Author: Brian Glenn

Aquatica at SeaWorld Orlando is celebrating 10 years today. The park opened for previews on March 1, 2008, with the official grand opening held on April 4, 2008. To celebrate, Aquatica commissioned the sculpting of a 22-ton sand sculpture depicting a birthday cake inspired by Aquatica’s latest addition, Ray Rush. The sculpture measures 15’ wide, 8’ tall and took skilled artisans nearly 25 hours to complete. The sculpture will be on display inside the park for guests to see through March 5. The park was also recently voted “Best Water Park” by Orlando Sentinel readers in the publication’s annual Best Bets reader’s choice awards…

Universal Studios Hollywood has announced “The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle” will be returning in March for a limited engagement. The scheduled dates are as follows: Saturday, March 3 – Sunday, March 4 Saturday, March 10 – Sunday, March 11 Saturday, March 17 – Sunday, March 18 Saturday, March 24 – Saturday, March 31 The show celebrates the four houses of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, and features projections and beams of lights. Here’s our review the show from its debut last year. Be sure to follow Inside Universal for continuing coverage of Universal Studios Parks and Resorts.

The Seven Seas Food Festival is back at SeaWorld Orlando. Each Saturday and Sunday from February 17 to April 15, the festival will allow guests to enjoy a selection of 70 craft brews, and 50 wines and spirits. SeaWorld Orlando held previews last Thursday night for us to try out some of the delicious food and drink they’ll be serving at this year’s festival. While we have no complaints about the food in general, we wanted to highlight a few of our favorite dishes that we tried. The best bite, hands down, goes to the Cinnamon slow roasted pork belly. If we had the…

Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood have increased ticket prices starting today. For Universal Orlando; a one-day, single-park admission is now listed as starting at $115, up from $110. A park-to-park one-day ticket starts at $170, up from $165. Over at Universal Studios Hollywood, a one-day ticket starts at $109, up from $105. Both coasts utilize in-demand, tiered pricing so prices do vary depending on the time of year. Visit each official websites to see which ticket and price best suits your needs. Stay tuned to Inside Universal for more on Universal Parks & Resorts.

Universal Studios Hollywood is getting ready for Summer 2018 for the debut of the all-new DreamWorks Theatre presenting the premier attraction, “Kung Fu Panda: The Emperor’s Quest”. Inspired by the popular DreamWorks franchise, Universal says the attraction will take guests on a “thrilling journey that fuses captivating storytelling with state-of-the-art visual effects for a highly engaging experience.” The attraction’s story takes place on the morning of The Emperor’s Great Feast of Heroes, where dragon warrior Po the Panda embarks on a quest to deliver “the rare and precious Liquid of Limitless Power” to the Palace while enlisting guests to join him…

The 2 final dates of the Mardi Gras concerts have been filled, as Jason Derulo and Jessie J have been added to Universal Orlando Resort’s annual event. Jason Derulo will take the stage on Saturday, March 10.  Derulo is known for his hits, including “Whatcha Say” and “Talk Dirty”. Jessie J will appear in concert on March 24. The singer is known for her songs “Bang Bang” and “Price Tag”. With the final 2 acts announced, here is the full remaining line-up for the event: Feb. 10 The Beach Boys Feb. 17 Kelsea Ballerini Feb. 18 Andy Grammer Feb. 24 Macklemore…

It’s another year of Universal’s beloved Mardi Gras event, and the event continues to bring its own flair of the Big Easy celebration with concerts, parades, food and more at Universal Studios Florida. If you’ve been before, you know the drill. Zydeco music blasts throughout the park as you make your way through the French Quarter courtyard to try some Cajun cuisine, and maybe even earn some beads along the way. The parade caps off most nights, as guests on the floats encourage you to stand out as they toss beads in your direction. The French Quarter Courtyard still has…

Universal Studios Hollywood is finally getting one of the popular original restaurants from Universal Orlando. Vivo Italian Kitchen is headed to CityWalk, replacing Wolfgang Puck Bistro. The Bistro just closed last week. The official description from Universal Orlando describes Vivo as ” a restaurant that celebrates the beauty of true Italian cuisine, where heirloom family recipes are served up in a sleek, modern setting.” No opening date is available at this time. Stay tuned to Inside Universal as we gather more information on this latest CityWalk news.

From February 3 through April 7, guests will let the good times roll as they experience an authentic, family-friendly version of the Mardi Gras bash at Universal Studios Florida. The event will be held for 64 nights – making it the longest celebration Universal has held – with the food courtyard open and the parade taking place every night. Mardi Gras couples unparalleled theme park entertainment with a dazzling parade, authentic New Orleans musicians, mouth-watering Cajun cuisine, tons of glittering Mardi Gras beads and live concerts by high-profile artists. We’ve gathered everything you need to know before heading out to the…

The Nighttime Lights have made their way to Orlando, and to cut right to the point – it’s another home run for Universal Orlando. After the well-received Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts that debuted during Universal’s Christmas offerings in 2017, it seemed logical to bring the show over from Universal Studios Hollywood. Combining state-of-the-art projection mapping, spotlights, and fireworks – the Nighttime Lights is aimed directly at Harry Potter fans. The new show centers around the four houses of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw – and features narration from the Sorting Hat. The projections…