The van is parked in front of the Universal Cinemark in CityWalk, which is also decorated for the Super Mario Bros. Movie.

For a limited time, guests can stop by the Universal Cinemark and snap some pics of the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing van. It’s completely decked out with pipes and a ladder on top, and you’ll even notice scuffs along the sides and dirt at the bottom.

You’ll find the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing logo on each side of the van, one with Mario and the other with Luigi.

The entire van is themed and makes a great photo op to promote the new movie. Check out the final trailer for the new movie here.

Make sure you call the phone number on the back of the van. And visit the website, too! You won’t be disappointed.

Will you be seeing the Super Mario Bros. Movie when it arrives in theaters? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for more updates!

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Let’s check out some of the new additions, including character banners on Sound Stage V.

The bright orange awning of the building has now received some “V” shaped black and purple markings.

Closer to the entrance of the attraction, the Villain-Con eyes and logo have been added in white.

The newly renamed Sound Stage V was getting ready for banners in our last update and now 3 villains have appeared.

First, we have Scarlet. Supervillain Scarlet Overkill, voiced by Sandra Bullock, is the main antagonist of the film “Minions” and one of three antagonists seen in “Minions: The Rise of Gru.” She also makes an appearance on the billboards on the side of the building.

Vector needs no introduction. Victor “Vector” Perkins makes his first appearance in the original “Despicable Me” film. He is now prominently featured on the facade of Villain-Con Minion Blast, alongside Scarlet.

Eduardo Perez, better known as El Macho, is the main supervillain featured in “Despicable Me 2.” El Macho takes over another spot on the building, but there are still plenty of frames left over for more supervillains around Villain-Con.

The new Minions “Villain-Con” attraction will replace Shrek 4-D just across from Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. It can’t be much longer before the building is completed and the construction walls come down from around the exterior.

A new gift shop will be part of this new Universal Studios Florida attraction. Dubbed “Evil Stuff,” this shop is right across from the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem gift shop, Super Silly Stuff. If you can’t wait to get your Minions gear, you might want to stop by the Super Silly Stuff shop to pick up this new ‘Minions’ Tim the Bear Ear Headband.

If you’re a Florida resident and want to check out the construction progress yourself, a deal announced by Universal Studios will allow guests to enjoy three days at Universal Orlando Resort for the price of one. Universal Orlando’s newest offer for Florida residents is available now and can be used on non-consecutive days until the offer expires on September 29, 2023.

With the pre-existing attraction, Villain-Con Minion Blast, and Minion Cafe, this entire section of Universal Studios Florida will become the Minion-inspired land Illumination Avenue. The new theming may even extend to the Betty Boop store near the park’s entrance. We’re eagerly awaiting more announcements for this attraction, so be sure to stay tuned to Universal Parks News Today for more updates.

Are you excited for construction to finish at the site of the future Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast? Let us know if you’re feeling villainous in the comments below!

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Tim Bear Character Headband – $18

The furry brown ear headband has a pair of button eyes and a little black nose for Tim’s face.

These headbands were spotted at the Universal Studios Store in CityWalk and Super Silly Stuff in Universal Studios Florida. Universal Studios Japan has a huge selection of character headbands and this is something we’ve seen available in Osaka.

What do you think of this Tim the bear character headband? Will you be wearing this on your next visit to the parks? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to Universal Parks News Today for more updates!

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Deforestation at the E.T. Adventure! The trees and planters at the exit of the E.T. Adventure are gone and the open area is now designated for stroller parking. The trees in the area added a lot of beauty to the attraction, so we will miss them.

Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone at Universal Studios Florida closed earlier this year to make room for something new. The E.T. Adventure was not effected by the closure, but we can see some of the changes starting to creep closer. Planters and seating were removed from the area, followed by construction walls going up between the restrooms and E.T.’s Toy Closet. The walls have come down now, revealing fresh new pavement.

The barricades guide guests from the exit of the attraction directly into the gift shop.

