Universal Orlando News & Planning Thread

It’s been ages since I’ve seen it in person. I’m not sure I would notice the difference anyway :rofl: . I just hope it’s done by the time we get there, either way.

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Wait, what???

I thought this was just a renovation.

Are they actually changing it??

Why why why???

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It used to look like Hogwarts.

If it no longer looks like Hogwarts I think people will notice :face_with_monocle:

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Surely they wouldn’t do that.

I was thinking it’s a minor change, not that noticeable (especially to someone like me that’s not been for a minute), maybe to combat wear in the sun or something, since I remember reading about the negotiations that made it so important to be true to the movies (or books, whatever) with appearances, etc. But maybe? Maybe they would…which I agree would be bonkers…I guess we shall see…

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It’s just getting a refresh paint job. I’ve seen a side-by-side comparison with opening year and 2026 on VincentVision (YT vlogger)

It really has faded a lot in 20 years!

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First F&F coaster track installed

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Ooooh!!! That’s exciting!!!

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Universal Hollywood just released the promotional video for their F&F coaster yesterday. It is going to be the fastest coaster of any Universal attraction!

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But will it also be the furiousest?

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Is it going to be the same at both parks?

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That probably depends on whether the velocitaptors have been fed or not.

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There’s no way it’s been 20 years!!! I guess rounding up it has. But dang, I was an adult when it opened and I don’t think of myself has being old enough to have ben an adult for near 20 years :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

I am reserving judgement until I see the new paint in person but I am also concerned it will be not Hogwarts. We’ll be there in 50 days so hopefully they’ll be done by then!!

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It’s designed by the same company using the same ride vehicles. The track layout will be different as the Hollywood coaster is, literally, bulit on the said of a cliff / hill!

It’s supposed to be done around May 21, 2026

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Hey friends, looking for your help with ticket-buying decisions. Always appreciate your savvy and practicality.

I was at UOR in Nov–Dec last year and I’m tentatively planning to return this December (possibly solo but perhaps with my sister if I can rope her in). I’ve booked flights (with miles) and a room at Terra Luna, both fully refundable—so I can cancel without penalty so far.

This started as a low-probability proposition but I’m feeling a bit more positive about it lately. Odds I’m going are now maybe 60–40.

Should I start thinking about buying park tickets now? My impression is that the farther out you buy, the cheaper the tickets. Same with express pass. Is that generally true? (When I bought tickets for 2025, the whole pricing model was completely different.)

I’m leaning toward a 3-day multi-park ticket, with no express pass, or maybe one day of Epic express pass.

I haven’t been closely following all the recent options regarding third-party sellers, discounts, refundability, etc. Ideally I’d lock in a good deal now that’s refundable (with maybe a 5% restocking fee or whatever). Any advice? What would you do?

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I started buying tickets and Express Pass about 6 months out for my upcoming trip, and can see that ticket costs have stayed pretty stable but Express Pass has just gone up the closer we get to my dates. I would definitely recommend buying Express Pass as soon as you can.

I bought my tickets and 1 day Epic Express Passes on Attraction Tickets - they offer full refunds until the day before your arrival on the UK site! So your main risk is currency fluctuation (you could get back less than you spent - or you could get more!) AT also has a US site but I can’t recall the exact cancellation conditions.

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Thanks! I forgot about the Attraction Tickets option, that’s yet another complication. Is that only available as a UK site? What are the other benefits of going through them, besides refundability—better price? Is the express pass refundable too? If so, that seems like a no-brainer—buy now! No risk (aside from the currency fluctuation).

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AT’s prices are pretty competitive especially when they have sales - I got mine in the Black Friday sale. The 20% off on their 14 day PH ticket was less than a 4-day ticket from UOR directly! You only pay an initial deposit, then full amount around 2 months out.

Both the tickets and XPs are fully refundable even after the final payment.

I also recently changed the starting date on the ticket and it was super easy. I’ll only be using it for 4-5 days but those days shifted slightly and they found me a starting date at the same price point as my original ticket that included an extra day I needed at the end.

There’s an Attraction Tickets thread somehere here in the Forum that’s very useful.

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Thanks, I’ve seen that but haven’t read it closely—I’ll revisit!

My tentative schedule was going to have several days with no park tickets—several more than I usually allow. I might have to rethink that if the 14-day ticket is so reasonable.

Tentative plan is (or was):

Dec 1: Arrive, check in to Terra Luna around 1:30 or 2:00. Chill by the pool if weather permits.
Dec 2–4: Visit all 3 UOR parks.
Dec 5: Chill by the pool if weather permits. Go to Jollywood in WDW (Lyft back & forth).
Dec 6: Check out and depart for airport around 10:00am.

I guess if I got a 14-day ticket I could also do park time on Dec 1, 5 and 6 as well (could get a later flight home). Something to think about, although I was sorta looking forward to being forced to slow down on the non-park days!

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I’ve been looking at attraction tickets for a November trip. I don’t see any benefit of booking UK vs the US side. Am I missing something?

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Yeah I see now that NTEI mentioned there’s a US site (I missed that on first reading). I have the same question.

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