All 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!
Tag Archives: Universal Studios
The Incredible Hulk Coaster Will Be Closed For Nearly a Year For Major Refurbishment
Universal Orlando's official blog has just announced that The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure will undergo major enhancement and refurbishment work beginning September 8th. And it will not re-open until NEXT SUMMER! There had been rumors that the refurb would happen in stages, reopening the ride during peak times of year, such as Christmas and Spring Break, but now it looks like the entire ride will remain closed for the better part of a year.
Universal says the beloved coaster will be getting some TLC in the form of some great, new enhancements to its storyline, ride vehicles and overall experience. Rumors have the entire queue building being completely rebuilt from the ground up, entire sections of track being replaced, and most importantly, 
the launch system being upgraded from tires to an electromagnetic (LIM) launch system. This will not only offer a smoother launch, but cost less in maintenance for park operations, without having to replace tires every few weeks. When the Hulk first opened electromagnetic launch systems were not yet up to the task for such a big endeavor, but as time went on the technology has improved, and the time has finally come. I for one am excited to see an updated queue building and improved storyline... Although I may miss the techno-rave party feel in the queue.
See the entire blog release below and stay tuned for more theme park news. ...continue reading
More Details On the New NBC Media Center in Universal Studios Florida
Last month, when the long construction period was over and the dust had settled, the NBC Media Center was finally opened inside of Universal Studios Florida. As I have previously reported the new state-of-art media center will be used for market research involving multiple forms of media, including previewing new television programs. Now, Orlando Theme Park News is reporting that an article posted to an internal publication has released further details for industry insiders, boasting the Media Center as the largest biometrics facility in the country. See the press release below, and do check out my full report on what it's like inside the new Media Center along with many photos of the completed compound.
The NBCU Media Center (or NBC Media Center) recently opened in Universal Studios Florida in the Garden of Allah area. The center is a state-of-the-art research facility which is available to all NBC Universal businesses and Comcast. The facility, which is the largest biometrics facility of its kind in the country includes the following research capabilities:
- Dial Tests for video content (programs, pilots, promotions, and movies);
- Advanced tools for measuring personal engagement and response to content;
- Focus Group Facilities for qualitative research;
- “Living Room of the Future” which enables research on consumer use of new technologies in a “real life” environment.
The facility will be open only when research is being conducted. During that time, the facility will open one hour after official park opening and close one hour before official park closing. The NBCU Media Center is a facility built to support research across the company and is not open to the public unless a guest has been accepted as an applicable research participant.
Check out our full report and photo update on the Media Center here and subscribe to the feed for more park updates!
NBC Media Center Now Open at Garden of Allah Villas in Universal Studios Florida
The Garden of Allah Villas construction is finally complete and we now have the brand new shiny NBC Media Center. What's the NBC Media Center you ask? Why it's the new home for fall TV previews and focus groups of course! I just happened to be walking by today while they were looking for volunteers, so I was able to be one of the first people to experience the new Media Center. They've been doing TV previews in the parks for years, but this is a new, more high-tech approach. And having a neat storefront building helps convince people to volunteer, as opposed to taking folks to the back of a dark alley somewhere off the path. Check out my report and lots and lots of photos below!
Universal Jumps on the Chance to Promote ‘Jurassic Park: The Ride’ with New Website and Ad Campaign
With Jurassic World now reaching one billion dollars worldwide, the Universal Parks are jumping on the opportunity to promote their existing Jurassic Park attraction. They have released a commercial for 'Jurassic Park: The Ride' at both Hollywood and Orlando, invoking the ideas of Jurassic World with the text, See The Movie, Then Dare to Ride It, mixed with images from the Jurassic World film and scenes from the Jurassic Park ride. In addition to the new ad, which we might start seeing on television immediately, there's also a new website open, devoted entirely to the Jurassic Park ride. The new website, www.jurassicparktheride.com, is currently just a portal to take you to the ride info page from either the Hollywood or Orlando version's website. While many are hoping to see new rides directly themed to Jurassic World at the parks, it's nice to at least see Universal reminding us of the great ride they already have. Check out my video of the entire Jurassic Park River Adventure ride in Orlando below.
