While the change is described as a result of popular demand, it’s believed that the change has other ulterior motives. The end of December holds two of the busiest weeks of the entire year and keeping the show open increases the park’s capacity. Universal Studios has already had two major attractions close this year, thus lowering capacity of the park: Disaster! and Twister.

The final Beetlejuice show on January 5 at 5:15pm will be exclusive to the first 1,100 Annual Passholders to check in at the Studio Audience Center beginning at 9am. The Studio Audience Center is located at the front of the park, located between guest services and daily lockers.

Read the original article below.

In a quiet update made to the Universal Orlando website this afternoon, Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue is set to close on December 3, 2015. This means its last showing will be in the afternoon of Wednesday, December 2, 2015.

Beetlejuice is the second attraction to be shuttered in order to make way for Fast & Furious: Supercharged, opening in 2017. Disaster! A Major Motion Picture Ride, starring YOU closed on September 8, in preparation for the new attraction. Universal shared the news of one of the most popular film franchises of all time coming to the park in the form of an all-new ride in late August.

Beetlejuice poses during his show at Universal Studios Florida.

Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue opened at Universal Studios Florida in 1992, just two years following the park’s opening. Slight modifications were made to the show in 2002. In 2006, the show was completely redone by then Senior Universal Orlando Show Director, Michael Roddy. The latest version of the show debuted on February 8, 2014.

The 2006 version of the show was well-received, winning the Big E award from The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). The Big E Awards honor the best in live entertainment at amusement parks and attractions throughout the world. The 2014 version was not as fortunate, opening to lukewarm reviews at best.

Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Mash Up at Universal Studios Florida.

Despite the latest version of the show not being widely received, the show’s loyal fans created a petition to “save” the show that has now reached 1,835 signatures. On September 4, VP of Corporate Communications, Tom Schroder replied to the creator of the petition:

“We know the show has its fans – and we respect their loyalty. But we also know we have to make room for new and exciting entertainment experiences so that we can keep growing and keep making our guests happy. We will continue to have a Beetlejuice character in our park – and we will try to give our fans plenty of time to see the Beetlejuice show before we close it.”

A version of the show remains operating at Universal Studios Japan.

Also opening in 2017 is Universal’s future water theme park, Volcano Bay, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, and a 400 room expansion at Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

Will you miss Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue closes on January 5 appeared first on Orlando Informer.

Season of the Force concept art

Whatever the case may end up being – and we certainly should know soon, given that it is just around the corner – there’s still a giant collection of activities to engage in and fun to be had. There’s also the little question that accompanies such an event: is it worth your hard-earned vacation dollars?

Let’s break everything down item by item to see if we can’t find the answer.

The attractions, phase I: December 1, 2015

1. Star Wars Launch Bay

Star Wars Launch Bay

The seasonal (no pun intended) tie-in to Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, which releases on December 18, the Launch Bay will be more in-depth than your typical temporary location. Guests can meet-‘n-greet with Darth Vader and Chewbacca (replete with detailed backdrops); tour a collection of props and costumes from all the films, including the new one; get a chance to play the new Star Wars-infused video game, Disney Infinity 3.0, which includes park-exclusive levels; and, of course, purchase special merchandise.

The Launch Bay is located at the Animation Courtyard.

2. Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

A sneak peek at Jakku

The Force Awakens makes an appearance in Star Tours in the form of Jakku, the new desert planet that occupies much of the movie’s story. There, guests will encounter a trio of the characters being introduced in Episode VII: ex-stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), young scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley), and adorable droid BB-8, who dispatches the transport’s secret mission to R2-D2. (It should be noted that one of these is a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo appearance.)

Interestingly enough, for the duration of Season of the Force, Jakku will be programmed to be included in every experience for every rider; afterwards, the randomly-generated nature of the attraction will take over once again, making Jakku just as much of a crapshoot as any of the other six planets.

3. Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple

The Seventh Sister from Star Wars: Rebels

Having closed last month, the Jedi Training Academy is going to reopen under a new name and with a new backdrop: Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple will now, unsurprisingly, take place at the “secret site of an ancient Jedi temple.” Even better, the attraction is similarly getting an update, this time in the form of new content from Star Wars: Rebels, the new television series currently airing on Disney XD – younglings will now battle the Seventh Sister alongside Darth Vader.

4. Star Wars: Path of the Jedi

A pivotal moment from Luke Skywalker’s path to becoming a Jedi Knight

An “exclusive cinematic event,” this short film retraces Luke Skywalker’s development into the last of the Jedi Knights by splicing together – supposedly seamlessly – footage from the original and prequel trilogies. It’s designed to simultaneously titillate long-time fans and also serve as a primer to The Force Awakens for first-time Star Wars moviegoers.

Look for Path of the Jedi in a theater setting next to Echo Lake.

The attractions, phase II: January 5, 2016

1. Stormtrooper Patrols

Stormtroopers from Episode VII: The Force Awakens

A roaming meet-‘n-greet, these stormtroopers will roam the park, interacting and taking photos with guests along the way. This experience actually ties (loosely) into the story of The Force Awakens, as the soldiers are from the First Order (the Galactic Empire’s replacement) and are hunting down hidden members of the Resistance (the Rebel Alliance’s successor).

2. Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular

Fireworks at Coruscant, the capital of the galaxy

A special and Disney World-exclusive fireworks show set to John Williams’s legendary Star Wars soundtracks, Symphony in the Stars was originally announced to be a weekend-only affair but has since been adjusted to feature daily showings. It should make for a suitable finale to a Star Wars-filled day at the park.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Disney unless a special, hard-ticketed dessert party was offered during the fireworks show, featuring specially themed food, drinks, and – obviously – a Chewbacca stein.

3. Exclusive food and beverages

Here she is in all her beauty: the TIE Fighter premium popcorn bucket

Various locations scattered throughout the park will offer a wide variety of Star Wars-themed items to consume, including the Blue Milk Panna Cotta, Padawan Limeade, BB-8 Lemon and Butter Cream cupcake, and a Han Solo Souvenir Kid’s Meal. There is no word on whether Disneyland’s exclusive culinary collectibles will also be on-hand, such as the TIE Fighter premium popcorn bucket and the BB-8 drink sipper.

Is it worth it?

Temporary firework shows and character meet-‘n-greets, a video montage, an upgrade to an attraction that was already scheduled, and (yet another) hard-ticketed dessert party – while there are certainly a number of experiences being held for Episode VII’s big release, addressing the question of quantity, there’s still the issue of quality that needs to be considered. Is Season of the Force worth it?

The Force Awakens‘s (very busy) poster

It’s perhaps impossible to answer this without also acknowledging the larger issue of what The Walt Disney Company has managed to accomplish with its prize property after spending some $4 billion on it a little over three years ago. It may come as a surprise to many themed enthusiasts that next month’s celebration is the very first new Star Wars-related content to come to any of its American parks since the Lucasfilm acquisition, meaning that not only does Season of the Force have to pass the movie tie-in test, but also whether it can live up to the larger expectations of fans from around the world.

In this regard, the answer is a resounding no. Yes, it’ll be fun to sip on exclusive drinks while standing in line to look at The Force Awakens’s props, but that’s a far cry from, say, walking into a Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley-esque land, exquisitely detailed and delivered as a love letter to the fanbase (though still managing to throw all sorts of desserts and merchandise in guests’ hands, but of course). And while getting a whole new sequence inserted into Star Tours is absolutely exciting and a genuinely valid use of screen-based technology, it still pales in comparison to getting a specifically Force Awakens-themed attraction of any sort.

One can’t help but think Disney realizes this, as well, which is why it’s quick to point out in all its press releases regarding Season of the Force that the long-awaited construction on the even longer-awaited Star Wars Land will commence soon after the event ends. It’s a nice nod to the Star Wars faithful, but it only underscores the fact that the new land won’t even be open until sometime in 2021 – or beyond.

Frozen Summer Fun at Hollywood Studios

In the end, perhaps the best measure of its potential personal enjoyment is in its rushed-out-the-door sibling, Frozen Summer Fun, which also ran at Hollywood Studios for most of this past year. While none of those constituent pieces would be enough to draw in crowds by itself, taken in aggregate, they made for an extra layer of fun and engagement, particularly for those who are already fans of the subject matter.

And in a park that is fast losing experiences of any kind or stripe, such an event is sorely appreciated.

The post Disney’s Season of the Force: Worth it or a waste? appeared first on Orlando Informer.

Of course, there are some things you just can’t avoid purchasing: a ticket to get in, plus food is kind of important, and everyone needs at least one interactive Harry Potter wand.  I also like to set a fairly substantial budget aside for Butterbeer, as it is now available a wide number of ways: hot, cold, frozen, ice creamed, and in an IV bag.

