Universal Parks Blog News for August 31, 2020
Universal Studios continues to wrestle with the implications of Coronavirus. So, the parks have started budget cutbacks in recent days.
Don’t worry, though! You’re still going to get the themed land you want the most.
I’ll explain in the latest Universal Park News update.
Universal Temporarily Closes Two Hotels
We here at Universal Parks Blog are passionate about the hotels at Universal Orlando Resort.
Our staff loves Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, which has satisfied guests since its introduction in 2016.
Image Credit: Universal
If anything, we’re even more devoted to Universal’s Aventura Hotel, arguably the most technologically advanced hotel in Central Florida.
Both resorts feature wonderful amenities, and the Aventura, in particular, is gorgeous to behold.
Alas, the pandemic has devastated the Universal campus. Customers haven’t returned at the volume that Universal executives had projected.
Photo: Loews Hotels
Since Universal’s parent company, Comcast, is heavily in debt, budget cuts had to happen.
Universal started with layoffs and then chose not to bring back thousands of employees once the parks reopened.
Now, the parks have taken a more severe approach.
The Aventura and Sapphire Falls have closed again after reopening earlier this summer. They will remain shut down until attendance picks up again.
Photo: Loews
From Universal’s perspective, it’s better to operate fewer hotels at higher capacities than all hotels at low occupancy rates.
Thankfully, Universal can still take this step without jeopardizing anyone with regards to social distancing.
Thus far, the official hotels have been virtual ghost towns. So, there’s plenty of room to take on more guests at these properties.
Photo: Universal
Hotel Layoffs
This story unfortunately goes hand-in-hand with the previous one.
Universal has taken another step to reduce operating expenses during the pandemic. And it’s going to make you angry.
When companies the size of Universal perform layoffs, they’re expected to notify government officials in the region.
This past week, Universal filed paperwork with the City of Orlando. In these four motions, the company indicated it would do something regrettable.
More than 1,000 employees who work at Universal hotels will receive furlough notices.
The filings suggest that these workers will remain out of work for more than six months. In fact, some of them will lose their jobs permanently.
Photo: Sonniabatta.com
Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort will furlough 164 people, while Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel will lose 200 staff members.
The hardest-hit location is Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, which is laying off a whopping 475 people. That’s a savage percentage of the entire hotel staff.
Finally, Universal is laying off 176 people in support staff jobs across the campus.
Additionally, Volcano Bay will close on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the foreseeable future. The company didn’t indicate any additional layoffs here, though.
There’s no way to sugarcoat this situation. Universal has just acknowledged that its current position is grim.
About Super Nintendo World
You may wonder how this turn of events impacts the upcoming Nintendo themed lands.
I’m using plural here since Universal had announced the construction of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood AND Universal’s Epic Universe.
Universal executives understand that this premise will generate massive revenue once the themed lands open.
The problem right now is how to pay for the construction of these expensive projects.
Universal Parks Blog has previously reported that Epic Universe is on hold at the moment. Comcast won’t finance it until the company is more liquid.
The presumption is that Epic Universe has received a delay of 1-2 years, putting its arrival date in 2024 or 2025.
You don’t need to worry about Super Nintendo World, though.
Some tweets confirm that construction has begun at Universal Studios Hollywood!
https://twitter.com/Universal__Core/status/1296228844412706818
You can look at the picture contained in the tweet to appreciate the progress.
As for the Orlando version, I remain optimistic about this project, too.
Insiders believe that Epic Universe is unlikely to get canceled altogether. Universal has too much to gain by moving forward with the new park.
Photo: Universal Studios
However, even in a doomsday scenario, fans wouldn’t lose Super Nintendo World.
Instead, Universal would transition the themed land back to Universal Studios Florida. You may recall that this was the original plan.
When Nintendo and Universal agreed to terms on a videogame themed land, Epic Universe didn’t exist as a concept yet.
Universal later got ambitious by planning to build a third complete park based on the drawing power of Nintendo.
So, even in the worst eventuality, we’ll still get to ride a real-world version of Mario Kart!
Hagrid Is Too Hot!
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is unquestionably the best Universal Studios ride in existence right now.
Photo: Universal
This groundbreaking roller coaster has garnered acclaim and maintained wait-times of three hours or more since it opened.
Recently, the Hagrid attraction earned headlines for a different reason. It’s apparently too hot for its own good.
I kid, but the backstage area experienced a fire that forced the evacuation of the Motorbike Adventure.
Early reports suggested a more severe situation, but park officials and the fire department confirmed that the blaze was extinguished quickly.
Understandably, the ride had to shut down for repairs for several days.
A Clean Bill of Health and Other Good News
Obviously, with Florida suffering mightily during the pandemic, potential vacationers have wondered about the parks’ safety.
Photo: Sun Sentinel
On this front, I have excellent news. The governor of Florida and his top safety officials have provided several recent COVID-19 related updates.
During these conversations, we have learned that no outbreaks have occurred at Central Florida theme parks.
So, Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando, and Universal Orlando Resort have all scored high marks in guest safety.
Photo: Disney Parks
One healthcare official acknowledged that some positive tests have occurred at the parks, but that’s to be expected.
Theme parks like Universal introduced temperature checks for this very reason. Customers who show signs of fever aren’t allowed to enter.
Given the data, this tactic is undeniably working. For this reason, government officials have considered an increase in park capacity limits.
In other words, more people may get to enter Universal Studios soon!
The Unnamed Coaster That’s Jurassic Park
Universal officials share a quirky sense of humor, and they’ve shown it off lately.
For whatever reason, Universal has stubbornly refused to acknowledge the roller coaster that all guests can see when they visit the park.
Everyone notices it, and they know that it’s located in the Jurassic Park part of the park. Ergo, it’s a Jurassic Park-themed roller coaster.
Universal still hasn’t said that, though. Instead, they’ve taken to trolling fans on social media, as this tweet shows:
Everyone: What are you building over there?
Us: Don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious.— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) August 25, 2020
Even insiders have started playing along. Here’s bioreconstruct showing pictures of Unannounced Jurassic Park Roller Coaster:
Drone surveillance at sunrise of Osprey at top of the unannounced Jurassic Park roller coaster. pic.twitter.com/MFt9tDfiHT
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) August 23, 2020
The whole thing is quite silly…but hey! Isn’t it nice for something entertaining and not at all depressing to happen in 2020? We all need more of that.
Feature Image Rights: Universal
