Universal’s Reopening: Everything You Need to Know
We recently spent two days touring Universal Orlando Parks and Resorts, including both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. At the end of day 1, after what we saw with the crowds, lack of social distancing, people not following the face covering rules, etc., we weren’t sure about returning for day 2. But we decided to give it a go and we’re happy we did because that second day was a completely different experience! We still observed some people being lax with the rules, but in general, the crowds were much lighter and overall guests were much more courteous and compliant. Given that our first day was a weekend and we were in the most popular area of Islands of Adventure (Hogsmeade), the differences we experienced aren’t hugely surprising. We should also mention that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventures lived up to all the hype. It really was spectacular!
As a reminder, whether you travel at all during this time is a personal decision. There are pros and cons and you should carefully consider all your personal factors when making this decision. But here’s what we saw…
The crowds on Monday at Universal were very similar to the lighter crowds at Disney on the opening days.
The Express Pass is still worth it even with lighter crowds. Not only did we walk on every ride with almost no wait, the Express line is physically much more socially distanced from everyone else in line.
We saw a lot of cleaning of high touch points including rails in line, the ride vehicles, etc. Some rides were being rotated as to which seats were used each time. Other rides we observed were wiped down between each ride.
Hand sanitizing before each ride was required. Team members were there to make sure each person used sanitizer before getting on the ride. Although sometimes these team members were located well before actually boarding the ride. Sanitizer was usually available on a wall after a ride, but often these were hard to locate and on three occasions we found the dispenser to be completely empty. In general, there were fewer throughout the parks than what we experienced at Disney, and they were often not self-dispensing.
Our experience mobile food ordering was very smooth. The restaurant tables were socially distanced and team members handled the delivery of food to our table.
Character experiences and shows were still happening with social distancing in place.
Food options were plentiful, with almost every snack and dining option open and available. The treats at Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour are delicious!
All in all, we had a pleasant experience on a weekday, and if you’re a Harry Potter fan, those areas of the park had very light crowds and the rides were walk on, even for the newest and most thrilling ride!
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