So that leaves one area which can provide probably the most leeway in your financial planning:  the hotel room.   Orlando provides an overwhelming amount of options here, and you must take into account important factors such as convenience of transportation to the parks, hotel guest benefits, and the amenities offered by the resort.

Hotels are a necessity but also a bit of a paradox…  Every traveler needs one when visiting a theme park, yet most people don’t spend a whole heck of a lot of time there other than to sleep because hey, you’d rather be in the theme park.  But you still want to stay somewhere nice because while visiting Mickey is good, having an actual mouse visit you in your room is kind of not.

In my opinion, the hotel perfectly balances out cost vs. value for your money when visiting Universal Orlando Resort is the lush tropical paradise that is the Loews Royal Pacific Resort.  Your wallet or purse will be doing the hula of happiness, and so will you.  Go ahead, don’t be shy, you’re on vacation.

The pool at Royal Pacific Resort.

Transportation

One important factor in your hotel decision has to be convenience of transportation to and from the parks.  If you have kids, the “from” part is extremely important because after all the food, candy, and exhaustion those kids will seem to weigh approximately three times more than they did when you arrived at the park gates, especially when you try to carry them back to your resort.

One of the best things about Universal Orlando Resorts in general, and especially vs. Disney on-site resorts, is that you can basically park your car for the length of your vacation.  There are a couple options for guests to get from the Royal Pacific to the parks, including via water taxi and pedestrian walkway.

A sign found along the walkway of Royal Pacific Resort.

The scenic water taxi route will save your feet for the mileage in the parks and CityWalk of course, and it is a nice little journey through the lushly landscaped waterways.  The boats come and go pretty frequently, and can be a true lifesaver at the end of a long day.

But if you’re impatient to get to the parks in the morning, then the walkway is a good bet too.  The nice thing about the canopy of foliage is that it provides quite a bit of shade over the walkway.  At a fairly average pace, it’s a mere 10 minute walk from the Royal Pacific Resort to CityWalk.

You arrive abreast of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, specifically the Porch of Indecision which offers appropriate irony as you can decide to imbibe a refreshing beverage either to celebrate your arrival at the walkway’s end or to fuel your departure back to the Resort.

Upon arrival in CityWalk, you are a mere Philosopher’s Stone’s throw (for the Harry Potter UK fans) away from Universal’s Islands of Adventure.  And if your destination is Universal Studios Florida, it’s just another short sojourn over to those gates.

Benefits

The next big factor to consider in selecting your resort destination is the package of benefits a resort offers to its hotel guests.  Staying at the Royal Pacific Resort will not only make your Universal Orlando Vacation even more stress-free, but will also prevent extra money from flying out of your pocket like those magical Hogwarts letters of acceptance!

An overlook view of the pool at Royal Pacific.

Staying at the Royal Pacific affords you some awesome theme park benefits, not the least of which is Universal Express Unlimited ride access for free.  That alone saves you $89 per person, per day of your stay.  And it’s available from the day you’re scheduled to check in to the day you check out.

Part of the “preferred” hotel category, Royal Pacific is the lowest priced on-site hotel that offers free Universal Express.  Even Royal’s forthcoming “preferred” classification sibling, Sapphire Falls, will not offer free Express.

Not only does this save you an Optimus Prime-sized chunk of change, but makes your day in the parks that much easier.  With minimal to no waits in the Universal Express lines you don’t need a complicated plan of attack for the Universal parks.  Ride what you want as many times as you want.

The only notable exceptions are the two primary Harry Potter rides in each park that don’t offer Universal Express queues: Forbidden Journey in IOA and Escape from Gringotts in USF.

However, that being said your other theme park benefit for staying on-site is Early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, allowing you access an hour before the theme park opens to other guests.

Amenities

Last but not least, you have to take into account the amenities offered and again Royal Pacific excels in this area.  Entering the serene lobby over a waterfall bridge, checking out the calm reflection pool and garden, and walking manicured grounds surrounded by verdant tropical landscaping transports you to the Pacific Islands.  It really is a beautifully themed island resort; one I would say is on par with Disney’s Polynesian Village, which costs you much more per night.

The courtyard at Royal Pacific Resort.

Royal Pacific offers exceptional cuisine and is home to what I believe to be one of the most beautiful and romantic restaurants in all of Universal, Emeril’s Tchoup Chop.

Emeril’s at Loews Royal Pacific Resort.

You can also kick back and relax at one the coolest bars around, Jake’s American.  Enjoy the laid-back atmosphere and check out the cool knick-knacks and wall decorations.

The entrance to Jake’s American Bar at Royal Pacific Resort.

Then there’s the lovely white sandy beach surrounding the huge lagoon-style swimming pool and while there may not be a water slide, there is a cool water play area themed like a ship, the Royal Bali Sea.

To sum it all up, I believe for the budget-minded, the Royal Pacific Resort truly is the best all-around on-site hotel choice, balancing out cost and value.  What it offers its guests for the price really ticks off all check boxes on the list of what you want at a vacation resort.  It’s easy to get to the parks, you can see the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter early, not wait in line for most rides, and return “home” to an island paradise.

Ready to book your Universal vacation at Royal Pacific Resort? Orlando Informer Travel will happily do the hard work for you (and for no additional cost – seriously). Just call (844) ORL-INFO or email info@travel.orlandoinformer.com.

The post Why Royal Pacific Resort offers the best value for your money appeared first on Orlando Informer.

The first, somewhat halting step to this possible turnaround came in the form of the Blue World Project, which SeaWorld announced in August of 2014 and which would convert the various orca whales’ traditional tanks into a recreation of a natural habit; among its changes would be to make the holding areas 50 feet deep (and hold some five million gallons of water), include currents for exercise and play, and feature a “wildlife look.” The project would have started at the San Diego park this year before eventually making its way over to Orlando, which was supposed to have been completed in 2018.

SeaWorld’s Blue World Project.

An investors’ call this past Monday seems to have derailed these plans, at least in part and at least for San Diego, which is currently in the midst of some possible regulatory actions by California’s legislature. And even if Blue World proceeds undisrupted at the other two locations, SeaWorld still had much to announce for them, ranging from new attractions and shows to some new investments in real estate, technology, and Christmas Claymation movies (seriously).

All of this amounts to nothing less than a complete makeover for the biggest operator of theme parks in the country. Will it work? We don’t know… but it’s extremely intriguing to consider the four basic steps that SeaWorld is attempting to undertake.

#1 – The end of Shamu shows?

SeaWorld has a new “rescue and care” mission that it’s strictly adhering to from here on out. Okay, well, the message itself isn’t new, but the singular, unflinching emphasis on it is – every last facet of the parks, from its attractions to its seasonal events to its employees’ name tags, will reflect this core mission statement.

Nowhere is this clearer than the flagship experience at any SeaWorld park, the Shamu show. The biggest headline out of the investors’ call was the removal of the current show, “One Ocean” (which has been performing at all three SeaWorld parks since 2011), from the San Diego location next year, with 2017 starting a brand-new experience that would rely less on theatrical elements and more on the orcas’ natural behaviors – along with conservation, but of course.

There are a couple of important elements to note in this announcement. First and foremost, “One Ocean” will continue to run at both Orlando and San Antonio for the foreseeable future; San Diego is having it removed due to guest feedback there stating that they no longer wish to see the killer whales presented in a dramatic, artificial fashion. Secondly, it looks as if the huge chunk of change that was initially put aside for the Blue World Project there will be at least partially rerouted to pay for this new, more natural Shamu showing. Finally, the ongoing effort to introduce legislation in California that would ban captured wildlife from breeding – which was particularly aimed at SeaWorld’s killer whales – has also played at least a small role in the company decision, as it’s said that it didn’t want to devote millions of dollars to a new habitat that might shortly be rendered illegal.

Is this a new trend that will eventually sweep up the other two parks? Though not definitive, the writing seems to be on the wall – with animal activism a new internal priority as well as an external one, it seems only a matter of time before Texas and Florida are forced to play catch-up. If so, it’ll be interesting to see what comes of the massive amounts of Blue World money and construction.

One Ocean.

The ultimate test of whether the traditional “One Ocean”-esque shows will finally come to an end will be next year, which is when SeaWorld Orlando is scheduled to start work on the new orca habitats. If construction never starts, we’ll know for certain which way the theatrical wind is blowing.

#2 – New attractions

In case the new conservation-heavy Shamu experience(s) just isn’t enough to drive the point home, SeaWorld also has a few new rides up its sleeve that it wants to share with you.

Its popular Sea Rescue Saturday morning show – which features various sea life being rescued, rehabilitated, and returned to the wild – will serve as the basis for these new experiences, which will include dark rides for Orlando and San Diego and a roller coaster for San Antonio. Although there’s been no official details announced as of yet, there has been concept art revealed, which shows jet skis serving as the cars for the coaster and kids sitting in trucks or submarines moving past underwater habitats for the dark rides.

