Category Archives: Islands of Adventure
Dates, Ticket Deals for Halloween Horror Nights 2018
It’s never too early to get ready for the next big trip to the Nation’s premier Halloween Event. While the annual fall Fest is still months away, starting September 14 through November 3, 2018, special packages and ticket deals for HHN-28 are on sale already. For Universal Orlando Halloween fans this is a great opportunity – just grab the best available offers in advance. Halloween Horror Nights Fest is one of the most anticipated events of its kind. And given the huge seasonal crowds, it’s always better to have the tickets early as possible. So plan your dates accordingly and take advantage of the initial ticket deals the Resort is offering for that scariest theme park experience ever.
The dates for Halloween Horror Nights 2018 as per the Universsal website are as follows – September 14 – 16, 20 – 23, 28 – 30 | October 3-7, 10 – 14, 17 – 21, 24 – 28, and 31 | November 1- 3.
The special limited-time ticket deal, which is on sale for HHN-28 come with great savings and a second fright nights for free. It allows admission for two select nights and is priced at $77.99. You can select any night of the Event except Saturday and you will get a second non-Saturday night of the Event for free. The special ticket deal is available on sale until June 6, 2018. The Resort is also offering a Horror Nights hotel package that allows four – night hotel stay, including four days of admissions to the three Universal Orlando parks – Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay Water Park, and of- course admission to HHN-28 for two select nights if booked on or before June 6, 2018. Prices for the special hotel package starts at $215. Ticket package can be upgraded with special attractions such as the exclusive Behind the Screams and RIP Tour as well.
HHN-28 is scheduled to run for 34 select nights, from September 14 through November 3, 2018. There is no further detail on additional ticket options yet. Also the Resort has not reveal any detail about the main attractions of the Event. There is no information on the upcoming haunted houses or blood-curdling scare zones for that matter. However, as per the speculations HHN-28 is expected to include a total of nine brand new haunted mazes and five scare zones. Horror fans will have everything from iconic horrors to classic cult to most terrifying and disturbing TV shows.
Please keep visiting the official Universal web-site or you may also want to logon to our Discount Universal Studios Tickets page for the latest updates and discounts on event tickets.
Universal Orlando’s Hulk Coaster Is Back with New Experiences
It was an awe-inspiring sight for Universal fans at the re-opening of the smash-hit coaster attraction in the Islands of Adventure area of the Universal Orlando Resort. Led by a team of favorite Marvel super-heroes, including Captain America and Spider-man off course, the excited guests had a great time, riding the newly enhanced coaster at the re-launch party. The grand opening marks the end of a year-long separation of the popular coaster that was under extreme renovations since September 2015. Packed with thrilling new features it is even more incredible now.
The Incredible Hulk roller coaster is back with a series of new accommodations, featuring newly designed ride vehicles, new tracks, exclusive ride score, original story-line, a fully re-vamped queue and more. Unlike the previous Hulk rides that take guests through large purple tubes, the revamped machine includes seven distinct inversions, taking riders from 0-40 mph in 2 seconds with a top speed of 67 mph. But the signature ‘Roar’ is still an important part of the ride.
The new Entrance has the towering figure himself to welcome visitors. With the colossal Hulk holding up pieces of the original ride tracks it becomes quite an exciting entry for guests. Once entered and inside the completely re-designed queue you become a part of the all new and original story-line. You will notice that the new queue area is in fact a state-of-the-art military research compound, which is under the control of General Ross.
Like in the story – the General is busy conducting his highly questionable experiments and guests are subjected to intense radiations inside the massive Gamma Core. And guess what….the change is happening. The next thing you know is the massive transformation of your body. It seems the perilous Hulk-a-fication process had done the damage once again – this time it’s you in place of the original hero.
Finally, you will board the newly designed, hi-tech ride vehicles and blast away into a roaring adventure journey, endowed with super-human strength. During the ride, you will enjoy a brand new audio experience with an original ride score by none other than Patrick Stump. You charge ahead like a rocket against an amazing stretch of coaster tracks and special-effects. And the ability to fly like a rocket, out and over the Marvel Super Hero Island with the strength and power of the majestic Hulk, together with newly enhanced features and familiar roars is quite an exciting prospect that should not be missed.
