Author: Brian Glenn

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…

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,…

With Universal Studios Florida’s 30th Anniversary around the corner, Universal has released a new line-up of vintage merchandise – featuring the iconic neon logo and retired attractions. The retired attractions are represented in a set of glasses – featuring Back to the Future: The Ride, Jaws, and Kongfrontation. The E.T. Adventure, the park’s lone Opening Day attraction still in operation, is also available. The glassware features artwork and descriptions of the attraction, along with the year it opened. Each glass retails for $10. The neon logo is featured on other merchandise, which includes a pink tank top ($30), a shot…

Universal Orlando has taken its first steps of reopening during the Coronavirus pandemic, as they have announced CityWalk will be opening in a limited capacity beginning May 14. Select venues will be opening for guests from 4–10 pm daily (and is subject to change). The following venues are: Full-service restaurants and quick-service food locations: Auntie Anne’s Pretzels Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant and Market Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville (outside & Lone Palm) Red Oven Pizza Bakery mobile ordering available Voodoo Doughnut mobile ordering available Shopping venues: Airbrush Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company (retail only) Universal Studios Store and select merchandise carts Entertainment venue: Hollywood Drive-In Golf…

Comcast has announced that construction on their new theme park at Universal Orlando, Universal’s Epic Universe, has officially been delayed. The new theme park was originally set for 2023. The delay was announced during a Q1 earnings call. While no timeframe was given by Comcast, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings stated during a news conference that he was informed by Universal officials the park would be “delayed by a year”. https://twitter.com/AshleyLCarter1/status/1255884749308137475?s=20 As the parks closed in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Universal officials initially stated that all construction projects were continuing as scheduled. Impacts of the pandemic have obviously…

The Inside Universal team discusses the latest of Universal park closures due to the Coronavirus pandemic and our best guesses at the look ahead. We also discuss our favorite first memories of visiting the Universal parks. (Editor’s Note: This was recorded before Universal Parks pushed back their closures to the end of May) 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.

Universal Orlando invited members of the media to tour around and get a first look inside  Endless Summer Resort as Dockside Inn & Suites before it opens to the public. During our visit, workers were still adding the final touches around the resort, so we were not able to experience Dockside in its totality; however, it’s very clear that Dockside is all set to open. “It’s all about process refinement at this point. The hotel is ready to go,”  said George Cronk – Managing Director, Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites. “We’re making sure our team members…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Inside Universal remains dedicated to presenting a fact-based, non-sensationalist driven perspective aimed at educating and informing our readers. As Editor-in-Chief, I was hesitant to broach the topic of Coronavirus (COVID-19), as I did not want to come across as “adding to the hysteria” or sensationalizing current events. Admittedly, as much as we love the theme parks – safety is always the priority. Whether or not Universal Parks, or any theme park, remains open should be the last thing to worry about; however, we understand many vacations will be affected by this pandemic. As impacts of this virus are…

Bravo’s Top Chef Food & Wine Festival has been postponed at Universal Studios Hollywood due to “uncertainties with the event’s programming elements”. Bravo is evaluating dates to reschedule at a later time. The two-day, separately-ticketed event was set to take place on March 19 & 20, and feature dozens of food, wine, craft beer, and spirit stations; along with watching various “Top Chef” veterans battle it out in a series of live cooking competitions and enjoy panels with fan favorites from the series. This is the 2nd event postponed this week at Universal Studios Hollywood, with Peacock Live also getting…

Universal Orlando is bringing back the BOGO ticket deal for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights with its “Buy an Event Night, Get a Second Night Free” offer. The event, which will be celebrating its 30th year, runs select nights September 10 through November 1. Available for purchase online only through June 3, the “Buy an Event Night, Get a Second Night Free” offer gives guests the flexibility to choose two nights from 36 set dates, including select Saturdays, to attend the world’s premier Halloween event. The chosen dates do not have to be consecutive. Guests can also stay at Universal…