SeaWorld: Rescue Ride roller coaster.

The move is an interesting one for the company, as it represents a brand-new pivot for its corporate identity and strategy both – before, its shows were considered to be its “x-factor,” but now that focus is being transitioned to rides. When combined with the previously announced Mako – Orlando’s tallest, longest, and fastest roller coaster – the new portfolio of rides shows a concerted effort to diversify its attraction portfolio as well as double-down on the “rescue and care” mantra.

But perhaps the most intriguing – not to mention surprising – attraction announcement to come out of the investors’ presentation was the revelation that SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment has secured the theme park rights to the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which was, of course, a 1964 Claymation special produced by Rankin and Bass.

Say hello to Rudolph and Santa!

Since the park’s Christmas celebrations are already considered to be SeaWorld’s hallmark – and one of the highest-rated holiday events in the crowded Orlando theme park market – this move is obviously meant to further strength what is already a strength.

#3 – Introducing SeaWorld Resort

The final two notable changes revealed at Monday’s presentation aren’t nearly as big or as dramatic as the first two, but they’re still intriguing glimpses into a brand-new era for SeaWorld, particularly here in Orlando.

More than increasing its lineup of attractions or retooling (one of) its Shamu shows, the company is also looking to fundamentally expand its theme park presence by expanding from a simple park to a (more) all-encompassing resort. Think what Universal managed to do, transforming Universal Studios Florida to Universal Orlando Resort, albeit on a slightly smaller scale: all three SeaWorld parks are looking to get bigger footprints (and parking lots) and to either acquire or build from scratch branded hotels.

The once and future SeaWorld Orlando Resort.

This will be in addition to the water park, Aquatica, that already corresponds to each of the three locations, which will make them all come into closer step with the more developed resorts operated by both Disney and Universal in California and Florida. This is especially true in Orlando’s case – it’s the only SeaWorld to have a second theme park, as well, which is the highly-regarded Discovery Cove. All that’s missing now is a CityWalk/Disney Springs-esque area, an addition which seems to be a no-brainer, should this current round of expansion prove to be successful.

#4 – MyMagic+, Shamu-style

The final major item is the revelation that SeaWorld is in the midst of redesigning its online presence, making its website easier to navigate and streamlining its ticketing options. The result, the company hopes, will make it the polar opposite of Walt Disney World’s and Universal Orlando’s overwhelming array of options and prices, transforming SeaWorld’s smaller presence into a strength.

Beyond this house cleaning, however, is a brand-new initiative that bears a striking similarity to Disney’s recent MyMagic+ program: guests will be able to plan out their entire visits and even make purchases from their smart phones and tablets well before stepping foot into the park. It seems as if the company will tie special benefits and time-sensitive offers into the program, encouraging guests to take to the advance planning.

MyMagic+, SeaWorld-style.

Finally, to pay for all of this infrastructure heavy-lifting – not to mention the new hotels, rides, and Shamu show(s) – SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment has announced an ambitious capital expenditure plan that will inject cash into the parks each and every year for the next five years, perhaps inspired by Comcast’s recent successes with its aggressive, $500-million-a-year investment in its two American Universal locations.

Will this be enough to turn the tide? We can only wait and see.

Can SeaWorld salvage its future? Sound off below in the comments.

The post 4 ways SeaWorld is trying to reinvent itself appeared first on Orlando Informer.

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Congratulations to the #UniversalOrlando actors, designers, coordinators, operations personnel, and countless others whose hard work helped #HHN25 break records in sales, attendance, and guest satisfaction. #UniversalMoments

A post shared by Orlando Informer (@orlandoinformer) on Nov 3, 2015 at 1:24pm PST

This has, of course, led to much gnashing of teeth and many wails of woe on forums and social media outlets all across the theme park web. Why doesn’t Universal do something about all those crowds? Why doesn’t it add even more haunted houses or nights of operation to the mix? Why doesn’t it streamline the various ticketing tiers?

While all of these concerns are certainly legitimate, only some of them are actually feasible (and, in fact, have already been addressed by the company; HHN 25 had several extra nights tacked on during its run, and it started off the season by featuring an unprecedented nine haunts). The rest, it turns out, are pie-in-the-sky dreams that will, sadly, never come to fruition.

Care to see why you’ll never get the Horror Nights you really want?

1. Expand Horror Nights season passes

As has become customary for Halloween Horror Nights, there is a wide – some would say confusing – array of ticketing options, including several different permutations on what would normally be called a season pass. Rush of Fear is good for only the first three weeks of the event, while Frequent Fear covers all date ranges, minus both Fridays and Saturdays; both come in basic and Express Pass-enhanced varieties.

The real catch comes into play with the Frequent Fear pass: it doesn’t cover any Fridays or Saturdays during the entire run of Horror Nights. And while Frequent Fear Plus throws in Fridays for an additional charge, that still leaves the first day of the weekend null-in-void. Our own Community Manger, Chuck Plagmann, has daydreamed an extra ticketing level that he calls Frequent Fear Ultimate, which would cover every night and which would also come with a corresponding Express Pass option.

The idea is a good one, and it certainly would have a lot of purchase (no pun intended) amongst the throngs of locals who flock to HHN every week of its operation. The problem here comes from the sheer unpredictability that Florida residents present to the event’s planners; as more and more nights fall into the sold-out category (a phenomenon which only used to happen to the two weekends prior to Halloween), how many people, exactly, come through the gates on any given night is extremely important to note. When should Universal stop selling tickets for that day – or, conversely, when should it start turning locals away?

Atmosphere inside Evil’s Roots at Halloween Horror Nights 25.

This is precisely why talk inside of Universal has been building the past year or two in regards to either limiting the amount of Frequent Fear passes sold or removing them entirely from the ticketing lineup (it’s unknown whether Rush of Fear would also be cut, but should the crowds continue to exponentially build, don’t be surprised to likewise see it go). If true, the silver lining here would be that the company might still offer at least one night for all residents to descend en masse upon Universal Studios Florida.

Speaking of which…

2. Simplify the ticketing

There is such a dizzying amount of different ticket options and prices to Halloween Horror Nights, it’s almost as if guests are being asked to plan out a ten-day vacation to Walt Disney World. Do you get the full-day ticket ($101.99) or the add-on ($49.99 to $76.99, plus day admission)? Is Rush of Fear or Frequent Fear, with all of their various restrictions, the bigger value for you? We have a full guide walking prospective buyers through all the myriad steps – it’s located here, in case you’re curious to see one of our most popular pages – but, even still, it can be an overwhelming experience.

The bad news is that Universal has absolutely no incentive to alter its cornucopia of options; with record-breaking attendance and merchandise sales, something is obviously working well enough for the vast majority of consumers (which isn’t to mention that making tickets date-specific provides at least a small way for the company to control the crowds, drawing a lot more people than normal to some of the quieter nights). The good news is that, should the season passes be retired out of service, consumers will have at least a few less options to scroll through – although, admittedly, this would only end up affecting a relatively small section of the user base.

Unfortunately, it looks as if guests will have to continue to utilize both a how-to guide and liberal amounts of patience when looking into what is the best option for them and their families.

3. Announce “early entry” houses

When you stay at Universal Orlando as an on-site hotel guest, you are entitled to Early Park Admission to either Islands of Adventure’s or Universal Studios Florida’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter (that’s either Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, for all those playing along at home). Which location gets the early treatment changes on a regular schedule, but the resorts are very upfront in telling you which is what and when.

A sign welcomes guests to the Psychoscareapy zone at Halloween Horror Nights 25.

Unfortunately, when “day guests” at USF stay at one of the several holding areas scattered all across the park during its transformation into Halloween Horror Nights, there is no such advance knowledge. One area may be close to two or even three haunted houses, but attendees don’t know which one will open first, causing a lose of time as they run from one haunt to the next – the exact opposite of saving time by remaining in the park in the first place.

The sad, simple truth behind this seeming inconsideration by Universal is that, well, it, also, doesn’t have any idea what will be ready and when. The different houses have wildly different requirements in order to get ready and throw open its doors; some have a bigger cast of scare actors, while others demand more time in wardrobe or makeup. And those are just the elements that Universal can more or less control – there’s still the wild cards of technical glitches or putting the final touchups on prop repairs (such as An American Werewolf in London’s [in]famous werewolf puppets). It’s just as much of a crapshoot for the company as it is for its visitors.

A scareactor poses inside Scary Tales: Screampunk at Halloween Horror Nights 25.

(It should be noted that we at Orlando Informer do end up publishing which haunts are scheduled to open for each holding area, but we glean this information from sources; Universal refuses to comment on the matter one way or the other.)