What’s New with My Universal Photos
The Universal Orlando’s photo program (Universal Photo Connect, until July 11, 2016) has always been a tough experience. Visitors opting for the service are often subjected to a difficult time collecting, viewing and sharing photos of their happiest moments at the Universal Orlando Parks. It’s sad that unlike the more advance Disney PhotoPass service, the Universal’s photo program is quite a lacklustre affair for the user.
With such bizarre features, including short expiration times, not so friendly online system, and unexpected pricing models to name a few, there is only one conclusion to this – terminate the Program… and so did the Resort. Thanks to Universal Orlando as it finds its own special version of PhotoPass Memory Maker with the all new My Universal Photos program now.
With My Universal Photos guests can have either of the two different photo capturing services. First, is the 1-day Photo Package that includes one day of unlimited digital downloads of your pictures taken during the park day, and also include a themed lanyard and discounts of other photo products in the parks. This special photo package is exclusively made available for online purchase only, and is offered at $69.99 if booked in advanced.
The 3-Day Photo package, on the other hand will facilitate you with the best of all the photo capturing features, downloading and discount services for three consecutive days, including a 4×6 print and a 5×7 or 8×10 print photo for free, and additional discounts of photo prints in the parks. The three day Package comes to you at $89.99 if purchased in advance.
The special lanyard on either of the package includes a card that needs to be scanned every time a park-photographer takes a picture. It can be also scanned once you had done with an attraction that has on-ride photo options like the one at the Harry Potter ride or at the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman for that matter. Moreover, when it comes to most memorable photo locations the Resort offers plenty of those. Truly, whether it’s Universal Studios Florida or the Islands of Adventure section of the Resort, photo op locations galore for Universal Orlando fans.
Given its popularity and importance as a record breaking theme park in Orlando, the launch of My Universal Photos is definitely a competitive move on part of Universal. The new photo program is quite similar to that of Disney’s PhotoPass system now. It has scope to reach out for more by adding a better option for the annual pass-holders as well. And I hope like Disney, Universal will be having its own version of expanded Memory Maker option for the pass-holders in the recent future.
Skull Island: Reign of Kong – All Set to Rule Universal Orlando this Summer
It has been quite a wait for the King Kong fans at Universal Orlando. Ever since the Resort had closed the Kongfrontation ride, expectations keep growing for a new and much bigger Kong attraction. But now with the construction walls down the message is loud and clear. Also given the latest developments, including sights of the giant ape staring at you, it seems the adventures that follow on-board the new ride are much more than just a bunch of terrifying experiences.
A look at the tall – towering door, or the sights of skulls and those dominating glimpses of Kong in his massive best (the huge rock formation) all seem to suggest only one thing – Kong Is back and yes the epic monster is hiding there somewhere in his strange home, namely the Skull Island.
If you are planning a visit to Florida this summer with Universal Studios Orlando in mind, then you must include the newest King Kong ride attraction as well. Located at the Islands of Adventure section of the Resort, the new attraction will have the legendary ape in its newest avatar welcoming guests for a ride experience like never before. Thanks to Universal Orlando in bringing back the Kong experience in such majestic style. Welcome to the Skull Island: Reign of Kong.
Though the walls are down and the entire structure is visible to visitors in complete, Universal is yet to release an official opening date for the most anticipated ride attraction. The only confirmation available is that it will open in summer 2016. For now a soft opening is expected soon. This is when the ride will be opened for a limited time for live-testing.
According to information available from external sources it’s believed that the newest ride adventure is almost six minutes long, taking riders to Skull Island, on-board a specially designed vehicle. Inside the Island guests encounters many surprises, including terrifying terrains, caves and strange creatures as enemies and not to forget the surprise encounters with the massive ape himself.
Among the many highlights of the new attraction, includes the massive and most impressive – first time ever Kong animatronics by Universal. Another most notable feature of the attraction is the queue. Often considered as a theme park hassle, the ride queues make life difficult for guests. But not for this time, as Universal has defied all conventions in taking forward the queue story to the next level. In fact the queue for the attraction is an important part of the Kong adventure itself. It plays a much bigger role and the use of technically impressive scareactors tells a lot in this regard.
The Ever Growing Universal Studios Orlando Resort
Lately things look a little bigger at Orlando’s Universal Studios Resort! Just driving by on I-4 and looking over at the park, you can tell something big is going on. Probably the biggest thing one will notice are all of the skyscraper cranes up in the sky and the skeletal frames of a new Loews Resort going up. Universal Orlando Resort in in construction mode and by the looks of it, there is no slowing up anytime soon. In the past few years Universal Studios Orlando has managed to add multiple new attractions as well as purchasing around 500 new acres to build more on.