The E.T. Adventure forest smell is iconic and it feels slightly off to have the trees removed from the attraction. What do you think of the change to the area? With the temporary barricades in place, there will most likely be more changes in this area, so stay tuned to Universal Parks News Today for more updates.

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The store carries apparel in youth sizes plus accessories and toys. A Hello Kitty display sits front and center.

“Despicable Me” and “E.T.” merchandise is also available.

Cutouts featuring ET and the Minions are above the shelves.

A one-eyed Minion in a unicorn onesie is seen next to Agnes and a fluffy unicorn plush.

E.T. is next to a miniature version of his spaceship.

The “Secret Life of Pets” merchandise is here after being removed from Super Silly Fun Stuff.

Other merchandise includes “The Simpsons” and “Trolls.”

The Hollywood section of Universal Studios Florida used to be a very quiet spot in the park, but there’s been a lot of action over here lately. You can find the Tribute Store in this part of the park as well as Halloween Horror Nights 32 merchandise in the 5 & 10.

Spongebob merchandise is also available. And technically, yes, they are still selling some hats.

Hiccup and Toothless are above a small section of “How to Train Your Dragon” merchandise.

There’s a little “Jurassic Park” and Seuss options available as well.

Here at UPNT, we love hats on lights, so we were glad to see the chandelier is adorned.

This update isn’t quite as exciting as the temporary prop shop was, but it’s still better than being closed. What do you think of the changes to the store? Will you be stopping into the Brown Derby Hat Shop to do a little shopping on your next visit to Universal Studios Florida?

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The sound stage was previously Sound Stage 4-D when it housed Shrek 4-D, but has now become Sound Stage V. Sounds pretty villainous, right?

The back of the building is labeled Sound Stage 40, though!

Along the front of the building, facing Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, we can see an outline for what will most likely be Villain-Con posters.

A few of the brackets along the walls have been removed and it looks like there are outlines for several different posters.

We’ve spotted a few of the queue posters over the construction walls and there are new billboards along the side of the building, so we’re excited to see what is added to the front of the sound stage.

Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast looks nearly finished, but no opening date has been announced at this time. Be sure to stay tuned to Universal Parks News Today for more construction updates and details on the opening of Villain-Con Minion Blast!

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The anticipation has been growing for the new attraction. We’ve been watching the entrance take shape, billboards go up, and the final letters being installed on the sign. This morning, we watched some of the final letters for “Villain-Con” going up. Some of the sign is covered in a black tarp, which seems kind of villainous at this point.

Minion Cafe continues to grow and there’s more blue paint on the Transformers building. We don’t know the menu yet, but it could possibly look like the one in Hollywood.

The E.T. Adventure recently got updated passports and new posters, but now the trees next to the attraction are being removed. Deforestation at the E.T. Adventure! Temporary planters are blocking the exit, but it really looks empty now without the trees. That one leaning tree is hanging in there! The planter in this area was recently removed, too, so we’ll be watching this area for more changes. Now that KidZone is gone and getting an upgrade, it will be interesting to see what happens with the E.T. Adventure.

The buildings in New York have been getting refreshed a bit lately. It’s really nice to see the old versus the new. It really makes a big difference, so it’s nice to see maintenance taking place.

Over at Islands of Adventure, we stopped into the Trading Company and found two new interactive Jurassic World plush. They have Velcro wrist straps so you can carry them, and they move and make sounds. Take a closer look at both of them in our post here.

It’s a Monday afternoon, so the crowds aren’t too bad. There are some larger groups in the park, but overall, today was pretty relaxed.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure only had an 80 minute wait. That’s not too bad.

A few of the windows in Hogsmeade are covered up. One of them is a spell location, so we’re hoping no witches or wizards spent too much time trying to cast a spell here.

Just checking in on the good and bad dinos of the week. This is such a fun little detail and one of the many reasons that the Jurassic Park Discovery Center is such a treasure.

Don’t panic, but there may be an asset out of containment. Does this kid know he’s volunteering to be bait for the dino trap?

