Author: Brian Glenn

Universal Orlando has revealed more information on the new Fast & Furious – Supercharged attraction – opening Spring 2018 – including a look at the queue & ride vehicle. Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) will join the cast of the attraction, which includes Dom (Vin Diesel), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and the villain, Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), in all-new setting and story. The attraction is based in “underground headquarters of the “Fast family.” Inside the queue, guests will see familiar places inspired by the films, like the Family Room – complete with photos of…

Universal Orlando has purchased 100 more acres of land off of Sand Lake Road, adding more land to their already-acquired 475 acres for future expansion. Universal has not provided any news on what plans for the land include, but speculation points to more theme parks and hotels. With the new purchase, Universal now has 570 acres of land in total for future growth, which is several times larger than their current Resort property. The map below shows what Universal currently owns, and what was recently purchased. The blue shaded area is the new 100 acre purchase; which is located adjacent…

Emeril’s Tchoup Chop will be closing on Dec. 31, 2017 at the Royal Pacific Resort. “With great gratitude to our loyal customers, hardworking staff and colleagues at the Loews Royal Pacific, it’s been an incredible 15 years,” said Emeril Lagasse. The restaurant was chef Emeril Lagasse’s second restaurant in Orlando, and opened with the resort in 2002. The restaurant will maintain its regular hours of operations (lunch from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., dinner from 5-10 p.m. and happy hour from 5-8 p.m.) until Dec. 31, 2017. Guests may continue making reservations by calling (407) 503-2467. A replacement for the restaurant has not been…

In a new series on the Universal Orlando blog – “Behind the Design” – Universal shared a few more details about the room design for the Aventura Hotel, which opens August 2018. From the blog: We selected light wood and white furniture pieces with black trim to anchor the room and added rich pops of eggplant and burnt orange to bring the design together. The floor to ceiling decorative glass panels provide not only a really cool visual element, but also privacy at the vanity. We included floor to ceiling windows in the design to make the rooms feel bright and…

The Hollywood guys are back to talk the recent happenings at Universal Studios Hollywood, as well as the other haunt events around Southern California; including Knott’s Scary Farm and Queen Mary Dark Harbor. In addition, some more discussion about this year’s Halloween Horror Nights and our interview with John Murdy, Creative Director. Agenda » 0:45 Intro » 2:25 CityWalk » 14:52 Holidays at Universal Studios Hollywood » 27:09 Knott’s Scary Farm » 46:07 Queen Mary Dark Harbor » 59:28 John Murdy Interview (Click here to read) » 1:06:30 More Halloween Horror Nights Direct Download and iTunes You may download this…

Ray Rush – a brand-new family raft slide – is coming to Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark in spring 2018. The new slide will feature three unique slide elements. At nearly 60 feet tall, riders will be launched at 33 feet per second with water jets designed to propel rafts into the first of several enclosed tube sections. Next, riders will swirl into a colossal, translucent sphere which spins the raft around the slide walls before entering another enclosed tube section. Finally, riders will drop into an open-air halfpipe that resembles the shape of a manta ray. Rafts will soar back and forth…

Adventure Island has announced that a new drop slide, Vanish Point, will open March 2018. Inspired by the point on a wave where water and gravity form a perfect partnership, the “crest of this 70-foot tower challenges you with two 425 ft. wave paths”. The slide will feature two skyboxes with drop floors, and a non-drop floor, horizontal 455-foot long slide. “These unique ride paths give guests options on how they want their thrills delivered,” said Stewart Clark, president of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island.  “Whether you choose to have the floor drop from beneath your feet, or race to the bottom on…

Universal Orlando has announced that a a new nighttime lagoon show is coming to Universal Studios Florida. According to Universal, the new show will include new animation featuring characters from favorite Universal attractions, a new storyline, new music, lighting and special effects. The new show will replace Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular – 100 Years of Movie Memories, which debuted in 2012. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the nighttime show highlighted 100 years of Universal films during Universal’s centennial celebration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvqsWTLxC2o No name, specific details or opening date has been announced for the new nightttime show. Since Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular is currently not running…

Universal Orlando Resort and Warner Bros. announced the return of “A Celebration of Harry Potter,” on January 26-28, 2018 at Universal Orlando. For the first time in event history, Stanislav Yanevski (Viktor Krum) will attend the special event and participate in festivities throughout the weekend, alongside returning fan-favorites James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley). More talent will be announced at a later date. During the 3-day celebration, guests will also have the opportunity to: Attend Q&A sessions with select film talent (complete talent lineup will be announced at a later date) Experience and participate in the interactive and unique activities and…

Terminator 2: 3-D has officially closed at Universal Studios Florida after 21 years. The 3-D attraction opened on April 27, 1996 – with the film being directed by James Cameron, and included the film’s stars Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film is known as being one of the most expensive films per minute, costing $24 million for 12 minutes of run time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ac-GMFZUIw Fans lined up for the final show early, with a ticket needed to ensure a seat. At the end of the performance, all of the cast & crew took the stage for one last…