Welcome to a chilly December day here at the Universal Orlando Resort. Let’s get going and start our day at Universal Studios Florida and see what’s new.
The crowds aren’t too bad this morning entering the park, but when we stopped into TODAY Cafe for breakfast, we found quite a long line for food. This is when you should use mobile ordering.
The barricades in front of Revenge of the Mummy are packed full of guests. The attraction is no longer in technical rehearsal, which means they are accepting Express passes once again. Can you tell that people really missed this ride while it was closed?
Crazy long line for the Hopping Pot. There’s almost always a long line for Butterbeer, but it might start getting even more busy around here now that guests need to visit the Wizarding World for their Pumpkin Juice refills with the new souvenir cup.
Wait times aren’t too out of control, but they are high. The Hogwarts Express had a 55 minute wait before noon.
Select holiday merchandise in discounted 30% off. This excludes the Macy’s merchandise, though. At this time, the discount seems to be for the “Happy Holidays” items from last year.
What are the odds? Whoever had a Minion balloon handy and thought to place it on this construction wall should get some bonus points. This was so random, but we couldn’t help but laugh.
There are a lot of extra food stands set up around the park in anticipation of the holiday crowds. KidZone Pizza Company is open and serving up pepperoni and cheese pizza.
A few of the shop windows in New York are covered up. This would have been from recently filming around the park, but it could be some sort of refurbishment, too. We’ll just have to wait and see.
More fun items have started to pop up in the Prop Shop. We make a point to stop in every time we come to the park just to see what new treasures have appeared.
The Tribute Store is moving! A new teaser flyer at the exit of the store hints at the Tribute Store moving to a new location over in Hollywood.
Speaking of moving to Hollywood, the UOAP Lounge will become part of the new Tribute Store in Hollywood. The lounge will close after December 31 and move over to the Betty Boop Store in Islands of Adventure. Inside the UOAP Lounge, we already noticed there’s a “fake” wall in place where the building will connect to the Dark Room and Williams of Hollywood.
The Simpsons Ride had a 75 minute wait as we made our way through Springfield. Wait times started to increase pretty early in the day today. We love getting to the parks early to beat the rush, but it seems like more people are starting to have the same idea!
No, that’s not yellow snow. Freestyle cups are worth every penny, especially when you get an Icee. Thankfully, there was no line for the stand by Men in Black so we stopped in for a banana Icee.
The construction walls by the entrance of Islands of Adventure have come down. Perfect timing. The holiday crowds are sure to appreciate this.
Seuss Landing is always packed during the Who-lidays. The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride was running both tracks and still had a 65 minute wait.
Only a 150 minute wait for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Please keep in mind that the line for the attraction is sometimes starts in the Lost Continent. We see quite a few people run up to the entrance of the attraction and then walk back to the end of the queue.
VelociCoaster is always popular, but we were surprised to see such a high wait time today. We could see most of the extended queue was full of guests, so it really looked like a solid 90 minute wait.
Last minute gift ideas for a Jurassic Park fan. These Jeff Goldblum signed photos can be purchased in Jurassic Outfitters in Jurassic Park.
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls reopened the other day and it looks like guests are happy to have it back. Everyone is crowded around the bridge watching the brave people willing to take the plunge in winter. Quite a few people were taking advantage of the water blasters to get the riders extra wet.
The Secret Life of Pets and Trolls decals have been removed from the windows around Wossamotta U in Toon Lagoon.
Toon Lagoon has some cute Hello Kitty plush prizes at the skill games. If you have any basketball skills, you can attempt to win one of these holiday Hello Kitty prizes.
We would have sent you all holiday cards, but the mailbox by the exit of Islands of Adventure is missing. Well, it’s the thought that counts. We’re gonna get out of here, but thanks for joining us today around the parks. Stay tuned to Universal Parks News Today for more updates!
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