Universal Studios Hollywood expansion
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In preparation of Hogsmeade Opening, Universal Studios are trialing variable pricing so you pay a lower price when booking for quieter days.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-universal-tickets-20160202-story.html

Some different angles on Hogsmeade from TheRedsteeltv. It's the first time I have seen steam coming out of the Hogwarts Express in Hollywood.





Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzYAbsmrXK8

So what will be expected when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter officially opens on April?

The new themed land will include the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey motion-based simulator ride inside a replica of the Hogwarts castle. Forbidden Journey is generally considered to be one of the best rides in the amusement industry.

The family-friendly Flight of the Hippogriff by German-based Mack Rides will be slightly taller (50 feet), longer (1.300 feet) and faster (40 mph) than the Florida version of the roller coaster.

The Potter land in Florida featured the re-themed Dragon Challenge dueling twin-track roller coaster which won’t be replicated in California.

More about it here:
http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-wizarding-world-harry-potter-universal-studios-hollywood-20160114-story.html

@UniversalCore11 got amazing photos of Wizarding World today, they report that soft openings will occur next month! They got queue photos of the Forbidden Forest also!

We are exactly 3 months and 2 days until Universal Studios Hollywood officially opens The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! This post won't entirely pertain to Potter, but there are other park developments currently to accommodate more crowds soon. Here's a few photos from ParkJourney.com



In the photo above, a sign was put up about work in progress, plays nice with the theme of Harry Potter.



Like in my previous post, the construction walls were pushed back inside of the arch.



What you are looking here is the new refreshed front entrance, and this building will be home to a huge expansion of the existing Universal Studios Store, with a dedicated Potter section in the middle of it.



They have made their entry plaza a lot more open, as they anticipate large crowds coming in the next couple of months. And they have installed extra security measures like at the Disneyland Resort.

Original article: http://www.parkjourney.com/universal-studios/142016-wizarding-world-hollywood-update

Happy 2016 everyone! We are about 3 more months until the official grand opening of #WizardingWorldHollywood!

There aren't many photos in my opinion that need continual updating, since at this point all the stuff is internal.

The latest update so far is they have moved the main construction wall behind the main entry way to the land (still not accessible to public). It's one step closer for tourists to be immersed inside the Wizarding World!

Tweet by @ryanthemepark: https://twitter.com/Ryanthemepark/status/682303636022673408



Also, the return time ticket systems have been installed between Shrek 4D and Universal Plaza, which is essentially Disney's Fastpass System technically, but for a land.

It was reported earlier today that more walls were pushed back more, revealing more of #WizardingWorldHollywood between Springfield and the Studio Tour entry plaza.

After Orlando and Osaka, this is the third time Comcast Universal opens the exact same Harry Potter land elsewhere once again. No incentive for fans to visit all three. Bad planning.

Good quality video with Harry Potter footage mixed in (skip through to 7:46:00 for the most substantial footage of Wizarding World)
Was taken on 1/1/2016 and looks like new signs have been added since last month. I doubt we will see much more now until opening as it's looking complete and especially if we are expecting soft opening this month.







Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtynSg2dHeE

They also filmed the Hippogriff trains testing on the track on Twitter @UniversalCore11

January 10th is most likely the soft opening...

Filmed on December 12th this video by Universal Core shows a complete looking Hogwarts and the track of Flight of the Hippogriff. If I didn't know better this looks open for guests, fans working in the queue line and everything looks ready to go.







Source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR84lWtezLJA5jV4C7uSSwg