Author Archives: Alicia Stella

About Alicia Stella

Alicia has been visiting theme parks since the age of 3. She has an incredible knack for memorizing park maps, loves theme park renovations and cannot wait to ride something new. She can often be found taking video of construction sites in the Central Florida theme parks and riding roller coasters!

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P1050916The building that used to be the home of Twister: Ride it Out has been completely gutted. The inside has been stripped down to just the exterior walls and supports. In fact, an entire wall by where the pre-show and show building entrance used to be is completely removed, as in, no wall at all. To me, there is more than an enough room inside for a Soarin' type ride system. If the entire queue is moved outside and they only use one pre-show instead of two, this building is big enough to hold a couple Soarin' sized theaters if you ask me.

P1050967And over in San Francisco the entire Beetlejuice stage has been leveled to the ground. Almost immediately after their last show the stage started to come down. Now we have a clear view of the King's Cross station for the Hogwart's Express train backstage. This means we've got a big hole in the park between New York and London, that is, until Fast & Furious Supercharged opens in 2017. Parts of the old Earthquake/Disaster building have also been demolished behind the Beetlejuice stage. The main entrance and preshow areas still stand, as well as all facades facing guest areas, but all of the backstage facing building seems to be coming down. See the construction photos below and stay tuned for more Universal news coming soon!

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P1050895I recently checked out what might be the slowest construction project Universal is currently working on, the Hello Kitty store and experience at Universal Studios Florida. Rumors had this opening back at Christmas late last year, but here we are in month two of 2016 and not much progress can be seen. When I visited today I did get some confirmation that I did not have before, that Betty Boop will in fact be coming back to her original location when the building is done being refreshed. This is something I suspected, but didn't have proof of until now.

P1050905Besides the fact that a couple of employees have confirmed it for me, you can see on the awnings for the shop, (as well as some text visible through a window,) that the black and white beauty will be re-claiming her "largest selection of Betty Boop merchandise in the world" location once again. I find this surprising, as it only allows the portion of the building that used to house Lucy: A Tribute to be used for the new Hello Kitty store and meet & greet areas. It's not that small a space, but considering how much Sanrio branded merchandise exists in the world, I find it somewhat shocking how small a space they'll be allocating for it. They could fill the entire main Studio Store with Sanrio twice over and still not run out of Hello Kitty and friends branded merch. Perhaps we'll see products with the famous Kitty in more stores throughout the parks as well. Check out the photo update below and stay tuned this week and next for more theme park updates!

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This week's update of the construction progress for Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Universal's Islands of Adventure shows us that the Kong entry arch is finally being painted. Also, a new food stand (presumably) has appeared along the walkway. Little touches are always being added day to day, including many many more skulls being added atop stakes along the ride path and outdoor queue section. This week also saw the update of the attraction info page on Universal's website with an all new ride description and details. See it yourself here or read below!

The monstrous new ride for your life. Opening Summer 2016

kongscreenshotLive the brutal struggle of a 1930’s expedition that’s caught in a clash between prehistoric predators, man-eating beasts and the most colossal ape ever to walk the earth—King Kong. Around every thrilling turn, ferocious monsters fight for dominance, while you just fight to survive. It’s the multi-sensory, multi-dimensional ride for your life.

Enter the ruins of a primal realm and journey into the dark heart of an island filled with untold dangers. Vicious, ancient predators and unspeakable monstrosities rip into your crew and swarm from every side. Then, in an act of sheer ferocity—or monstrous bravery—King Kong charges between you and certain doom with an earthshaking fury. With each thundering roar and each chest-pounding thud, one colossal truth comes clear.

This is his home, his kingdom. Only he reigns.

Check out this week's full photo report below and stay tuned for more theme park updates! ...continue reading →

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P1050668Own a piece of history! You can now buy the actual flying cow from the finale scene of Twister... Ride it Out at Universal Studios Florida. The cow, along with the flying Dororthy III from the end scene, are on sale at the newly opened Williams of Hollywood Prop Shop inside Universal Studios. You can own the high-wire cow for just a measly $4,999.99! That's all. The Dorothy III is a steal at only $2,999.99. That is, if they haven't been sold yet. These pictures were taken yesterday, Saturday January 9th. So hurry up! I also got some new pictures of the future home of Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon. See all the images below and stay tuned for more theme park updates all this week!

We got cows!
We got cows!
Third times the charm
Third times the charm

More prop images and Jimmy Fallon construction update below. ...continue reading →

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Main Sequence.Still019bAll of the track pieces for The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure have been completely removed as the dramatic refurbishment continues. The ride is scheduled to re-open Summer of this year, and the very first pieces of new track supports are just now going up. No word yet on whether or not the track layout will change when the ride comes back, but the ride cars and the coaster's launch system will be coming back new and improved. The queue building is being completely redesigned as well. Rumors of on-board audio for the new cars being added have also been swirling around. See the video and images below for the progress on this rehab, along with comparison pics from before and after the track was removed. Stay tuned for more theme park updates!