A section of pavement is blocked off in Toon Lagoon for repair. The walls are only around a small area, but they’re not blocking off the attraction or the store.

The fruit sign is back! The letters look beautiful, too. The sign has been missing since the area completed refurbishment a while back, so it’s nice to see it make its return.

The new stand in Marvel Super Hero Island got some additions, but still no signage.

The Sneetches are still missing from the beaches, but there’s a bunch of ducks! And ducklings! It’s been beautiful today and enjoying this view is the best way to end the day.

Thanks for following us around the parks today! We’re gonna get out of here, but be sure to stay tuned to Universal Parks News Today for more updates!

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Villain-Con has been making a lot of progress very quickly. There have been new banners added along the sides of the building and more details on the sign. There’s been new signage and details installed since this article, so check out the post here for the most up-to-date look at Villain-Con.

We were shocked to see the side of the Transformers building is being painted blue! It’s a very bright blue that looks like it could be trying to “hide” the building so it blends in.

While in the parks, Universal Orlando made an announcement for Halloween Horror Nights dates and tickets are on sale now! Following the announcement, new HHN 32 merchandise was made available at the 5 & 10 at Universal Studios Florida and the All Hallows Eve Boutique in Islands of Adventure. Take a look at all the new “See You in the Fog” merchandise here.

The posters in the E.T. Adventure queue have finally been updated. They look amazing. It’s nice to see this attraction getting some love. New Passports recently debuted, too. Let’s just hope we see some refurbishment on some on the animatronics.

Mardi Gras merchandise around the parks has been discounted. Most items are 30% off, including the cup carrier and Freestyle tumbler.

Over at Islands of Adventure, we were surprised to find Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure only had a 65 minute wait around noon. Last week’s spring break crowds are gone, but these low crowds won’t last for much longer.

The Betty Boop Store in Toon Lagoon has permanently closed. The new Passholder lounge will take over this location and we can’t wait to see it. Stay tuned for more Passholder perk announcements soon!

There are a few barricades up in Marvel Super Hero Island, most likely for a quick refurbishment to the pavement in the area.

Down by the lagoon in Port of Entry, it appears that a stage or some sort of structure will be built in this area. It’s most likely temporary and could possibly be used for filming due to the “Hot Set” sign, or maybe something for Grad Bash and Gradventure.

Thanks for following us around the parks today. If you wanna take another look at our full day in the parks, be sure to watch the video below.

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“See You in the Fog” Shirt – $33

This new shirt features this year’s event tagline, “See You in the Fog.” It even glows in the dark.

“See You in the Fog” Hat – $30

“See You in the Fog” Magnet – $9

“See You in the Fog” Candle – $26

It smells generically clean, like baby powder or laundry detergent.

“See You in the Fog” Mug – $16

This merchandise collection is currently available in the 5 & 10 in the Hollywood section of Universal Studios Florida, across from the Mardi Gras Tribute Store, and the All Hallows Eve Boutique at Islands of Adventure. As with last year’s original merchandise release, these items will most likely only be available while supplies last and will not be released again during the event. Grab your Halloween Horror Nights 32 merchandise while you can, and we’ll see you in the fog!

You can also purchase the merchandise online here.

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The dates for the event this year are:

• September: 1-3, 6-10, 13-17, 20-24, & 27-30
• October: 1, 4-8, 11-15, 18-22, 25-29, & 31

Tickets are on sale now on the Universal Orlando Resort website here.

Express Passes are available starting at $109.99 per person, with variable date-based pricing.

The RIP Tour returns, with prices starting at $299.99.

Unmasking the Horror Tours also return, starting at $119.99 for the 3-house tour and $169.99 for the 6-house tour.

At this time, only one house announcement has been made, for a Chucky house, but you can always check out the latest speculation map for other possible houses. More announcements will continue to be made over the next few months leading up to the start of the event, so make sure you stay tuned to Universal Parks News Today for more updates. We’ll see you in the fog!

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It doesn’t feel too crazy yet, but it’s certainly much more crowded here for a Monday morning. Many people start the day at Islands of Adventure to try to ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, so we always recommend starting at Universal Studios Florida for a more chill morning.

