The Holidays are Alive at Universal Studios Hollywood
Hollywood, California (December 6, 2018) - Once again, we returned to Universal Studios Hollywood (USH) for opening day of Grinchmas, on December 1st, 2018. With Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter already having begun on November 17th, the park was fully engaged in the spirit of the holidays, on the upper lot. From the spectacle of the Seussian characters in Universal Plaza to the subtle magical touches in Hogsmeade to Puss in Boots in his velvet red outfit, the Christmas spirit is available in large doses.
While the center of the upper lot features Grinchmas, it’s important to note that nearly all of the surrounding areas are also celebrating, in their own ways. As in years past, Minions have decked the halls with bright lights, wreaths and Santa hats. Meanwhile, characters like Hello Kitty, the penguins, Lucy, and more are in winter garb, for the season. Additionally, the windows throughout the park have scenes featuring the various characters in winter settings.
Despite the overall festive looks of the park in so many areas, the heart is with the Whos, as the cavalcade of characters interact with guests. As in the past, Grinchmas offers formal photo ops with the Grinch, Max, and Cindy Lou Who. Additionally, a wide range of the citizens engage in smaller interactions and photo ops that make for a nice balance to the long lines, for the featured characters. All of the actors are skilled in improv and are able to bring smiles to the faces of any nearby guest.
While the interactive character moments of Grinchmas serve as its own entertainment, there is also a constant rotation of of shows. As we’ve mentioned in the past, we are big fans of “small” entertainment, where guests can invest 10-15 minutes of their time into a show. This is executed quite well at Grinchmas, where the stage alternates between Martha May Who-vier and the WhoDolls and the Who-liday Singers. During our visit, Cindy-Lou Who was not doing her traditional storytelling, but we actually preferred it that way. The constant flow of music in the area brought a great energy and the Grinch joining the WhoDolls, on stage, added a fun character moment where guests can more easily capture photos of the character, without the wait. The tree lighting returns and kicks off at 5:30 PM. This seven minute show provides a condensed version of the Grinch story and packs the house. We found that the last show of the night is the best to target for minimizing crowds and getting the best spot.
While the center of the upper lot features Grinchmas, it’s important to note that nearly all of the surrounding areas are also celebrating, in their own ways. As in years past, Minions have decked the halls with bright lights, wreaths and Santa hats. Meanwhile, characters like Hello Kitty, the penguins, Lucy, and more are in winter garb, for the season. Additionally, the windows throughout the park have scenes featuring the various characters in winter settings.
Despite the overall festive looks of the park in so many areas, the heart is with the Whos, as the cavalcade of characters interact with guests. As in the past, Grinchmas offers formal photo ops with the Grinch, Max, and Cindy Lou Who. Additionally, a wide range of the citizens engage in smaller interactions and photo ops that make for a nice balance to the long lines, for the featured characters. All of the actors are skilled in improv and are able to bring smiles to the faces of any nearby guest.
While the interactive character moments of Grinchmas serve as its own entertainment, there is also a constant rotation of of shows. As we’ve mentioned in the past, we are big fans of “small” entertainment, where guests can invest 10-15 minutes of their time into a show. This is executed quite well at Grinchmas, where the stage alternates between Martha May Who-vier and the WhoDolls and the Who-liday Singers. During our visit, Cindy-Lou Who was not doing her traditional storytelling, but we actually preferred it that way. The constant flow of music in the area brought a great energy and the Grinch joining the WhoDolls, on stage, added a fun character moment where guests can more easily capture photos of the character, without the wait. The tree lighting returns and kicks off at 5:30 PM. This seven minute show provides a condensed version of the Grinch story and packs the house. We found that the last show of the night is the best to target for minimizing crowds and getting the best spot.
Beyond the shows, there are a number of tasty treats, the 60 foot tall tree, and various set pieces which provide non-stop photo opportunities. Although much of Grinchmas was the same as years past, there were small changes to the footprint and character moments that felt like there was a much easier path to enjoying the event.
