Tag: Universal Studios

BREAKING NEWS: Incident At Waterworld Show At Universal Studios Hollywood

by socalthemeparkwizard, posted in Universal Studios

Well folks, we are just getting word from ABC 7 that a man has been rushed to the hospital in an unknown condition after someone called 911 reporting that there was a possible drowning near the show. This is a developing story, but we will keep you updated every step of the way, for now fingers crossed that everyone in the situation is okay.

UPDATE: The incident happened during the afternoon showing. A spokesperson told ABC, “Details surrounding the event are under review. As always, safety is our top priority in our day-to-day operations.” The performer was on one of the stunt towers and fell into the water on queue as is typical during all showings, but the performer did not come back out of the water. Other performers rushed to grab the performer from under water and took him backstage and they cancelled the show. Stay tuned for more.

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BREAKING: Disneyland’s Reopening Delayed

by socalthemeparkwizard, posted in Uncategorized

Well well well, due to Gov. Newsom not giving any theme park reopening guidelines until after July 4th, Disney has released a statement saying that it is impossible for them to reopen July 17th. Downtown Disney and the hotels will reopen on schedule as they have already been approved.

I must say I am disappointed, but I can’t say I didn’t see this coming. There was tremendous pressure from the unions to delay the opening and Newsom listened to them. I just really hope everyone wears a face covering whether they like it or not and that everyone can come to an agreement to open up the parks sometime next month. This hereby “delays” Universal, Six Flags, and the other California theme park reopenings as all of the ones mentioned were preparing to reopen next week.

I will have a lot more to say in tomorrow’s livestream on my youtube channel so check it out and subscribe for all of my thoughts on that, but what do you think of this news? Let me know down below!

Disneyland Will Be Allowed to Open in Stage 3 of California’s Reopening

by socalthemeparkwizard, posted in Uncategorized

Gov. Newsom has announced today that forty-seven of the fifty-eight counties in California are now able to enter Phase One of Stage 3. This initial phase includes hair salons, barbershops, in-store retail, and religious services.

In those counties if hospitalizations and ICU numbers are stable or decreasing, they can move further into Stage 3. Deeper into Stage 3, higher risks services like movie theaters and theme parks will be able to reopen. That includes Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Knott’s, Legoland, Sea World, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Six Flags Magic Mountain. This also includes all water parks and theme parks in Northern California.

So far Disney has not announced a date about when any of the Disneyland Resort will be open, nor have any of the other theme parks announced reopening dates. Stay tuned to this blog for continuing updated information!

Monorails Spotted Testing at Walt Disney World

by socalthemeparkwizard, posted in Uncategorized
Photo Credit: Girl Meets Disney World

These awesome photos taken today from Girl Meets Disney World on Facebook show that Monorail Orange and Monorail Yellow are out for testing around the highway in the sky at Walt Disney World.

Theme park news out of Florida has been ramping up lately as Disney Springs and Universal Citywalk Orlando have reopened. Today Universal Orlando announced a phased reopening beginning June 1st-June 5th. It has also been reported that Disney will make their reopening presentation to the Orange County Task Force on May 27th!

Universal Citywalk Orlando To Partially Reopen May 14th!

by socalthemeparkwizard, posted in Uncategorized
Universal CityWalk Tickets at Universal Orlando | BestofOrlando ...

Following in Disney Springs’ footsteps, Universal has announced that Citywalk in Orlando will be reopening Thursday May 14th.

Select locations will be open from 4pm-10pm each day. Dining locations such as Bubba Gump, Margaritaville, Red Oven Pizza Bakery, Voodoo Doughnut, and Auntie’s Anne’s Pretzels will be open. On the retail side of things, the Universal Studios Store, Airbrush, the retail section of Huntington Tattoo Company will be reopening with the same hours as the restaurants.

Disney Springs To Begin Phased Reopening May 20th!

by socalthemeparkwizard, posted in Uncategorized
NEWS: Disney Springs Parking Garage Re-Opens for Cast Members ...

