Rock the Universe 2018 - Florida's Biggest Christian Music Festival at Universal orlando

Get Ready for Some Amazing Concerts at Universal Orlando’s ‘Rock the Universe’ Fest 2018

It seems Florida’s biggest Christian music festival – Rock the Universe will create a new masterpiece once again when it returns to Universal Orlando in September, 2018. The special event offers you the most unforgettable weekend of faith and fun that Universal has to offer. Set with an incredible lineup of Christian concerts, with star performers such as TobyMac, Casting Crowns, and Jesus Culture the special event brings to you the best of rock and ride adventures ever.

Rock the Universe festival 2018 brings to you two nights of powerful music – to be held on September 7 and 8, 2018. The special event also includes a Candle-lighting ceremony and a special Fan Zone by Coca-Cola, featuring more live performances and autograph sessions as well. Among the favorite ride attractions that will be available during the event include the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, and if all things go as per schedule, probably guests will be able to experience the new Fast & Furious – Supercharged ride attraction, slated to debut this spring.

Rock the Universe 2018 - Concerts

Rock the Universe 2018 – Concerts


Rock the Universe is one of the most anticipated annual event. It received a rocking welcome last year too. But sadly it couldn’t continue for the second night due to Hurricane Irma. This year the Event will definitely fulfill all the promises and guests will have a never before rocking weekend for sure. The amazing lineup for this year include – Jesus Culture, TobyMac, Lauren Daigle, Red, Zach Williams, and Trip Lee on Friday, September 7, 2018. Followed by Casting Crowns, For King & Country, Family Force 5, Brandon Health, Andy Mineo, and Ryan Stevenson on Sunday, September 8, 2018.

Rock the Universe festival is a hard ticketed event. Not included in regular admissions. Guest will have to pay extra to attend the special Event. Universal typically release tickets for the Event in the month of July. So please keep visiting the official Universal Orlando website for the event tickets. You can also visit our special Universal Studios Tickets page for discount offers on various Universal admissions and updates on the special event tickets.

It’s true that Universal Music Plaza stage is the central attraction of the Event. But you may want to take a break from the main stage and visit the additional experiences the Event has to offer. Located at the New York section of the Park is the FanZone that offers you the opportunity to connect with and take autograph from the favorite artists. In addition to this there is also the Candle-lighting ceremony to be attended at the Music Plaza stage.

Usually, Rock the Universe tickets come in two different choices. You can either go for a one night ticket or two nights. Also special discounts available for annual pass-holders. Entry to the event starts at 4:00 pm in the evening.

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.

Vacationing Thrifty at Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando was pretty crowded this summer — skirting the edge of record attendance. Between the massive Harry Potter attractions in Diagon Alley, the Minion Madness that never ends, and all the other attractions, it’s no surprise — it’s irresistible! But Universal is also, sadly, expensive, especially if you don’t know how to save as you’re planning. Let us help with a few money-saving tips.

Understand Your Ticket Prices
Universal Orlando’s summer rate this year was over a hundred dollars for a single day — an extra $50 if you want to ride the Hogwarts Express between the two parks. And recently, the aggressive discounts that Orlando offered to compensate for the poor economy have backed off. Today, you have to have a military discount, or be a Florida resident, or be a AAA member to get a regular discount — and just to complicate things, many services that offer tickets also tack a number of hidden fees onto the process, looking to make an extra buck. Be sure you get tickets that don’t cost you anything other than what they have to in order to get you through the gate.

Stay Off-Site Unless You Get a Deal
It is, under certain circumstances, possible to get a deal on an in-park hotel that makes it good thrift to stay in Universal Orlando — but only under certain circumstances. Most of the time, it’s wiser to save some money and stay off-site…especially if you can get a hotel that offers free transport to the park.

Bring a Backpack or Rent a Locker — and Supply Yourself
If there’s any chance the weather will change — like, it gets dark for example — or that you’ll go on one of the many rides that will end up with you getting damp or splashed at some point, you’re going to want some spare clothes. If you know you’re going to be in the park all day, bring some bottled water. Sunscreen, Band-Aids, whatever you might need at an unexpected moment, it pays to have either with you in a backpack or nearby in a locker. The other option is to buy what you need — a Universal Studios sweatshirt for $35, bottles of water for $4, sunscreen for $10, and so on. Bad idea! If you’re truly thrifty, you can pack snacks, too — Universal only bans food that must be refrigerated or heated.

Vacationing at Universal Orlando is always an awesome experience — but it doesn’t have to break the bank. Be clever, and maybe you’ll be able to come back that much sooner!

Universal Orlando: A Food Adventure

There are so many reasons to love a trip to Universal Orlando — the rides, the characters, the luxury. But there are some reasons you might not be anticipating…like the food. Yes, the food at Universal is just as much a part of the experience as the adrenaline and the exploration. In some cases, the food is adrenaline — and in many cases, it is definitely exploration. Here’s what we mean:

The Lollipop King
Ever wanted to eat a bug, but were too afraid to try? Do you think you might be able to succeed if the bug was encased in banana-flavored sugar? What if it were a scorpion?  Yep — the Revenge of the Mummy Gift Shop offers up actual scorpions embedded in ‘amber’ that just happens to be made of candy. And because the arachnoid’s chitinous carapace has been encased in candy, it tastes just like (fake) bananas…or so we’ve been told.

