UniversalParksBlog News for October 6th, 2024
Universal Orlando Resort experienced a needlessly exciting few days, as Hurricane Helene swept through the area.
We’ll discuss the hurricane prep and impact and much more in this week’s UniversalParksBlog News.
A Grim Week
Photo: NBC
Hurricane Helene reached land in Florida as a Category-4 hurricane with wind velocity of 140 miles per hour.
While reports were inconsistent at first, we’ve since learned that it was the most devastating hurricane since Katrina in terms of death toll.
Photo: NBC
I’m from the spot on the map where Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina meet, and I have many family members in that area.
Some incomprehensible things happened, such as the collapse of parts of I-40 connecting Tennessee and North Carolina.
Phot: w leather.com
Western North Carolina suffered devastating floods, which overwhelmed the support structures in place, leading to even more flooding in East Tennessee.
Photographers have captured images of the damage the hurricane caused, and it’s terrifying to behold.
Photo: NOLA
In an odd twist, many parts of Florida escaped the devastation. Most notably, Central Florida was quite fortunate.
We’re not that far removed from Hurricane Ian, which wrecked some rides at Universal Orlando Resort.
Universal
Universal needed quite a while to repair the wall at the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride rebuilding.
With those memories lingering in my mind, I nervously read Universal’s plans for navigating Hurricane Helene.
Image Credit: Universal
Let’s just say I found them ambitious, as Universal attempted to stay open.
As Kristen Sabol described it, here were Universal’s park operations changes:
- “Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida is canceled.
- Universal Volcano Bay is closed.
- Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure will close at their regularly scheduled times – with Universal Studios closing at 5 p.m. and Islands of Adventure closing at 8 p.m.
- Universal CityWalk will close early at 8 p.m.
- Our hotels remain operational as they focus on taking care of our guests.”
Universal Rolls the Dice and Wins
What happens during these crisis situations is quite admirable.
All the theme park vendors in the area work together to come up with the best plan for guest safety.
While one of the parks sometimes goes rogue, as Universal did in 2022, there’s an unspoken bond in place.
Theme park managers, especially the ones at Disney and Universal, want to keep the parks open for financial reasons.
Photo: UO Blog
However, nobody would ever endanger tourists, as that’s both selfish and bad for business.
What happens is that Disney and Universal liaise with the National Weather Service to receive the most detailed information.
Photo: Universal Orlando
That way, everyone knows how the weather will disrupt the parks, and for all the jokes we make about forecasts, they’re quite accurate.
So, Universal learned that Hurricane Helene was unlikely to disrupt daily park experiences.
Had the hurricane changed its trajectory, Universal would have quickly altered plans and closed the parks, just as it has before.
That didn’t happen because the hurricane viciously targeted other parts of the southeast instead.
Photo: Universal
Universal and Disney were both fortunate in that they’d shortened park hours on that night anyway.
Universal hosted Halloween Horror Nights on that night, while Disney offered Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
Credit: Universal
Thus, both companies could simply cancel those events and refund the tickets.
Nothing else other than the water parks required closure. I’ll level with you that I would have preferred cancellations.
However, I’m not the one losing the money and angering the customers in that scenario.
Universal made an informed decision here, and it proved to be the correct one.
RIP Dame Maggie Smith
Getty
The other sad story of the week is an inevitable one.
When Warner Bros. cast for the original Harry Potter movie, it chose a couple of icons of British entertainment.
NY Times
One of them, Richard Harris died after the second film, leading to the casting of Michael Gambon as Dumbledore.
Gambon died at the age of 82 last September. Now, Dame Maggie Smith, who famously portrayed Professor McGonagall, has joined him.
(Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
A two-time Academy Award winner, Smith was 89 years old at the time of her death.
As has become the tradition when Harry Potter cast members died, fans paid tribute by raising their wands at Universal Studios.
The lovely and symbolic tribute feels especially appropriate for Smith, one of the most decorated thespians of all time.
Universal Miscellany
Photo: Universal
In Universal Epic Universe news, I have nothing to add…yet. But that will change soon.
First, Fandom Party New York will host a Universal Studios event at Hard Rock Hotel.
Image Credit: Universal
Then, New York Comic Con will offer an Epic Universe panel on October 19th.
So, I may have something to share with you in time for the next update.
Photo: Hard Rock Hotel
Finally, there’s one other story I’m tracking this week, and it’s somewhat odd.
For a brief period, just two days, Universal Studios Hollywood offered a $45 discount ticket for Halloween Horror Nights.
Credit: Universal
I’m mentioning this because of what it represents. This year’s event will sell the overwhelming majority of its tickets at both American parks.
However, the sales have taken longer than in previous years, especially in Hollywood.
Photo: Universal
For the past several years, even before the pandemic, the thought of an HHN discount would have seemed implausible.
Now, one just quietly happened to very little fanfare. Comcast will report its quarterly earnings in a couple of weeks.
Photo: Universal
Don’t be surprised if theme park attendance is genuinely lackluster. If Universal cannot sell out HHN, something’s up.
I hope I’m wrong, but I’m definitely keeping an eye on it.
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Feature Photo: Universal
