Universal Orlando Reopened June 5th! CityWalk Reopened on May 14th

[TinkerbelleMom]

So good to hear this, as I got all of us one of those double neck fans as well! And hats with cooling gel that is supposed to keep your head cooler. Plus a variety of different type masks, so no hope of going bagless! I am interested in knowing if you could keep your neck fan on during most of the rides. I figure those that require lockers you can't, but hopeful we can during the others.

I kept it on for any ride that allowed stuff, if lockers were required, I didnt even try.

 

[C&Jx2]

Any word on Bigfire or Cowfish yet?

 

[TinkerbelleMom]

Any word on Bigfire or Cowfish yet?

Saw them open tonight. But probably at 25% capacity like the others we went to.

 

[only hope]

Here is my experience from today. Keep in mind crowd levels were likely affected by the tropical storm; for days it was forecast to rain all day all weekend (which it did a lot Saturday, and there were tornadoes). This morning it changed to probably raining in the afternoon; by early afternoon there was no chance of rain til the evening. In reality, it sprinkled a bit here and there throughout the day. Not enough for an umbrella but too much for Celestina to come out apparently.

Parking/security/entrance: I have the premier pass and get free prime parking. It was self-park as usual, but less cars than usual. It only took a few minutes to get through the temp check and security. There was no line to get in the park. ID checks have replaced fingerprints. I was past the early entry check at 8:09.

Early entry experience: It was far less crowded than normal. I joined the next group waiting for the Minions preshow. Due to the slower load time, it takes longer to do. I went to Gringotts next. Despite all the social distancing, there was no queue spilling out towards the money exchange. There's a long chained queue set up for the lockers.

General attractions experience: I didn't do everything, but it seems the only preshows running are those for theater attractions. The only exception is FJ- the castle is still "alive" with all the people and talking portraits, but the problem is you mostly get through the room without hearing it all. Every queue has lines on the ground where you are meant to wait til the next one becomes available, but in many spots it is difficult or impossible to see if the next one is clear. No water effects were working. 3D glasses steam up easily; I noticed others having the same problem. I ended up mostly holding the glasses a few inches away from my face. This proved to be very difficult on Transformers and Spiderman because they are so bumpy. You are never seated with another party and there is almost always at least one row between you and the next party. Only once did I see an exception, and I think it's because the kids didn't want to sit together on Hippogriff as they were probably told to.

Masks: Nearly everyone was compliant. In the afternoon I saw some uncovered noses and just a few dangling masks. Employees are telling you to keep them completely on if they see it off, and before every ride. Ride cameras are being monitored; E.T. audio was interrupted for a keep-your-mask-on announcement. I didn't see anyone being told they can't eat/drink and walk. Personally I only did so if no one else was anywhere near me; otherwise I stepped to the side. I HIGHLY recommend breathable neck gaiters!!! I was far more comfortable in that than I am at work, inside, with a standard cloth mask on. I was hardly bothered at all and feels like was 93 for awhile. My face didn't really sweat at all and the air wasn't too hot under it. A lot of people were wearing these. I think I'm going to buy more for work, even though they're so expensive...they're that good.

Forbidden Journey: FYI, express (which I used for my second ride after 4) now goes directly from the portrait staircase to the common room. Only the last dementor was working; I hope they just need fixed as I see no reason they should be off; and the water screen showing faces was off. But the whomping willow was alive!

Virtual queues/wait times: VQ's don't drop off instantly like fastpasses. I was going to make another one for FJ- I entered right before it expired- but I couldn't because it still had my old one. This is in contrast to a report I read that they disappear as soon as they expire. I checked multiple times throughout the day for Hagrids just for research sake as I don't like it, starting at park open, and never saw any times. Hagrids, Mummy, and FJ were the only ones I saw change to virtual line only at any point. A few more had standby and virtual which doesn't make any sense to me. Universal needs to figure out a way to list wait times for attractions that have gone to vq only. VQ doesn't mean a short wait time. I walked into Mummy, saw they were using the extended queue, walked back out and inquired about the wait time; it was going to be about 40mn. I left. Wait times generally were very low though, and surprisingly no more inaccurate than usual.