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thumbI headed out to Universal's Islands of Adventure on a dark and gloomy December morning to get some new images and video of the construction progress for Skull Island: Reign of Kong. So much has been accomplished since my last update, but I imagine some of the more incredible work has been going on inside the building, beyond those massive gates. According to eye-witnesses, apparently those giant gates have been tested recently and are ready to go. When I came by they were locked open and covered in tarps, but lots of other work was being done: the outdoor ride path and set pieces are coming along nicely, the outdoor and indoor portions of the queue are taking shape, and little flourishes like skulls, spears, and torches have started to appear! Take a look at the images below and watch the video for more. Be sure to share the video and check back soon for more park updates.


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00000.MTS.Still016It has been a little while since I've had a chance to visit the parks, so I took a day to catch up on all the goings on at Universal Studios Florida, and grab some video as well! Since my last visit with a camera, Twister and Disaster have closed and themed construction walls have gone up around their locations where Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon and Fast & Furious Supercharged will be built, respectively. Themed construction walls have gone up around the future site of the Hello Kitty store/experience. This is the first actual confirmation that the new Sanrio themed store will definitely be taking over the former site of Lucy: A Tribute.

00000.MTS.Still045Some other minor work has been going on as well, including some sort of small building being constructed near Despicable Me, behind the main Studio Store. It looks like it might be storage or a permanent refreshment stand, either way, nothing too intriguing. Two new shops have opened in the park recently: the new Williams of Hollywood Prop Shop featuring props from various attractions and stores, and a new year-round Christmas store. And since it's December, the holidays are in full swing at the parks, with garland strung everywhere and large Macy's balloons littering the park. Check out the video for full coverage or the screenshots below for more details! And stay tuned for Kong coverage next week!


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P1050042It's been a few weeks since my last visit to Islands of Adventure and a lot has changed over at the Skull Island construction area. The first thing that caught my eye was a beautifully painted mural on the mountain range backdrop behind the facade. They've already finished the left-side and are continuing on the right, but it is looking incredible. It really sells the perspective, and even features some 2-dimensional brickwork extending the building upwards. Also new, are the two posts above the giant temple gate. These look like the posts used in the earlier King Kong films to tie down the sacrificial human when offering them up to the mighty Kong. The queue building on the right side of the construction zone is coming along nicely, with a rough fort-like roof style and some new covered walkways extending out from the Kong face arch. Check out all the images below for details in this Kong-sized photo update!

Skull Island signs added to the construction walls along with the words, Summer 2016
Skull Island signs added to the construction walls, displaying proudly that it's opening Summer 2016

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P1040991_smallSince my last update the scaffolding has come down around the entry arch showing off a beautifully sculpted Kong face. It hasn't been painted yet, but definitely bares a striking resemblance to the big guy as seen in the concept art. In front of the giant temple gate we're getting our first glimpses of the shape of the outdoor portion of the ride path. A short rock wall wrapping around the path has sprung up, as well as structural I beams being placed below the track path in preparation for concrete being poured. The ride is being rumored as being "trackless," so what we're seeing now is the pathway being constructed where the vehicle will travel outside before entering the show building. See the new video as well as some images below and stay tuned for more updates!


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P1040933The NBC Sports Grill & Brew was first announced back in the beginning of June, seven months after the former NASCAR Cafe closed its doors for good. We're now finally seeing some big action on the site as the structure is starting to really resemble the concept art that's been released. They had hoped to have the new sports themed restaurant and bar open in time for Halloween Horror Nights, as drinking has become a big part of that event and the new venue could be a great gathering place before and after guests enter the park, but it looks like they may just miss it unless they push it into high gear. (The Halloween themed event begins in just a few short weeks.) The NBC Sports Grill & Brew is officially scheduled to open sometime in the Fall of this year.

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Comparison of the current state of construction (left) and concept art of the completed building (right)

The new venue will host 100 HD TV screens throughout the restaurant showing NBC sports programming of all types. There will be several extremely large screens outside of the building, which will be visible from many parts of CityWalk, beckoning customers in with their warm glow. The establishment will offer an extensive menu of more than 75 different items, with favorites like burgers and steaks to custom creations like crab scotch eggs. And, of course, no sports bar is complete without the perfect beer. You’ll be able to select from over 100 different beer varieties, including an exclusive draft you’ll only find there. Check out the construction progress pictures below and stay tuned for more updates! ...continue reading →