Author: Brian Glenn

Brian may be reached at brian.g@insideuniversal.net - Editor-in-Chief

It’s time to get into the Christmas spirit, as Universal starts to put a little “mischief in your merry” this Holiday season. After last year’s new offerings, this year Universal Orlando is focusing on “establishing tradition”; which was a phrase we heard a lot of during our preview of this year’s Holidays at Universal – but there is still plenty of new things to enjoy as well. Last year, the Holiday line-up received a substantial retooling; which saw the addition of the Christmas decorations in both Wizarding Worlds, the Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts night show, and a revamped Holiday…

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Blue Man Group will once again hold an autism-friendly show on Dec. 8 at Universal Orlando, in partnership with Autism Speaks! The 4th annual collaborative Blue Man Group performance will be held on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Blue Man Group Theatre at Universal CityWalk. The autism-friendly show will be suitable for children, adults, and families affected by autism spectrum disorders. Individual tickets are on sale now and are available at a discounted rate of $36 per person* with a portion of ticket proceeds donated to Autism Speaks. “Year after year our cast and crew look forward…

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SeaWorld has announced their line-up of events for 2019. New events and expanded favorites will give guests something special to experience every week next year at the park; including an expanded Craft Beer Festival and the all-new Elmo’s Birthday Weekend. Next year’s lineup includes the following exciting, tasty and family-friendly events, all included with an Annual Pass and theme park admission: Three Kings Day Celebration: Daily, Jan. 1 – 6 Families are invited to help commemorate the arrival of the Three Wise Men during SeaWorld’s Three Kings Day celebration. This festive event brings SeaWorld’s holiday season to an incredible close…

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Universal Studios Hollywood has announced “Running Universal,” a series of fun runs that kicks off with a Minion–themed 5K on Saturday, May 11, 2019. The inaugural Minion Run, featuring Illumination’s mischievous Minions, invites participants ages five and older (of all experience levels) to wind their way around Universal Studios Hollywood and through parts of Universal Studios’ historic backlot. Starting at Universal Studios front gates, participants will pass through some of the theme park’s attractions and areas. Along the 3.1-mile course, participants will be entertained by some of their favorite Universal Studios Hollywood characters including the Minions as they head toward the…

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Universal Orlando Resort has provided a first look at the guest rooms inside its newest and seventh hotel, Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites – set to grand open next summer 2019. From the vibrant color scheme to warm wood tones, guests will step into the free-spirited lifestyle of surf culture at Universal Orlando’s first-ever Value category hotel. Details like a full-sized surfboard, colorful artwork, bright pinstriped rug runners, and tie-dye curtains will be featured inside the rooms. Surfside Inn and Suites will include 750 guest rooms and 2 Bedroom Suites all boasting bright and beachy design elements.…

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SeaWorld Orlando seems to have found their niche lately and have found tremendous success with their events, specifically when it comes to food & drink festivals. This year, SeaWorld has decided to take advantage of an otherwise slow period between the Halloween and Christmas season and introduce the new Craft Beer Festival. The SeaWorld Craft Beer Festival features 100+ brews on draft at 18 locations around the park on from breweries across the state of Florida, plus a few domestic and international craft favorites. Local breweries such as Orlando Brewing Company, Crooked Can and Dead Lizard Brewing are featured at this…

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It’s that time of year where we reflect on all the good and not-so-good of the past haunt season; it’s the Halloween Horror Nights 28 wrap-up episode! Drew and Brian welcome Vincent from VincentVision to recap the past year, and speculate about next year’s Halloween Horror Nights 29. As always, we end the show by answering your questions! Check out Vincent’s YouTube Channel, VincentVision, and make sure to subscribe! 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…

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For the first time ever, Universal Orlando Resort will give guests the opportunity to brave an entire, fear-filled Halloween Horror Nights haunted house during the day, after the event has closed. On November 6, the Upside Down will return to Universal Studios Florida as the incredibly-popular “Stranger Things” haunted house returns for one day to commemorate the anniversary of Will Byers’ disappearance in the critically-acclaimed Netflix series. Guests will walk in the footsteps of Will as they encounter iconic scenes, characters and environments from the first season of the series – including the menacing Hawkins National Laboratory, the Byers home…

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Universal Orlando Resort has officially launched Mobile Express Pick Up, a new in-park food ordering service that allows guests to place and purchase food and drink orders from their mobile device via The Official Universal Orlando Resort App. Mobile Express Pick Up is now available at select dining locations in Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure; including Burger Digs, Richter’s Burgers, Mel’s Drive-in, and more. For other venues, just look for this symbol on the UO App: This new feature helps guests save time and order food wherever they may be in the park – including when waiting…

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One of the more common complaints from fans of Horror Nights past is they miss the old days where they didn’t have to enter a haunted house in a conga line. Since last night was light on the crowds, Universal Orlando decided to test out “line pulsing” at each house throughout the night. Line pulsing is when guests are separated into smaller groups to enter a haunted house, usually in groups of 8-10. There are pros and cons to pulsing, with the biggest positive being the feeling of “isolation”, allowing visitors a chance to walk at their own pace through the…

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