Shows: I only saw the Frog Choir. People nearest the stage were keeping their distance, but not so much farther back. I had to move twice because someone parked within six feet of me. Markers are up for these too. Fear Factor, the parade, the Hogwarts light show, the watershow at Uni at night, and Horror are not running. Bourne opening has been postponed.

Food: This was particularly interesting for me as I transitioned to a strict vegan diet after the shutdown. I researched ahead of time and turns out Universal is way behind Disney on this. Very few options besides a handful of locations offering gardein chick'n and/or a beyond burger. Most places have nothing. And it turns out the foam on the butterbeer has dairy, despite the fuss they made when it debuted about it being safe for dairy allergies, and of course it can't be left off. :'( Anyways, I tried to eat at Springfield. There's a line to reach an employee, who asked what I wanted. I wanted to order food; he said they were at capacity and it'd be a few minutes to get a table. I think it was mobile order only. Communication was poor. I ended up getting something much later from Fire Eaters, which is mobile and walk-up. Many food kiosks and a fair amount of the counter service places are closed.

Characters: I wasn't looking for any but I didn't see as many as I normally do. Sideshow Bob was out, somebody (no idea who) was waving to guests near the entrance, and I heard the loud music for transformers so I assume they came out. But that was it. edit- didn't see a knight bus conductor and I walked by a few times. That has never happened. The head was talking though.

Overall impression: It doesn't feel like a theme park really. The TM's aren't really in character anywhere, not even in the wizarding world. All the social distance markers and masks make it hard to pretend you're somewhere else, relax, and enjoy the moment. You're too focused on maintaining your distance in the queues and everywhere else. Which leads to another thing...people aren't talking to each other much. I'm an introvert and don't go out of my way to talk to strangers, but usually I have a few nice conversations with people. I think I spoke to another guest just once today. I didn't talk to team members much either; it's harder to hear each other and they have more to handle right now. The wizarding world had half its shops closed; maybe they've moved into the time period of books six and seven? There were no spellcaster helpers.

I still had a good time, but I definitely do not recommend going if you are not a frequent visitor. If this is going to be a once in a lifetime trip, or once every ten years or whatever, I would say wait. Even as a local passholder who goes frequently, and will continue to do so til my pass expires, I'm disappointed that I paid full price for what is now a very reduced experience. They added an extra week or so to everyone's passes but imo that doesn't make up for everything that is missing. Maybe if I was renewing I'd be more okay with it. I'm really hoping things go closer to normal before my pass expired on 1/30. If this phase is short-lived for a month or two, that's ok. I don't expect nor want the mask requirement to change though.

edit- Water. So freestyle machines still can't be used to refill your water bottle. A tm in Simpsons refilled my bottle; one at IOA said she wasn't allowed and filled a plastic cup twice and dumped it into my bottle, which I was holding. This negates the entire purpose of a reuseable water bottle. I have no desire to contribute to the plastic problem any more than necessary, so it looks like the options are fountains or bring in a ton of water. And it turns out they automatically give you a plastic silverware/napkin kit and ketchup with applicable entrees...didn't even ask me if I wanted it. It's like all the businesses have forgotten amid covid-19 that we still have an environment to save and have gone back to wasteful practices. There's got to be a way to be safe and environmentally friendly.

 

[poohj80]

I agree with the neck gaiters but I will say my neck got pretty hot even though my face was comfortable.

 

[Wreckem]

Saw them open tonight. But probably at 25% capacity like the others we went to.

Cowfish and Big Fire were open? Or one of the other. The current list on a Universal doesn’t show them being open yet. Maybe they were doing a soft opening?

 

[Linkura]

Most important question not yet asked here: Is BREAD BOX open? I saw it had lights on in an article that talked about Panda Express, Moe's, and Burger King being open, but they didn't mention Bread Box.....

EDIT: Saw in the restaurant thread it's not. That's a shame- it's a great place to grab and go.

