Jacob Gainey

Review of Universal Studios Orlando

I visited Universal Studios Orlando last week. I b...

I visited Universal Studios Orlando last week. I bought park to park passes so that I could go to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure on the same day. On top of that, I also bought express passes. I've spent hundreds of dollars at this venue. Being a broke college student, this is a big deal. On my first day at the parks, my boyfriend got motion sickness and couldn't ride anything. I was disappointed because I'd spent an abundant amount of money and it was all wasted now because we couldn't ride anything. I asked a worker passing by if there was a place in the park where we could buy some Dramamine to help with the motion sickness and I was VERY pleased with the kind, caring, and empathetic response we received. The worker escorted us halfway across the park to a medical center where they treated my boyfriend. She then took the time to go through a list of all the parks attractions, detailing which ones may cause motion sickness and which ones may not. Afterwards, she bought my boyfriend a drink to help with the motion sickness, with her own money. Kyra from Event Operations, well done and thank you very much! Someone get her a raise.

The next few days at the park, my boyfriend took motion sickness medicine beforehand and we had a great time. I was very worried about going during COVID-19. I'd been reading reviews leading up to our trip and many of them were awful. People told stories of wait times exceeding three hours, COVID regulations not being followed, etc. If you're like me and are trying to plan a vacation during this pandemic then there's a few things I would personally recommend. First off, buy express passes! They're expensive but they're worth it! We walked on almost every ride. If you do plan on getting an express pass, I would recommend buying them early and online. If you try to buy them in the park on the same day you want to redeem them, they may be sold out because there is a limited number of express passes that can be sold. DO NOT go to the parks on weekends, try to go on weekdays when they will be less busy. I'd also recommend getting to the parks before the gates open. This is the time of day when the parks will be the least crowded. And of course, take medicine if you experience motion sickness and plan on riding the rides. You can avoid a lot of misery if you know what you're walking into. Universal Studios, much like Disney, Sea World, etc. are by definition TOURIST TRAPS. This means everything is going to be overpriced. PLEASE know what you're walking into. Odds are, you're going to spend money here and a lot of it. Be prepared for that, or you won't have a good time.

In terms of COVID regulations, Universal Studios did an amazing job. Mask wearing was enforced, proper PPE was used, and sanitization of surfaces was excellent. If you're seeing boomers without their masks on, don't blame the workers. They can't be everywhere at once to tell inconsiderate individuals to put their masks on. For the most part though, everyone was being respectful and doing their part to keep themselves and others healthy. Again, shoutout to Kyra from Event Operations, you truly made this trip amazing!