4. Crowds!

This, understandably, is the end-all, be-all item on enthusiasts’ litany of demands – and it is, understandably, the biggest pipe dream of them all.

It works a little something like this. The more crowds that flock to Horror Nights, the more money Universal makes and the more resources it has to invest in the detail of the houses and overall scope of the event. It also has more clout to sign even bigger-name intellectual properties (such as this year’s breakout success, Insidious), which, in turn, attracts more attendees, creating a rather potent feedback loop – one that Universal is only too happy to have.

A scareactor looks for their next victim at Halloween Horror Nights 25.

As you end up waiting two (or more!) hours to get into a haunt on a Thursday night, however, look at the upside: the more money that HHN has rolling into it, the more leverage Art and Design, the department that oversees the event, can use to pursue its wish list of properties, concepts, and scares. The fact that HHN 25 featured a record-setting nine haunts, five scare zones (plus roaming hordes), and two shows stands testament to this increase in abilities.

The rub comes in the form of spatial limitations. There are only so many venues left for Art and Design to squeeze its ever-more-expansive lineup into, and these are getting resolutely picked off as Universal continues to erect more and more attractions in formerly deserted areas (such as Transformers: The Ride – 3D or Disaster: A Major Motion Picture Ride Starring You). This means it’ll become increasingly difficult to accommodate the standard number of haunts, let alone trying to find new places to add in even more. And with such venues as Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue and, just possibly, Fear Factor Live scheduled to go the way of the dodo, the possibility of adding more shows to eat up the crowds is similarly limited.

That just leaves incorporating Islands of Adventure into the mix, even though it’s been 11 years since Universal last attempted a two-park strategy… and with large swaths of Islands, such as Hogsmeade and Seuss Landing, unavailable for either building haunted houses or installing scare zones, this also becomes a rather limited option.

What is an eager Horror Nights devotee to do? Why, arrive early, stay late, use Express Passes, and enjoy the experience for what it is, of course.

Halloween Horror Nights 26 returns on Friday, September 16 and will run until Monday, October 31.

The post 4 biggest unsolvable problems of Halloween Horror Nights appeared first on Orlando Informer.

NBC Sports Grill & Brew at Universal Orlando CityWalk.

In CityWalk, the NBC Sports Grill & Brew recently celebrated their grand opening and looked very impressive from the outside. I hope to try out some of their menu in the near future. There is also a merchandise kiosk outside the restaurant selling NBC Sports Grill & Brew merchandise.

NBC Sports Grill & Brew merchandise available outside of the restaurant.

After walking through CityWalk, I headed toward the outdoor guest relations queue at Universal Studios Florida. It was very busy, which was expected on a Saturday morning, and I waited about 20 minutes in the strong sun before I was able to explain my lack of a park pass to a team member. The employee was very helpful and like the parking attendant, used my photo ID to look up my account. He printed a new pass for me and I headed toward the entrance turnstiles.

The entrance to Universal Studios Florida.

The entrance to the Studios was very crowded. All the turnstiles were open including the center entrance gates and the lines were still long to enter the park. I decided to walk around to the Blue Man Group side entry to Universal Studios and avoid waiting in the crowd in the hot sun. As I arrived at the side entrance, it was locked. I didn’t pay attention to the time and just walked back to the main gate entry. I waited in the entry queue for about 15-20 minutes and finally walked into the park about 11:05. By this time, the side entry gate at Blue Man Group was open. I learned it didn’t open until 11:00 am and I should have waited just a few minutes more.

Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida.

The crowds in Universal Studios were moderate to busy with posted wait times of Despicable Me Minion Mayhem at 70 minutes, Shrek at 30 minutes, Rip Ride Rockit at 30 minutes, Transformers: The Ride at 45 minutes, The Simpsons Ride at 50 minutes, Men in Black at 25 minutes, and Escape from Gringotts at 60 minutes.

Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone at Universal Studios Florida.

I’m often asked if there are things for families with young children to do while at Universal Studios. In addition to the Character Party Zone, one area designed for young families is Woody Woodpecker KidZone.

Woody Woodpecker at Universal Studios Florida.

The KidZone has a lot of fun activities for young children including the popular family attraction E.T., the Animal Actors show, the Woody Woodpecker family roller coaster, Curious George Goes To Town interactive water play area and ball pit, Fievel’s Playland, and the classic A Day in the Park with Barney show and indoor playground. Kids can also meet and greet Sponge Bob and his friends inside SpongeBob StorePants.

Dora and Diego at Universal Studios Florida.

As I was walking around the KidZone, I saw superstars Diego and Dora, Curious George, and Woody Woodpecker meeting guests. In addition, Barney was meeting guests inside his playground.

Curious George at Universal Studios Florida.

Families who have younger children also ask me if there are any visible scary Halloween Horror Nights props in Universal Studios during the daytime. The answer is no. The scariest thing guests will encounter during the daytime may be images on t-shirts or other souvenirs. If a prop is scary, it is covered. Otherwise, the props that are visible are innocuous.

Merchandise available at Universal Studios Florida.

Those guests, like myself, who do not like scary things or don’t want their children exposed to scary or gruesome images can enjoy the studios during the daytime while the more daring guests can experience the thrills and scares of Halloween Horror Nights in the evening.

Street decoration for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios.

This visit I decided my lunch would be from the Frying Dutchman inside Fast Food Boulevard in Springfield. I ordered the Battered and Plattered fish that included three tasty pieces of fried fish, a generous portion of tater tots and one very small hush puppy. With a drink and annual pass discount, my lunch was $16.47. If you are looking for something besides a burger in Fast Food Boulevard, this fish meal is a good choice.

Battered and plattered fish at Universal Studios Florida.

Walking through Universal Studios, I relished the beautiful sunny day and made my way to the London section of the park. Diagon Alley was compelling as always and I stopped to listen to the very talented Celestina and the Banshees perform in Carkitt Market.

Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees at Universal Studios Florida.

I noticed that Shutterbuttons Photography Studio has been relocated next to Madame Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions and is open for business. The former Shutterbuttons building is now vacant.

Shutterbuttons at Universal Studios Florida.

Since my plans were to visit Islands of Adventure after I finished at Universal Studios, I decided to take the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure. It’s been several months since I rode this magical train and I was excited to board via platform 9 3/4. The posted wait was 30 minutes and was an accurate reflection of my wait time.

Hogwarts Express Train at Islands of Adventure.

After disembarking at Hogsmeade Station, I absorbed the sights and sounds of the amazing Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This section of Islands of Adventure was busy with posted wait times for Dragon Challenge at 40 minutes and 30 minutes for both Flight of the Hippogriff and Forbidden Journey. Guests were queuing for the opportunity to purchase and taste the unique, delicious Butterbeer while other guests were partaking in the interactive wand experiences at the carefully detailed Hogsmeade storefronts.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure.

In Jurassic Park, I waited about 25 minutes to experience the incredible Raptor Encounter. This meet and greet has been a very popular addition to Islands of Adventure and it’s not to be missed. Standing in the queue, I could see and especially hear the Raptor as she roared and was coached by her handler to pose with the guests.

Raptor Encounter at Islands of Adventure.

The team members were very helpful and took photos of me standing with the 9 foot tall Velociraptor. After I told the Raptor she was pretty she started rubbing her face against mine! It was a hilarious yet slightly unnerving encounter and I’m glad I decided to meet her this visit.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong construction at Islands of Adventure.

Construction on the new Skull Island: Reign of Kong is progressing along well. I noticed the mural backdrop of the mountains is being painted and will undoubtedly enhance the visual landscape in that part of the park.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong construction at Islands of Adventure.

The remaining areas of Islands of Adventure were moderately busy with posted wait times of 35 minutes for Rip Saw Falls in Toon Lagoon, Spider-Man at 30 minutes and in Seuss Landing, Cat in the Hat at 15 minutes and the Trolley Train Ride at 30 minutes.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster under refurbishment at Islands of Adventure.

As part of its ongoing refurbishment, sections of The Incredible Hulk track have been removed and a large crane dominates the skyline, changing the view of the coaster from down below. It was surreal again this month walking through the front of Islands of Adventure and not hearing that roar. At least the colorful comic scenes along the construction walls are available for fans to observe and the Incredible Hulk sign on the fence lights up at night.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster under refurbishment at Islands of Adventure.

Even though my day started off on the wrong foot, the Universal Orlando Resort Team Members helped me get back on track. I spent a remarkable day at both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure parks and went home exhausted yet happy. I look forward to my next visit to Universal Orlando Resort.

The post Universal Orlando October 2015 trip report appeared first on Orlando Informer.

Coming to Universal Studios Florida in 2017 is “Race through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Universal describes the attraction as a 3D ride where “guests will enjoy the full ‘Tonight Show’ experience as they’re transported to Studio 6B to race against Jimmy in a crazy adventure that only he could imagine.”

