Good morning, everyone. I spent my Labor Day weekend at Universal Orlando Resort. I just wanted to share my thoughts on how the trip went. Let's get right into it.
The first thing that I will talk about is the hotel that my parents and I stayed at. We stayed at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, which was the fourth hotel built at Universal Orlando back in 2014. This hotel has plenty of things that I liked. Those things include 2 pool areas (one with a water slide and the other with a lazy river), the Bayliner Diner food court, the design of the buildings housing the rooms, and a really great atmosphere themed around the 1950s and '60s. Like every other hotel at Universal Orlando, Cabana Bay offers its guests early park admission one hour before the park opens to the general public (the park with early admission was Universal Studios). Even though the hotel does not offer Universal Express Unlimited, I still think that Cabana Bay is one of my favorites on Universal property. You can either walk to the parks (which took about 10-15 minutes for me) or take the bus to the transportation hub. I would recommend this hotel for anyone who has kids and who would like the '50s and '60s vibe that Cabana Bay has.
(This is the big sign that welcomes you to Cabana Bay.)
(Some nice palm trees in the lobby of Cabana Bay.)
(Great view of the volcano from Volcano Bay from the pool area.)
The next thing that I will talk about is an appreciation for the Horror Make-Up Show. This show has been at Universal Studios since the park's opening in June of 1990. The show has lived on even though most of the park's original attractions (except for E.T. Adventure) have been replaced by newer rides. The show goes over some of the props and effects used in classic horror movies, including fake blood and the moving head that was used in "An American Werewolf in London", which was Rick Baker's first Oscar win (of 7 total) for Best Makeup. The jokes have also changed over time to make fun of recent events. A lot of jokes are still funny today as they were the first time I heard them. I highly recommend watching this show while at Universal Orlando.
(Here is how they did the knife and fake blood effects. The volunteer is not harmed at all.)
(Here are the heads used for "An American Werewolf in London", with Mark James talking about them.)
Next, I will talk about the progress that was made in the construction of the new roller coaster in the Jurassic Park section of Islands of Adventure. Since my last trip in June, this happened: track work is fully complete on the coaster. They now have to put the theming around it. There is going to be a lot of rock work in the first part of the ride. The second part will include a top hat, a zero-g stall, and great views of the lagoon. Walking under the coaster on the bridge connecting Lost Continent to Jurassic Park (which was needed for the crowds) was really awesome. When it gets closer to opening, there should be nets over that bridge for loose items. Even with that, I have a feeling that the coaster will have a no loose articles rule (with metal detectors). Once again, I am looking forward to when the coaster opens sometime next year.
(Below are some pictures of the coaster construction)
Finally, I will talk about the crowds that descended upon Universal Orlando this past weekend. I was expecting the parks to be busier for Labor Day weekend, but I was not expecting the parks to be at capacity on Saturday and Sunday. It was the first time that the 2 dry parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure) have reached capacity since their reopening in June. Universal was still doing their new guidelines of mandatory mask wearing and social distancing in every line, and running the parks and attractions at a reduced capacity (plus hand sanitizer before going on a ride). As a result, there were waits of over 90 minutes for some attractions, including the Incredible Hulk Coaster (which I only got on twice this trip for 302 total rides), Spider-Man, and the water rides. Some rides had only virtual lines, including Revenge of the Mummy and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (which I unfortunately did not get a return time for).
Despite the heat and the crowds, I managed to have a good time at Universal Orlando. This trip gave me a better appreciation for Universal Studios being a park with mostly indoor attractions. Even with the crowds, I felt more calm at Studios than at Islands during my trip. The only time that I went to either Harry Potter area was in Diagon Alley during the early entry period. Other than that, I avoided those areas while at the parks. If you want advice on when to go to Universal during this time, I would tell you to go during the week for less crowds and more chances to go on rides. Also, take advantage of the U-Rest areas if you need a break from wearing a mask all day.
Before I end this post, I want to share a couple of extra pictures from the trip.
(The Incredible Hulk Coaster is always photogenic, regardless of what angle you take a picture of it from.)
(Here is the dragon on top of Gringotts Bank breathing fire in Diagon Alley.)
(That is my dad working at The Bourne Stuntacular)
(This is part of the Beetlejuice room in the Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store)
(Just me and Bruce the shark from "Jaws")
(Me and Doc Brown from a distance. Don't worry, I was given permission to take my mask off.)
I hope that you have enjoyed reading my post today about Universal Orlando. Hopefully I will make another trip soon. Have a great day, everyone.
Comments