plans, including some recent announcements.
Universal Great Britain Under Consideration
The big headline this week is that Universal has acquired land in Bedford, England and are “exploring its feasibility for a potential park and resort.” A UK destination would expand Universal’s global footprint, which contains parks in Los Angeles, Orlando, Japan, China, and Singapore. It also puts the theme park giant in direct competition with Disney’s Disneyland Paris for guests on the European continent.
Bedford is an interesting location. It’s something like an hour outside London (maybe my second favorite city in the world, for what that’s worth), but closer to 1-2 hours from the major international airports, Heathrow and Gatwick. Closer is the London Luton Airport, which is served by several European carriers.
This is good news for visitors from Europe, who will theoretically be able to avoid the hassle of Gatwick / Heathrow / central London by flying into Luton. For visitors from further abroad, it’s going to be a bit more of a hike. That said, Universal has no need to make a huge play for visitors from outside Europe who are pretty well served by existing parks in Asia and the United States.
In any case, i’m excited to see what becomes of this project. It’ll be interesting to see how Wizarding World, which is actually mostly set in the UK, is handled. On the one hand, it’s been done already, in multiple locations, and is set to be expanded with Epic Universe. On the other hand, it was literally birthed in the UK, so it seems unlikely it’ll be left out.
If I had to bet—I’d say we’ll see another Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley is unique to Orlando, unlike Hogwarts / Hogsmeade. But since the land is actually set in London—and quite frankly once of the most stunning themed spaces I’ve seen—it seems like too good an opportunity to pass up.
Universal Kids Resort Coming to Texas
Universal is also building a third destination in the United States, formally announcing that the new Texas resort will be “Universal Kids Resort.” It will be Universal’s “first-ever theme park designed specifically for families with young children.” As the company describes it: “this imaginative, original resort brings the company’s innovative style of storytelling to a new, younger audience.”
I have several thoughts, but I’ll focus on a pretty clear business aspect of this. Walt Disney specifically wanted Disneyland to be a place where guests of all ages could enjoy themselves. This encourages repeat visitors in a way that a resort targeting families with young children won’t. You might visit once or twice with your young kids, but then they won’t visit again until they have young kids of their own.
By contrast, I visited Disney World as a small kid, as a teenager, as a young adult with my fiance, as a less young adult with my wife, and now with my small kid. Each experience was different, and each made Disney money.
I happen to think Universal Orlando is a lot of fun with Zoe. It could be better if they had a few more rides without height requirements (or with lower requirements) and a few more characters. So is there any hope for the future there?
Don’t Forget About Epic Universe
This brings us to the other big expansion—Epic Universe, coming to Universal Orlando Resort in 2025. The family focus of the Texas resort has me worried that Epic Universe won’t be great for families with small kids. I hope I’m wrong.
Without a doubt, I’m very excited for this new park. I happen to think Universal already puts out a great theme park resort experience, and I’m thrilled for Disney to have even more competition. We obviously expect Epic Universe to be filled with Epic thrills, but I hold out hope it’ll bring some top tier rides for small kids, too.
Otherwise, the risk is that, for the business reasons I gave above, Universal Kids Resort doesn’t do so great. Then people draw the wrong conclusion—that Universal can’t do “family” well. To that end, I wish they’d put their best plans for family-friendly attractions into Epic Universe and the existing Florida properties, because I know these things can do well. Hopefully the Texas project isn’t just a sideshow.
All Your Other Universal Orlando Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Universal Orlando planning! Take a second to check out our most important content!
Just starting out? Start with our Universal Orlando Resort planning guide! If you’re considering a Universal hotel, read our Review of Universal’s Aventura Hotel!
You’ll want to know what rides the parks offer, so we’ve got a Universal Studios Florida Rides Guide and a Universal’s Islands of Adventure Rides Guide. And to know how to get on them without the long waits, read all about Express Pass at Universal Orlando Resort.
If you’d like an idea of how to plan a day at these parks, we can help there, too. Our One Day Universal Studios Florida Itinerary covers a full day at the original park, and our Universal’s Islands of Adventure One Day Plan covers that park.
Early risers always have the best theme parks days (well, we think so). Read about Early Park Admission at Universal Orlando to learn how to get an extra hour in the parks. And read about rope drop at Islands of Adventure, including getting on the brand new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.