Universal Orlando has submitted its phased reopening plans to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force group, which have been approved and will now be sent for approval by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Governor Ron DeSantis. The Resort has been closed since March 16 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The reopening plans include a team member only opening on June 1 and 2, passholders and invited guests can visit on June 3 and 4, and then finally opening in a limited capacity to the public on June 5.
During today’s presentation, John Sprouls, Universal Orlando chief executive officer, and Rich Costales, Universal Orlando executive vice president of resort operations, proposed Universal Orlando’s plans based on the “3 S’s” – screening, sanitization, and spacing – including face mask requirements, temperature screenings for employees and guests, reduced capacity, and improved cleaning and sanitization procedures.
Volcano Bay will also be opening with reduced capacity, along with reduced tubes and rafts.
Much of these operational efforts have been in use at CityWalk since it re-opened to the public on May 14th. Universal stated they have taken over 30,000 temperature checks at CityWalk, with only a handful of guests turned away due to not meeting screening criteria.
High attended attractions will implement Virtual Line technology to prevent close gatherings in queue lines. Other steps laid out in the plans include closing interactive play areas and valet parking, eliminate water and mist effects on certain attractions, and eliminate single rider lines.
As of now, Universal Orlando is the only major theme park submitting their plans for re-opening, with Walt Disney World and SeaWorld expected to submit their opening plans soon. There are no immediate plans on Universal Studios Hollywood re-opening at this time.
You can view the virtual meeting below:
Stay tuned to Inside Universal for more on Universal Orlando’s reopening plans, along with other news around the other Universal Parks & Resorts.
