Author: Brian Glenn

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel will be resuming operations on December 1, 2020, and will welcome back guests with newly-renovated rooms and suites throughout the hotel. The 450 sq ft standard rooms feature custom-designed furnishings from Italy and marble accents. Guests can choose between a Garden View Room or Bay View Room. A Deluxe Room is also available, offering 490 sq ft and views of the Villa Pool and gardens, or the  Roman aqueduct-style Beach Pool. Each room is available with either a king bed or two queen beds. Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is inspired by the famed seaside village of…

Universal Orlando has released 4 new facemask designs inspired by the Holiday season. Each mask is $8 (or 3 for $20), available in both medium and large. We’ve found the massk throughout the park during our visit, so availability should not be an issue. We’re particular to the ugly sweater design, but here are the 4 mask designs: Also available is a brand-new Back to the Future Retro Universal face mask. Face masks are required to wear during your visit to the Resort. Guests may bring their own from home, but must follow Universal’s mask guidelines – which you can…

Universal Orlando is set to open Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and Universal’s Endless Summer – Dockside Inn & Suites this December. Loews Portofino Bay Hotel will resume operations on December 1st and Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn & Suites will officially open on December 15th. Portofino Bay Hotel remained closed during the Resort’s reopening in June. Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites was originally scheduled to grand open in March but never opened due to the Resort’s closure. You can check out a preview of Dockside here. The pandemic has impacted the tourism industry pretty…

The Universal Orlando Fall Garage Sale is set to return from November 13-16, 2020, offering passholders and guests a chance at some Universal merchandise at discounted prices. The Garage Sale will be held on the first level of TeamPark, the main Team Member parking garage off Turkey Lake Road. The Garage Sale will feature merchandise from throughout the Universal Orlando Resort. Premier and Preferred Pass merchandise discounts will not apply due to the already discounted prices. On Friday, November 13, the sale will be exclusive to Passholders from 9am to 7pm; then from Saturday, November 14 through Monday, November 16,…

It’s that time of year! Hot Butterbeer has returned to the Wizarding World. The popular version of the beverage returns during Florida’s Fall/Winter Season (being Florida, we are using “Winter” very loosely here). Hot Butterbeer is a smooth, hot beverage reminiscent of shortbread and butterscotch, served hot with a whipped topping. The beverage will be available at most food & drink locations around the Wizarding World – including the Leaky Cauldron, The Hopping Pot, and Hog’s Head Pub. Since the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade in June 2010, millions of Butterbeers have been sold each year…

Universal Orlando is offering guests a Halloween treat as they are set to open a haunted house inspired by the 1988 film, Beetlejuice today. The haunted house is set to open at 10 am, just like the other 2 haunted houses that have been featured at Universal Studios Florida this year. It is expected that guests will be required to secure a Virtual Line ticket in order to gain entry into the haunted house. No other details have been released, including how long the house will be open for today, or if it will be open Sunday – which it…

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has announced that Christmas Town, the park’s award-winning holiday event, will be returning this year in modified form to provide guests with a safe experience this Holiday season. The event kicks off with a preview weekend with light displays and select entertainment elements on November 14 and 15; and Christmas Town will run daily with its full lineup from November 20, 2020, through January 3, 2021. Busch Gardens’ creative team has consulted with medical experts to offer a modified event with required reservations and limited capacity. The event features open-air entertainment and experiences as well as…

In this special episode, we discuss the past 10 years of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando; counting down our Top 10 Haunted Houses & Scare Zones, as well as other memorable moments of the last decade. Direct Download and iTunes You may download this episode directly here. You may also subscribe to the Inside Universal Podcast on iTunes. In addition, you can also follow us on Spotify to listen to podcast episodes on their app.

Off the heels of Knott’s successful new “Taste” experiences, Knott’s Berry Farm has announced a new Holidays food and retail event with Knott’s Taste of Merry Farm. Knott’s will celebrate the Holidays with “enchanted décor, thousands of twinkling lights, miles of festive garland, and a variety of picturesque holiday settings”. With over 60 unique food and drink items offered on the tasting card, guests can choose from popular flavors of the season like Fully Loaded Turkey Dinner Tater Tots and Comet’s Cinnamon Bun with a Maple Glaze and Candied Pecans, plus options for all dietary preferences. Guests can take care…

We’re still over a year away, but the Halloween Horror Nights hype train for 2021 is underway as Universal Orlando gave us a behind-the-scenes look at one of the houses that will be featured next year, Puppet Theater: Captive Audience. Puppet Theater: Captive Audience will bring the demented side of puppetry and theater into the spotlight. The house takes place in a turn-of-the-century San Francisco theater, where an earthquake traps an Eastern European puppet troupe and ballet company inside – where they go mad and start turning victims into puppets. Award-winning Executive Producer Greg Nicotero joins Mike Aiello, Universal Orlando’s…