Derrion: There are so many exciting additions coming to all Universal parks in the coming years and I could not be more excited to see my home park begin to reach it’s true potential. Amid the holiday season I was able to get into the park and enjoy it for a bit. Let’s take a look at some of the entertainment you will find in the park and construction updates on future projects.
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It would not be a Universal Studios Hollywood update without mentioning The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As guest walk into the park, The Ford Anglia from the popular movie Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets is now on display filled with holiday gifts. I wonder if my annual Christmas sweater from the Weasleys is in there?
Next up , onward to the newly renovated Dreamworks Theatre: Featuring Kung Fu Panda. If you have not been to this attraction yet, it offers and amazing adventure following Po from Kung Fu Panda and gives superb visual effects. I am excited to see if Universal will change out the “movies” for the coming years. I sure would love to see the theater feature the Trolls soon.
Grinchmas was back today and offers lots of great Meet and Greets with many popular characters from 2000’s “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”, including the Grinch himself. There are also many shows, holiday activities, and yummy foods in honor of The Grinch.
This takes place in the center of the Upper Lot, Universal Plaza, where guest can experience many of the performances such as the Wholiday Tree Lighting, Martha May and The Who Dolls, and the amazing boy band group , The Wholiday Singers better known as the Wholiday 5. This was a great way to get into the holiday spirit and we happily sung along and enjoyed their performance. They really know how to keep the crowd entertained!
You also may get the chance to meet some of the dashingly beautiful Who’s. After all we are celebrating a Whobalation! Grinchmas will run every day thru 12/30/18.
Down on the Lower lot, these Grinch Donuts can be found at the snack bar next to the Raptor Encounter for a mere $7.49 before any annual pass discounts. They were so cunningly delicious. These are some of the many treats you can find inspired by Grinchmas and the holiday season throughout the park.
If your looking for more dining areas in the park the popular Faber College section is back open to guests. It was previously closed because it was the spot for the Universal Monsters Maze during Halloween Horror Nights this year.
The dining area is truly beautiful and offers a nice way to relax away from the busier areas of the park. Projection for the guest in attendance was lighter today and none of the attractions were over a 15 min wait. 
You can now access the restrooms in Westminster from this dining area. This opens up a second entrance/exit root from Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.
The construction walls are still in place across from the entrance to The Walking Dead. 
Supports have begun to be installed for the new attraction that will replace the Globe Theater. It seemed as though they put these supports up overnight. There has still been no word on the attraction that will reside in this area. Some of the supports seem to already have track, but it is unclear if this will have riders suspended or on top of the track.
Universal has been in talks for a rumored Secret Life of Pets attraction for some time but it has not been confirmed if this space will be used for that. The attraction does seem to posses qualities of a dark ride in construction, so this should be an amazing addition to the park when it is completed. Based on the movement of this project it may be finished at the latest Fall 2019.
Also still under construction is the every growing plot of the rumored Super Nintendo World. It has been confirmed that Universal Studios Hollywood will be receiving this land complete with a Mario Kart attraction that is unlike any other. At the moment this plot of land has not been confirmed to be for this project but our guess is that as more dirt is cleared and plumbing is done to the site we will have to wait and see what changes come to the area.
Just to the right, Jurassic Park: The Ride show building has been completely repainted to a dark grey. Reminiscent of the new color schemes for the new Jurassic World Franchise.
The front of the show building that features the 85 ft finale drop is still transitioning to the full scale of grey color. It would not be unearthing to see the front facades become a deep navy blue.
The first lift hill of the ride has supports that will enclose the first turn around segment of the ride. This will be perfect for 4D effects and add to the rides story line. It would be cool to see a Mosasaurus swim next to the boats as you pass into Jurassic World.
The iconic Jurassic Park entrance sign is now a blank canvas. We are super excited to see the transition of this project and will be following it closely. Jurassic World is set to open summer 2019 with new state of the art technology and updated animatronics.
Universal has always done a great job at immersing its audience into any experience. The Special Effects show is one of my favorite shows in the park as guest can learn how movies today started as original motion pictures. These magic lanterns would allow for images viewed in the right order and speed to create motion pictures and changed the industry to what we know it as today. Be sure to check it out on your next visit, there are so many other comedic and heart pumping surprises in store!
Just outside of the Special Effects Show you will find the Plaza Grill. Can you tell I love food! This is a great place to stop right before entering the shows.
I was supper bummed that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter closed an hour before park closing due to a special event. I unfortunately was not able to witness the snow-falling, Magic of Christmas Light Show, or any of the attractions this time around. I should have used my time turner to go back in time. Maybe next time! Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will continue to run until 1/16/18.
The entrance of the park had a beautiful display of lights. This truly made me happy to see some of the lights and here Christmas music ringing in my ears. Universal does a great job at keeping the Christmas spirit a live.
Be sure to come back and experience all of the festivities for yourself . It is truly a magnificent sight.
As always thank you all for reading and be sure to check out some of out other recent updates, including the new Europa-Park and Universal Orlando Resort park update !