Universal promises guests that the attraction will “seamlessly blend the playful and irreverent world of ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ with the incredible technology and imaginative storytelling for which Universal Orlando is known.”

Race through New York will replace Twister: Ride it Out in the New York backlot area of Universal Studios Florida. The attraction, starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, simulates a F5 tornado and will close on November 2, 2015.

Race through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon opens in 2017 alongside Universal’s future water theme park, Volcano Bay, Fast & Furious: Supercharged, and a 400 room expansion at Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

Watch Fallon announce the attraction below:

The post Race through New York starring Jimmy Fallon coming in 2017 appeared first on Orlando Informer.

The old storytelling trope that things come to life at night was never more apropos than in the theme park world.  Nothing can breathe new life into a visit to a theme park you’ve visited a hundred times before like an evening stroll through familiar old walkways that suddenly become unfamiliar and therefore more exciting.

What exactly changes as the sun sets?  Only everything…

But here are the Top 3:

1. Theme Park Lands

Whether it’s a land or an island, each themed section of a park becomes more mysterious and amazing at night.  One of the most important agents of this metamorphosis is the lighting, and not just the lack of the big ball of light high in the sky.

You are now in the creative and capable hands of lighting engineers, whose empty canvass is the world of darkness and shadows.  By painting with light sources, they create ambience and atmosphere unique to the evening hours.

For example, a visit to either area of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is always a magical experience in and of itself, but it just feels more mysterious and magical after sundown.  Diagon Alley in particular benefits from a night visit and the lighting, or lack thereof, makes all the difference.

A warm and comforting glow emanates invitingly from each shop and restaurant in the Alley.  Fiery blasts of dragon breath illuminate the night sky with a rush of heat and powerful flash.  The “Lumos!” Interactive Wand experiences light up even brighter.

Diagon Alley at night inside Universal Studios Florida.

A lack of light can also create its own ambience.  Your little ones may cling to your hand a little tighter on a visit through the twisted corridors of Knockturn Alley.  The surrounding darkness only increases the sense of dread and foreboding nestled within its walls, making you hope you don’t run into a Death Eater…

Another example of nighttime increasing the immersiveness of a theme park land is the towering entrances to Jurassic Park in Islands of Adventure.  Seeing those torches flaring brightly as they welcome you to Jurassic Park makes you feel like you’re stepping right into the films… and that a Velociraptor could be lurking in the shadows of the surrounding vegetation.

As an added bonus, with the sun down the Florida nights are significantly cooler.  Walking around in a more pleasant environment affords you an opportunity to take your time and really explore the nooks and crannies of a park.  Linger in the lands and enjoy the beautiful details of art and design that went into creating the overall aesthetic.

2. Outdoor Attractions and Dining

Lands aren’t the only beneficiary of a literal night-and-day difference.  Riding an outdoor attraction in the evening hours can offer such a dissimilar experience that it may seem like a whole new ride entirely.

Roller coasters are obviously some of the biggest beneficiaries of this differential.  Launching out of the darkened tube on the Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster into bright daylight can be a bit disorienting, but doing so when the outside is just as dark is exhilarating in a unique way.

The same goes for the Dragon Challenge and the Flight of the Hippogriff, which not only gives you a new version of the same ride at night, but a wonderful bird’s eye view of a fully illuminated Hogwarts Castle and the surrounding land of Hogsmeade.

Hogsmeade at night inside Islands of Adventure.

Besides the rides, you can see a whole new side of your favorite restaurants with outdoor seating.  Whether in the parks or at CityWalk, the cooler evening temperatures allow for al fresco dining so you can people-watch the more colorful characters that emerge at night (especially as it grows later and later in CityWalk!)

Another bonus is the increased level of romance inherent in dining outside under the stars amid the neon of nearby attractions and restaurants.  Some great places to enjoy this atmosphere while dining include Lombard’s Landing (where you can also enjoy the Universal Cinematic Spectacular) in Universal Studios, Margaritaville’s Porch of Indecision in CityWalk, BiCE at Portofino Bay Resort, Mythos at Islands of Adventure, and the The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar at CityWalk.

Margaritaville at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk.

And I also highly recommend playing a late night round of miniature golf at Hollywood Drive-in Golf in CityWalk, which only adds to the creepy cool vibe of the already remarkable courses: “The Haunting of Ghostly Greens” and “Invaders from Planet Putt.”  The LED neon edge-lighting and special effects really pop spectacular fashion when it’s dark out.

3. Special Events

A Halloween Horror Nights “scareactor” poses at Universal Orlando.

Night is also the only time you can enjoy some of the amazing special events offered at Universal Orlando Resort.

First and foremost is Halloween Horror Nights.  Why?   Well because Halloween Horror Days just doesn’t have the same ring to it.  Plus it wouldn’t be half as scary.  All the things mentioned above in regard to lighting and shadows come into full play here.

The lands grow thick with the type of atmosphere you can only find during the hours of darkness as the technical wizards of Universal Orlando Resort have you at their mercy.  Everything about the nighttime serves the inherent fear of this special event, particularly with regard to the outdoor scare zones.

The riverboat Mardi Gras float makes its way down the streets of Universal Studios Florida.

As much as the evening hours can certainly add to the thrills and chills of a scary event like HHN, the darkness can also create a wild and wonderful party atmosphere, filled with fun and celebration during the huge party known as Mardi Gras.

The bright lights of the Big Easy add to the excitement of the flying beads, stunningly decorated floats, and colorful costumed street performers of the Mardi Gras parade, while the live concerts illuminate the stage.

To enjoy everything Universal Orlando Resort has to offer night or day, don’t forget to utilize the experts at Orlando Informer Travel.

The post 3 reasons Universal Orlando is more magical after dark appeared first on Orlando Informer.

More interested in a main course? Take a look at our top 5 mouthwatering options.

If you want to know a secret, NBC Sports Grill & Brew’s vast 75+ item menu actually only features a total of 5 desserts. However, there isn’t a bad choice in this five member family. In the event you have to pick just one, here’s our rankings:

5. Warm Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding at NBC Sports Grill & Brew.

This pudding comes with a scoop of fresh Cold Stone vanilla ice cream placed right on top of it and certainly isn’t a bad option for guests who are fans of bananas but not cake (you’ll understand in a moment). $7.95

4. Big Banana Cake

Big Banana Cake at NBC Sports Grill & Brew.

Big isn’t an exaggeration. This dessert is 1/4th of a full cake and serves parties of 4 or more. It is 7 layers of alternating rich and gooey banana goodness. The cake contains fresh whole bananas, banana flavored cream and caramel, and is topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. $19.95

3. Rocky Road Sundae

Rocky Road Sundae at NBC Sports Grill & Brew.

Chocolate chip brownies, fresh Cold Stone vanilla ice cream, topped with marshmallow cream, walnuts, fresh strawberries and toasted marshmallow. Do we need to say more? This definitely seems to be the smallest portion size, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for something on the smaller size. $7.95

2. Warm Apple Crumble

Diced Granny Smith apples, raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, caramel, topped with streusel and baked. Then, the NBC Sports Grill & Brew team are kind enough to place a scoop of Cold Stone vanilla ice cream right on top of the creation. $7.95

1. Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry Cheesecake at NBC Sports Grill & Brew.

Now we’re talking. As a huge fan of cheesecake and the cheesecake lineup certainly lacking at Universal Orlando, I was excited to try this one. To say it didn’t disappoint is an understatement. This New York style sour cream cheesecake served with fresh strawberries and whipped cream goes head to head with The Palm‘s cheesecake for best cheesecake at Universal Orlando and is some of the best I’ve ever had. $7.95

NBC Sports Grill & Brew is now open daily at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk. Click here for the full menu, HD photos, and details!

The post Top 5 delectable desserts at NBC Sports Grill & Brew appeared first on Orlando Informer.

If you want to see the full menu and details of the restaurant, jump on over to this page.

More interested in something sweet? Take a look at the top 5 delectable desserts instead.

5. Grand Slam

The Grand Slam Burger ($20.00) at NBC Sports Grill & Brew.

Two half-pound beef patties are paired with applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, butter bibb lettuce, tomato, crispy tabasco onions, and barbecue ranch, all between a toasted brioche bun. $20.00

4. Deviled Eggs

Deviled Eggs ($6.99) at NBC Sports Grill & Brew.

While I have had my fair share of devilled eggs, this is the first devilled eggs I’ve ever had topped with applewood smoked bacon. The added uniqueness lands the starter on our list of items to consider. $6.99

3. Large Warm Soft Pretzel

The Large Warm Soft Pretzel ($11.99) at NBC Sports Grill & Brew.

