This Just In - Current USH Happenings

[Ryan]

http://insideuniversal.net/2017/01/universal-studios-hollywood-closes-due-to-capacity-poised-to-set-a-new-attendance-record/


Surprisingly, yesterday did not set a new record. Yesterday featured 44,700 guests versus January 1’s total of 44,858.

Probably because the crowds swelled earlier. Still, pretty close.

 

[Jon Fu]

New York Times released that in fact January 2nd was the most crowded day and not the 1st.

You mean the Los Angeles Times?


I mean, numbers are numbers. That's what I've heard, and they appear to be correct.

 

[SnideRemarksDept]

I think it's just a matter of semantics. On the 1st, the guest count was likely spread throughout the day because people were tired/hungover/etc. from the night before and weren't particularly eager to wake up before 7am for early park admission, coming in the afternoon instead and replacing those who left early. On the 2nd, with fewer widespread activities the night before, the bulk of the guests followed the normal pattern and arrived within the first few hours of the day, leading USH to close admission when the park became too full. So while Sunday was busier (higher guest count overall), Monday was more crowded (more guests in the park at the same time).

 

[ush.hacker]

You mean the Los Angeles Times?


I mean, numbers are numbers. That's what I've heard, and they appear to be correct.

Didn't actually read the article. I got informed that it was New York on my instagram.

 

[ItsAtrap]

Well, despite what that LA Times writer wrote USH broke the long standing Jurassic Park opening day number on Dec. 28, then got very close on Jan 1 and was even busier on Jan 2.  That seemed to catch them understaffed. I suspect that may be why they stopped selling tickets. I got in early on the 2nd and it seemed busy/normal but then I started meeting people who said it took them an hour from the freeway to the parking. I spoke to a couple of Japanese girls who told me the tram up the hill took them 25 minutes - not wait time, on the tram going up the hill.

 

[Alexshow.]

Walls are now up for the original studio directory and now with it going through the Waterworld Corridor..

 

[William]

Not major news, but while on the USH website I noticed that the Studio Tour and WWoHP attraction pages now have subcategories to avoid confusion about the number of attractions actually offered in the park:

 

[Armadillo4]

http://insideuniversal.net/2017/01/universal-studios-hollywood-closes-due-to-capacity-poised-to-set-a-new-attendance-record/


Surprisingly, yesterday did not set a new record. Yesterday featured 44,700 guests versus January 1’s total of 44,858.

What a difference one week makes. With pretty much all kids back in school and adults at work, wait times at the park today were very short--just one week after the almost-another-new-attendance-record-holiday. I wonder what the attendance is when the waits are this short. Is it approximately half--e.g. 20,000 guests, or even less? And I wonder if there is anything that USH can do to increase the weekday crowds during their true off-season. I think we thought WWoHP would help address that, but maybe it's not enough?

 

[Jonathan]

Those wait times don't really tell the whole story. The park had longer waits than that early on.

 

[SnideRemarksDept]

 I wonder what the attendance is when the waits are this short. Is it approximately half--e.g. 20,000 guests, or even less? And I wonder if there is anything that USH can do to increase the weekday crowds during their true off-season. I think we thought WWoHP would help address that, but maybe it's not enough?

The key is to look at the long term. "Off peak" is called that for a reason. If there were 10,000 guests in the park today, it may seem low. But if we compare that to, say, 5,000 guests on the same day last year, that's a 100% difference in just a year. I'd count that as a success.

 

[Ryan]

Yes. During off-peak before Potter, USH was sometimes only hosting crowds as small as 3 to 4K. Most of the rides there can run about half that in a single hour, and that's the whole park! So things may be indeed trending upward.

 

[SnideRemarksDept]

Is the Lower Lot opening an hour later than everything else new? Or did I just miss the memo?

Tomorrow's park hours are 9am-7pm. Potter opens 1 hour early (8:00), for "Early Entry Hour". The Upper Lot (Shrek and TWDA excluded) opens at 9:00, and the rides on the Lower Lot don't open until 10:00. I knew about the Early Entry for WWoHP, but the hour later for the Lower Lot is news to me. Has it always been like this and I just never noticed? Sorry if this is off topic, I wasn't sure where else to post this.

 

[Sydney]

Not a huge deal, but Luigi's and Phineas are closed. Not sure for how long.

 

[theatremouse]

Is the Lower Lot opening an hour later than everything else new? Or did I just miss the memo?

I don't know when it started but it's been that way since at least November.

 

[Ryan]

Not a huge deal, but Luigi's and Phineas are closed. Not sure for how long.

How busy does the park seem in comparison to before Potter?

 

[Alexshow.]

Mark Woodbury has now been officially appointed as Vice President of Universal Parks and Resorts, but will stay as the president of Universal Creative.


https://t.co/H0EAnMKkaz

 

[Sydney]

How busy does the park seem in comparison to before Potter?

Busier for sure, though I still find it odd that FJ has seemed to be garnering higher wait times lately than before Grinchmas. I often go to Universal on Saturdays and it hits a 100+ wait time almost every time now.

 

[underdog]

Mark Woodbury has now been officially appointed as Vice President of Universal Parks and Resorts, but will stay as the president of Universal Creative.


https://t.co/H0EAnMKkaz

It's actually Vice Chairman. This can only mean he is being groomed to succeed Tom Williams when he retires.

 

[eivega]

Busier for sure, though I still find it odd that FJ has seemed to be garnering higher wait times lately than before Grinchmas. I often go to Universal on Saturdays and it hits a 100+ wait time almost every time now.

My completely unscientific guess is that several people got passes as Christmas gifts.  In my personal sphere of friends I know A LOT of people who didn't visit the park during spring or summer last year but finally got passes over the holidays.  


I use to sneak over on my own during lunch but now have at least 3 coworkers who join me now.  That's a 400% increase in my little world.

 

[Alexshow.]

NBCUniversal is resuming on the purchasing of surrounding parcels near Universal City.


http://insideuniversal.net/2017/02/exclusive-nbcuniversal-resumes-purchase-of-surrounding-parcels-near-universal-city/