Universal Orlando Resort Theme Parks Will Close for Hurricane Ian
Universal Orlando Resort just confirmed the obvious. The impending landfall of Hurricane Ian will force park closures on Wednesday and Thursday.
Obviously, such an event has happened rarely during Universal Orlando’s 30+ years in operation. So, here’s what you need to know.
Photo:Universal Orlando
Universal Studios Parks Will Close
Let’s start with an all-important tweet:
Universal Orlando Resort, including CityWalk, will close on Sept. 28 & remain fully closed on Sept. 29. We anticipate reopening on Sept. 30 as conditions permit. pic.twitter.com/nPgsmv6TUv
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) September 27, 2022
On Wednesday, September 28th, Universal Orlando Resort won’t open its theme parks to guests.
Similarly, the park will remain closed on September 29th. As of this writing, Universal hopes to return to full operations on Friday.
However, that plan may not come to fruition. It depends on the impact of Hurricane Ian on the parks themselves and the surrounding area.
Photo: NOAA
Operating a theme park requires more than just great rides. You also need some external factors.
For example, most of the major roads in Orlando have experienced nightmarish traffic over the past 48 hours.
Many residents don’t want to ride out the storm in their homes. So, they’re grabbing their essentials and pets and heading away from the various coastlines.
Photo: Yahoo News
If traffic congestion and weather events cause too many logistical problems, Universal Studios cannot reopen.
Similarly, the power situation in many parts of Florida is mercurial at best.
In fact, forecasts call for the hurricane to reach landfall close to Tampa. For this reason, Tampa power suppliers have already stopped service in some areas.
IMPORTANT NEWS ⚠️ TECO will proactively shut down power in certain service areas to avoid serious damage to the underground equipment from saltwater surge. This includes downtown, Davis Islands (excluding @TGHCares) and Harbour Island.
Info: https://t.co/C41SEx0jZi pic.twitter.com/SDwBJPe14h
— City of Tampa (@CityofTampa) September 27, 2022
I won’t pretend to know the logic behind this decision, but they think it’s the best strategy to return power quickly once the storm ends.
Of course, Universal Studios operates on its own power grid. Still, traffic and power woes in the surrounding area could prevent it from returning Friday.
Also, any sort of significant damage at the parks would delay the reopening. Obviously, we’re hoping against all these issues. We should remain aware of them, though.
About the Closures
Photo: Universal
Some of you may have tickets to Halloween Horror Nights on September 28th and September 29th.
In case you weren’t sure, those events aren’t happening, either.
Universal isn’t about to open the parks for a few hours on Wednesday and Thursday in hurricane conditions just to provide a few scares.
Photo: Universal
We posted some videos of the 2022 Houses in a previous article. Sadly, you’ll have to watch those clips instead of the real thing.
In addition, Universal CityWalk Orlando will close as well. That may impact more people than the parks, as it reduces the number of dining options.
Universal will keep its hotels operational during Hurricane Ian. So, you’ll need some places to eat.
Photo: Universal
However, Universal officials don’t want customers walking outside during a hurricane. By closing CityWalk, they encourage guests to stay at the hotel.
Thankfully, Universal’s resort restaurants are quite good. During normal times, you could pick and choose between them.
The hotel staff will prevent you from leaving during a hurricane, though. Unfortunately, this reduces your dining options to the eateries at your hotel.
By the way, I cannot believe I have to type this, but some people on social media are asking.
Image Credit: Universal
NO!
Universal’s Volcano Bay won’t open during the hurricane. Are these people insane? You might get swept out of the pool and thrown into the volcano.
In fact, flooding will be an issue across Florida over the next few days. A water park would be redundant.
What Should You Do About Your Trip?
Photo: Universal
First, you should learn a lesson here. Trip insurance is always a good idea. When you buy this, you’re protected from any calamity.
Second, Universal’s cancellation policy takes care of its customers. I will direct you to the official site’s severe weather page.
Photo: UO Blog
Here’s the pertinent text:
“In the event that a hurricane or tropical storm warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center or a state of emergency is declared for the Orlando area or in your place of residence, within seven days of your arrival, you can contact our team in advance to reschedule or cancel your Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations Package, hotel room only accommodations and Universal Orlando theme park tickets booked directly with Universal Orlando, without any cancellation or change fees imposed. If you have purchased airline tickets as part of your Universal Parks and Resorts Vacations package, you may still be subject to cancellation and change fees assessed by those airlines.”
Basically, Universal will refund you for the vacation tickets you haven’t used.
You also may receive a discounted hotel stay, although that’s decided on a case-by-case basis.
Photo: orlandoairports.net
Universal’s wording strongly hints that airline stuff is entirely out of its hands. That’s correct.
However, you may not need to worry about that anyway. Orlando International Airport has confirmed that it’s closing at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The airport currently expects to reopen on Friday. Please understand that it could reopen sooner in the welcome event of Hurricane Ian changing courses.
Photo: orlandoairports.net
Conversely, the airport may remain closed for even longer if the hurricane causes more damage than expected, especially on the airport campus.
In short, we still don’t know a lot about what happens next. Please keep checking UniversalParksBlog for additional updates.
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Feature Photo: NOLA