Not too much had changed around the entrance of Villain-Con on this day, but you can check out our post here for the latest update. Along the side of the entrance, there has been a small damaged section that has been repaired and painted purple, though. That’s a good sign at least.

Inside the Silver Screen gift shop, one of the merchandise walls was recently removed and covered by a curtain. The construction wall on the outside of the building covers this area, which is normally a “window” to the right side of the store entrance. The interior of the store is still themed to Betty Boop, even though the sign above the entrance was recently removed.

The Minion Cafe is making a little more progress now that the new structure is starting to get enclosed from the top. There’s pieces of metal going in along the roof of the building, but there’s a square in the center that’s still open.

No more climbing wall in New York. Even though the pegs have been removed, there’s a barricade blocking off the alley.

The Cinematic Celebration lagoon show has ended permanently, but a new show is coming soon. Rumors say we could even see drones in the new show, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Construction walls have come down around the area in World Expo and the restrooms by MIB Gear are open again. The pavement has gotten updated and the area looks nice and refreshed. There’s one small section that’s still barricaded, but the rest of the area is open.

If you purchase a Mardi Gras Coca-Cola Freestyle cup from the stand towards the back of the park, near Men in Black, you get free Coca-Cola Mardi Gras beads. These are fun and a nice little perk when you buy a Freestyle cup.

Now let’s check out the latest updates at Islands of Adventure. We stopped into the All Hallows Eve Boutique to take in some spooky vibes. If you’re in need of a little Halloween in your life, be sure to stop in for a spell.

In the Lost Continent, the construction wall behind the Mystic Fountain has gotten an update. It now looks like doors rather than a plain construction wall.

Hogsmeade is packed, but we’re just passing through. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure had a 2 hour wait, which isn’t too bad considering it’s the start of Spring Break.

The “good dino” and “bad dino” of the week signs in the Jurassic Park Discovery Center are so cute. If you’ve never visited the Jurassic Park Discovery Center, you’re missing out. The geneticists are always a lot of fun to interact with.

There was a brief afternoon shower, so everyone ran for cover. The stores and restaurants are always packed when it rains.

As soon as the sun comes back out, the poncho-wearing crowds emerge from their shelters. At least the sun is shining, for now.

Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges and Wimpy’s have reopened from refurbishment. A rainy day is the best time for water rides.

Me Ship, the Olive is still closed for refurb, but we can see fresh paint and details under the scaffolding. This play area should be reopening soon.

Mummy Minion! There’s a new mummy Minion plush prize at the skill games in Toon Lagoon.

That’s all for this visit! Thanks for joining us around the parks today. We’ll be back again soon, so stay tuned to Universal Parks News Today for more updates.

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Right on time. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure has reopened. And there’s already a wait. We arrived during Early Park Admission and found the ride had a 2 hour wait. By the time the park officially opened, the line had a 180 minute wait. The entrance has gotten a fresh coat of paint, and the path in the queue has reopened after repairing damage from Hurricane Ian. Take a closer look in our post here.

Personally, I would rather spend 2 hours in line at the end of the day, so I opted to go into Honeydukes. With the hot weather starting to creep in, we’re excited to see that Honeydukes is now selling prepackaged ice cream. There are four flavors in the case, which are also available inside Three Broomsticks. It can be a bit difficult to get into the restaurant most days, so having these grab-and-go ice creams inside Honeydukes is a great alternative. Obviously, Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour in Diagon Alley is the ultimate place to get a cold treat in the Wizarding World, but these are also really delicious. There’s Butterbeer, Dutch Chocolate, Strawberry Peanut Butter, and Vanilla to choose from. Strawberry Peanut Butter is my personal favorite!

With everyone in line for the attractions first thing in the morning, this is a great time to get some good photos of Hogwarts Castle. The bridge was empty. Perfect timing!

VelociCoaster had a 60 minute wait compared to the 180 minute wait at Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. There’s a good chance people who didn’t want to wait 3 hours decided to ride VelociCoaster instead.

