By Hannah Harman
Special to In Motion
Universal Orlando Resort is one of the most popular theme park destinations in America, attracting over nine million attendees annually as one of Disney World’s top competitors.
To actively compete with Disney, Universal continually renovates its park by getting rid of older attractions and replacing them with something new. Renovations over the past 10 years include the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” Diagon Alley, “Skull Island: Reign of Kong” and “Jimmy Fallon’s Race through New York.”
Six years ago, Islands of Adventure added the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” to its park. After it became a huge hit, park officials decided to build on to it, bringing the magic to Universal Studios as well. A few years later, Diagon Alley opened and was also a huge hit, with its opening bringing to life famous characters from the movies to the park.
While visitors interact with holograms of those characters, they have the opportunity to meet the actual actors from the movies. Every so often, on the anniversary of the opening of “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter”, Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom, and Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley will come visit the park. They have also done a short Q&A with park guests during “The Celebration of Harry Potter.”
One of the most popular recent renovations is the Hogwarts Express train station, where guests can get from park to park on a train that is an exact replica from the movies. Although most of the renovating in this area of the parks is finished, updates to make the Harry Potter experience even more unforgettable are ongoing.
“I am a huge Harry Potter fan, so I think Universal Studios is super fun. I think they did a really great job,” says Mary Bessette, a Daytona State College student with a Universal Annual Pass, “especially when they added the really small touches like the interactive wands, house elves peeking out of windows, just little details like that are really cool. I definitely think that a lot of thought went into it.”
Last summer, Islands of Adventure also reopened “The Hulk” after almost a year of renovations. The ride is now more advanced, with a new and updated cart and smoother tracks. Shortly behind that came the opening of “Skull Island: Reign of Kong,” where guests get to experience a face-to-face interaction with King Kong himself after a long and dangerous trek through the jungle.
“Race through New York” starring Jimmy Fallon had its grand opening in Spring 2017. “Race Through New York” is a simulator ride with Jimmy Fallon that takes you to the studio and then on a ride throughout different parts of New York City. The waiting area for the ride is interactive as well, making wait times feel shorter and more bearable.
A seasonal performer at Universal Studios, Jackie Coleman says, “It definitely has helped with park attendance because everyone wants to check out the new ride and see what it is. I actually like the ride a lot, so I tell everyone to go ride it. It’s really different, I like the queue a lot.”
Jimmy Fallon and Dwayne Johnson visited the park for three or four days during the ride’s debut, wearing animated costumes of themselves.
And, there is only more to come in the next year.
Volcano Bay, Universal’s first waterpark, is set to open this summer. Elizabeth Kirkland, a recent DSC graduate and Universal passholder says, “Universal has a three park pass that includes Volcano Bay, Islands of Adventure, and Universal Studios. The three park premier pass is going to be less than $31 a month with no blackout dates. Preferred passholders will get it for $22 a month, with blackout dates for Volcano Bay only.”
That’s a pretty good deal, she says, since one-day tickets run for $67.
The new ride “Fast and Furious” is also in the works. It is set to open in 2018, but a set month or date is yet to be determined. Coleman says that she believes the ride will be similar to Hollywood Studios “Lights, Motors, Action!”, though the ride plan has not been disclosed.
Meanwhile, Universal took another big step in making guests a priority by creating the Social Media Engagement Center, which opened in 2015. Here, staff work all day to answer guest questions and market new and upcoming events via social media. Universal also has a Twitter page that is interactive with guests and encourages people to post pictures and experiences using the hashtag “#UniversalMoments.” The Twitter page also contains trivia and videos to entertain online guests.
For tickets and information on Universal, call 407-363-8000, or go to www.universalorlando.com