May has come and sadly gone leaving us with a universe of memories; but we now welcome June with open arms and excited smiles of new experiences at the resort.

Kicking off this edition, lets talk plastic, Plastic passes for annual pass holders that it is.

The resort has confirmed that annual passes will now be distributed on plastic media, replacing the paper media now in use. The new passes will come in purple (power pass), teal (preferred pass) and yellow (Premier pass).

Those wishing to exchange their pass can visit the park daily between 10am and 6pm from June 3 through 19 at either the Jurassic Park Discovery Center or Cafe La Bamba.

While we are celebrating new passes, How about we give a huge round of applause to the cast, crew and guests who have contributed to the 11 year run of Fear Factor Live. The show celebrated its 10,000 performance this month.

10,000 performances is a sweet run for a show. Speaking of sweet runs, we will soon all be running to CityWalk to visit Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen.

You may have noticed the factory term has melted away and Emporium has taken its place.

As exterior work continues, the framing for the entry has been covered with building materials and, as the month closes, those materials are being finished. Around the site, workers are still working harder than Oompa Loompas to complete the new venue.

While at the studios park, progress on the parks two newest attractions is moving along

The Race through New York starring Jimmy Fallon building continues its metamorphosis into the new attraction.

Exterior work pacing has slowed for the time being, but interior work is moving quickly.

As the once single level structure transitions into multiple levels.

and workers are racing to finish electrical and structural components inside of the building.

Over the month not a lot of visible change has happened on the site; however, the appearance of two cranes on site may indicate that structural work will be starting soon.



In addition to those two large-scale projects, Coke’s Robo-Oasis project is still in progress after several months.

A brand new street show and meet and greet with Marilyn Monroe debuted on the streets of New York during the month.

Not really new this month; however, we posted the Super Star Parade on our YouTube channel. Now you can relive your Universal day from home.

Next door, the month of May Roared in with two incredible and furry announcements.

Officials at the resort released and confirmed many details about the relaunch of The Incredible Hulk.



The brand new coaches will feature a sleek modern new look to rock your socks off as you roar around the new track listening to an original score via in-seat audio score composed by Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy.

Before boarding the trains, you have to enter the attraction. A completely redesigned entry portal will feature a colossal Hulk supporting a section of track complete a passing train. Attention Coaster Nerd Alert: This section of track and train were both salvaged from the original attraction.

New train and a new entry portal, we can not stop there! A complete queue redesign will also be featured in the new attraction.

This redesign will allow for a completely new story to be told at the attraction.

General Thaddeus Ross is calling for volunteers for a new experiment. Your only warning is that you’ll be subjected to high levels of gamma radiation through a process called Hulk-a-fication – a potentially life-altering process first introduced by Dr. Bruce Banner. The story begins the moment you enter the building – which has been redesigned as a state-of-the-art military research compound, commanded by General Ross. Inside, General Ross is conducting an array of questionable, bio-radiological experiments. You’ll pass by laboratories containing high-tech equipment his team uses to execute his mysterious tests. Next, you’ll arrive at the Gamma core – an intense energy source that sends pulsing waves of radiation upward to fuel General Ross’s experiment. Not to worry – a thick pane of glass will protect you from direct exposure to the radioactive core. As you move along, you’ll witness the transformation of your predecessors as they undergo the perilous Hulk-a-fication process. The end result is said to give subjects magnificent strength and a forceful amount of energy. Will you emerge as the military’s next super soldier…or something else entirely?

The actual progress of the attraction is moving along great. The trains have started making cycles around the track.

As you can see in the photos above, the netting has returned beneath the roll. The netting was installed shortly before trains began making cycles.

The newly designed queue and entry are also making incredible strides in completion each day. The entry portals are beginning to come together, as well as, major work on the exterior of the queue building can almost be seen on a daily basis.

Universal knows we want to see what progress is being made, so the park has very kindly added some gamma radiation exhaust ports along the walls.

The designers of the attraction are just as excited as we are about it. Here is what they have to say:

I am really getting excited about the return of the attraction. The ride will be much smoother, the effects will fantastic and who doesn’t love on-ride audio.

Our banana loving furry little friend, in the back of the park, is getting cabin fever. Skull Island: Reign of Kong is all but complete.

Overall, there were very few noticeable changes over the month; however, we now have fog flowing from the tree lines around the site.

Also, many of the fire, audio and queue effects have been reported to be testing during park close hours.

The resort itself shared a little about our encounter with Kong over the month.

This larger than life encounter will take place near the finale of the attraction in which we will come face to face with the three-story tall Kong. The encounter with the beast will be nothing like we have seen to date as we feel the breath of the beast (does it smell like bananas?) and appreciate the power of his mighty roar.

The audio for the area is amazing. This powerful and adventurous track sets the mood for the attraction. Have a listen to a short sample:

Though it has been featured in the ride since opening, The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman has finally officially and actually added an on-ride photo to the popular attraction.

To buy your photo, visit the stand as you exit the gift shop, after the ride.

New Secret Life of Pets merchandise has been added to various shops around the resort.

Food Find

For the month of May, I chose the Chicken & Waffle Sandwich from Cletus’ Chicken Shack paired with a Mr Teeny from Moe’s Tavern, all on Fast Food Boulevard.

This delicious sandwich featured two waffles, a double breaded chicken breast topped with maple mayo served with a large handful of tater tots.

Mr. Teeny can make a great lemon aid! This refreshing beverage features a strong lemon taste with a generous splash of pineapple juice and blue Curacao syrup.

Lastly, Universal’s signature water park is quickly taking shape. So far, we have two posts on the progress of the new park.

See you around the Universe!

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