Good afternoon, everyone. This past weekend, my father and I went to Universal Orlando for a couple of days. This is a place that I have been to numerous times over the past 2 decades. I am here to give you my thoughts on how the trip went. This will not be in chronological order. The way that I will do this is that I will highlight a few key events from the trip and go over them in a paragraph or two. Photos that I took will be put here for context. With that said, let's get right into it.
The first thing that I will talk about is the hotel we stayed at, which was Royal Pacific Resort. Because it is an onsite hotel, there are a number of benefits that we got. First, we got a chance to enter Universal Studios Florida one hour before the general public (which I did on Friday morning). Royal Pacific is one of three hotels on Universal property (Portofino Bay Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel are the other 2) that gives its guests Universal Express Unlimited throughout the duration of their stay. Even though the crowds were minimal (due to capacity restrictions [more on that later]), it was useful to use Express to skip the lines on popular attractions. The atmosphere of the hotel makes me feel like I am in a tropical retreat, from the lobby to the pool area. The room that we stayed at gave us a great view of the pool area, which we visited on the first night. The hotel gave us a couple of convenient ways to get to the parks. The first was a beautiful garden walkway that was only a few minutes away from the parks. The second was a water taxi, which we used after checking in to our room. Overall, I liked the stay at Royal Pacific Resort. If you want a hotel that has a calming atmosphere, I recommend this one.
(This was the view from our room. Nice palm trees surrounding the pool area.)
(This was the outdoor fountain in the lobby area of the hotel.)
(This was the water taxi that took us to the parks after checking into our room.)
The next part of the trip that I will talk about is the procedures that Universal Orlando took to make sure that everyone stayed healthy and safe. First, everyone had to have a face covering that covered their nose and mouth. If people did not have a mask, they had an opportunity to buy one for $6 each (or 3 for $15). Team members were enforcing the mask rule very well, making sure that everyone followed the rule. The only times that a mask was not required were when dining, on water rides, or in designated "U-Rest" areas. There were 2 of these areas in each park (Islands of Adventure: near the front of the park overlooking the lagoon and in the old Sindbad theater, Universal Studios Florida: Central Park and Fear Factor Live) and one in CityWalk near Hard Rock Cafe. Because of the requirement to wear a face covering (plus the usual Florida Summer heat), it was extremely important for everyone to stay hydrated. Thankfully, I did that with a few stops for water.
Next, we had to go through a touchless temperature screening every morning at the hotel. It took only a couple of seconds for the temperature to be scanned. The next procedure was that people had to maintain a distance of 6 feet from each other to practice social distancing. Markers were placed on the ground everywhere around the resort (including in ride queues) to help promote the 6 feet distance. Team members were cleaning high touch surfaces all throughout the day all around the resort. People were encouraged to use hand sanitizer or wash their hands with soap and water often during their day at the parks.In restaurants, some tables were blocked off to promote social distancing. In counter-service restaurants, people were seated to a table by a team member. They then had to order food through the Universal Orlando mobile app. The food was then brought to their table. Before going on a ride, team members gave each rider a squirt of hand sanitizer to clean their hands. Every row was blocked off on rides to keep people at least 6 feet apart. On rides like the Incredible Hulk coaster (which I will also talk about later), people could not request a specific row. This meant that I could not do the front row all the time on some attractions. There were also a number of times where I had a whole ride vehicle to myself, including on The Simpsons Ride and on Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls. In shows, every other row was blocked off and people were seated 3 chairs apart from other travel groups. After the show was over, people were escorted out by row instead of one big exit. This part of the procedure should be more permanent as the park capacity increases in later months. Overall, I thought that Universal did a great job with the procedures to keep everyone safe and healthy. I have a feeling that some of these procedures will be permanent, including the escorting of people by row after shows and the line for lockers (which was far more efficient than a whole bunch of people at the lockers at one time).
(This was one of a number of signs reminding people of the procedures at Universal Orlando.)
(This was me and my dad with our facial coverings on. I had a mask, while he had a neck scarf. Both of these facial coverings were acceptable at Universal.)
(This was an example of the ground markings in a ride queue. Each one had to be 6 feet apart from each other.)