 

[Wubeachbum]

Today was the first day of our four day trip. I have three kids 6 and under. They have been to Disney several times. Universal did a good job and the low crowds were awesome. We rode Hagrads, Forbidden, Jurassi, pt flyers, Kong, Spider-Man, and all 4 Seuss rides. We all did the olivanders show with only our family. Amazing! It was hot and the mask are tough. Drink lots of water. Hagards VQ dropped at 8:50, but the other VQ were opened well after the park opened. We used child swap on all the rides, sometimes walking the queue together and other times waiting outside. We also got the Kong VQ right before lunch. Had a reservation at Mythos, highly recommend have a sit down to rest. Hitting studios tomorrow but probably will not push to be there as early.

 

[dawnball]

I have three kids 6 and under.

How did the kids do with masks? If they were unmasked, were team members fairly nice about pointing it out? Mine's pretty good at home, but has limited endurance (except when he forgets its on, and I'm bright enough not to remind him.) I figure he'll be in the stroller most of the time, and we'll just keep popping it back on every time we see it's off.

 

[schumigirl]

Today was the first day of our four day trip. I have three kids 6 and under. They have been to Disney several times. Universal did a good job and the low crowds were awesome. We rode Hagrads, Forbidden, Jurassi, pt flyers, Kong, Spider-Man, and all 4 Seuss rides. We all did the olivanders show with only our family. Amazing! It was hot and the mask are tough. Drink lots of water. Hagards VQ dropped at 8:50, but the other VQ were opened well after the park opened. We used child swap on all the rides, sometimes walking the queue together and other times waiting outside. We also got the Kong VQ right before lunch. Had a reservation at Mythos, highly recommend have a sit down to rest. Hitting studios tomorrow but probably will not push to be there as early.

Thanks for the update......sounds like it was a good day....

Hope you have fun at the Studios today.

 

[SmittS]

Today was the first day of our four day trip. I have three kids 6 and under. They have been to Disney several times. Universal did a good job and the low crowds were awesome. We rode Hagrads, Forbidden, Jurassi, pt flyers, Kong, Spider-Man, and all 4 Seuss rides. We all did the olivanders show with only our family. Amazing! It was hot and the mask are tough. Drink lots of water. Hagards VQ dropped at 8:50, but the other VQ were opened well after the park opened. We used child swap on all the rides, sometimes walking the queue together and other times waiting outside. We also got the Kong VQ right before lunch. Had a reservation at Mythos, highly recommend have a sit down to rest. Hitting studios tomorrow but probably will not push to be there as early.

Did you do Ollivanders first thing in the morning? Can you help explain the sign in process?

 

[Monykalyn]

Overall impression: It doesn't feel like a theme park really. The TM's aren't really in character anywhere, not even in the wizarding world. All the social distance markers and masks make it hard to pretend you're somewhere else, relax, and enjoy the moment. You're too focused on maintaining your distance in the queues and everywhere else. Which leads to another thing...people aren't talking to each other much. I'm an introvert and don't go out of my way to talk to strangers, but usually I have a few nice conversations with people. I think I spoke to another guest just once today. I didn't talk to team members much either; it's harder to hear each other and they have more to handle right now. The wizarding world had half its shops closed; maybe they've moved into the time period of books six and seven? There were no spellcaster helpers.

I still had a good time, but I definitely do not recommend going if you are not a frequent visitor. If this is going to be a once in a lifetime trip, or once every ten years or whatever, I would say wait. Even as a local passholder who goes frequently, and will continue to do so til my pass expires, I'm disappointed that I paid full price for what is now a very reduced experience. They added an extra week or so to everyone's passes but imo that doesn't make up for everything that is missing. Maybe if I was renewing I'd be more okay with it. I'm really hoping things go closer to normal before my pass expired on 1/30. If this phase is short-lived for a month or two, that's ok. I don't expect nor want the mask requirement to change though.

