Universal Orlando opens to some guests — but they had to follow coronavirus rules
Universal Studios Orlando opened to invited guests on Wednesday to become the first major Florida theme park to reopen.
The attraction’s official opening is on Friday, but Universal gave annual pass holders a sneak peek at what crowds can expect given new rules to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Video and pictures from invited guests show that a sizable crowd came to enjoy the parks.
But judging by the photos, it looked like visitors were wearing the required face masks — even if they looked pressed close together in the queue.
Universal’s greeter on the grounds
Inside the park, video shows Universal team members cheerfully greeting guests on a platform as they strolled by. Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure had their own costumed characters or cast members waving people in.
Throughout the parks, characters like Spider-Man, Marilyn Monroe and Popeye and Olive Oyl can be seen strolling through greeting guests. Some wore masks that matched their characters color scheme or were guarded by masked cast members in costume.
Social distancing rules at Universal
Social distancing rules at the reopened Universal, in addition to face masks, include mandatory temperature checks, limited park capacity, empty seats between patrons on group rides and no single-rider lines.
Mindful of these, the attraction’s team member announced to passing invited guests they could use the Universal app to “join virtual queues and can use those to order food and beverages and can use Apple Pay so you can safely practice social distancing while still purchasing your goods.”
In a sign of the times, Universal also opened up a part of the park designated as a U-Rest Area where patrons may remove their face masks and catch a breather. That’s what the old outdoor smoker’s stations used to be in a pre-COVID-19 universe.
Comment from Orlando
On Tuesday, a Twitter user named Disney Dan from Allentown, posted a snarky comment over a video of protesters who were gathered en masse during a George Floyd protest.
“The good people of Orlando are practically Olympic level athletes when it comes to queuing in spaces and standing for long periods,” Disney Dan wrote.
More major theme parks to open soon
Along with Universal Orlando, Legoland Florida Resort also reopened its doors to the public on June 1 with new safety measures. The park only operates at 50 percent capacity, masks are required and temperature checks are mandatory.
But Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment have yet to reach their reopening dates.
SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and their respective water parks were approved to reopen on June 11. Walt Disney World’s reopening will be following a tiered structure with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opening on July 11 and Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopening on July 15.
Those parks have decided to suspend parades, meet-and-greets, fireworks and other events that attract crowds. The parks will also be following the general safety rules of mandatory masks and temperature checks.
This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 1:55 PM.
