While its Beads, Bands and Good Times over at the studios with Mardi Gras, Islands is going through some heavy changes. Of course you have the ongoing Harry Potter Construction which is at a fever pitch. So much so that security has been tightening up on things around the normal areas to get shots from. Of course you could be like Orlando United and just rent a chopper to get your shots….but we dont have that kind of scratch (great pics btw) ya know families and bills and the whole nine…so we will just stick to getting shots the old fashioned way. With zoom lenses,holes in the fence, and open gates from the main pathways (sorry kiddies, no sneaking backstage for us). But we do have the latest progress on the Potter and the rest of the park, plus something has survived…..
Dudley seems to be taking longer than was originally hoped for, but it also seems that we are getting a lot more than was originally hoped for as well. Rumor I’ve heard was that they are going to paint the drop to make it look more “cartoony”…so we’ll see about that. The wall is down around Blondies, and the drill is now once again exposed for photo ops, but even more, it allows for some great shots of the rehab.
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Over in Jurassic Park, something has survived….THE JURASSIC KITTIES! RUN FOR YOU LIVES IT’S A KITTYSAURUS REX! HIDE THE CATNIP! Seriously, since Universal is so close to a residential area it attracts the strays, and with the cold a bunch of kittens have take residence in Jurassic Park, and come out to visit. My daughter named them, so when you go say hi to Roosevelt, Rosalita, Caribou, and Thrillville. I love kitties, but its really not a good idea to feed them like I saw so many people do. All it does is attracts more cats, which in turn makes more kitties and that really isn’t good. They start to overrun the area and Universal is then forced to bring in Animal Control to deal with them, and I hate to see kitties go to the pound. Not to mention, the tend to get into ride areas and get hurt. So please, try to take one home…just don’t feed it in the park.
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In other JP news, work is moving along in the Trike Encounter area. Paths are being clear, and more and more props seem to be rolling out with a lot now visible in the old queue areas right behind the sales booths. There are no longer any props wrapped in bubble wrap, but instead a lot just out in the open which leads heavy to the speculation that we will see this return in some form around Spring Break.
As for Potter, work around Dragons is continuing so much that they have the entrance and exit down to one lane…not each…one lane. When I asked the guy working the line if they were going to close his only answer was “any day now.” I’ve heard to the contrary, but who knows. So much work is being done and needs to be done in that area that it’s not really safe. The Hogsmeade sign is covered up, and there is plywood on the ground which screams freshly poured concrete to me. From Dragons you can see the front of Three Broomsticks and its AMAZING.
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Also behind Three Broomsticks there are now mounds of dirt, again, sign of concrete work or some kind of electrical work going on. I dont see this thing being done by March 15th like we heard, or even by the beginning of April, so much still to be done. I just hope they don’t open until the whole shootin match is done.
And now random pictures
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