Hello and welcome to the first edition of the Universal Studios Hollywood weekly updates where we will give you updates from the park every week, so let’s see what’s happening at the park this week!
It was quite a busy weekend with both of the days being sold out and it was also getting ready to rain on Sunday which was the day I took these pictures.
Heading into CityWalk, I walked past the beautiful newly opened Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. Walking past the Universal Cinema, they are starting heavy promotion for The Super Mario Bros. Movie which comes out on April 5. They have a Mario Kart photo op as well as warp pipe entrances to the movie theater which is pretty neat!
On the other end of CityWalk, the misplaced Zen Zone and Fossil have thankfully closed.
Now it is time to head into the park!
Always love looking at this fantastic centerpiece that acts as a nice photo op, what a great entrance statement! Super Nintendo World may have all the excitement, but do not forget the equally amazing Wizarding World of Harry Potter is in this park as well!
I stopped by Production Central to ask when the store would be permanently closing and got a very interesting answer and backstory. The team member expects the store to close after the Spring Break period. You may be wondering why Universal closed the store and the two shows (Special Effects and Animal Actors) if they planned to just leave them sitting there for soon-to-be three months. Well, the answer is they did not plan that at all. Permits show Universal had filed for demolition as early as December, but L.A. County has not approved the permits just yet. Due to L.A. county not approving the permits, The Fast and Furious coaster is slightly delayed. Building 4431 is the building they are looking to demo.
Let’s now head down the Starway into Super Nintendo World, but first, let’s take in the beautiful views of Burbank and the rest of the San Fernando Valley with a cameo from the Studio Tour.
I made it down to a VERY crowded Lower Lot. Unfortunately, this area was not that big, to begin with, and with such huge demand for Super Nintendo World, this area really becomes a sometimes dangerous pinch point.
It can also be very confusing as there are two intersecting lines. One is for the Nintendo snack stand towards Jurassic World and the other is for the land entry itself which uses the Virtual Line system. I heard a lot of guests in front of and behind me in line confused as to which line to be in and where to even go. I think Universal should implement the “Queue Tape” solution that Disney does when they have heavy crowds.
Once inside the land though, it is still an amazing reveal! It is always great to walk right through that warp pipe and hear that sound!
They also have signs inside and outside the land, telling you if Toadstool Cafe is booked for the day.
The land has been very crowded lately and will likely continue to be that way until the end of summer, so my tip is to buy Early Entry if you really want to have a proper experience in this land. Lines for the various mini-games snake throughout the land and out of their proper queues while the wait time for Mario Kart hovers between 2–3 hours with the Single Rider line averaging about 40 minutes. If you would like some tips on visiting Super Nintendo World check this video out!
The entire land has so many amazing visual aesthetics such as the entrance to the Thwomp minigame.
I do wish the land had more seating though as on very busy days I always see people sitting anywhere they can find a spot, whether that’d be a wall, fence, or even the exit warp pipe.
Coming out of Nintendo, it had started to rain a bit, but the sun was out which gave a super cool effect on this photo looking at Jurassic World.
Checking in on the NBCUniversal Campus project, you can see the glass facade starting to be installed. This project is scheduled to wrap up later this year.
The Dark Arts projection and drone show is returning on March 25 and to prepare, Universal has installed safety netting above the Studio Tour Plaza to prevent a falling drone from injuring someone.
Lastly, Production Plaza in the center of the park is undergoing a massive refurb that is scheduled to wrap up in May. This refurb is rumored to include a new stage for small shows including a rumored return of the Animal Actors in this location.
So what did you think of this first weekly update for Universal Studios Hollywood? What would you like us to cover in next week’s update? What do you think of the heavy crowds in Super Nintendo World? Are you worried about the Fast and Furious delay?
Let us know in the comments below and if you would like video versions of these updates please check out Theme Park Wizard!
Thanks for reading everyone!
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Ethan Becker is a columnist for the Boardwalk Times