This larger than life pretzel is the other starter to make our list. It is lightly salted, comes with jalapeno queso, Bertman Ball Park Mustard, and is served on a metal stand designed to look like a pair of hockey sticks. $11.99

2. Smoked Beef Brisket

Slow roasted meat being sliced at NBC Sports Grill & Brew.

This sandwich holds beef slow roasted for 18 hours and piled high, smoked Gouda, and horseradish cream. $13.99

1. Cedar Planked North Atlantic Salmon

Cedar Planked North Atlantic Salmons are cooked on custom-made rotating grills at NBC Sports Grill & Brew.

I’ve tried just about every salmon entree available at the resort and this is easily the best yet. Mythos at Islands of Adventure removed the cedar plank version of their salmon last year, so it’s great to see a cedar plank option return to Universal Orlando. This salmon is served with grilled asparagus, Yukon gold mash, olive tomato relish, and lemon caper butter sauce. $21.99

NBC Sports Grill & Brew is now open at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk. Click here for a full menu, HD photos, and details!

The post Top 5 mouthwatering options at NBC Sports Grill & Brew appeared first on Orlando Informer.

1. Columbus Day weekend is now a popular holiday to visit Orlando’s theme parks. Although Disney recently increased the cost of parking to $20 a day, increased the cost of an annual pass and regular admission prices are at an all-time high, crowd levels seem to be growing.

Also considering Columbus Day is not a holiday for local schools, the crowd levels this weekend at the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios compare to Spring Break level crowds.  Here is a sample of the wait times for popular attractions: 60 minutes for Pirates of the Caribbean, 80 minutes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, 80 minutes for Tower of Terror and 120 minutes for Toy Story Midway Mania.

2. Construction is underway to expand the Magic Kingdom parking lot. As we passed through the parking toll booth, I was surprised just how far the construction has progressed since Disney demolished the former Richard Petty Driving Experience track. Acres of dirt are spread across the area that will soon be transformed into additional parking for Magic Kingdom guests.

3. During busy days at the Disney parks the fact you have a Fastpass+ time for an attraction does not mean the FP+ queue will be short. Throughout the weekend, the FP+ entrance for several attractions extended into the walkways. Cast Members stood in the walkway at the end of the line with a sign directing guests.

For example, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s FP+ queue had several switchbacks and extended to the entrance of Tom Sawyer Island raft ride. The People Mover, in addition to the regular switchbacks, extended their queue past Astro Orbiter. Toy Story Midway Mania (TSMM) was the worst with its line extending to the doors of the former Jack Sparrow Experience building. Many of the FP+ queues move quickly when this occurs. However, TSMM did not. Is Disney offering too many FP+ slots during busy times?

4. Walt Disney World construction inside the parks is ongoing and progressing. The Magic Kingdom hub and castle forecourt look very nice with the new turrets and landscaping but portions of the hub still remain under construction.

The Country Bear Jamboree building is being refurbished. Many attractions are permanently closed at DHS allegedly due to the future Star Wars land and the Toy Story area expansion. A large mural announcing the Star Wars Launch Bay opening December 2015 has been placed at the entrance to the closed Art of Animation building.

Near Rockin’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror a new special event area, Sunset Showcase, is being built and will begin hosting Club Disney in December 2015 where guests can dance with Mickey and friends. I also noticed construction walls along Sunset Boulevard in front of Sunset Ranch Market eating area.

And sadly, Mulch, Sweat & Shears band, after entertaining guests at Walt Disney World for eleven years, performed their last concert at DHS on Saturday, October 10, 2015.

5. The newly re-opened Watto’s Grotto is a Star Wars Tatooine-themed merchandise shop and can be found in the former AFI Showcase, near the old Backlot Tour exit area in DHS.

Merchandise includes Star Wars: The Force Awakens clothing, customized light sabers, toys, collectibles and much more. A variety of props throughout the store provide some great photo opportunities.

Along the outside wall of the Watto’s Grotto building are large murals depicting scenes that come to life if you have the Aurasma app on your smart device. An AT-47 Airspeeder from The Empire Strikes Back is another photo opportunity at the entrance to the store.

6. Magic Kingdom’s Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe changed their menu and no longer serves BBQ or hamburgers. Their new menu features fajitas, burritos, rice bowls, soup and snacks. Prices for main dishes range from $10-$14. You can enhance your meal with a selection of items from their Fixin’s Bar including salsa, cheese, sour cream, peppers, diced tomatoes and onions.

7. Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom has recently undergone an extended refurbishment and is open again. We noticed the enhancements to the attraction almost immediately after our boat left the loading ramp. Guests in the front two rows of the boat were splashed significantly after we plunged down the first hill. The special effects of both Davy Jones and Blackbeard’s images projected on the misty wall were working well. The cannon balls during the battle scene splashed much more than previous experiences on this attraction. The lighting and costumes of the animatronics were noticeably redone and made the scenes pop with color and detail as you floated by.

8. The first part of October in Orlando can be hot and feel just like June. Temperatures were in the upper 80’s to low 90’s during our visit this weekend. A heavy rain shower on Saturday afternoon sent everyone scrambling to the indoor attractions at the Magic Kingdom, thus making those queues even longer than usual.

9. During this month of the year, the holiday decorations at the Disney parks can be confusing. Fall and Halloween decorations can be found throughout the Magic Kingdom. I love the gardens at the entry to the park, Town Square with all its decorations and especially the orange Mickey pumpkin heads on the light posts.

Although it is only the first part of October, due to the millions of lights that must be strung on Cinderella’s Castle and along the Streets of America in DHS, they are already hanging lights in preparation for their November debut. It was recently announced by Disney that this would be the last year for The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Viewing and absorbing the spectacle of millions of lights at the beginning of the holidays is a family tradition for us and many others. We will miss this holiday spectacular.

10. I maxed out my score on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin! While my husband and son enjoy the thrills and excitement of Space Mountain, I always use my Fastpass+ reservation for the Buzz Lightyear attraction. I enjoy trying to hit the targets throughout the ride and for the first time reached 999,999. I would say it was 85% luck and 15% skill that helped me achieve this score.

We may have ridden fewer rides this visit to Walt Disney World due to the unexpected crowds, but we were able to enjoy attractions that our family likes the most, ensuring a magical time at the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I look forward to visiting again next month when hopefully the crowds will be lower and all the holiday decorations are on display.

Do you avoid or visit the Disney parks during very crowded days?

The post Ten things discovered during a weekend at Disney World appeared first on Orlando Informer.

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So we laid out the various options, lined them up, and crunched some numbers (but not too many, since math hurts our heads). The results really surprised us, and we think they might cause you to reconsider your immediate sticker shock, as well.

First, though, we’ll need to walk you through what all these different pass options will get you, to allow us to compare themed apples to apples.

Walt Disney World Resort
Once upon a time, Walt Disney World had many different versions of its annual pass, but the current trend is now to streamline the options down to just three (for non-Florida residents, that is).

It’s important to note three key items before we jump in: one, there are no blockout dates for any of Disney’s out-of-state APs; two, Park Hopping (the ability to visit multiple parks on the same day) is automatically included; and three, we’re only going to cover the out-of-state costs for the purposes of this article. Just please be aware that Florida residents and Disney Vacation Club members get special pricing and options.

1. Platinum Pass – $749.00 (ages 3+)

The main thrust of the Platinum Pass is that guests can visit all four Disney World theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom), though there are several additional benefits, as well. It’s best to tackle these one at a time.

Disney PhotoPass downloads You can access and download any PhotoPass pics taken during the dates of your tickets (which, in this case – obviously – is a year). Disney will also grant you another year to retrieve your photos, after which time they’re taken out of its system.

Dining discount This is perhaps the most complicated – and, therefore, confusing – benefit, given all the fine print involved. First and foremost, it should be stated that the dining discount is granted only to the passholder – sorry, you can’t extend it to any friends or family who may be eating with you – and it’s not good for alcoholic drinks.

At Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, a 10% discount is given at certain restaurants, typically only during lunch (though some also include dinner, and some are even all-day). It should be pointed out that lunch hours can vary from location to location, so you need to check before you make your reservations, and that, at Epcot, the discount isn’t valid on a whole host of holidays throughout the year.

At Disney Springs, roughly a dozen venues offer similar deals: between 10% and 20% off at specific times throughout the day. And for the Disney-owned and -operated resorts, 10% is granted to the passholder and up to three additional guests at 17 of the hotels, with the usual stipulations of only specific hours during the day being eligible and major holidays being excluded.

Finally, the Platinum Pass provides a $25.00 discount off a Tables in Wonderland membership, which is offered only to Florida residents, Vacation Club members, and, of course, annual passholders (the price of membership is $175.00 for Floridians and $150.00 for everyone else). Tables in Wonderland allows members to get 20% off food and drinks – yes, including the alcoholic kind – at specific restaurants located at both the theme parks and the hotels.