New Jurassic Park Ride at Universal Studios Japan to be Flying Coaster, Maybe Set in Pteranodon Aviary
As I have previously reported a new attraction is under construction at Universal Studios Japan in the Jurassic Park area. Rumors are starting to spread that this will in fact be a B&M flying coaster, similar to Manta at SeaWorld Orlando. The ride will open in 2016, but an official announcement has not yet been made. No word yet on whether or not the ride will take place within the aviary, but given the fact that pteranodons are pictured on the construction walls, there's a good chance that the ride will at least be themed after them, if not actually taking place in an aviary. Not only would a ride that creates the sensation of flying be a perfect fit for a pteranodon themed ride, but this will be a great tie-in to the smash hit film, Jurassic World. A key scene featured in the film depicts a large aviary where these flying reptiles escape and cause havoc. ...continue reading
Garden of Allah Villas Construction Update – Exterior Work Nearing Completion
In the two months since my last update on the area they've just about wrapped up the exterior construction. The new wall connecting the two buildings looks like it's been there all the time. And there is a new entrance door in the middle of the wall, just as I was suspecting. It's nice to see that the Garden of Allah Villas sign has returned after being removed briefly while they did some concrete ground work. They're not quite finished with some window and door work on the outside, (and who knows how much more they have to do inside the buildings).
We've known for a while now that this building will house something called the "NBCUniversal Media Lab", which will probably be a place where employees can use and test new technologies, or allow businesses to use state-of-the-art teleconference technologies. It doesn't seem, at least at this point, that this will be something that will be open to the public. Learn more about that in my last post on the subject here. See all the new construction update photos below!
Jurassic World Merchandise Comes to The Film Vault at Universal Studios Florida and New Blues Brothers Stage Now Open
Jurassic World shirts, hats, toys, candy, and cups & mugs have arrived at Universal Studios Florida in The Film Vault store and the main Studios Store near the park entrance. You can find the most merchandise at the Film Vault store, located near the entrance for Transformers. They have just about all the same items you'll find in Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure. Also, after months of tearing it down and building it back up, the Blues Brothers stage is finally reopened in the New York area of USF. Let's hope that since they've taken the time to revamp their stage that the brothers won't be going away any time soon. The Hollywood park removed the Blues Brothers show earlier this year, but there's no plans as of yet to close it down in Orlando. Check out the entire photo update below!
Sanrio Partners with Universal Parks & Resorts to Bring Hello Kitty Into the Parks
Sanrio, the company that owns the infamous Hello Kitty character, among many other cute money-making characters, has announced a partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts to bring Sanrio retail shops to Universal Orlando and eventually to Universal Studios Hollywood as well. This comes on the heels of the major announcement of the partnership between Universal and Nintendo and adds yet more giant intellectual properties you'll be able to find at Universal Studios parks (and not at Disney). The new retail location is scheduled to open later this year at Universal Orlando, and at a still-to-be determined time for Hollywood. The stores will offer stationery, home goods, apparel, accessories and collectibles. The majority of merchandise will be devoted to Hello Kitty, however Chococat, My Melody, Badtz-Maru, Purin and Keroppi will also have a presence. Exclusive Universal branded Hello Kitty products will be available as well.
Universal already owns the theme park rights to Hello Kitty and friends in their home country of Japan. There is a section of Universal Studios Japan already devoted to Hello Kitty, but this will be the first time Sanrio characters will be found in a theme park stateside.
No word yet on where the new retail stores will be located, but my money is on the Lucy: A Tribute building inside of Universal Studios Florida for the Orlando location. Not only is it near the entrance to the park as well as several kids' attractions like Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem and Shrek 4D, but they have recently filed a permit for a major interior renovation of the Lucy building. See the entire text from today's press release below and let me know what you think of the announcement. Is Hello Kitty something you think does or doesn't belong in the parks? ...continue reading
New Jurassic Park Themed Ride Coming to Universal Studios Japan?
A couple months ago Screamscape reported that Universal Studios Japan will open a new coaster style ride in the Jurassic Park section of the park. Now Instagram user shichan14 has posted a photo from Universal Japan of construction walls with the words "The Greatest Dinosaur Ride in the World, Coming in 2016!" I'm not sure if this will be the roller coaster Screamscape mentioned or something else entirely. They already have the River Adventure, so it can't be that. And I do notice there is a pteranodon pictured on the wall in question. Read more below.
