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Universal Orlando Resort officially reopened to the general public on Friday, albeit with new social distancing protocols, limits on capacity and updated health and safety requirements for parkgoers.
The resort, which comprises of three theme parks, is the first of Orlando’s major attractions to reopen after closing in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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“We can’t wait to get you back,” a June 5 promotional video for Universal Orlando Resort tells viewers. “So we’ve added temp checks, face coverings, social distancing and extra sanitizing to get the good times going again.”
“We’re finally back, and can’t wait until you are too,” the announcer adds.
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Universal Orlando’s three parks — Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay — conducted somewhat of a soft opening for annual pass-holders on Wednesday and Thursday, ahead of the resort’s official reopening on June 5. Pictures and video from inside the parks, however, give a glimpse of what guests can expect upon arriving.
On Wednesday, a Universal Studios employee is seen taking the temperature of a guest entering the theme park. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Universal Orlando Resort had previously outlined several of the enhanced health and safety measures that would be in place upon reopening. Among them, guests will be required to undergo temperature screenings upon entry (anyone with a temperature of over 100.4 degrees will not be admitted) and wear facial coverings while inside the parks (hotel guests will not be required to wear the masks in their hotel pools, and visitors to Volcano Bay, the resort’s water park, are only advised to wear coverings at all times except when swimming, or “going to and from an attraction.”
Guests will also be encouraged to observe proper social-distancing protocol and heed floor markings and signs indicating where to stand, when present. Frequent handwashing is also urged, and the use of hand sanitizer before boarding select ride vehicles is “required.”
It seems as if interaction with the parks' costumed characters is off-limits too, judging by the resort's mention of "giant, yet distant air-hugs."
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Before the visit, Universal Orlando is also urging guests to download the Official Universal Orlando Resorts app, which provides information about which attractions are currently open, and can be used to make purchases, or secure guests’ spaces in “virtual lines” to unnecessary person-to-person contact. The app can also be used to order food from the resort’s restaurants for pick up, or delivery right to the restaurant tables — which have been spaced out to accommodate the new physical distancing protocol.
Along with new health and safety requirements for parkgoers, Universal Orlando resort reported that it updated its "already-aggressive cleaning and disinfection procedures." (AP Photo/John Raoux)
“We feel like all the precautions were up to snuff. We felt super safe to come here,” said Donna Walters, who visited on Wednesday, in a statement to the Associated Press. Walters, a nurse, reportedly wore a pink scarf over her mouth and nose for the duration of her visit on Wednesday, when temperatures reached over 80 degrees F in Orlando.
“Yeah, the masks. It's Florida, so it's hot. But it is what it is and it does protect other people,” she said.
Guests are required to wear facial coverings while inside the parks, although hotel guests will not be required to wear the masks in their hotel pools, and visitors to Volcano Bay, the resort’s water park, are only advised to wear coverings at all times except when swimming, or “going to and from an attraction.” (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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Guests wishing to visit Universal Orlando Resort’s theme parks should be wary of the attractions’ temporary hours: Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure are open only from 9 a.m to 7 p.m., and Volcano Bay open only from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Universal's CityWalk attraction is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The resort has also issued a disclaimer about the “inherent risk” of exposure to COVID-19, adding that Universal “cannot guarantee that you will not be exposed during your visit.”