(This was a sign for a "U-Rest Area" at Universal. There were tables in this area 6 feet apart from each other. This area is a good way to relax from wearing a mask. The one pictured is at Fear Factor Live in Universal Studios. I was surprised that it went all the way to the show area.)
The next part that I will talk about is the newest show at Universal Studios Florida: The Bourne Stuntacular (based on the Bourne movies starring Matt Damon). This show is the replacement for Terminator 2: 3D, which closed in October of 2017. It was originally set to open in the Spring of 2020. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the parks were closed after March 15. A couple of weeks after the reopening on June 5, the show started its run of technical rehearsals. I was lucky enough to attend a 12:30 show with my father on Friday the 19th. The queue has a few props, including a motorcycle and a car, that were used in the Bourne movies. Without spoiling anything, I have to say that it was a sight to behold. I was impressed with the technology that was used in the show. The screen was as wide as a football field, and the picture was crystal clear. I was also impressed with the stunt work in the show. Overall, I liked the show and I would recommend it to anyone, even if you have not watched the films beforehand.
(This is the main entrance to the Bourne Stuntacular. This used to be Terminator 2:3D.)
The next part will be about the current construction project at Islands of Adventure. This project is in the Jurassic Park section of IOA. It is a new roller coaster being built by Intamin set to open sometime next year. Construction of this coaster was still going on through the pandemic, and a lot of track pieces were put in place during this time. This ride is set to have a few inversions, including a zero-g stall and a barrel roll. It is also going to have a top hat element after the second launch. I am seriously looking forward to this coaster when it is open next year.
(These were some of the photos that I took of the roller coaster construction. This ride should be awesome when it opens next year.)
The next that I will talk about is the Incredible Hulk Coaster. Ever since I have become an annual passholder at Universal Orlando, I have tallied in my head every single ride that I took on the Hulk. On August 27, 2017, during a Passholder Appreciation Night, I reached 100 rides on the coaster. My parents were in the front row with me that night. I got a pin and a free picture that night from Universal. On August 25, 2018, I reached 200 rides on the Hulk. Like the 100th, I got a pin and a free picture of me in the front row. Entering this trip, I was at 282 rides on the Hulk in a little under 4 years. On Thursday the 18th, I got 8 rides on the Hulk, bringing my total to 290. When I entered IOA on Saturday the 20th, I asked Tanner from Guest Services for a pin celebrating 300 rides on the Hulk. After putting the pin in my waist pack, I went towards the Hulk. I was determined to get the 10 rides and reach a total of 300. With the help of Express, I reached 300 rides on Hulk as an annual passholder. This time, I did not get a free picture after the ride. After I posted the picture with me and my pin on the Facebook page, people started recognizing me and saying "Hi" to me. The next mission is getting to 400 rides. As long as I don't get sick, I will get it done. Some people may call me crazy, but I can't help riding the coaster that many times in less than 4 years.
(These were a couple of pictures that I took of the Hulk coaster. The third picture is of me wearing the pin celebrating my 300th ride on the Hulk.)
Another highlight of my trip were getting on Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure once. The only way that I had to get on it was acquiring a virtual return time from the mobile app, which I did on the first day. When it was time to return, I got to the ride and was off in less than 25 minutes. While I still miss Dueling Dragons, Hagrid's is a very fun roller coaster full of twists and turns (plus a total of 7 launches). I can easily recommend this ride to anyone who loves roller coasters.
(This is the main entrance to Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.)
(This was a nice tribute to Dueling Dragons in the queue.)
(Some riders having fun on Hagrid's.)
In this part, I will post a couple of other photos that I took during the trip.
(This was a great picture of me and a raptor in the Jurassic Park area of Islands of Adventure.)
(Although I am not a big fan of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, the coaster has a few good spots to take pictures of it. This is one of them.)
(This is a photo of the dragon breathing fire in Diagon Alley.)
Overall, I had a great time at Universal Orlando. They did a great job with the procedures that kept everyone healthy. Before I say goodbye, I want to say Happy Birthday to Universal Studios Florida, which turned 30 years old on June 7, 2020. Here's to the next 30 years of fun. Have a great day, everyone.
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