Last week, I went with my boyfriend's family to visit the Universal theme parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure) in Orlando, Florida. A lot of people probably think we're crazy for going to Florida, where they have over 300,000 confirmed COVID cases (and counting), especially to a theme park, during this pandemic. However, we spent a week in Orlando, including four days in the Universal parks, and we all managed to make it home without coming down with the virus.
I'm not one of those people who thinks COVID-19 doesn't exist. The point of this post is simply to point out that it is possible to still live our lives while also being safe. It's also to help explain what it's like in a theme park during this pandemic.
Universal has several rules/guidelines in place to help you have fun while also being safe.
1. Wear a mask. All guests and employees must wear a mask/face covering while in the park. There are a few areas marked as "U Rest" areas where you are allowed to sit and remove your mask. You may also remove it in park restaurants when you are seated at your table. Other than that, masks must be worn at all times. If you remove it or pull it down, staff members will remind you to keep it on, including on rides. This includes the Hogwarts Express. On the train, your party is seated in their own private cabin, but you are still required to keep your mask on. You are under video surveillance, so staff will know if you take it off and will come speak to you about it.
2. Temperature checks. Before entering the park, all guests must go through a temperature check. They say that guests with a temperature of 100.4 or higher will not be admitted. Contactless forehead thermometers are used for these temperature checks.
3. Social distancing. Everyone is expected to practice social distancing. While waiting in line, there are blue lines on the ground to mark where each party can wait. If there is not an available blue line in front of you, you are not to move forward. On rides, only every other row is used. For theater-type attractions and shows (i.e. Bourne Stuntactular and Shrek 4-D), they still only use every other row and make sure there are at least 3 empty seats between each party.
4. Hand Sanitizer. Before each ride, staff members squirt hand sanitizer in each guest's hands. No, it's not optional. There is also hand sanitizer available after most rides. That one is optional, but I still highly recommend using it.
5. Contactless ordering. This part was particularly frustrating for us. At in-park restaurants, you must order your food and drinks through the Universal mobile app. Once you submit your order, the app gives you an order number that you then tell waitstaff so they know which table to bring it to. The first time we tried ordering, as we were submitting the order, the app crashed and deleted/cancelled the order forcing us to start over.
6. Restrooms will close periodically. Due to the need for increased sanitation, restrooms in the parks close periodically for cleaning/disinfecting. They don't all close at once, so don't worry. If one restroom is closed, cleaning staff are happy to tell you where the next closest one is.
A few other notable things:
1. Less people, less wait time. One of the best things I noticed during our visit to the parks was the super low wait times for rides. Due to the pandemic, many people are avoiding traveling and visiting busy places like theme parks, and I don't blame them. This means there are less people in the parks and the lines are much shorter than they would typically be this time of year. Rides I waited an hour or more for on my last trip several years ago I only waited maybe 15 minutes for this time. I think the longest we waited in line for a ride was maybe 30-40 minutes.
2. Buy 2 Days, Get 2 Free. Universal currently has a deal where you can buy a 2-day ticket and get two extra days for free. Tickets must be purchased by August 13th, but you have until December 17th, 2021 to use them. All 4 days do not have to be consecutive, but you must use them within a 7 day period, meaning after your first day, you have six days left to use your remaining 3 days. I highly recommend spacing your days out a bit. Four consecutive days in the parks can be exhausting.
3. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. This roller coaster is still pretty new and demand to ride is very high. Because of this, you are required to reserve a spot in the "virtual line" through the Universal app. We were not aware of this at first and tried to just walk up and get in line like every other ride only to be informed that 1. the ride was down at the moment and 2. we had to reserve a spot. I recommend reserving your spot first thing in the morning when you arrive (you can only do so when on park grounds), otherwise you may not get to ride it. We were never able to get a spot. It's also important to note that the app showed the ride being down several times, which delayed all reservation times and may have contributed to the lack of availability. Also be aware that the "virtual line" does not mean you'll get on the ride faster when you get to this roller coaster. Every time we walked by during any of the specified times (if it was actually running at the time), the line stretched well into the Lost Continent section of the park.
4. Character meet and greets. Universal has found a way to still allow for character interactions and photos while social distancing. Characters stand on platforms and there are blue marks on the ground six feet away, similar to the ones used for attraction lines, where you may stand for photos and conversation. Character visits and photo-ops aren't rare or limited either. Over the course of our 4 days we met Patrick (from Spongebob), the Penguins of Madagascar, The Cat in The Hat (with Thing One and Thing Two), the Grinch, Captain America, and Spider-Man. We saw several other characters we didn't take photos with as well.
5. If you're going to ride water rides, bring an extra mask. If you plan to ride any water rides, especially Popeye & Pluto's Bilge-Rat Barges, bring an extra mask as the one you are wearing will likely get wet. The only water ride where we were told we could remove our masks was the Jurassic Park River Adventure (and you can't remove it until you are settled on the ride, so there's still a chance it could get wet).
Overall, our trip to Universal was an awesome experience. I'm very thankful to Universal and their staff for working so hard to keep everyone safe without taking away from the fun.
