Ladies and gents, we are here at Universal Studios Hollywood, the entertainment capital of Los Angeles. The park is bustling with activity  – both onstage and backstage – as crowds flock to the park for new additions and new ones are being constructed.  Fast and Furious Supercharged is a hit with crowds and the Studio Tour is now commanding regular waits of 90 minutes or more. The new Wizarding World of Harry Potter is probably further along than expected and we will tell you why we think so, along with showing you pictures of the vast construction site. Next up, signs of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights are popping up all over the park with four maze construction sightings covered by HorrorBuzz.com. Finally, we have pics of the awesome new Velociraptor meet and greet on the lower lot.  Is everybody ready?

Studio Tour

We first jump on to the world famous Studio Tour to enjoy movie making, the occasional disaster, and the all new Fast and Furious Supercharged attraction.  With crowds reaching levels before unheard of at the park and a brand new attraction, the tour is averaging a 90 minute wait.  We caught it on a more forgiving afternoon and the wait was a mere hour and 15 minutes.

One thing to keep in mind is the fact that, at the entrance of the tour, there are Universal Team Members offering return times for later in the day.  If the wait seems to be too much, and there are still plenty of things for you to do, try this option.

Regardless of the wait, Universal does their best to keep the waiting guests comfortable and engaged. The switchback queue is festooned with hydrating fans blowing down on the line.  Universal also has team members in the line, playing music, shooting quirt guns, and entertaining the crowds while they wait. This is pretty cool.  The downside is that now I have “I Like to Move it Move it!” stuck in my head.

 

There were reports of trams backing up due to pacing issues with the finale attraction, Fast and Furious Supercharged.  However, the only backups we experienced when we visited were near Kong due to a VIP Experience trolley.

 

Fast and Furious Supercharged

As we neared the final moments of the tram tour, our guide did the setup interplay on the monitors.  It is apparent that they have gotten more comfortable in the routine and things are coming off more natural.

 The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Now we move on to the WIzarding World of Harry Potter.  Construction is moving at a magical pace, one that Disney could only dream of.  The entrance to the area through Hogsmeade is nearly complete and there doesn’t seem to be a scaffold in sight in the village.

Looking further out to the big E-ticket, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, we can see that the scaffolds that have once shrouded the uppermost points of Hogwarts are now receding.

Peering through the foliage we can clearly see the track for the Flight of the Hippogriff family coaster.

The detail on this insanely massive project equals that of the beautiful Cars Land at DCA.

We have been hearing a few things that have our interest.  Universal has been very mum about the opening date for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Recent changes in the Annual pass program may be tipping their hand. Universal recently made the announcement that all new and renewed annual passes would only be good through March 18, 2016.  Further, the most expensive passes will no longer include parking which is currently at $17 for general parking.  Our educated guess is that something could happen between March 21-25, but don’t bet on it.

Another strong indicator is that we are hearing from people on the project that ride vehicles are already cycling through the massive dark ride.  Could we be enjoying Butterbeer by Spring Break?

Universal Halloween Horror Nights News 

We have some big news for you over on HorrorBuzz.com.  Universal has announced two of their mazes for this year and there are a total of four construction projects visible so far from inside the park.  We have the full breakdown in the Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights Tracker series.  Click here to read the article on HorrorBuzz.com

New Velociraptor Meet and Greet

To coincide with the new Jurassic World release, Universal has set up an awesome velociraptor meet and greet opportunity.With a wonderful bit of staging, park workers and an animal trainer lead a life-like velociraptor to a designated spot right near the entrance to Jurassic Park The Ride.

Look out! They took the chains off! Oh, it’s okay, he’s been housebroken.

The Summer Crush

The Summer crowds are oppressive at Universal right now.  Most pass holders are wise to wait until the sun goes down to come and enjoy the park.  Yesterday, the wait board was sporting triple digit wait times.

New Parking Structure

To deal with the insane crowds that are sure to appear for Potter, Universal is constructing two new Parking structures.  Keep in mind that for now, after March 18, 2016, even pass holders will have to pay to park.  Eesh!

That’s all we have for you today from Universal Studios Hollywood, the Entertainment capital of Los Angeles.  Be sure to read all about Halloween Horror Nights on HorrorBuzz.com and we will see you In The Parks.

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