Islands of adventure is their sister park that site right next to Universal Studios and was the first of their theme parks to build the now famous Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Building on this idea Universal Studios was the next to get into the Harry Potter hugely popular market by building their own Diagon Alley. Both parks now are connected by the new Hogswort Express, a train that took Harry and his friends to wizarding school every year in the movies. This would be Universal version to Disney’s Monorail. Now that the dust has settled on these two fantastic additions, Universal is back at it with big ideas and big pockets to do it with.
The latest is a fan favourite that used to be at Universal Studios and was deeply missed when he left back in September of 2002. That ride was Kongfrontation and was at the Studios since June of 1990. The people at Universal saw a great opportunity to bring the big guy back when Peter Jackson remade the old black and white movie a few back to audience’s amazement. This was the catalyst to make a new version of Kongfrontation and rename it Skull Island: Reign of Kong. This new ride in Islands of Adventure will be ready to ride in the summer of 2016. This will be in the area next to Jurassic Park and the Toon Lagoon area next to Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls.
Probably the coolest thing that is to come will be their third park addition, Volcano Bay. This will be Universal’s new water park that will have the look and feel of being in the south Pacific on a island made from the explosion of a volcano. Complete with a spewing cinder cone and wave pool, this will redefine the waterpark experience of old! This project is set for a grand opening in the summer of 2017 and will reside south of Universal’s Cabana Bay Resort and just off of I-4. If you are planning a trip to anyone of these famous theme parks and need help finding discounts on Universal Studios tickets or Islands of Adventure tickets, please call our office toll free at 1-877-406-4836 today and speak with one of our vacation planners today.
What to expect at Universal Studios Orlando’s 2016 Mardi Gras Party
Vacationing in February or April and looking to party, well look no further. Starting February 6 till April 16, Universal Studios Florida will play host to one of the biggest celebrations known to man, MARDI GRAS!!!!! Talk about a cultural wave coming right for Orlando. You can expect tons of fun and more entertainment than you might be able to handle.
First, we will kick things off and talk about the amazing musical line up that Universal Studios is bringing to town. They are starting out with Hunter Hayes, (who is known for his blues/country/rock style) will perform on Saturday February 6th. On Saturday February 13 you can expect to see one of the most iconic female singers of all time Diana Ross (rose to fame in the 1960s). Sunday February 14, a band who has been together for 27 years and released more than 14 million albums, Barenaked Ladies.
And there are many more such as Nate Ruess (Sat. Feb 20th), Fall Out Boy(Sat. Feb 27th), Kool & The Gang(Sat. Mar 5th), The Fray(Sat. Mar 12th), Adam Lambert(Sun. Mar 13th), Shawn Mendez(Sat. Mar 19th), 3 Doors Down(Sun. Mar 20th), Reo Speedwagon (Sat Mar 26th), T-Pain(Sat. Apr 2nd), Jessie J(Sat. Apr 9th), and finally Yandel (Sat. Apr 16). The concerts start at 8:30pm so don’t be little or you’ll lose your seat.
However, Universal Studios doesn’t just bring the bands to the party; they also bring new food options for the occasion, parades for your enjoyment and the most important part, BEADS!!!!!!! They bring out their own French Quarter Courtyard featuring authentic New Orleans cuisine like Spicy Jambalaya, Sausage, Gumbo and many more dishes. Universal is also bringing some of the Big Easy’s favorite musicians like Rockin’ Jake(Feb 6th), Mississippi Rail Company (Feb 13th&14th), Naughty Professor (Feb 20th), Cha Wa (Feb 27th), Beth Mckee & The Sliders (Mar 5th), Soul Project(Mar 13th), The Big Easy Playboys (Mar 19th&20th), Gravy(Mar 26th), Dirty Bourbon River Show (Apr 2nd), Daddy Mac Blues Band (Apr 9th) and last but not least Big Al and The Heavyweights (Apr 16th).
Then, go out to the streets and watch as the streets of Universal Studios fill with floats, stilt walkers, dancers and street performers who will be throwing handfuls of beads your way. No need to pay for souvenirs on this trip, you’ll have to many beads to put in your luggage to worry about souvenirs anyways. Hope you can be a part of this wonderful Universal Studios event, I know I can’t wait!
