A new construction project has popped up at Islands of Adventure, and this time, Universal Orlando guests will see it almost as soon as they enter the park.
Construction walls and scrim now cover portions of Island Market and Export and the Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe.
The two stores sit inside Port of Entry, the elaborate entrance area that welcomes guests into Islands of Adventure. Universal hasn’t announced a major transformation for either location, making the sudden appearance of construction walls a bit unexpected.
It’s also the latest work happening inside a park already undergoing much bigger changes.
New Walls Appear Near the Entrance
Universal has installed beige scrim and brown construction walls around sections of both stores.
The barriers aren’t completely generic, either.
A sign asks guests to “Please pardon our dust,” while another features an “Islands Air” theme with an airplane and Islands of Adventure branding.
Despite the construction, guests can still visit both stores.
Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe continues offering ornaments, decorations, stockings, and souvenirs. Island Market and Export remains available for guests looking for fudge, cookies, caramel apples, chocolate, candy, and other items.
Universal hasn’t revealed a completion date for the work or detailed exactly what crews are changing.
For now, it means a different first impression for guests entering Islands of Adventure.
A Much Bigger Project Is Happening Nearby
Once guests move beyond Port of Entry, they’ll eventually encounter evidence of a much larger Universal project.
The Lost Continent is being demolished.
Major pieces of the land have already disappeared as Universal clears space for a future themed area. The former Eighth Voyage of Sindbad theater has been demolished, and demolition has progressed into the former Poseidon’s Fury area as well.
It’s a major change for one of the original lands at Islands of Adventure.
The Lost Continent opened with the park in 1999 and was built around mythology rather than an established entertainment franchise.
That identity gradually changed.
A portion of the land eventually became The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade. Other attractions closed over the years, leaving the remaining Lost Continent with considerably less to offer than it once had.
Now, Universal is clearing the way for its replacement.
Pokémon Rumors Aren’t Going Away
Universal hasn’t announced the identity of the future land, but one franchise continues to sit at the center of the rumors: Pokémon.
Pokémon has repeatedly been reported as the leading possibility for the Lost Continent property.
At this point, though, it remains exactly that — a possibility.
Universal has not confirmed a Pokémon land for Islands of Adventure, so guests shouldn’t treat the rumored replacement as official.
What is official is that Universal is preparing this part of Islands of Adventure for a new land.
That’s a significant development on its own.
Universal Isn’t Finished With Islands of Adventure
Epic Universe may be Universal Orlando’s newest park, but Islands of Adventure isn’t being left behind.
The Lost Continent transformation could eventually give the park another major destination, while smaller projects continue elsewhere.
That now includes Port of Entry.
The walls around Island Market and Export and Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe aren’t evidence of another massive new attraction. Both businesses remain open, and Universal hasn’t indicated that they’re going away.
Still, the timing makes the work interesting.
Guests are now seeing construction almost immediately after entering Islands of Adventure, while one of the park’s original lands is disappearing farther inside.
Something new is coming to the Lost Continent.
Whether that turns out to be Pokémon remains to be seen, but Islands of Adventure’s transformation is already well underway.
