Tag Archives: theme parks

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Let's take a look around Universal Studios Florida! Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon is set to grand open April 6, 2017, but you can already experience the attraction during technical rehearsals, going on now! Virtual Line passes can be redeemed from the nearby kiosks or by using the Universal Orlando app. Some minor changes for the ride since our last visit include Express added to entrance, test seats have been placed out front, as well as a new digital information board.

Fast and Furious Supercharged construction continues at an increasing pace. The themed work walls covered in graffiti have been replaced with plain black walls. The fountain in the Beetlejuice courtyard has now been removed and the nearby refreshment stand has finally been renamed from "Graveyard Snacks" to "San Francisco Snacks." The large show building is being painted to look like an old warehouse and scaffolding has gone up around the queue structure in front. Screen-used vehicles from the newest Fast and Furious film, The Fate of the Furious, are now on display in the park. This is becoming somewhat of a tradition, as almost every film in the franchise has had cars on display in the park.

Also going on in the park, work walls have come down around Doc's Candy store in the New York section, revealing a brand new Auntie Anne's Pretzels window. Work walls have gone up around the drink stand in front of the Universal Classic Monster's Cafe for minor refurbishment. And Mardi Gras has ended, so all the signs, decor, and food booths are quickly being removed. Check out the video and photo update below for more details and stay tuned for more theme park updates coming soon!

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The work walls have come down in front of the entrance to Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon at Universal Studios Florida. We're one step closer to seeing this soft open! Construction is continuing inside the entrance and queue, but there's been plenty of ride testing going on and a private event was held at the ride earlier in the week. We'll keep you posted on when the general public may have their first chance to experience this new attraction, so stay tuned!

Plus, we're taking a look at the nighttime lighting for the new ride as well as some minor changes in the store. The last few nights have seen the marquee entrance sign all lit up as well as windows and accent lights on in the building. Check out the video and photo update below and stay tuned for more #FallonRide updates coming soon!

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Over at Universal Studios Florida, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon is officially set to open April 6, but word on the street is that it might actually start soft opens this month. In fact, it might start any day now, if you can believe it. They have just finished construction on the ride exit stairs inside The Tonight Shop gift shop. And it looks like the ride entrance and marquee are very close to being complete as well! We'll keep you posted on soft openings when they happen.

Fast & Furious Supercharged construction continues as new steel is up behind the queue building that went up during our last update. This new structure is separate from the queue warehouse building next to it. Also going on in the park, work walls are still up at the candy store in New York, the free phone chargers that were installed last month are already gone this month (that was fast,) and The Simpsons Ride is back open after a brief refurbishment. Check out the video and photo update below, and stay tuned for more updates coming soon!


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Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon may be scheduled to open April 6, but the gift shop, named The Tonight Shop, is already open and selling lots of Jimmy Fallon, NBC, and Universal Studios items. The new shop opened to guests over this previous weekend and will remain open while the ride construction continues.

At The Tonight Shop you can get your very own Hashtag the panda plush, Tonight Show shirts, NBC Studios mugs and so much more. Construction continues as workers get the finishing touches complete for this new ride, including new lettering being added to the entrance marquee, as well as lighting in the sign and more. Check out the video and full photo report below to see construction and everything in the new shop and stay tuned for more updates!


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Construction is moving right along at Universal Studios Florida. Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon may be set to open April 6, but the gift shop, aptly named "The Tonight Shop," is looking more and more ready by the day. It's been my assumption that it will open much sooner than the ride, especially considering work walls are down around the store and we can already see merchandise showing up inside. I bet you can't wait to get your very own Hashtag the panda plush! Fast & Furious Supercharged construction continues as they have started building a large queue structure in front of the giant ride building.

Universal has been testing their new Virtual Line system at Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, (more details about that can be found here.) Also going on in the park, there's minor construction happening at the Candy store in New York, free phone chargers have been installed throughout the park sponsored by Coca-Cola, and The Simpsons Ride is temporarily closed for regular maintenance until January 22nd. Check out the video for full coverage as well as the complete photo update below! And stay tuned for more theme park news and construction updates.


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It's the final week before Christmas and while the parks are getting busier and busier, workers are not letting up, working harder and harder to get Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon done in time for its spring 2017 opening at Universal Studios Florida! The new attraction's main entrance sign has been installed, as well as the NBC store's signs. And work continues to theme the bland soundstage building. Over at Fast & Furious Supercharged, all but one small section of the huge show building has now been enclosed. The giant structure can now be seen towering over the buildings in San Fransisco. And finally I took a look at this year's Macy's Holiday Parade, the 15th annual! Check out the video and photo report below and stay tuned for more theme park updates.


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01183-mts-still043Christmas is in the air at Universal Studios Florida, as decorations are showing up all over the park. Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon will be opening in Spring of 2017 and it's starting to look more ready every day. The front facade is quickly beginning to match the concept art released nearly a month ago. Fast & Furious Supercharged construction is finally in full swing as a gigantic show building has been erected. The Roboasis near the Men in Black ride has closed to make way for a new enclosed Coca-Cola Refreshment Station! Not only can you purchase and fill up your souvenir Freestyle cups here, but this is the first location at the Universal parks where you can purchase a single use fountain cup for the Coke Freestyle machines! The RFID sticker on the cup's bottom only allows for one fill-up, which is great for folks that aren't willing to carry around a plastic cup all day but want a Freestyle flavor (like me!) Check out the video and snapshots below and stay tuned for more updates!


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00994.MTS.Still028It's been a little while since we checked in on Universal Studios so I headed over there earlier today to catch up on the big construction projects currently under way. Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon is looking more and more complete every time I see it. It won't be long before we start seeing the exterior wall theming and paint show up, completely transforming the area into a mini Rockefeller Center by next year. Vertical construction has finally begun on the now delayed Fast and Furious Supercharged ride, slated to open sometime in 2018. The steel for a giant show building has risen up from the dirt in just the last few weeks. While I was there I also caught some glimpses of some of the Halloween Horror Nights scare zone decor that's been showing up around the park, along with the big temporary stage near Battery Park. Check out my video for more details as well as all the images below, and stay tuned for more theme park updates coming soon!


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00858.MTS.Still034The Secret Life of Pets hit the ground running at theaters this weekend, raking in more than a hundred million dollars. Earlier this week the Pets got their own store in Toon Lagoon at Universal's Islands of Adventure. The Rocky & Bullwinkle themed 'Wossamotta U' store is now completely filled to the brim with Pets merch. There you can find countless plush toys, shirts, cups, mugs, books and more.

00858.MTS.Still010There's been talk of the Pets getting their own ride in Hollywood, and maybe in Orlando, but only if the film performs well. Given the success it's having at the box office so far, I'd say there's a pretty good chance we'll be seeing them come to Orlando. The rumored location for a new Secret Life of Pets ride is the barely used amphitheater in Toon Lagoon. Only used for special events a couple of times a year, this theater could be torn down to make way for a completely new family friendly trackless dark ride. Rumors say the ride could feature set-pieces from the film including Katie's apartment, cat's alley, and the flushed pets lair in the sewer, all with animatronic characters. Check out the video and images below to see all the merch and the rumored ride location and stay tuned for more Pets news!


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00852.MTS.Still008Williams of Hollywood is a shop at Universal Studios Florida where you can buy actual props from old rides, stores, events and more! While on my last visit I noticed some new items in the shop from the JAWS ride, Twister, Disaster and even a giant Woody Woodpecker figure too! Man, if I just had 2000 dollars lying around I would so pick up that shark from the old JAWS wait time sign. Really brings back memories. Check out the video or photo report below and stay tuned for more theme park updates.


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