The old saying, “The show must go on,” is taken seriously at Universal Studios Hollywood. We visited the park last week during a rain storm and found that when bad weather rolls through, their gates remain open and they make all sorts of special accommodations to keep you happy and comfortable. Grinchmas is on the way and we have the full list of celebrity readers along with a tour of the Grinchy store in the upper lot.
Surprisingly, very little of the park operations are affected by rain. None of the shows are closed, not even Waterworld. As guests enter, they are handed special rain maps that point out the spots that offer escape from the rain. Free hot cocoa and Coffee are offered inside the Old Globe Theatre facility, across from the Terminator attraction. This is a classy and generous move as the park could easily make a lot of money by selling warm beverages to shuddering guests.
CITY WALK
City Walk, however, is not the best place to stroll in the rain. It is better to grab a coffee at one of the restaurants and watch the rain fall. But, I had an update to prepare, so I had to slog through buckets of rain.
Rain aside, CityWalk looks and feels hip and festive. It’s a fun vibe.
UPPER LOT
At the front gates of the park everything is decked out for Christmas Grinchmas. Ornaments dangle from the archway and the gate is a bright chartreuse, the Grinch’s signature color.
GRINCHMAS STORE
The flex retail space at the entrance plaza has been reopened as the Grinchmas store. Here you can pick up everything from Grinch pajamas to T-shirts and tree ornaments.
THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL
What happens when it rains at Universal Studios Hollywood? Well, the show goes on of course. But they do it with a surprising amount of style.
GRINCHMAS – December 8th and 9th then Dec 15th-31st
The merriest villain that ever was brings Grinchmas celebrations to Universal Studios Hollywood on December 8th and 9th then Dec 15th-31st. What is Grinchmas? During the day, it is a winter wonderland of real snow that guests can play in. In the evenings, there are celebrity readings of the classic Dr. Suess book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, with a tree lighting to top things off.
The main celebrations take place in the upper lot at the center of the park. Once inside the main gates, you really can’t miss the whimsical, curvy Christmas Tree on the horizon. Follow that and you will find the snow, and the arena for the nightly show.
Below is a full listing for the celebrity readings of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Note that there are usually two performances each night, but show times vary. Before heading out, don’t forget to double check the full show schedule on the Universal Website here
Celebrity Readings of How the Grinch Stole Christmas
December 8th
Nia Vardalos 5:30pm
Alison Sweeney 6:15pm
December 9th
Jillian Michaels 5:30pm
Daniella Monet 6:15pm
Dec 15th
Yvette Nicole Brown 7:00pm
Dec 16th
Tahj Mowry 6:15pm
Yarel Ramos 7:00pm
Dec 17th
Jillian Rose Reed & Nikki de Loach 6:15pm
Danny Pudi 7:00pm
Dec 18th
Corbin Bernsen, Kirsten Nelson & Kurt Fuller 6:15pm
Sierra McCormick 7:00pm
Dec 19th
Ryan Beatty 6:15pm
Lu Parker 7:00pm
Dec 20th
Tia Mowry-Hardict 6:15pm
Dec 21st
Jamar Rogers 6:15
Tim Dekay, Willie Garson & Tiffany Thiessen 7:30pm
Dec 22nd
Peyton List 6:15
Diego Boneta 7:30pm
Dec 23rd
Xolo Mariduena 6:15
Raphael Sbarge 7:30pm
Dec 24th
Lauren Bowles 6:15pm
Sharif Atkins 7:30pm
Dec 25th
Kate Linder 6:15pm
Chris Gorham 7:30pm
Dec 26th
Matthew Fahey 6:15pm
Kirk Cameron 7:30pm
Dec 27th
Camryn Manheim 6:15pm
Benjamin Stockham 7:30pm
Dec 28th
Ryan Potter 6:15pm
Ryan Newman 7:30pm
Dec 29th
Teri Reeves 7:30pm
Dec 30th
China Anne McClain 6:15pm
Steve Blake 7:30pm
Dec 31st
Dot Marie Jones 7:30pm
There is also a bit of Grinchmas fun on the backlot tour as well. As the tram pulls through the Whoville set, the whos bring the exisiting set to life with song and dance. It wasn’t quite ready for guests on my trip, so I don’t have photos for you yet. Stay tuned.
THE SIMPSONS RIDE
Another nice touch that always appears for the holidays can be seen at The Simpsons Ride. The figures out in front of the ride all wear Santa hats. There are also a few Christmas tree light structures set up with presents surrounding them.
STUDIO TOUR
When the weather decides to deliver rain, the Studio Tour soldiers on. A ride though the backlot could prove to be a damp proposition. But they thought of this too.
The solution offered above, at first seemed awkward and likley to ruin the experience. But, after a few minutes getting acclimated, the sheets actually didn’t bother us. In fact, I was pretty thankful for them when the rain really began to pour down.
A large house set has been constructed near the Earthquake attraction.
Up at the Whoville sets, they are getting ready for the Grinchmas festivities where Whos will greet each tour and dance and sing.
Finally, some nice wintery trees have been added along the exit of the Tram tour.
LOWER LOT
Jurassic Park was down for adjustments the day of our visit. But, really, who would have been riding it?
And with that rather dry note we leave Universal Studios today. Though soggy, the Studios park is still a ton of fun in the rain. And due to the weather, the crowds were practically nonexistent. We’ll have a followup article for you shortly as Universal awards Betty White with its annual Whomanitarian award for her lifelong work on behalf of animal welfare.
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