After a rainy and quiet start to July, the mobs have arrived and the Universal Orlando resort has been filled to brim with tourists from all over the world! We will take you around the Universal Orlando Resort to give you an update on all the current projects.

The Return of JAWS

Over in San Francisco, where the old JAWS photo-op was relocated, Universal has brought back some JAWS merchandise. So, for those who missed getting their JAWS merch before the ride closed, now is your time to stock up.
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Springfield USA Update

Over in Springfield, details are being added, and we can see the new wheelchair ramps and other areas along the waterfront. Universal also had to reroute traffic due to concrete pouring, causing a very minor inconvenience for day guests. There were some big pieces that were added this week, the first being a large Duff Beer sign that is now above the Duff Gardens building. Really nice and adds some great
detail to this area.


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The second major addition this week was the delivery of Bumble Bee Man’s Taco
Truck! So this brings the total number of food options to 7 in Springfield USA (Krusty Burger, Cletus’ Chicken Shack, Frying Dutchman, Luigi’s Pizza, Lisa’s Teahouse of Horror, Duff Gardens, Bumble Bee Man’s Taco Truck).
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We can’t wait for this to open so that we can enjoy a Flaming Move and a Taco while we watch the Cinematic Spectacular with Diagon Alley as the back drop.

Diagon Alley Update

Across the lagoon, Diagon Alley construction is moving at incredible speed again. With sheet
rock now going up on the middle facade which will be where the Leaky Cauldron is located. This area is going to be impressive when it is finished.

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When we look at the construction from the back of the resort we can begin to
appreciate the scale of King Cross station, along with the Size of Gringotts Bank. The buildings back here will soon be enclosed, and since they are not on stage and therefore will not be themed, this is probably the last look we will take at the back side of this project.

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Cabana Bay Beach Resort Progress

Outside the parks, Cabana Bay Beach Resort is making great progress as the main
room towers are now receiving exterior details. Resort facility buildings are nearing exterior completion as well. Exterior landscaping has been planted on the permitter of the resort, setting the tone for what will be a lush experience.

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That concludes this week’s ParkHopper. Click play below to listen to the latest episode
of the Unofficial Universal Orlando Podcast with Lee, Tracey and Darren as they discuss the news from all around the Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood!

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Eric Davis
By day, Eric is in Marketing and Social Media. But on the weekends, he's a theme park addict. Eric is a frequent contributor to MiceChat's Orlando Parkhopper columns and tends to focus his efforts on what's new and what's news at Universal Studios and SeaWorld.