Universal Plaza

[Allen The Actor]

Ill be testing my luck with tomorrow! I hope the walls will indeed be down! Can't wait

 

[Ryan]

I'd be very surprised if they weren't.

 

[raven24]

I need my AP back, ASAP!!!!!

 

[Alexshow.]

Special thanks to the twitter account for getting us this.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Universal Plaza looks excellent! Feels so different to have it all open! It's so hot, and the water play area is super popular already haha. The Tower looks AMAZING in person, although I do have a few gripes detail wise I'll discuss later. It was amazing seeing so many executives, contractors, and even costumed characters just standing around the Plaza and looking around like geeky fans haha.

But I can't stress how great it looks and how much it makes a difference. Really opens up the area and brings the upper lot together. Also, i found out that they have underground lighting rigs that can come up for Grinchmas and I saw where they come from, which will be great for Grinchmas!

Apparently the reason that it took so long to complete was that they went through THREE different contractors before it got finished....crazy.

But I do love the Tower haven't tried Pink's yet.

 

[Bonkers]

The plaza looks amazing!!! That area looks much more open than it used to.

Have they updated the park map to include the plaza?

 

[Miss Betty Juice]

I probably wont order from the pinks, I'm spoiled and grew up going to the original, which is very affordable. Same with Tommys, I've been to the original stores. But if I'm really craving it maybe I'll go...

 

[Allen The Actor]

The plaza looks amazing!!! That area looks much more open than it used to.

Have they updated the park map to include the plaza?

They have not, they'll be updating it next month. I saw what the new map will look like. Plaza and Tower look so cool on the map. It was also very weird seeing the map without Curious George. It's just a big block of trees, like the graphic they currently have in place of Plaza on the map. Looks very weird! To enter Simpsons and the Tour, everyone will have to be going completely AROUND the plaza, past the Simpsons ride. Everything will be walled off from Shrek on.

 

[Red Carpet]

To enter Simpsons and the Tour, everyone will have to be going completely AROUND the plaza, past the Simpsons ride. Everything will be walled off from Shrek on.

Could Springfield be coming?

 

[Ryan]

Universal Plaza looks excellent! Feels so different to have it all open! It's so hot, and the water play area is super popular already haha. The Tower looks AMAZING in person, although I do have a few gripes detail wise I'll discuss later. It was amazing seeing so many executives, contractors, and even costumed characters just standing around the Plaza and looking around like geeky fans haha.

But I can't stress how great it looks and how much it makes a difference. Really opens up the area and brings the upper lot together. Also, i found out that they have underground lighting rigs that can come up for Grinchmas and I saw where they come from, which will be great for Grinchmas!

Apparently the reason that it took so long to complete was that they went through THREE different contractors before it got finished....crazy.

But I do love the Tower haven't tried Pink's yet.

They have not, they'll be updating it next month. I saw what the new map will look like. Plaza and Tower look so cool on the map. It was also very weird seeing the map without Curious George. It's just a big block of trees, like the graphic they currently have in place of Plaza on the map. Looks very weird! To enter Simpsons and the Tour, everyone will have to be going completely AROUND the plaza, past the Simpsons ride. Everything will be walled off from Shrek on.

Grinchmas is going to be interesting... the theater setup is going to be very cramped.

And yeah, not only contractors and construction crew strikes, but the site had a lot of problems with the dig and the groundbreaking. Not to mention the various redesigns.

Also remember: the finishing details are not on yet.

Studio Tour is going to have an interesting existence in the next few years, that's for damn sure.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Could Springfield be coming?

I mean....it IS pretty popular in Florida...so.... The new building they're building next to the existing Studio Tour bathrooms WILL indeed be a new bathroom facility. The existing bathrooms are some of the oldest bathrooms in all of Universal. BUT...I'm curious to see now if the bathrooms will be themed to Springfield...

Grinchmas is going to be interesting... the theater setup is going to be very cramped.

And yeah, not only contractors and construction crew strikes, but the site had a lot of problems with the dig and the groundbreaking. Not to mention the various redesigns.

Also remember: the finishing details are not on yet.

Studio Tour is going to have an interesting existence in the next few years, that's for damn sure.

I'm not too worried about Grinchmas now. Yeah, it'll probably be a bit more cramped than previous years but I'm sure they'll make it work beautifully and it'll look great, especially since they have those rising light rigs under the ground apparently. And wow....crazy, hu? This project wasn't THAT big of a construction deal but it sure turned out to be. And yeah, i know a few details aren't ready yet, but I have a few gripes regarding some details that might be finished about the tower but looked half assed. Not bad, but I have a very constructive eye, especially being a Disney fan who's a nut about details. I'll go into it a bit later. I still loved it all regardless, especially the tower

And yeah....I'm super curious how all of this will affect Simpsons and Studio Tour crowds. Going to be nuts for crowd control. What with a certain yellow people expansion, Potter construction, simpsons incoming and outgoing crowds, Studio Tour incoming and outgoing crowds, it's going to be absolute chaos in that corner of the park. Good luck to them.

I had such a blast talkin to a bunch of cast members today. and I think I have a very good idea of where Hogsmeade might start...

We're in for some hectic and exciting times for the next three years.

 

[Jon Fu]

We'll be doing a photo update of Plaza soon on the front page with some preliminary thoughts (descriptions, really), but it definitely looks like they pushed hard to get this out as soon as possible.

In the meantime, give Plaza a few weeks before making a final judgement. I loved what I saw, but it's still not in a finished state.

 

[Red Carpet]

I had such a blast talkin to a bunch of cast members today. and I think I have a very good idea of where Diagon Alley might start...

Is it the Falls Lake area?

 

[Bonkers]

Diagon Alley????

 

[Allen The Actor]

Is it the Falls Lake area?

My bad, my bad, I meant Hogsmeade haha!!!! Typo haha, i was thinking of Florida at the moment. NO Diagon Alley. But yeah, i can pretty much see where Hogsmeade might starr! I would like to say that in my opinion, we will NOT get any sort of Phase 2 in Hollywood. They're going through such hell to retrofit the park to add our own Phase 1, I sincerely don't see us ever getting Phase 2. And I'm fine with that. I don't want an oversaturation of Potter.

Diagon Alley????

I meant Hogsmeade, my total bad haha. I edited my post.

 

[Red Carpet]

Which of the following will be walled off?

• Hollywood Cantina
• Flintstone's Bar-B-Q
• Doc Brown's Chicken
• Cinnabon
• Studio Souvenirs

 

[Allen The Actor]

Not sure about Hollywood Cantina, but the Cantina seating area is apparently on that list, BBQ is apparently staying for a while until they make another BBQ location, Doc's is bye bye, Cinnabon probably too, since it's connected to Doc's, but I'd hope they move Cinnabon somewhere else, and Studio Souvenirs is for sure gone.

 

[Ryan]

The walls next week, however, will not be going around Doc's and Cinnabon. Those are staying just for right now.

Oh yeah, and the Tower was getting a lot of its lighting tested/installed last night. The letters have still yet to be configured, but for now it looks absolutely gorgeous.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Yeah, Docs and Cinnabon need to stay as long as possible, considering they make a ton of $$$.

And i saw some of the accent lighting fixtures on the tower start working as the park was closing, and it was beautiful. Cant wait to see it fully at night!

 

[Red Carpet]

Will any of this area become part of Potter?