Labor Day weekend is usually the last gasp for summer peak attendance here in Orlando. This morning the crowds definitely appeared to be pouring in. The line of cars at the valet area was even backed up a bit at 10am.
The moving walkways were full of people as well.
As the pathway widened at the entrance to CityWalk, the throngs didn't take up quite as much space, but it still looked like a healthy flow.
As has been the case since late June, most of those folks were heading to the left, with a visit to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the top of their to-do lists. Will we be heading to Islands of Adventure today? In good time, friends. But first, we're heading to the right to check out the progress on the Halloween Horror Nights install currently in progress at Universal Studios Florida.
Of course, before the folks at Universal Orlando strike fear into the hearts of the willing masses at Halloween Horror Nights XX, they've got a much different hard-ticket event lined up.
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| A sign hanging from the Studio Arch announces the annual "Rock the Universe" Christian music event. (Notice HHN XX skeletons in the background.) |
For those who are so inclined, Rock the Universe will take place next weekend. September 10, Newsboys, Skillet, and Jars of Clay headline. September 11's big acts will be Jeremy Camp, Reliant K, and TobyMac. Four additional bands will play each night as well. The event also features a lineup of celebrity speakers, a Saturday night candle lighting service, and a Sunday Morning non-denominational worship service to wrap up the weekend. One-Night event tickets are $49.95 plus tax in advance ($57.95 same-day) and Two-Night event tickets are $84.95 plus tax. Tickets are available at Universal Orlando ticket windows or online at http://www.rocktheuniverse.com/.
Just beyond the park gates, preparations are already under way for Halloween Horror Nights XX. This scare zone has an island theme, and features skeletons holding bottles of rum and sporting flower necklaces.
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| Mary Kate Olsen goes to Hawai'i... |
A bit further into the park, New York's "Sting Alley" is transforming into what looks to be a steampunk inspired scare zone. All of the posters have been removed from the brick walls, and a monstrous contraption stands at the entrance.
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| Sting Alley festooned with tubes and cables. The circus posters have been removed completely for the time being. |
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| This prop appears to be rigged up to pump some sort of liquid. Blood, perhaps? |
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| A surgical slab sits menacingly on a loading dock in Sting Alley. Who will be the victim? Not us, we hope... |
What would a visit to New York be without some pizza? Of course you probably know that Louie's is the place to go for a slice, but did you know that the culinary crew at Louie's makes their pies in view of guests? While much of the quick-service fare offered across Universal Orlando is prepared in an enormous behind-the-scenes kitchen and then delivered to the individual locations, some specialty items are made fresh on the spot. Next time you're in the park, head to the far right side of Louie's, across from the Beetlejuice theater and you might get to watch pizza assembly in-progress.
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| Precision pizza making requires complete concentration. |
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| Bongiorno! |
In San Francisco/Amity, the queues for Disaster and Jaws have been blocked off for several weeks, as those areas are transformed into haunted houses. Only a little bit of HHN decor has made its way out to the streets in that area of the park. It appears that this year, the HHN creative team isn't just mining the Halloweens of the past for new scares, but also Mardi Gras!
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| Think the decorating crew might have opened the wrong crates? Look again. These old Mardi Gras decorations have been spattered with blood! |
The "Fear Factor Live" amphitheater will once again play host to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure," but for now all of the big signs are still under wraps.
The smaller, "No photography" signs are visible, however.
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| Being ejected from the event would be a totally bogus way to end your HHN journey, dude. |
We've got one more scare zone in-progress to see, but before we get there, let's make a pit stop at Woody Woodpecker's KidZone.
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| The NutHouse produces all kinds of nuts. |
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| Pop Quiz: Who's that on the nose of the Nuthouse Coaster's one-and-only train? |
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| It's Knothead (center-left), Woody's nephew. That's why the coaster's train is dubbed "Knothead Express." |
With crowds still very thin in this corner of the park, Barney and his friends were out in search of someone to say hello to.
You can't visit KidZone without taking a trip to the Green Planet, and today was no exception. The interior "forest" queue has some great details that guests often walk right past. Let's take a closer look at a couple of them.
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| This little sign (which is apparently common in protected forests) is almost impossible to see under the normal show lighting conditions. |
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| The homemade communicator that E.T. uses to "phone home" is another charming detail in the E.T. Adventure's forest queue. Look closely, and you'll see the message it broadcasts. |
For a short video clip of E.T.'s communicator in action (and some other short clips that capture the atmosphere of Universal Orlando) head on over to our YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOrlandoBureau?feature=mhum
We'll be adding more videos soon.
Now that we've returned to Earth, let's check out one more scare zone and then head next door to Islands of Adventure to see a couple of minor cosmetic changes.
The Hollywood Blvd/Rodeo Drive scare zone this year is themed as the HHN Prop Warehouse, and it features props that were created for a multitude of scare zones and haunted houses from previous years.
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| The marquee from last year's "All Nite Die-In" is amongst the HHN artifacts in the Prop Warehouse scare zone. |
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| This sign was created during HHN's short stint at IOA. "Choose thy fate..." |
Speaking of Islands of Adventure and re-using old props to create new experiences (heck of a segue, huh?) Here are a couple of the Universal Cartoon Store's former residents from the pre-KidZone days. You can now find them "hanging out" at Confisco Grille.
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| "Gee Rocky, I feel like a chandelier in a Canadian movie house." |
The biggest change at Islands of Adventure lately is one that you've undoubtedly seen on a hundred other blogs, so we won't be focusing on the village of Hogsmeade today. There are, however, a couple of small changes on the outskirts of that little borough that we will show you. The bridge that was built to temporarily bypass the construction zone now appears to be permanent, and to make that absolutely clear, Universal has invested in really-for-real walls and gates to replace the temporary plywood construction walls that kept The Lost Continent's backstage areas out of guest view for the last couple of years.
As for that big white show building looming behind Hogwart's School, it received a coat of sky-blue paint last week.
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| Forbidden Journey does its best "Soarin" impression. |
Over in Toon Lagoon, it looks like Bullwinkle's alma mater has stepped into the digital age.
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| "Hey Rock, watch me pull an email out of my hat." |
Speaking of email, if you like what you saw today (or if there's anything you didn't see that you'd like to see in the future) drop us a line at pulluponyourlapbar@gmail.com. We don't just do Universal. We'll be sharing views of many other attractions in the Orlando area (and some from other areas too). If it spins, goes upside-down, tells a story, or offers an annual pass, we're into it. Until our next update, remember that the floor is moving at the same speed as your computer.
-The Orlando Bureau
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