The battle between theme park nostalgia and innovation is always a difficult one. Most attractions last for decades, often creating multiple generations of fans who fall in love with them, but they are often eventually replaced to make room for something new and exciting. Closure has now befallen Poseidon’s Fury at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. The walk-through attraction closed this week, and plenty of fans turned out to say goodbye.
Poseidon’s Fury was an opening day attraction with Universal Orlando Resort’s second gate, and while the walk-through attraction, presented as a tour o the ruins of a lost civilization, had gone through some changes over the years, the core show had been there since the beginning, so it’s understandable why saying goodbye to it potentially meant a lot to both the fans and the park itself. Universal Orlando posted its own farewells to Twitter.
Farewell, Global Discovery Group. pic.twitter.com/4Af5SOVBUMMay 10, 2023
Poseidon’s Fury was something of an unusual attraction all things considered. A walk-through attraction with a live tour guide isn’t something that you see a lot of inside major theme parks. But then that’s part of what people loved about. It was unique, and even though not everybody thought that it actually lived up to its potential, people seem to generally appreciate the effort and the attempt at trying something new.
Farewell. You are now under the protection of Lord Poseidon… 🔱 #PoseidonsFury @UniversalORL pic.twitter.com/9YiZKVVtnBMay 9, 2023
Despite the love, the attraction had a rough go of it the last few years. Due to the fact that it brought crowds of people physically close together in the style of a tour group, and was entirely indoors, the attraction stayed closed during the global pandemic even when the rest of Universal Orlando Resort had reopened. As such, Poseidon's Fury had barely been reopened for a year when the announcement of its end came.
Farewell Poseidon’s Fury 1999-2023😢We are going to miss this unique attraction but we can’t wait to see what is next! @UniversalORL pic.twitter.com/U4y1cG3ZKhMay 10, 2023
Of course, the big question now is what happens next. The end of a theme park attraction in almost all cases means that something new is on the way, but Universal Orlando has made no announcement of what that could be in this case. We could see the basic structure of Poseidon’s Fury remain and simply get a brand-new theme for the attraction, or we might see the attraction replaced entirely with something new.
Goodbye, Poseidon’s Fury! Thanks for all the memories! pic.twitter.com/qtqP0UWX1hMay 9, 2023
In fact, there are some fans wondering if we might be in line for something bigger than just a single new attraction. There is potentially available space behind Poseidon’s Fury that could be used to create a new land that would include more than just the space of the old attraction. That would be quite the undertaking since Universal Orlando is already in the middle of building Epic Universe, so the resort is getting a new theme park already.
I've said my goodbyes to Poseidon's Fury. Such a unique attraction some great special effects and one of the best themed facades ever created. pic.twitter.com/DZRs9qgBbMMay 9, 2023
Still, Universal Destinations & Experiences are already going big when it comes to expansion, so maybe we will see this big new addition to Islands of Adventure. In addition to Epic Universe Universal is planning for an entirely new resort in Texas as well as a Halloween Horror Nights-inspired experience in Las Vegas. With all this going on, whatever the future holds for Poseidon’s Fury may still be the smallest of the future expansions overall.
pic.twitter.com/MIKL7W0mR5May 10, 2023
Whatever comes next, even if it is widely embraced as a success, there will always be those that miss Poseidon’s Fury. Whether what comes next will be “good enough" to take its place, only time will tell.
