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Showing posts from April, 2023

Universal CityWalk and Two Hotels

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  In front of the park is a district where guests can find food, entertainment, and shops. This connects the park with a parking lot as well as the two hotels of the resort, the Universal Studios Hotel and the Universal World Travel Hotel. Entertainment here includes AMC Theaters, Game Time Arcade, an Entertainment Theater (who performs there changes regularly) and Universal's Great Movie Escape. The last of these are escape rooms based on movies. Dining includes Starbucks, AMC Dine-in theaters, Cinnabon, Panda Express, Subway, Jamba Juice, Raising Cane's, Cowboy Bakery, House of Jazz, Sweet Tooth Savory Kitchen, NBC Sports Grill, Hard Rock Cafe, Rainforest Cafe, Sunny Jim's Palm Tree Cafe, and Coldstone Creamery. Shopping includes the Universal Studio Store, Hard Rock Shop, Harry Potter Store at Universal Citywalk, Candy Club, The LEGO Store, and the City Street Department Store. Attractions and Entertainment: AMC Theaters Game Time Arcade Entertainment Theater Universal...

Entertainment

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  Universal's Cinematic Spectacular When night falls, water screens come up in front of Convict Island, creating a montage where movie moments are relived. This includes scenes from the most iconic films in cinema, such as Jurassic Park, E.T., King Kong, and more. Universal Parades Starting in London and ending in the New York area of Production Central, parades are common in the park. Depending on what time of year you visit, there will be a different parade such as the Festival of Film parade, the Macy's Holiday parade, and others.

Characters in the Park

  Atmospheric: Street Musicians (Hollywood Boulevard and Production Central) Musical Construction Workers (Production Central) Knight Bus Conductor (London) Jurassic Employees (Lost World) Explorers (Lost World) Egyptian Guards (Lost World) Villagers (Mythical Kingdom) Tai Chi Instructors (Mythical Kingdom) Meetable: Gru and the Minions (Production Central) Hashtag the Panda (Production Central) Alex and King Julien (Lost World) Penguins of Madagascar (Lost World) Mario and Luigi (Super Nintendo World) Princess Peach (Super Nintendo World) Toad (Super Nintendo World) Shrek, Fiona, and Puss in Boots (Mythical Kingdom) Po and Tigress (Mythical Kingdom) Doc Brown (Sci-Fi City) Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Megatron (Sci-Fi City) Seasonal: Buddy the Elf (Production Central)

Sci-Fi City

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  Welcome to a world where Science Fiction becomes reality. Here, guests are placed in a futuristic setting where they can become heroes and do things beyond their imagination. Here, aliens, robots, time travelers, space explorers, and more unite in one place. Entering through Mythical Kingdom, guests go through a tunnel and find themselves in a futuristic expo center with a 1980s design. In the middle is a fountain that dances to the music that plays. On the right side of the fountain is Time to Shop and Expo Eats, a shop and a restaurant. Nearby is a stage where the Sci-Fi City Musicians play, remixing '80's hits. Behind the stage is the indoor roller coaster, Back to the Future: Race through Time. Similar to Rock'n'roller coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios, guests rush through different time periods on a coaster. The ride exits into Doc's Supply Lab. Moving on, guests enter an area themed to aliens and outer space. In the center of the area are the Space M...

Mythical Kingdom

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  This is a place where stories come to life. Here, mythology, fairytales, and more live within a fantasy environment where anything is possible and adventure awaits. Entering from Hogsmeade, guests come into a place resembling Far Far Away from the Shrek films. Here, guests may pass by Shrek's swamp before going into the village itself. In the center of the village is Fairytale Carousel, a carousel with horses (and perhaps a donkey every here and there). Surrounding it is Cherry Lane Bakery, Fairy Godmother Gifts, Royal Emporium, Jack Horner Trinkets, and Far, Far Away Tavern. Located nearby is a family coaster, Magic Airways, as well as Donkey: Live, a Turtle Talk-esque interaction with Donkey. In the castle is the Royal Hall, a place to eat, as well as Puss in Boots: A Gigantic Journey, a trackless ride where guests go search for a lost treasure within Far, Far Away, encountering several outlaws and traps along he way. The King's Treasury is a gift shop. Next up is an area r...

Hogsmeade

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  Enter the stories of J.K. Rowling in this immersive land based off of the beloved book series and its film adaptations. Here, guests are put in the world of Harry Potter, encountering many things in Hogsmeade as well as Hogwarts itself. There's always something magical happening here. When exiting the pipe from Peach's castle, guests find themselves in a forest near Hogsmeade. On the left is the station, where guests can take the Hogwarts Express to London. Also nearby are references to the films, such as the Shrieking Shack, the Beauxbatons Carriage, and a stack of trunks taken off of the train. Going further, guests enter Hogsmeade village. Here, they can shop at Ollivanders and eat at The Three Broomsticks on the right. They can also shop at Zonko's Joke Shop, Honeydukes, Owl Post, and Dervish and Banges on the left. In a small building is Galdrag's Wizardwear, where clothing is purchased, and on the left is the Hog's Head. As they pass by the Whomping Willow w...

