The day has FINALLY arrived, and we couldn’t be more excited! Universal Hollywood is back open to guests today.

The parks originally softly opened during its limited Taste of Universal event, before finally opening reservations up to guests ahead of its grand reopening. Today, though, we’re giving you a look at the changes in the parks, everything new happening (lookin’ at you, Secret Life of Pets and Jurassic World), and more. And, of course, we had to take you along with us during our return to Universal Hollywood!

So, let’s take a trip to California, shall we?

Entrance

After we parked our cars in the garage and made our way into Universal’s CityWalk, guests remained distanced from one another after leaving the parking garage…

…and down the escalator into the surrounding area, leading up to the actual park entrances.

And, then we finally made it to the beautiful sight of Universal Hollywood’s official entrance! We’re SO glad to see you, dear friend.

When we scanned into the park, they didn’t ask for proof of California residency, even though Universal Hollywood is limited to just residents. Instead, we only had our tickets scanned before we were able to enter the gates. However, be sure to still bring proof of your California residency, since this may have just been part of opening day!

Health and Safety Measures

Prior to actually entering Universal Hollywood, signs placed around CityWalk enforced the physical distancing measures in place, mask mandates, and hand-washing stations.

Distancing markers were placed around the ground to keep parties separated from one another and guide the traffic flow.

The Team Members and characters, like Hello Kitty, were standing masked and distanced from one another. But, they were ready to greet guests back to Universal Orlando as they arrived in the park!

Stores designated their entrances and exits…

…while the park also had signs designated which side of the street guests should walk on to help traffic flow.

When heading to the Lower Lot, guests were asked to distance themselves from one another…

…but there weren’t any Team Members there to direct guests.

Take a look at all the health and safety measures we saw in the park!

Attractions

When we first checked the Universal Hollywood app, we were able to take a look at the wait times divided up into sections of under 5 minutes and 15 minutes…

…30 minutes…

…45 minutes…

…and 90 minutes.

When we entered the park, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem was listed as closed.

But, spots like The Simpsons Ride…

…and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter were available to guests.

We also spotted that the brand new Secret Life of Pets attraction was operating with a Virtual Queue.

Of course, we signed up, so we had a sure time to visit!

We input our number of guests…

…and chose our available time, which had already hit 1 PM as the earliest slot.

We had to make our way over to the Universal Studios Tram Tour to see everything hopping at the popular attraction!

The queue was distanced with markers so parties were stationed six feet apart from one another…

…while the actual trams were seating guests in every other row.

During our tram tour, we spotted the American Ninja Warrior filming on a LIVE set…

…and props from some of our favorite shows and movies.

…and even sets that are actually used in productions!

The Disaster Set is sometimes even repurposed as a spot where Zombies might pop out during Halloween Horror Nights…

…while the Mexico Set shows off the Flash Flood effect…

…and the Earthquake Set causes a disaster in the San Francisco subway.

There’s even actual spots you can drive through your favorite films, like Kong: Skull Island…

…Fast and the Furious (it’s the family!)…

…and, what’s that? Amity Island? Well, that sounds pleasant.

We were narrowly able to avoid fire during our visit…

…when Bruce the shark even popped out with his ferocious teeth!

But, we were sad to see that the Universal Studios Tram Tour doesn’t stop at Whoville from How the Grinch Stole Christmas like it previously did. We aren’t sure if it will be returning, but we’ll keep you updated!

After it was our time to head back to our virtual queue slot, we were SO ready to hop into The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!

The queue made its way outside of the building…

…before leading up into the apartment complex’s hallway.

Katie’s apartment is open to visitors so they can explore her neat little living room…

…or maybe take a break from the California sunshine.

The kitchen looks super neat with dishes tidy in the sink, snacks on top of the fridge…

…and Buddy enjoying a mixer as a back scratcher? You do you, friend!

We cannot get over how cute the queue is for the new Secret Life of Pets ride in @UniStudios pic.twitter.com/TCJS3fnP17

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) April 16, 2021

Then, we pop into Liam’s room, where he has some of the sweetest toys and furniture…

…including building blocks spelling out the name of his pups!

Speaking of Max and Duke, they’re chilling on the couch, saying how excited they are to welcome the adoptable new pups (AKA you).

All these incredible animatronics are IN THE QUEUE! We're seriously impressed! pic.twitter.com/WtccH0rv5p

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) April 16, 2021

Of course, Snowball is there to make some mischief (no surprise there)…

…before you hop into your transport box as your ride vehicle.

The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash was certainly worth the wait! What an adorable addition to Universal Hollywood. pic.twitter.com/5zcQLwVoTP

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) April 16, 2021

And, off we went on our adventure through the streets of the city!

As you avoided shenanigans…

…and spotted a few familiar pups along the way…

…it was finally YOUR turn to become an adoptable dog.

Yeah, we know that we’re practically the cutest pup around!

After we were blow dried and groomed, a family chose us to be a part of their fur-ever home!

We made our way over to the next room, where all our furry friends were hosting an adoption party in our honor.

And, it was QUITE the shindig!

It’s important to note that The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash has a set of stairs! So, you’ll need to talk to a Cast Member, if you have any issues with this situation.

Guests are still asked to distance themselves from one another in order to abide by health and safety protocols.

Here’s what the ride processes were like in Universal Hollywood!

Restaurants

Universal Orlando placed signs around the parks with references to their designated dining areas. Guests are only able to eat and drink in these spots during their time in Universal Hollywood.

We made our way over to the Super Silly Fun Land from Despicable Me…

…where the NEW Minion Cafe has officially opened in the park!

The menu is made up with lots of comfort eats (which we would only expect from the Minions)…

…where the atmosphere is bright and colorful like our favorite singing pals!

When we were there, we had the AMAZING Loaded Nachos with Chicken…

…and the Felonious Float made with banana soft serve and blue raspberry slush!

The float comes with a Minion Straw…

…with a BUNCH of banana candies on top! We recommend mixing up the float, though, so you can get the banana and blue raspberry flavors with every sip.

We’ll keep you updated on everything else we see in Universal Hollywood throughout the day! Stay tuned with All Ears for the latest Universal news!

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Have you ever visited Universal Hollywood? Let us know in the comments below!

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