While Grinchmas is bombastic fun, across the way from Universal Plaza is the quiet village, where Christmas in the World of Harry Potter resides. The snowy roofs of Hogsmeade make a perfect backdrop for the season and feature even more prominently this year, as the park has added snowfall each night. The music, snow, and village setting make for a surreal combo. We’ve never been big fans of theme park snow effects, but there is something a little different about the combo here. Maybe it was the music. Maybe it’s those snowy roofs. Video doesn’t do it justice, but it’s definitely worth checking out, in person. Like most all of the key moments, we have video of this on our YouTube channel.
Preceding the snow, we had dinner at Three Broomsticks and tried the new holiday meal. At $15.99, the meal came in much larger than the $14.99 Shepherds Pie and was quite good. The plate was filled with turkey, gravy, stuffing, brussel sprouts, carrots, cranberry sauce, and bacon-wrapped sausage. We were impressed with the meal and definitely recommend.
We also took some time to see the fantastic light projection show on Hogwart’s Castle. Like the Grinchmas tree lighting, the later you can plan to go, the better. That said, definitely budget at least 30 minutes to get in line for the show. The operations side is quite messy for this show, with nearly the entire theme park of guests wanting to finish their day with this show. Pack your patience and get there early.
Once settled for the show, this returning treat does not disappoint. It is packed with stunning visuals that marry the Potter world to Christmas and deliver it in bold lights with that beautiful John Williams score. We’ve discussed this show in the past and just can’t say enough good things about it.
All in all, it’s a strong season for the holidays at USH. While it was odd not seeing more of the new Grinch movie utilized in Grinchmas, it works for us because we are all about the 1966 version, anyway. As long as it keeps Seuss alive in the park, we’ll take whatever version of the Grinch they give us. In total, the park brings different flavors of Christmas to guests and we really enjoy it.
We go into more details on this event, and all events, on our podcast, so subscribe and listen in. Also, we have videos, so please take a look. Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter runs November 17-January 6 and Grinchmas is offered December 1, 2, 8, 9 and daily from the 14th - 30th.
While Grinchmas is bombastic fun, across the way from Universal Plaza is the quiet village, where Christmas in the World of Harry Potter resides. The snowy roofs of Hogsmeade make a perfect backdrop for the season and feature even more prominently this year, as the park has added snowfall each night. The music, snow, and village setting make for a surreal combo. We’ve never been big fans of theme park snow effects, but there is something a little different about the combo here. Maybe it was the music. Maybe it’s those snowy roofs. Video doesn’t do it justice, but it’s definitely worth checking out, in person. Like most all of the key moments, we have video of this on our YouTube channel.
Preceding the snow, we had dinner at Three Broomsticks and tried the new holiday meal. At $15.99, the meal came in much larger than the $14.99 Shepherds Pie and was quite good. The plate was filled with turkey, gravy, stuffing, brussel sprouts, carrots, cranberry sauce, and bacon-wrapped sausage. We were impressed with the meal and definitely recommend.
We also took some time to see the fantastic light projection show on Hogwart’s Castle. Like the Grinchmas tree lighting, the later you can plan to go, the better. That said, definitely budget at least 30 minutes to get in line for the show. The operations side is quite messy for this show, with nearly the entire theme park of guests wanting to finish their day with this show. Pack your patience and get there early.
Once settled for the show, this returning treat does not disappoint. It is packed with stunning visuals that marry the Potter world to Christmas and deliver it in bold lights with that beautiful John Williams score. We’ve discussed this show in the past and just can’t say enough good things about it.
All in all, it’s a strong season for the holidays at USH. While it was odd not seeing more of the new Grinch movie utilized in Grinchmas, it works for us because we are all about the 1966 version, anyway. As long as it keeps Seuss alive in the park, we’ll take whatever version of the Grinch they give us. In total, the park brings different flavors of Christmas to guests and we really enjoy it.
We go into more details on this event, and all events, on our podcast, so subscribe and listen in. Also, we have videos, so please take a look. Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter runs November 17-January 6 and Grinchmas is offered December 1, 2, 8, 9 and daily from the 14th - 30th.
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