We backtracked to the Lost Continent and found even more spooky stuff in the All Hallows Eve Boutique. We found a spell book the other day, and now there’s a beautiful cauldron bubbling and boiling in the back of the store. It looks like a pair of trick-or-treaters are conjuring up a spell. Is it Halloween yet?

Over in Toon Lagoon, we found Marmaduke has escaped his leash. The rope that usually hangs from Marmaduke’s collar is missing.

Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges is scheduled to reopen soon, but we can see that there’s still some last minute work happening around the entrance of the attraction.

There are a lot of tour groups in the parks, so certain areas look crowded when you encounter them, but for the most part, it’s been a quiet morning. A lot of this could be due to the reopening of Hagrid’s, too.

In the Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe, most of the Earl the Squirrel merchandise is now 30% off, including the Spirit Jersey. Time to stock up for the holidays. Let’s head out of here and see what’s new at Universal Studios Florida next.

There’s a little bit of painting along the edge of the entrance to the new Villain-Con attraction. It looks like this could be painted purple very soon. There’s a thin strip of purple on the right side and another small patch of paint at the top.

Not too many changes to Minion Cafe.

The Canada food truck was closed, oddly. All the other Mardi Gras booths in the park were open, but we were surprised to see that Canada was closed today.

The pegs along the lower half of the rock climbing walls have been removed. We noticed the climbing wall was recently blocked off, and now this appears to confirm the closure of the climbing experience.

The San Francisco Candy Company has gotten a bit of an updated look inside. There’s some new rustic decor displayed in the store. This is an interesting change.

The Media Center is open for previews. If a Team Member asks you to participate in the preview, we encourage you to do it. There is often a gift card given to you for your time.

Time for a snack! The Liege Waffles from the Belgium booth are some of our favorite items from Mardi Gras this year. We’re eating as many of them as we can before the event ends.

That’s all for this visit to the Universal Orlando Resort. Thanks for following us around the parks today. We’ll be back again soon, so stay tuned for more updates!

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As soon as we arrived, we spotted a brand new Minion popcorn bucket. This refillable popcorn bucket features Bob the Minion and his bear Tim taking a selfie together. The phone lights up and makes a sound effect when you press the button on the handle. The back pops open to carry your popcorn. These are $29 each and come with a first fill of popcorn for free and discounted refills after.

Mardi Gras jewelry is now 50% off. Let the good times (and sales) roll!

Just a quick look at Minion Cafe. There’s sheathing along some of the building and a few more additions to the frame.

KidZone is no more. We can see Woody’s Nuthouse Coaster track, but everything else in the area seems to have been demolished, from what we can tell. It will be interesting to see if the old coaster track will remain with a new theme.

The greatest ride of all time, the E.T. Adventure, has received updated Interplanetary Passports. The old card design has been retired and the new design is in use. Click here to check out those new passports! And yes, E.T. did say my name!

The crowds were really low today. The weather was perfect, too.

In Springfield, right near the Simpsons Ride, this mysterious covered thing has appeared. It almost looks like it could be for a game. Not too long ago, the Sledge Homer game was removed from this area and replaced by benches. Could this be a sign of a new game in the area? The construction walls are still up around the attraction, so maybe there are a few changes coming to Springfield soon.

Inside the Coca-Cola store by Men in Black: Alien Attack, the “Name Your Bottle” has returned. The tablet is back and you can type your name and see the image of a bottle appear with your name on it on a screen. It’s just something fun.

The barrel tables near the Germany food booth have been replaced with these bigger tables. These look like the perfect spot to enjoy some delicious food.

Over at Islands of Adventure, the park was very quiet. Enjoy it while it lasts because Spring Break crowds are coming!

When there’s no line at Fire Eater’s Grill, this is a great spot to grab a quick bite. These pita and tzatziki is just $3.99 and is a nice snack when you’re on the go

The All Hallows Eve Boutique has even more spooky decorations. There are calendars, images from the Tribute Store from last Halloween Horror Nights, and even a spell book. If you’re ready for Halloween, visit the All Hallows Eve Boutique at Islands of Adventure. And check out the first HHN speculation map of the year!

