Universal Studios Hollywood announced today that it will reopen to the public on Friday, April 16.
(Yep. We called that one.)
Tickets will be available online starting April 8. Visitors must purchase a date-specific ticket to visit, and purchases are limited to California residents. For the park's annual passholders, Universal Studios Hollywood will offer a series of "bonus days" when passholders may use their passes to visit the park, starting with a preview day on April 15.
Passholders may start make reservations for bonus days via the Universal website on April 5. Annual passes will become valid for regular admission starting May 17.
"We are incredibly thrilled to finally be able to open Universal Studios Hollywood, return team members to work and welcome guests back to enjoy our amazing rides," Universal Studios Hollywood President & COO Karen Irwin said. "It has been a very challenging year and we are overjoyed to have arrived at this moment."
Capacity will be limited, per state regulations, however Los Angeles County is about to enter the state's Orange tier, meaning that Universal should be able to open at 25 percent capacity. The park is advising that not all attractions will be available when the park returns. However, Universal is promoting that The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash and the refurnished Jurassic World - The Ride will be available.
Update: Universal being sassy, as usual.
We announced our opening date. See how easy it is?
— Universal Studios Hollywood (@UniStudios) March 30, 2021
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Technically, Universal is presenting the indoor area before you load the SLoP ride vehicles as walk-through scenes rather than a queue, so I don't think they'll skip that "apartment tour" part of the experience. The attraction will use a Virtual Line when it debuts, too.
Do we have any info on what's happening to the Walking Dead space?
@Russell Meyer
SLoP will debut when the park opens.
@Postcott:
I’ve been told by my management since last year before the park closed that the space will only used for Halloween Horror Nights.
When it comes to the refurnished Jurassic World ride, did it receive a new, new update or are they talking about the original update from 2019 that turned it into Jurassic World from Jurassic Park?
Assuming the Waterworld show closed? Among the things missed last year was it celebrating its 25th anniversary (which is still fun how most have long forgotten the movie it's based on).
Do think this can work as it's less a pure theme park than Orlando so not as much to have to get ready but interesting seeing how rides will work under guidelines.
Any word on the studio tour portion? Will this influence the other studio tours in town to reopen?
Manny, rumors are that Jurassic World has gotten a new I-Rex for the finale to replace the temporary one that was installed when the ride first opened.
The refurbishment was for the full-body I-Rex(It was set to debut the week of Easter of last year but COVID happened). Jurassic World was rushed to open, while not fully completed, as a way to compete with Galaxy’s Edge.
While many rumors are rampant that they added more dinosaurs and such, I’m here to tell everyone that they are false. Only a new I-Rex.
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The question is whether Secret Life of Pets will also debut on April 15, or if they hold the new attraction back until they can increase capacity or queue/preshow/throughput restrictions are reduced.
Personally, I'd hate to experience a brand new ride for the very first time where I was forced to circumvent the pre-shows, so if California restrictions won't allow guests to properly build up to this new attraction as UC intended, does it make sense for USH to even open it? Yes, pre-shows can be a bear after you've gone through the attraction a few times - Led Zeppelin The Ride at Hard Rock Park famously forced guests to wait in the preshow theater before they could board the trains even if there was nobody on the platform because the licensing agreement for the music mandated that guests hear the ENTIRE song (Whole Lotta Love) from start to finish - but those pre-shows are essential to fully appreciate the attraction.