If you are planning to attend Universal’s Mardi Gras celebration and need to buy discount Universal Studios tickets or Islands of Adventure tickets, please call our office toll free at 1-877-406-4836 today!
Getting The Most Out of One Day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure
Every morning at our guest service office we see hundreds of faces. They all ask pretty much the same question, “What’s the best ticket to see the most”? Well that can be a loaded question in itself! Lately the trend has been leaning towards Universal Studios and not so much Disney. People want to see Harry Potter and not Cinderella. So that being said, we tend to sell our clients Universal Studios tickets instead of Walt Disney World tickets. If you are working with one day and want to see the most one can possibly see, the I always suggest the 1 day 2 park Universal Studios ticket which includes their sister theme park, Islands of Adventure. Most people do not have two days to spend at Universal, so the 1 day 2 park ticket works perfect for them.
Walt Disney World has 4 parks to Universal’s 2 parks and most people will go and spend 2 or 3 days at the Disney parks, 1 day at SeaWorld and that only leaves 1 day more to play! The Universal Studios parks are a great bet as they are situated right next door to each other and do not require a monorail or bus to get to. Quick trip to the next pak equals more time playing! They do however have the all new Hogwart’s Express train that connects the two parks together at the back of the parks. This is a great way to get to the other park when you are way in the back and do not want to walk all the way to the front! I thought this was a brilliant idea if you ask me. The only rub is that you will need a Universal Park to Park ticket in order to ride the train.
For some travelers, a one day Universal base ticket works for them. This ticket only allows them to go to one of the two parks and they must stay at that park all day. They can come and go within that day, but in the end one park is all they will see with those Universal tickets. When it is in the busy season, this ticket is probably the best bet as the lines can be pretty long so most of the time in the park will be spent waiting to ride rides. This makes park hopping not feasible. But if you only want to do the biggest rides and cherry pick what you want to do, then a park to park ticket can be a good choice. Most travelers are not going to stop and do every little kiddie ride, so traversing the parks in a half of day is doable, making a 1 day park to park ticket a possible choice.
So for the traveler who wants to go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure but only have one day to do them in, the 1 day Park to Park ticket is a great ticket to have. It will allow you to visit two great theme parks in one day and also allow you to ride on the new Hogwarts Express train while traveling to both parks. Compared to a 1 day Universal Studios ticket or Islands of Adventure tickets, one can spend about $40 more and have a whole other park to explore. With both parks now having a Harry Potter themed area to them, people want to see both but are worried about the walking to get to both and money. But for a few dollars more and a train to get you to both without all the walking, it make sense to just get the park to park ticket and have the best one day one could have! To get discount Universal Studios tickets or the 1 day park to park tickets mentioned in this article, make to visit us on the web at www.officialticketcenter.com or by calling us toll free at 1-877-406-4836 today.
Home at Universal Studios Orlando for the Holidays
So you have decided to pack up this year and go south to sunny central Florida for the holiday season and you expect something spectacular. With all of the theme parks competing for your business, it’s going to be pretty hard to choose which ones best for you and your family. This year I would have to give the Holiday Cheer award to Universal Studios Orlando. With all of their new additions, It’s a new face to an old industry! Universal Orlando Resort has heard the call of the people and has delivered in many ways. First and foremost are their resorts. Situated within walking distance of the world famous theme parks are four amazing locations. My favourite for the holidays is the Hard Rock Hotel. Decorated in it’s Rock n’ Roll holiday flair, this resort has it all! From 4 star dining to world class entertainment at their Velvet Sessions, the Hard Rock Resort is sure to fulfill your every expectation of a fun filled Universal Studios vacation!
Next would have to be the all New Cabana Bay Beach Resort. This flash back to the 1950’s A-1A era is probably the coolest resort in Orlando! Even if you don’t stay there it’s a fun stop in to see how Christmas was back in the days of Cool. Rockin around the Christmas has never been so fun and make sure to take time to roam this one of a kind resort that can only be found at Universal Studios. If you are a lover of the Pacific Rim vibe then the Royal Pacific Resort might be a destination for you. Have you ever wondered what Christmas would be like on an Island? Well this is your chance! With palm trees decorated with holiday lights and luau style buffets surrounded by hula dancers, the Royal Pacific resort is the next best thing to celebrating Christmas somewhere out in the Pacific. Last is Universal’s Portofino Bay.