Merchandise discount A discount of 10% to 15% is taken off of specific items at specific locations all across Disney World, including the parks, Disney Springs, Disney Golf Shops, and Best Friends Pet Care.

Other discounts and offers Disney has a grab-bag of additional savings, including sports, recreation, and spa discounts, events and entertainment discounts, and, finally, special offers for stays at Disney hotels. There’s literally too many to cover here, even in abridged form.

Free theme park parking Mercifully, this last benefit is rather self-explanatory.

2. Platinum Plus Pass – $829.00 (ages 3+)

The Plus version of the Platinum Pass mostly covers the same ground as the basic iteration. The added benefits here include free admission to the water parks (both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach), the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, and the Oak Trail Golf Course – which means whether the extra $80.00 a year is worth it is wholly dependent upon your Disney World extracurricular activities.

3. Water Parks annual pass – $99.00 (ages 3-9), $110.00 (ages 10+)

Should you and your family only wish to swim at Walt Disney World and never visit any of the theme parks, the Water Parks annual pass is the way to go for you. It includes, as you might imagine, free admission to both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach – and that’s it.

Universal Orlando Resort
Like Disney, Universal offers three different permutations of its annual pass, and, again like Disney, each one has park-to-park access built in. However, unlike its competitor down the street, Universal does include blackout dates for one version of its APs.

(Please note that we’re once again only going over out-of-state pricing.)

1. Power Pass – $239.99

Unsurprisingly, the Power Pass offers just a bare minimum of benefits: namely, you can go to the two theme parks for free. There is a major caveat here, however, in that this is the annual pass where blockout dates are in effect.

Curious to see what those dates are? Here we go:

• December 18, 2015 – January 2, 2016
• March 19, 2016 – April 2, 2016
• December 17, 2016 – December 31, 2016

That’s for both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, but the latter has one additional window of unavailability, and it’s a doozy: June 11, 2016 to August 15, 2016.

There are some additional benefits here, however, including discounts on theme-park and special-event tickets, including for Halloween Horror Nights and the Blue Man Group; special deals at CityWalk; and discounted on-site hotel rates (up to 30% off), though these are also only for certain portions of the year. Much as with the miscellaneous Disney offers, there are simply too many to list here, but Universal has a breakdown on its official site.

2. Preferred Pass – $334.99

Universal’s mid-tier annual pass includes all the benefits of the Power Pass, but it features no blockout dates and throws in a couple of extra sweeteners: discounts on food, merchandise, and specialty items at both the parks and CityWalk, along with free self-parking (after your first visit, that is).

These discounts deserve a little bit more of an explanation, though Universal has remarkably fewer restrictions than does Disney. For the theme parks, 10% is taken off at every single store and restaurant, with the twin exceptions of carts/kiosks and any alcoholic drinks; at CityWalk and the hotels, 10% or 15% off is available at certain locations.

3. Premier Pass – $479.99

The Premier Pass, unsurprisingly, features all the benefits of the two previous iterations and adds on even more: free valet parking (after your first visit, and excluding New Year’s Eve, July 4th, and the Mardi Gras and Halloween Horror Nights event nights), free CityWalk club access, a free HHN ticket, free basic Express Passes (after 4:00 pm), and, finally, what is undoubtedly the ace in the hole, eight free bottles of Nestle bottled water.

Price breakdowns
That’s a lot of information to take in, but the single biggest question is: are the prices actually comparable, given everything that the passes offer?

The core consideration here is what parks the passes allow free entry to, since all the ancillary offers tend, on the whole, to cancel one another out (Universal, for example, offers 50% off its pet kennels for Premier passholders, and both Preferred and Premier guests are offered 25% off standard admission to Wet ‘n Wild Orlando). As it turns out, the value rankings of the various APs aren’t what you might think they are.

Despite it being almost twice as much as Universal’s most expensive pass, Disney’s Platinum Plus is actually the best bang for your themed buck, given that it works out to $138.17 per park (and it covers all six of Disney World’s parks). Universal’s Power Pass might seem, on first blush, to be the best value, at $120.00 per park, but it doesn’t allow you to visit Universal Orlando for a pretty hefty chunk of the year (a little over three months, if one factors in Islands of Adventure’s blockout dates). The next cheapest is the Preferred Pass, with $167.50 per park, but this comes at a distinct disadvantage: at $29.33 more per park than the Platinum Plus option, it offers less benefits than Disney’s top AP.

The one wild card in our neat little mathematical arrangement is the Premier Pass. On the one hand, it seems like the worst possible value, given that it costs an astronomical $240.00 per park. On the other hand, however, this annual pass includes a free basic Express Pass literally every day you visit (for half the day, at least), which can cost anywhere from $39.99 to $84.99 per day. When our rankings are expanded to include such periphery costs, the Premier Pass goes from dead last place to an unbelievable first – you’re saving at least $14,500.00 if you visit every single day of the year.

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Fast & Furious: Supercharged was announced just two months ago (you can see all of August’s many major announcements here), but already there’s a fair bit of information leaking about what the new ride may or may not entail once it arrives in Universal Studios Florida’s San Francisco section.

A lot of this rumored intel points to the Floridian version having a lot to do with its predecessor/progenitor over in Universal Studios Hollywood, which debuted as the Studio Tour’s new grand finale three-and-a-half months ago. (Not familiar with the Studio Tour? That’s the iconic tram ride all through the backlot, including several themed stops.) Needless to say, this has caused many a Universal aficionado to become worried, at the least, and outright hostile, at the most.

Why? Here are the four big reasons.

1. The (original) story

To understand why Universal Orlando possibly receiving a port might be alarming, we need to first take a quick ride on the original version of Supercharged.

Throughout a good portion of the Studio Tour, little narrative breadcrumbs are sporadically dropped – guests spot Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) 1970 Dodge Charger, security is called, and Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) commandeers the tram, telling the tour guide to head to the Fast family’s secret garage to hide out; it turns out that Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), criminal mastermind extraordinaire, has located a government witness on the tram and will stop at nothing to take him out.

The garage, of course, doubles as Supercharged’s queue, where one tram can wait and admire the supped-up vehicles there while the previous trams can cycle through the attraction. Here, Dom and Hobbs are joined by Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) and Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), all in holographic form. They’re throwing an after-race-day party… which quickly gets raided by the FBI, who herds the scantily-clad dancing girls out and attempts to arrest the outlaw racers.

That doesn’t matter, though, as Shaw manages to trace the witness to the family’s crib – good job, Roman, using your cell phone! – and everyone is forced to race out and through the Los Angeles highways to escape death and destruction.

This is the actual ride portion of the attraction, where guests don their 3D glasses and the windows double as projections along the lines of the Hogwarts Express or (more appropriately) USH’s own King Kong: 360 3D. Speeds of up to 120 miles per hour are simulated thanks to the combination of the video, the hydraulic rocking of the tram, and a few interactive effects, such as smoke and water. The action unfolds on all sides – cars flip, machine guns fire, buildings explode, Dom grabs on to the bottom of a helicopter and flies away, and a missile narrowly misses the tram.

The climax has the tram activate its nos, launching it across a river and delivering everyone to safety.

2. Hollywood’s Supercharged is poorly rated

All of that may sound like a wonderfully, appropriately cheesy rendition of the Fast & Furious film franchise, but it turns out there’s actually quite a bit that’s been keeping the attraction’s ratings quite low and its reception muted; a quick look at Yelp, where Supercharged has only 2.5 out of five stars, is a quick testament to that.

So what are the major points of contention? Let’s tackle them in short order:

• Wooden acting – the video up above says it all. The film actors look as if they’re simply there out of a contractual obligation or a sense of boredom during an off day of Furious 7 filming.
• Blurry ride video – the footage looks fuzzy in all YouTube videos because, of course, it’s meant to be seen with 3D glasses on. However, a common complaint heard is that it’s just as blurry in person, even with the glasses on. As one Yelp reviewer put it, “the screen looks the same with or without the glasses.”
• Low-quality CG work – Supercharged, according to many riders, looks fake. One reviewer commented that it actually possesses the same level of quality as the previous tram experience, King Kong, but that it’s meant to recreate real cities populated by real humans, making it stick out like a sore thumb. The fact that animations like Dominic’s jumping out of his moving car and up to the helicopter look completely inauthentic certainly doesn’t help.
• The length – while the whole attraction may last something along the lines of five minutes, the actual ride portion – where guests race down the streets with the Fast crew – is only some 90 seconds long.

It’s easy to see how these points eat away at Supercharged’s foundation, leaving behind a mixed bag, at best.

3. The basics

Thanks to a patent being filed with the South Florida Water Management District last month, we now have some basic information to work with in compiling a profile of what Orlando’s version of Fast & Furious will look like.