Super Nintendo World

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  Be immersed in the world of Super Mario in this land themed to the games. Here, guests can feel like they're in the level with an interactive experience where they play games around it, as well as several features around the area. When walking through the pipe in Lost World, they enter a jungle area themed to Donkey Kong. Here, guests can go up on down on Donkey Kong's Barrel Bonanza, a drop tower within a giant tree. They can also eat at Rambi Grill and shop at Funky's Fly-and-Buy. Moving forward, guests come into a Mushroom Kingdom-esque world. Here, they can shop at 1-Up Factory, eat at Toadstool Cafe, or play a game to take back the golden trophy from the Koopas. Up ahead is Peach's castle, where guests can eat in Peach's Dining Hall or go through another pipe to Hogsmeade. On the right is a mountain where guests can ride Yoshi's Journey, a scenic tour of the land on the back of a Yoshi, where they look for Captain Toad. On the left is the Odyssey from Sup...

Lost World

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  Trek deep into the lost jungles of the world, encountering peril at every turn and unexpected surprises along the way. Here, guests can have several adventures, from gentle to thrilling, all within an exotic setting. Several exotic plants are here, trying to create the illusion that they really are in these faraway places. Entering from London, guests enter the jungles of Madagascar. Here, they can eat at The Hungry Foosa on their left. Nearby is King Julien's Tree Swing, where guests ride swings around the great Bobab tree. Nearby that is Madagascar: A Crate Adventure, a boat ride based off an attraction in Singapore. Towards the end of the area is a bridge to Crood Island as well as Washed-Up Wares, a shop selling things that the lemurs have found on their beach. Also nearby is Marty's, based off of the hand-made restaurant seen in the film. Further down is an area based off of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. Going down, guests pass by River Terrace  and Dino Store, a sh...

London

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  Travel across the pond to the charming town of London, England. Here, there is magic hidden everywhere, and wizards can be seen in many places. Although the area is mostly themed to Harry Potter, other bits of British pop culture are seen around the area. Coming in from Hollywood Boulevard, guests enter into the streets of London. Snake-coiled streetlamps, telephone booths, and British flags create the illusion that you're actually there. In the center of the area is a park, where the Knight Bus is. On the left is King's Cross Station, where guests can ride the Hogwarts Express to the Hogsmeade area of the park. Near that is Paddington Station, a gift shop of British souvenirs, including things based off of Paddington, James Bond, Doctor Who, and other British icons. On the right side is Grimmauld Place, where guests may see Number Twelve. At the back of the area is The Leaky Cauldron, which serves as an entrance to Diagon Alley. In Diagon Alley is where guests will find the ...

Production Central

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  Go beyond the screen in a world where you're the star and anything can happen. Here, the movies you know are real and you get to take part in the adventures as they unfold. This area is split into three sections. The first section is a Despicable Me -themed area that recreates the neighborhood seen in the film. Here, two attractions are available. Minions Light Search is a flashlight ride where guests look for things in the dark and make things happen, similar to Monsters, Inc. Ride-and-go-Seek at Tokyo Disneyland. Going into Gru's house, guests can ride Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem. Both rides exit into Dr. Nefario's Supply, a gift shop. Across the street is Super Silly Fun World, where guests can go on the kiddie rides Silly Swirl and Minion Spin, as well as playing the Super Silly Games to win prizes. Despicable Delights is a snack stand. Next up is a San Francisco Area, where guests are supposed to feel like they're on the wharf. On the docks are two restaurants, ...

Hollywood Boulevard

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  Welcome to a street recreating Hollywood in its Golden Age. Here, guests can learn about the making of movies and how they are done. Designed to look like Hollywood in the 1920s-30s, this creates the illusion that guests are stars of their own show. After walking under the Universal gate, guests come across a statue in the middle of a square, one representing Universal and depicting Woody Woodpecker, the Minions, Frankenstein's Monster, and King Kong in a scene being filmed by the Universal founders. On the left is Studio Central, where guests can get help and services. On the right is Animal Actors, where guests learn how animals are used in film, as well as the Universal Studios Store, the biggest shop in the park. Going down the boulevard are several shops, including The Darkroom and Stars of Hollywood on the left and Movie Mementos, Picture Shop, and Animation Station on the right. At the end of both sides are restaurants. There's the Hollywood Brown Derby on the left, ba...

Universal Studios Texas: An Introduction

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  Welcome to a world where movies come to life before your eyes. Here, the stories and characters you know don't just appear in a theme park. You are immersed in the worlds of many genres and films. It's like you're really there. You'll be doing things you never dreamed of, saving the world, facing off with evil, and more. It's all here at Universal Studios Texas. Here are some lands to explore: Hollywood Boulevard Production Central London Lost World Super Nintendo World Mythical Kingdom Hogsmeade Sci-Fi City In a way, this is my ideal version of a Universal park. These areas will be gone over in later posts.