Credit: Andrew Boardwine, Inside the MagicGuests walking into Islands of Adventure are being greeted by a slightly different view right now.
Universal Orlando Resort has added construction barriers and scrim around portions of two locations near the front of the park, bringing another active project to an area nearly every guest passes during a visit.
The work is happening around Island Market and Export and the Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe. Both locations sit inside Port of Entry, the highly themed area guests encounter immediately after entering Islands of Adventure.
And while this appears to be a relatively small project compared to everything else happening around the park, it adds another construction zone to an Islands of Adventure that could look very different in the years ahead.
Construction Arrives Near the Islands of Adventure Entrance
Beige scrim and brown construction walls now cover portions of Island Market and Export and the Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe. One of the walls carries a “Please pardon our dust” message, while another sign features an “Islands Air” design and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure branding.
For now, Universal hasn’t closed either location.
Both stores remain open while crews work behind the temporary barriers.
That means guests can still stop inside Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe for character-inspired ornaments, stockings, decorations, and souvenirs. Island Market and Export also continues selling treats including fudge, cookies, caramel apples, chocolate, and candy.
Universal hasn’t announced exactly what crews are changing or how long the construction will last.
Still, its location makes the project noticeable.
Port of Entry essentially serves as the opening act for Islands of Adventure. Its unusual architecture, winding storefronts, signs, towers, and small details establish the park’s adventurous theme before guests ever reach Marvel Super Hero Island, Seuss Landing, or the other major lands.
Now, portions of that entrance area are temporarily hidden behind construction walls.
Islands of Adventure Has Much Bigger Work Underway
The Port of Entry project isn’t happening in isolation.
Farther inside Islands of Adventure, Universal is carrying out a much larger transformation at the Lost Continent.
The land has gradually disappeared over the last several years. Poseidon’s Fury permanently closed in 2023, removing the area’s signature attraction. Other pieces of the land remained afterward, but Universal has now moved forward with demolition work in the area.
That has created one enormous question: What’s coming next?
Universal has not officially announced a replacement land for the Lost Continent. However, one possibility continues to dominate the conversation surrounding the property.
Pokémon.
Rumors have repeatedly pointed toward a potential Pokémon-themed land taking over the former Lost Continent space. For now, those reports remain rumors, and Universal has not confirmed that Pokémon is coming to Islands of Adventure.
Still, the location makes the future of this section of the park particularly interesting.
Could Pokémon Become Islands of Adventure’s Next Big Land?
A Pokémon project would give Universal another Nintendo-connected property in Orlando following the arrival of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD at Epic Universe.
It would also represent a dramatic shift for Islands of Adventure.
The Lost Continent was one of the park’s original lands when Islands of Adventure opened in 1999. Unlike many areas at modern theme parks, it wasn’t built around an established movie, television, or video game franchise.
Over time, however, the land lost much of what originally made it a full attraction destination.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade took over a portion of the original Lost Continent footprint when it opened in 2010. Poseidon’s Fury eventually closed, and the area that remained became increasingly difficult to view as one of Islands of Adventure’s major destinations.
Demolition and closures now make it clear that Universal has plans for the space, even if the company isn’t ready to tell guests what those plans are.
Pokémon would certainly fit Universal’s recent strategy of investing heavily in globally recognizable franchises. But until Universal makes an announcement, there’s an important distinction between what is actually happening and what could happen next.
The Lost Continent demolition is real. A Pokémon replacement remains unconfirmed.
Islands of Adventure Continues To Change
That’s what makes even a smaller project at Port of Entry worth watching.
Universal Orlando is no longer concentrating all of its construction activity on Epic Universe. Islands of Adventure continues receiving attention as Universal considers how its older parks fit alongside the resort’s massive new addition.
The construction walls around Island Market and Export and Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe don’t necessarily signal a major overhaul. Based on what Universal has revealed so far, this appears to be work affecting portions of the two existing stores rather than the beginning of a completely new entrance.
But it does mean guests will encounter construction almost immediately after entering the park.
And that’s before they make their way toward the far more substantial work happening at the Lost Continent.
Islands of Adventure has spent more than 25 years evolving. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter transformed a major section of the park, Jurassic World VelociCoaster changed the skyline, and other additions have continued reshaping a park that looked considerably different on opening day.
The next major chapter could already be under construction.
For the moment, Universal’s latest changes begin right at Port of Entry, where two longtime shops remain open behind temporary barriers. The bigger story sits deeper inside the park, where the Lost Continent continues disappearing and Universal has yet to reveal what will ultimately rise in its place.