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is preparing to reopen soon. but construction walls are still up. Just over the top of the wall, we can see the arch for the entrance has been painted.

A quiet afternoon in Hogsmeade, thanks to the closure of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

Universal recently started offering frozen and cold Butterbeer without topping to make it dairy-free and vegan-friendly. Butterbeer just isn’t Butterbeer without that delicious foam topping, so now Universal has introduced a dairy-free topping for Butterbeer.

Even VelociCoaster had a low wait time. The attraction now accepts Universal Express, but the standby wait was still only 40 minutes.

Found a little hidden treasure in the bushes. Guests have formed small crafting groups to make and hide crafts around the park and today we found a tiny dinosaur.

Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges is still closed for refurbishment and we can see scaffolding on top of the buildings and Me Ship the Olive.

The skill games in the Toon Lagoon have a few new plush prizes. There are even plush from Blues Clues and You.

It’s been a nice day, but now we’re heading out to CityWalk to visit the Cursed Coconut Club.

That’s all for this visit to the Universal Orlando Resort. We’re going to enjoy a drink some live music performed by the Sirens in the Cursed Coconut Club. If you wanna watch our day with even more updates, check out the video below.

The post PHOTO REPORT: Universal Orlando Resort 3/2/2023 (New Minion Selfie Stick Popcorn Bucket, Dairy-Free Butterbeer Topping, and More) appeared first on WDW News Today.

The attraction was rumored to close for refurbishment last month, with closure dates eventually announced from February 20 to March 5. Sometimes, refurbishments can get behind schedule, but luckily, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opened right on time. That’s some real magic (and hard work)!

The main point of the closure was to repair some damages from Hurricane Ian last year. These damages were along the queue and into the area near the ride track.

The damages did not affect the operation of the attraction, but barricades could be seen in the area while on the ride.

Temporary walls and a bridge were set up to allow guests to navigate the queue and avoid the damaged areas, but now those have been removed, and the queue is back to normal.

Jurassic Park River Adventure just recently reopened from refurbishment to repair a hole in the side of the building caused from Hurricane Ian as well. Now, both attractions have gotten repaired and refurbished, During the closure, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure also got a fresh coat of paint around the entrance. Looking good!

Jurassic World VelociCoaster began accepting Universal Express recently, but unfortunately, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure did not reopen with Express.

Are you relieved to see Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure reopen right on schedule? Let us know in the comments if you’ve ever had a chance to ride this popular ride at Islands of Adventure!

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As we approached Islands of Adventure, we could see the signs notifying guests that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will not be operating today. These signs were placed all around the park to inform guests of the temporary closure.

Port of Entry is one of the best places in the park. From the music to the streetmosphere, it really sets the tone for the day.

New flags have been added around Seuss Landing. We noticed the poles around the entrance had been bare lately, but today we spotted bright, new flags blowing in the breeze.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is closed temporarily to repair damages from Hurricane Ian last year, but it looks like they’re doing some other refurbishment as well. The entrance has a fresh base coat in preparation for new paint and lockers are blocked off by construction walls.

We might not be able to enjoy a ride on Hagrid’s, but we can enjoy a Butterbeer in a brand new souvenir stein. This metal stein debuted out in Hollywood a few weeks ago, but has now arrived here in Orlando. It’s $37.99 and comes with a cold or frozen Butterbeer.

I needed to send a letter, so I decided to send it by owl in the Wizarding World. Did you know you can get a special postmark on your letters and send them from Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley? Each area has its own postmark ink stamp. You can purchase a book of postage stamps, or bring your own. The ink stamp marking on your letter is free and makes a fun little surprise when sending mail. There’s even a mailbox there to drop it in (for the owls to pick up later, of course).

Last week, we first brought you the rumor about VelociCoaster getting Express and now we have confirmed it! The sign has always been here, hidden under a covering, but now we can admire its true beauty.