Our experience Tuesday closely mirrored this although we had reservations for Mythos. Kong and Mummy especially its hard to see the markers and around corners, and no interactive elements either. I miss the convo in the queues too. Tuesday we walked on everything with no need for VQ- think we timed everything right.
I also agree if it’s a one and done trip you may be disappointed - the preshow are not running and it’s really noticeable at Gringotts, and the MiB preshow is fun too. OTOH I’d never seen Dr Dooms regular line before- always have done single rider or express! And it’s been quite awhile since I’d gone through the greenhouse on FJ- and the willow wasn’t working nor were most dementors. Strangely I did get to keep my crossbody purse and Water bottle with me on the ride! Hope that stays! And no Horror Makeup show. Although Blues Brothers still singing.
I’m premiere holder as well and our expire date is extended same number days park was closed- far longer than a “week or so”.
And while it is currently a diminished experience Universal still treats its pass holders better than Disney- the free freestyle cup with an activation is nice, as is a dedicated passholder lounge, security line and entrance. And an included ticket to a hard ticket event with highest level pass (HHN ticket) along with free preferred and valet parking. Highest level pass also gets 20% food and merchants discount while Disney gives 10%.

 

[Monykalyn]

ed, were team members fairly nice about pointing it out?

The TM’s the one time I saw her ask a child to put on his mask (I think the family took it off to give him a break- he was 4 as she asked-and just forgot about it) the TM was very friendly and sweet and got down on his level while the mom put his mask on and adjusted it, then cheered and clapped when he had it on. The lil guy didn’t fuss putting it on- probably because the TM made it a positive experience. And security did approach a family with sitting to side with masks pulled down with a friendly “hey guys if you need a mask break we have areas for you to take a break and they are” and proceeded to point our locations etc. Family pulled masks back up- the TM’s are being friendly but firm and really non-confrontational about it.

 

[only hope]

I meant my pass was expired by the amount of days the parks were closed plus an extra week.

The willow was working when I rode. It seems to break a LOT though. It’s down more often than not for me.

 

[Wubeachbum]

How did the kids do with masks? If they were unmasked, were team members fairly nice about pointing it out? Mine's pretty good at home, but has limited endurance (except when he forgets its on, and I'm bright enough not to remind him.) I figure he'll be in the stroller most of the time, and we'll just keep popping it back on every time we see it's off.

The kids are doing well. My youngest hasn’t turned 2 yet so she is not wearing a mask. We bought thin masks from Janie and Jack, which are as comfortable as possible. The second oldest let’s it fall below her nose occasionally, but we are the only ones telling her to pull it up. We have been taking breaks to sit down and eat/drink often between ride switch and bathroom breaks. The extremely low wait times make taking that many breaks much easier.

 

[Wubeachbum]

Did you do Ollivanders first thing in the morning? Can you help explain the sign in process?

We grabbed a Hagards VQ first and then headed to Olivanders in Hogsmead. They were not open but after asking at the wind shop, they got someone to come out and put us on the list. We could choose any time. We originally picked 10:00, but my wife went and changed it to 10:40 because I was in line when Hagards broke down. So times were still available around 9:45. It was great knowing one of the kids would be picked. They asked me who to pick, and I told them whoever. We had two getting wonds.

 

[Wubeachbum]

Day 2 was our first chance to experience Studios. Really low crowds and they didn’t seem to be using VQ at all. We rode Minions 2X, Gringotts 2X, ET 2X, MIB, Woody Rollercoaster, and Mummy, using ride switch each time except for ET (2X = 3 or 4 actual rides). We elected to each walk the queues versus going up the exit, everything was nearly a walk-on. We could have easily rode every ride despite moving very slow. We also spent a lot of time in Diagon Alley.

 

[atricks]

Horror Makeup is now running shows.

 

[tony67]

Horror Makeup is now running shows.

Yup - I saw a video of that yesterday.

Also a rumor that there may be a soft opening for Bourne soon

 

[osufeth24]

Yup - I saw a video of that yesterday.

Also a rumor that there may be a soft opening for Bourne soon

wouldn't surprise me, the July AP pin is bourne themed, so gotta think it's coming soon