UniversalParksBlog News for January 12th, 2025
Welcome to the first UniversalParksBlog News update for 2025!
I hope your first few days of 2025 have been happy, although let’s be honest that we’re all off to a rough start.
Photo: Universal Studios Hollywood
Parts of the country, including the Midwest and South, have suffered through multiple winter storms this week.
Then, we have the first topic to discuss in today’s news: the tragic fires in Southern California.
I Sincerely Hope You’re Okay
Photo: Disneyland
My boneheaded move of the month happened the other day.
I saw an item I wanted at Disneyland and asked a friend to pick it up for me if he’s at the park.
Photo: history.com
As an annual passholder there, I knew he went a lot. What I forgot was that he had bigger concerns at the moment.
My thoughtless text cluelessly ignored the fact that many people in Southern California aren’t sure they have homes right now.
I’m confident you’ve all read the news and are acutely aware of the matter.
Fast-moving brush fires swept through Southern California this week, destroying entire neighborhoods.
Photo: Fine Art America
Socialite and reality television star Paris Hilton described her horror as she watched her home burn down on live television.
Due to the location of the fires, many celebrities shared similar stories, as did countless influencers.
Photo: Universal Studios Hollywood
These groups are but a small subsection of the overall area impacted by this shocking natural disaster.
There’s video of dozens of people holding up their phones and livestreaming the worst moment of their lives.
Universal Closes Due to Tragedy
Universal
Obviously, Universal Studios Hollywood resides in this area. So, the disaster impacted the parks.
Universal Studios Hollywood (USH) closed early on Wednesday due to the danger in the surrounding area.
Universal
Park officials wanted locals to be safe in a quickly developing nightmare scenario.
Then, USH remained closed on Thursday for an unexpected reason.
Universal
The smoke levels had risen to untenable levels. I had multiple friends living in the area choose to evacuate on Thursday.
They were safe as were their homes, something I’m thankful to say. However, they couldn’t breathe well. So, they left.
Photo: Security Pacific National Bank Collection at Los Angeles Public Library]
Many Californians weren’t that fortunate. Here’s Jamie Lee Curtis describing what it’s like to live in the area:
There’s still a lot we don’t know about this matter, but there is one piece of good news.
Photo: Universal Studios Hollywood
The park escaped damage, although many of its employees weren’t so fortunate.
So, this story isn’t going away anytime soon. Even as government officials and volunteers work hard to contain the fire, its impact will linger.
Universal
On the bright side, USH was able to reopen on Friday, although I question the innate decency of that decision for the impacted employees.
I can’t imagine they’ve been able to focus much on their jobs this weekend.
Epic Universe Traffic Circle
Photo: Universal
I’m sorry to lead with such a sad story this year. So, let’s awkwardly pivot to something more upbeat.
We’re barely four months away from the opening of Universal Epic Universe.
Image: Universal
Obviously, when the park opens, crowds will be massive, as it’s the first new theme park of this scale in a quarter-century.
In case you’re unaware, traffic in Central Florida is already borderline unmanageable as it is.
Photo: Universal
You can imagine how a popular new theme park would impact the traffic patterns.
Fortunately, government officials invented a solution, and it’s a visually engaging one to boot.
Photo: Universal
Check out the new traffic circle that will be synonymous with Epic Universe:
Folks, you don’t care about logistics like this until you’re using them, but I swear to you that this is gonna make a big difference.
Photo: Universal
Presuming everything works as planned, Central Florida will offload tourists onto a single road, a giant traffic circle.
While I think describing it as “the first ride when you enter the park” is a huge stretch, it’s a brilliant attempt to manage traffic.
Photo: Universal
This enhancement could be the difference in whether you can enter the park efficiently or not.
I’m remaining skeptical until it’s operational and we’ve had a few months to examine the data.
Photo: Universal
Still, this inventive attempt could actually make traffic better around Epic Universe rather than worse. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
Universal Miscellany
Photo: Universal
The big story this week is the brush fire. Everything else frankly feels trivial compared to that.
Still, we did get a few updates, including one for Mardi Gras.
Photo: Universal
Universal announced the full lineup, and it’s got some heavyweights.
Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers Orchestra and Foster the People will perform at this year’s event.
Universal Orlando
On a seemingly unrelated note, here’s one of my most played songs last year, according to my recap:
So, yeah. That Foster the People concert is a big win for people like me, and I understand Joe Jonas has his share of fans.
Photo: Universal
However, not everything is great in Orlando at the moment, either.
Did you know that Florida can get winter weather, too? Well, it’s a shock to the many tourists who headed south for vacation.
Image: Sony
These folks believed that they could escape the cold at Universal Studios, but they’re learning that Old Man Winter is a tracker.
The unprecedented cold spell in the south has led to forecasts of snow in Orlando!
That hasn’t happened in *checks notes* my lifetime. I’m exaggerating…but just barely.
To those of you who were at the parks this week, I hope you packed a coat.
Photo: Facebook/Universal Orlando
Okay, that’s everything for this week. If you’re one of the affected in Southern California, please know that you’re in my thoughts.
Those of you who aren’t should follow Jamie Lee Curtis’ advice in the above video.
Photo: Universal
Prep an emergency kit just in case for unexpected moments like this.
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Feature Photo: Photo: Associated Press