Just as I mentioned on my livestream yesterday, I was hearing that Disney Springs and Universal Citywalk would begin reopening this month. I keep hearing Citywalk is slated to partially reopen May 11th and it is now confirmed that Disney Springs will partially reopen May 20th.

The shopping district will reopen with limited capacity for dining and parking as well as reduced operating hours. I encourage you to check disneysprings.com as the date nears for more information on hours and what stores and restaurants will be open. Guests will be required to wear a face covering when dining or shopping.

Universal Studios Hollywood & Orlando Closed Until May 31st

by socalthemeparkwizard, posted in Uncategorized

With both California and Florida under Stay at Home orders, Universal has decided to close their domestic parks through at least the end of May. They had originally been closed through April 19th, but were extended due to the coronavirus situation not slowing down.

Some good news is that stats show that California has started to flatten the curve and computer models moved up its peak to April 14th, which is as soon as next week. Those projection models have the state social distancing until Mid May to complete flatten the curve. That would coincide with the time frame that Knotts and Six Flags would like to open up their parks and give Universal enough room to decide to push up the opening of its Hollywood park should the situation vastly improve by that time.

Here is the official statement from Universal below:

BREAKING: Disneyland Park, Disney World and Universal Studios Hollywood Temporarily Closing

by socalthemeparkwizard, posted in Uncategorized

This morning California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he is banning large gatherings of over 250 people in the state, but theme parks, casinos, and movie theaters were exempt. A few hours later, Disney announced that the Disneyland Resort would be closing due to coronavirus concerns for just the fourth time in its history.

A couple of hours later, Universal Studios Hollywood followed suit and announced that it too would be closing its doors from March 14th through the end of the month. This is particular bad for Universal fans as pass member previews were just getting ready to start this Saturday for the new Secret Life of Pets: Off The Leash attraction.

UPDATE: Disney World has now closed effective Sunday March 15th temporarily.

I will update this story as more details become available, but make sure to ALWAYS wash your hands and stay safe and clean!

Universal Studios Hollywood Lunar New Year Celebration!

by socalthemeparkwizard, posted in Uncategorized

Universal Studios Hollywood’s Lunar New Year starts January 23rd and goes through February 9th. It will be located in the main plaza where all of the events at the park are held and for the most part seems like a repeat of the offerings from last year.

This year Universal will be offering:

  • Character Meet and Greets featuring characters from Kung Fu Panda, Minions, and Transformers
  • Mr. Ping’s Noodle Shop with savory Asian dishes
  • Wishing Trees where you can make a wish and hope it comes true
  • Feng The Place Artist’s Stand where you can draw your favorite characters from the Kung Fu Panda movies
  • Special Food Offerings
  • Cultural Entertainment

Will you be going to this year’s Lunar New Year festival? What of the above offerings are you looking forward to the most? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and follow this blog for constant theme park updates!

Universal Studios Hollywood Significantly Drops Prices on Annual Passes

by socalthemeparkwizard, posted in Uncategorized

Universal quietly dropped their annual pass prices and did so pretty significantly some time in the past couple of weeks. According to an insider Universal is pretty happy with the amount of tourists and VIP’s visiting the park, but is underwhelmed by the amount of local traffic. Repeat visitors are what drives in park spending the most so Universal really relies on passholders during the slow and busy seasons to keep up the bottom line.

The new amounts are listed as follows:

Platinum (Includes no blackout dates and Universal Express): $629 now $449

Gold: $329 now $249

Silver: $179 now $174

I expect once Secret Life of Pets opens next year and when Nintendo opens in 2021 those prices will shoot back up so I would purchase a pass and enjoy the reduction while you can. Another great option, which is what I always purchase, is the season pass which for $149 ($10 more than a one day ticket) grants you 9 months or 275 days of access to the park. It does not include parking, but I always just park at the nearby Metro stop which is only three dollars and take the tram to the entrance.

Will these new price reductions encourage you to purchase a pass? Do you think Universal still does not have enough to do to get a pass? Let me know in the comments below!