Most excitingly, we now have an exact dimension for the new show building’s footprint: 2.82 acres, which is almost exactly the space that both Disaster (which is now closed) and Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue (closing within the next two months) currently reside on. Just for the sake of comparison, that’s at least one acre larger in size than most of Universal Studios Florida’s major attractions, including Revenge of the Mummy and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

Bigger than this…? Oh, boy.

And in terms of the show building itself, it looks to be approximately 85,000 square feet, which means it’ll fit snugly in the current line of San Fran facades that line the area. (Sorry, all those people hoping for a general facelift for this older, mostly-untouched area of the park.)

4. The rumors

Now we get to the good stuff – well, maybe.

Word going around on many themed enthusiast sites, such as Orlando United, is that the attraction will be, for all intents and purposes, a clone of the USH version – meaning a short, 3D, screen-based experience that simulates speed instead of actually delivering it, such as Epcot’s Test Track or California Adventure’s Radiator Springs Racers. The idea here is that the actors were already filmed for their parts – both the hologram pre-show and ride footage sections – and that reconvening them, along with converting brand-new footage to 3D, wouldn’t be worth the extra expense. (There’s also the supposition that Universal filmed everything with the foreknowledge that it would be using it for all subsequent versions of the ride all across the world.)

If this is true, then why build such a large building to house it in? The answer is potentially easy: multiple theaters will have to be built in order to accommodate huge crowds – much like Diagon Alley’s Ollivander’s Wand Shop or, even, Shrek 4D – and each theater takes up a lot of room. When added with the cavernous queue (or is that post-show?) area(s) seen in the concept art, that’s a huge space requirement.

In Universal’s press release announcing the East Coast version, it makes reference to “specially-designed vehicles” that passengers will board. Should the “cut-and-paste with enhancements” hypothesis prove correct, then these ride vehicles will be similar to Hollywood’s tram, encasing guests with the large 3D “windows” while still making it look like a cool, supercharged F&F car.

What else can we gleam from the rumor mill at this incredibly early stage? Other users at Orlando United have chimed in with the belief that the upcoming Skull Island: Reign of Kong ride vehicles will be repurposed for Supercharged, that its queue will be the largest in the resort (and, possibly, all of Orlando), and that new scenes will be “added to bridge the preshow to the main theater and main theater to [the] unload [section].” If true, the core experience of the attraction – the 3D race down nondescript Californian streets with craziness unfolding all around you – could still only be a minute-and-a-half long.

We’ll just have to wait and see when Fast & Furious: Supercharged opens at Universal Studios Florida in the summer of 2017.

What do you think? Will Fast & Furious be dead on arrival at Orlando? Let us know in the comments below.

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And the beauty of this resort offering family suites is you get to experience wonderful conversations like these: my mom (who grew up in this era) explains to my two young children that TV used to be in black & white and not everyone could afford air conditioning.

Entering the amazing retro and neon lobby (where else can you find orange lounge chairs mixed with sky blue couches), and hearing familiar 50’s and 60’s music standards being piped into the background really provides that magically immersive environment that only a theme park resort can provide, but not every one of them succeeds in doing so.

CABANA OR BUST?

Take, for example, Disney’s competing hotel in this retro resort space: the similarly priced Pop Century Resort. To give you a little Seussian flair, Pop is literally over the top. Too much so, I think. Everything is so loud and in your face and overwhelming with its theme, that it literally hits you over the head like a club.

The décor is garish and the look at me “Remember When…” type signage is omnipresent and obnoxious. And being a Disney Value Resort, it is quite the obvious thinly-veiled overlay over its sister properties… If you know anything about Disney Resorts, Pop Century screams All-Star Resort, from the exterior to the interior. They are called All-Stars (Movie, Sports, and Music) because they all look the same. Pop is no different, just with a few coats of gaudy paint.

Image Copyright Disney

Contrast that with the subtle styling of Cabana Bay Beach Resort. It tries to recreate the nostalgia of the era by sneaking up on you and allowing you to notice all the little touches, like the wind-up alarm clocks in the rooms and the Alberto VO5 bath products. Cabana Bay welcomes you like a lounge with a sultry singer, Pop smacks you in the face with a whoopee cushion… That’s still warm from someone sitting on it.

While Pop exists in the same retro space (or tries to), it does not offer Family Suites in addition to its regular sized rooms like Cabana Bay does. So let’s also take a look, then, at Disney’s Art of Animation Family Suites for comparative purposes, though not in the theming category as Art of Animation isn’t promoting an era but immersive environments inspired by Disney hits Finding Nemo, Cars, and the Lion King.

Both Cabana Bay and Art of Animation offer sleeping for six via two beds and a pull-out sofa, plus similar amenities, however AoA gets the nod in size as its family suites run approximately 520 square feet and feature a second bathroom, while Cabana Bay’s are about 430 square feet and offer one bathroom, albeit with three separate sections (sink, toilet, and sink and shower combo).

Although offering basically the same product (family suites), the price is drastically different. You will pay at minimum $100 to $200 more a night at Art of Animation than at Cabana Bay, depending on the season and discount rate (passholder, Florida resident, etc.) That’s a large sum of money that can be spent elsewhere in your vacation budget, and sure buys a lot of Butterbeers and Butterbeer Ice Cream plus an Interactive Wand! Or, uh, more boring pedestrian things like food or gasoline.

Keep ‘em coming, barkeep!

SURE I’D LOVE TO HIT THE LAZY RIVER, BUT FIRST I’M GONNA HEAD UP TO GO BOWLING WITH AN ICEE IN ONE HAND AND A STARBUCKS FRAPPUCINO IN THE OTHER!
I’m fairly certain that’s a sentence you would never hear at any other Orlando area resort hotel besides Cabana Bay. Why? Because there’s a whole lot to do, eat, and experience at Cabana Bay all without ever having to leave the comfort of your hotel. And when you do leave, you’ll find that Cabana Bay is just a cool-faux-woody-surf-bus ride or pleasant walking path away from two world-class theme parks and the too-cool-for-school (going retro!) CityWalk.

Pools, Slide, and Lazy River

In Florida, pools are a necessity just like air conditioning and deodorant (except for the foreigners standing directly in front of you while waiting in a 40 minute line for Escape from Gringotts.) Cabana Bay doubles your chances of locating an unoccupied pool chair with two awesome zero-entry pools.

The Courtyard Pool boasts the resort’s iconic diving tower waterslide (which is not only fun but fairly long as well at 100 feet) and a sandy beach, plus poolside cabanas are available for daily rental. The Lazy River Courtyard features a (wait for it) lazy river with waterfalls and water cannons, plus its own zero-entry pool.

Galaxy Bowl

How many hotels do you know of that feature a 50’s themed bowling alley? This is the only one in a Universal or Disney Resort. The Galaxy Bowl sports 10 lanes plus offers full restaurant service as an available option, so you can even eat while you bowl. And directly adjacent is the Game-O-Rama arcade.

Starbucks Coffee Shop

This is one of our favorite amenities… And once again Cabana Bay shows off its uniqueness in the Disney/Universal Resort scene in housing a full-fledged actual Starbucks. It doesn’t just “serve Starbucks Coffee” like some other hotels. How much more convenient can it get than to meander over to the lobby to get your favorite Frappucino and breakfast?

ICEE Machines

This may not seem like a big deal, but I assure you when it’s 103 degrees out under a sweltering Florida sun there’s nothing better or more refreshing to cool you and your family down than slurping on an ICEE as you stroll to or from one of the pools. Again, no other area resort I know of has self-serve ICEE machines, which are conveniently located inside the Bayliner Diner’s “grab and go” section.

Almost Paradise

Of course, nothing in life is absolutely perfect so there are some considerations to keep in mind. Like all Universal Hotels, Cabana Bay charges a nightly fee for self-parking and Universal Express is not included, although early park admission is part of the deal. There is also no water taxi service.

But all in all, Cabana Bay’s biggest advantage is that it hits the sweet spot in the age-old battle that rages in a vacationer’s wallet between affordability and value. With all these exclusive amenities, amazingly immersive theming, and exceptional price, there are few better family options than Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

To visit Cabana Bay Beach Resort and check it all out yourself, as well as everything Universal Orlando Resort has to offer, don’t forget to utilize the experts at Orlando Informer Travel.

Planning a vacation to Orlando?
Want to skip all the work and just price out a vacation to Universal Orlando? We’ll find the best deals for you – for free (seriously.) Learn more, or check out some of the current deals:

• – Halloween Horror Nights 25 Hotel & Ticket Vacation Packages
  – Wizarding World of Harry Potter Vacation Packages
  – 2-Park Getaway at Universal Orlando

The post Why Cabana Bay Beach Resort is the best family resort in Orlando appeared first on Orlando Informer.