Universal Plaza

[William]

I bet the metal barriers for HHN aren't too kind to the fancy ground

Especially since they're moved back and forth for every night of HHN.

 

[Jon Fu]

Looks like the Studio Tour dog is gone.

 

[Red Carpet]

Looks like the Studio Tour dog is gone.

Did they add any new menu items to take its place?

 

[Jon Fu]

Did they add any new menu items to take its place?

I've heard something about an "Engagement Dog."

 

[Ryan]

Yeah, it's the same hot dog, just renamed to The Engagement Ring Dog. Not sure why they renamed it.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Gotta admit, calling it "the studio tour dog" is pretty random.

 

[Jon Fu]

Some executives from Pink's were in the park a few days ago, so maybe they didn't like what Universal did with the Studio Tour dog.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I mean, if I was in charge, I'd love to have unique menu items specific to USH that bring tribute to the attractions.

'Quake Dog which would have some "crunch" to it.

Kong 360-3Dog could maybe be some type of savory hot dog with a salted caramel and banana (hehe) topping.

Minion Dog, another banana or yellow dog.

Jurassic Park Dog, with a "T-Rex sized" jumbo dog and toppings.

Mummy Dog: hot dog wrapped in bacon "bandages" and other stuff

You get the point

 

[William]

Mmm... calories....

 

[Allen The Actor]

Hahaha! That was my own reaction when writing those ideas

 

[TSTLSOOM]

Box Office closed for a week to finish it up (was not ready at all) should be open today.

 

[Jon Fu]

Chris took some nice photos of Plaza at night:





IMG_3502 by InsideUniversal.net, on Flickr





IMG_3498 by InsideUniversal.net, on Flickr





IMG_3497 by InsideUniversal.net, on Flickr

 

[Allen The Actor]

So beautiful


I still wish an actual attraction of some sort was featured inside. Such a nice facade.

 

[Ryan]

So beautiful

I still wish an actual attraction of some sort was featured inside. Such a nice facade.

Behind the tower was originally a retail store... that got cut for no reason.

And in the original plans, the box office was to the left of the tower (where that arch is), and guests would've passed under the tower in Disney-esque fashion. They switched those for obvious crowd flow reasons.

 

[BruceTheShark]

"We've got some really exciting and cool plans for the new Plaza area to really take advantage of all this space."

"Eh, screw the cool stuff, make the front look nice and just add some water effects. That's good enough."

 

[Jon Fu]

"That's good enough."

Unfortunately, this is still the vibe I get from Universal's decision makers. Same thing happened with Transformers' facade, and the same attitude carried over to Universal Plaza.


If it weren't for Warner Brothers, I'm willing to bet that the same mindset would have transferred over to Wizarding World. Money is worthless if you aren't willing to go beyond "good enough" - especially when you're trying to compete with other world-class theme parks.

 

[smoaT]

I agree... this was bad. Remember how everyone in this site was excited to see the Plaza finished? We got screwed. The plaza is not even close to the original plans. Grinchmas got axed because they didn't build the stage they said they were going to build. Lets see what happens with Potter

 

[Ryan]

The plaza is not even close to the original plans. Grinchmas got axed because they didn't build the stage they said they were going to build.

Okay let's not exaggerate here.

The plaza actually is very close to the original plans. Here's what is missing/changed:

1) Retail store behind the tower was nixed

2) A (very) small stage behind Pink's was nixed

3) Pink's was originally themed like a studio backlot, with a smallish (short, but large) water tower-esque feature that bookended both the dining venue and the small stage. This was changed to induce a more cohesive theme.

4) The box office was originally not under the tower.

5) Finley's was supposedly going to be a Starbucks. However I believe this is just a rumor.

...and that's it. The rest of the Plaza is exactly how it was planned out.

Whether or not Grinchmas' tree lighting would've happened with or without the stage remains to be seen. It was an extremely small stage space that could hold the tree... maybe a celebrity reading but the crowd control would've still be an absolute nightmare to manage. I think that, guys, is the real issue here.

 

[Allen The Actor]

Yeah, let's not exaggerate. I still love Universal Plaza and I think Universal will definitely use it to its full potential eventually. I would've thought that the Spongebob event was a good test as to how they can set up a stage in the area.

 

[Chris]

So.... Why is Finley's under refurb only 3 months after it opened?