The full size wooden VelociCoaster model has increased in price. It was $150 when it originally debuted, but now it’s priced at $200.

Jurassic Park River Adventure has reopened from its annual refurbishment. Almost everything got refreshed, but no major changes were made to the attraction. A lot of the refurbishment involved repairing the hole in the side of the building caused by Hurricane Ian.

A small section is blocked off in Camp Jurassic for some maintenance. Brand new rope is being installed along one of the bridges. Safety first. It’s just one small bridge and the rest of the play area is open.

The Pizza Skulls are gone from the Mess Tent. RIP. In their place, the vegan hand pies have taken over. You might remember these coffin-shaped sambusas from Halloween Horror Nights. They can now be found here at the Mess Tent or over at the San Francisco Beer Cart at Universal Studios Florida.

Some places have been on winter break lately, so the parks have been very busy over the last few days. We were not expecting it to be so packed on a Tuesday morning. Almost all the attractions around the park had high wait times. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man had a 70 minute wait when we passed by. We also heard that Spider-Man may be open during Early Park Admission while Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is closed.

There were lines everywhere. There were even lines of people just standing around. This is good practice for the rest of the day.

Over at Universal Studios Florida, there are construction walls up near the entrance to the park. They surround the planters and fence to the right of the entrance. This could be some typical maintenance or perhaps adding more entrance scanners. We recently saw new scanners installed and assume they will be added to the rest of the entrances soon.

Inside the park, the construction walls continue to wrap around the planter, but stop just before the entrance to Guest Services.

The Silver Screen store at the front of the park has removed the silver Betty Boop sign from the entrance. The snack stand in front of the store was recently demolished and we believe there are going to be a lot of changes coming to this area of the park soon.

Inside Silver Screen, the Betty Boop theme remains. The Hello Kitty Shop underwent some changes last year, so we expect this store could change, too.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem had a 150 minute wait just before noon. It was absolutely packed today.

Just over the construction walls around the entrance of Villain-Con, we can see entrance signs have been added for the attraction. There’s one for standby and one for Express.

These signs are good signs, right?

The front of the building has gotten its fresh coat of paint and looks complete now. The edges have been painted and the building has maintained the same color scheme it had for its previous tenant.

The side of the building facing the new Minion Cafe is not finished yet, but has gotten painted since our last visit.

Some of the blue scrims have come off of the new structure of Minion Cafe. This building looks huge already.

The Wall Climb in New York appears to be gone completely. We noticed it had been closed off on our last few visits, but now all the equipment, signs, and register are gone. You can still find one of these in Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure, though.

Revenge of the Mummy was posted at a 90 minute wait.

There’s nothing like family. There was a 70 minute wait for Fast and Furious: Supercharged. This is how you know it’s a busy day.

The Hogwarts Express was down temporarily when we were making our way to London. There was a small crowd of guests crowded around the entrance hoping the train would reopen shortly.

Diagon Alley is always busy. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts had a 90 minute wait, but we were more surprised by the lines for the money exchange and the Leaky Cauldron.

New “Pardon Our Dust” signs were added to the construction walls around KidZone.

There are some new iron-on patches available for Quidditch players. Whether you’re a Beater, Seeker, Keeper, or Chaser, there’s a patch for you. These are $13 each and available in the Universal Studios Store.

A few select Mardi Gras items are 30% off. The jewelry and ball caps are marked down, but most of the other merchandise is still full price.

The construction walls at the exit have come down and the new scanners have been revealed. We saw Islands of Adventure get upgraded scanners last year, and Universal Studios Florida has started to get new ones installed, too.

That’s all for this visit to the Universal Orlando Resort. Thanks for joining us around the parks today. It’s been a busy day, but if you want to watch it all unfold, check out our update video below.

The post PHOTO REPORT: Universal Orlando Resort 2/21/23 (Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Closed for Refurbishment, VelociCoaster Accepting Express, and More) appeared first on WDW News Today.