A day after submitting phased reopening plans to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force group, Universal Parks & Resorts today officially announced plans to begin a phased reopening of Universal Orlando Resort beginning June 5th. The reopening will include Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay.
Universal Orlando will move toward its phased reopening while continuing to monitor local conditions and work with health officials. It will conduct a team-member-preview on June 1 and June 2 so the new procedures can be practiced and refined. A limited number of guests will be invited to visit on June 3 and June 4 as Universal continues to prepare for its phased opening. The public opening will be on June 5. Attendance during this time will be carefully managed and controlled.
Hours of operation beginning on June 5 are as follows: Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure from 9am – 6pm, Universal’s Volcano Bay from 10am – 5pm, and Universal CityWalk Orlando from 8am – 10pm.
Universal Orlando has been closed since March 16. Universal CityWalk Orlando began reopening May 14 with new health, safety, and hygiene procedures.
The new health, safety and hygiene procedures will cover each step of a guest’s visit: how they arrive, how they interact with other guests, how they experience attractions, rides and shows and how they have meals.
“We want to invite guests back to our theme parks in a cautious and thoughtful way,” said Tom Williams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Universal Parks & Resorts. “We have put new health and safety procedures in place for both our team members and guests. And we have worked hard to make sure our guests can enjoy their time with family and friends. Doing this the right way will take all of us — and we need everyone’s help. Guests should follow our guidelines and continue to follow the recommendations of the CDC and health officials.”
Universal Orlando’s new procedures will cover three areas: screening, spacing, and sanitization – and will apply to both guests and team members:
- Guests and team members are required to wear face coverings and observe social distancing guidelines
- Temperature Screening for theme park guests and employees; those with temperatures of 100.4 or greater will not be allowed to enter
In addition to face coverings and temperature checks, guests can expect the following when they visit Universal Orlando:
- Staggered parking
- Managed and reduced daily park attendance
- Managed and reduced attraction ridership, show attendance, and restaurant seating. Some areas and events may remain closed for now.
- Increased cleaning and disinfection of food locations, ride vehicles, restrooms and other frequent “touch points” that go beyond Universal’s already aggressive cleaning procedures
- Social distancing practices at all locations through the parks, within attractions and queues and at restaurants
- Use of virtual lines at select attractions
- Cashless payments and “no touch” policies where possible
Universal’s resort hotels reopening plans are being finalized and details will be shared soon.
All Universal guests are urged to follow CDC guidelines and conduct temperature checks prior to their arrival. We cannot stress enough that guests should evaluate their own risk before they visit – and it is not recommended that older adults or individuals at high-risk with serious underlying medical conditions visit the destination. Remember, people who show no symptoms can still spread COVID-19 if they are infected.
For information on CDC guidelines, click here. For more information about Universal Orlando’s policies during this time, visit Universal’s website. Stay tuned to Inside Universal for more on Universal Orlando’s reopening plans, along with other news around the other Universal Parks & Resorts.