If you are a lover of Christmas tradition the Italian way, then this is for you! Enjoy enchanted evenings of wine tastings, samplings of amazing foods, strolls to the sounds of holiday music and sights! The Portofino Bay Resort is truly a gem in the Universal Orlando Resort treasure box. One of the most beautiful at Christmas! All of these resorts are located on Universal Orlando Resort property and provides transportation to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.
Once you decide which holiday accommodations are best for your high standards, now is the next most important decision to made on your vacation and that is what type of ticket to buy! There are two Universal parks, three if you include Wet n’ Wild but I don’t think anyone is going to be swimming during the cold Florida Christmas. But the two parks Universal Orlando gas are two of the Best in Florida. I would imaging that if you are going to be here for the holidays, you are going to be her for more than a few days. There are two types of tickets they have to offer. Universal Base tickets and Universal Park to Park tickets. The big difference here is the Base ticket is just good the park you enter into at the start of the day. You go in and this is the park you stay in. Pretty simple. You can come and go all you want in that day, trying to enter another park is not going to happen. This is why I recommend the Universal Park to Park tickets. This ticket allows you to visit both parks in the same day and also allows you to ride the all New Hogwarts Express train that connects Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Both parks put on holiday entertainment, so be sure to make time to experience what both parks have to offer. No one wants to miss the Grinch!
Every dollar counts during the holidays so if you can save time and money on your Universal Studios tickets, then make sure to check out the prices at Orlando’s most recommended discount attraction ticket company, The Official Ticket Center. Located in the heart of Orlando, this company has the best discounts on everything Universal.
Universal Orlando’s New Diagon Alley Boasts the Most Magically Engaging Ride Experience
Being able to step inside the scenes and actions of the world’s most magically inspired fiction as a theme park guest is more than a rewarding experience. And the new Diagon Alley attraction, the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride, which opens on July this year is offering just that to the ever increasing fans who had waited on this for so long. The most anticipated ride attraction is indeed the center-piece of the newly launched Harry Potter themed land (that brings to life the London side of the Story) at the Universal Orlando Resort.
More than just a roller-coaster experience the new ride is a completely immersive – uniquely detailed, narrative-driven, and most magically engaging ride adventure unlike any other. In fact it brings along a unique walkthrough opportunity, putting guest inside the most exciting moments that Harry Potter and his friends come across at the Gringotts. It all started on the same day when you as a Universal Studio Florida guest visit Gringotts to open your account. And eventually, after you were taken ten miles down to Gringotts vault something goes terribly wrong. The Gringotts security defenses gets back to life. And Harry, Ron and Hermione, including you as their partner in crime were detected. Bellatrix herself appears to curse you all and the classic chase continues until being finally rescued and out of the cavern.
There is no doubt that the newly launched Universal Studios ride is among the key challenges since the new Diagon Alley Expansion project was conceptualized. Even the Universal’s creative team finds it difficult to explain the kind of ride Gringotts will have at the time when it was first announced. Surely, an attraction of such repute and which is destined to usher an entirely new era of ride experience is a tough ask altogether. But perhaps, I think Universal lives up to the promises it made during the initial announcements. And given all the speculations and reviews by theme park experts and guests at the recent opening of the same, it seems the Resort is all set to take our Harry Potter experience to the next level.
Imagine a rollercoaster car that can move backwards, or sideways, or even do a spin by itself. Imagine the same rollercoaster car (which is a motion simulator in itself) is placed on a track system that also moves and changes on its own. And on top of that imagine a storyline that tricks you into the world’s most thrilling escapades while touring the Gringott Bank vaults. Truly, the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is an entirely new kind of ride experience.
Besides the incredible drops and rise, the sudden disconnects and the spins it brings to you a complete immersive experience packed with 3-D actions and richly detailed practical sets of the Gringotts caverns and props. Given the amount of excitements it offers, I think the Gringotts experience alone makes a wonderful reason for fans to re-visit Universal Orlando. But again the ride is only a single side of the story. The entire Diagon Alley expansion brings to life a whole new themed land packed with tons of magic, including the iconic Hogwarts Express ride and much more.
For Universal Studios tickets, discount Disney tickets and passes, and other Orlando ticket Packages, including SeaWorld tickets you can consult authorized ticket Re-seller The Official Ticket Center