The King Donut
In the bottom level of the Hard Rock Hotel, there’s a shop called Emack and Bolio’s, and it features a donut so large a six-year-old could wear it as a bracelet. Six dollars of dough and honey glaze (or chocolate frosting) is enough to put a diabetic in a coma at thirty paces — or feed a family of four enough to send them sugar buzzing around the Universal Studios until halfway to lunchtime.

The Rocky Road Candy Apple
At the Port of Entry in the Island of Adventure, the Crescent Moon Bakery, there’s a treasure to be unburied — a massive granny smith apple! Buried under a layer of caramel, a layer of chocolate, a layer of pecans, a layer of marshmallows, and then another layer of drizzled chocolate and caramel, it waits for a suitably adventurous explorer to dig deep enough to reach the tart, lovely fruit.

Epic Gummy Bears
The San Francisco Candy Factory, ironically found at Universal Orlando rather than in California, produces gummy bears that are more than four inches tall and clock in at 350 grams (12 1/3 ounces). If you’ve ever wanted to eat 70% of your RDA of carbs in a single item, this is the one you want — 280 of those 350 grams are pure sugar. Noms!

The Kitchen Sink Challenge
Speaking of the Hard Rock Hotel, if you’ve ever wanted to be famous for 15 minutes, try training for a few weeks in competitive eating before your trip to Universal Orlando. That way, when you sit down and hand over $40, you, too can take on The Kitchen Sink: a huge hamburger laden with bacon, cheese, and chipotle horseradish aioli; a side of fries big enough to feed most grade schoolers all by itself; and a three pound piece of cake including seven layers of different kinds of cake, each with its own complementary frosting and sprinkles. One person has defeated the Kitchen Sink thus far…will you be next?

King Kong Comes Back to Orlando

Kong Comes Back to Life at Universal Orlando

Kong Comes Back to Life at Universal Orlando

Quick Update ~ Last week I tipped my hat that Universal Orlando Resort was going to bring back a very popular attraction that was lost over a decade ago. Universal Orlando it seems has confirmed that Kong will be brought back to life. It is not yet confirmed where the attraction is going to be, but my guess is over at Islands of Adventure next to Jurassic Park. I was over there about four months ago and construction was already underway. You would think that maybe it would segue into the new Jurassic Park movie coming out but your guess is as good as mine. Let’s just hope that it is themed after the Peter Jackson version of King Kong and maybe a tour around Skull Island.

Getting Bigger and More Exciting For the Muggles

New Diagon Ally at Universal Orlando Resort

New Diagon Ally at Universal Orlando Resort

The Official Ticket Center ~ Being a great fan of the world famous Boy Wizard and his amazing world of magic, I am very much excited about the new Harry Potter Expansions at the Universal Studios Florida Park. The prospect of exploring the London side of the story where you will be visiting the Diagon Alley or take a dark ride through the Gringotts vaults, or better still the opportunity to ride on the real Hogarth Express is incredible. And often the anticipation of a surprising journey from London’s King’s Cross station to Hogsmeade Village keeps me excited about an experience that can revolutionize the very nature of theme-park-entertainment today. Thanks to Universal Orlando for coming up with such a historic and world’s first ever multi-park fun initiative in honor of its most prized possession.

The new Diagon Alley attractions include two of the most promising Harry Potter rides for the muggles at Universal Orlando. Inspired with next-gen style animation and interactivity the Gringotts dark ride will take you through the Gringotts vaults, where guests will have encounters with dark wizards, including Voldemort. The most surprising Hogwarts Express ride on the other hand will connect visitors and guests with the two Potter Worlds- the new Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Florida park and the original Hogsmeade in the Islands of Adventure section of the Resort.

The original Wizarding World of Harry Potter is undoubtedly the most successful theme-park-entertainment initiative on part of Universal Orlando Resort. Since inception, it has been the centerpiece attraction and an object of great envy for the other big contenders in the business. Whether it’s the most amazing Hogwarts Castle or the Forbidden Journey Ride, Universal’s Creative team had left no stone unturned in bringing to life the most inspiring adventures of JK Rowlling’s world famous Harry Potter stories. Truly a visit to the Potter Land at the Islands of Adventure Park is a dream come true experience.

Moreover, the creation of such widely fancied attraction has changed the way we will perceive Universal Studios forever. In fact the Potter World proves to be a game changer for the Resort. The sudden increase in visits, including the overwhelming response from fans and visitors, and the high returns on investments of such repute had set a new bench-mark in the theme park industry today. The level of competition is being raised so high that even bigger challengers in the business like the Disney World is being forced to re-think. And while the competitors are trying their best to score an edge over the other, Universal is prudent enough to lead the way with the new Harry Potter Expansions.

For Universal Studios tickets, discount Disney tickets and passes, and other Orlando ticket Packages, including Sea World tickets, please call our office at 1-877-406-4836

UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT REVEALS MAJOR ATTRACTION NEWS

Orlando, Fla. (May 19, 2011) – Universal Orlando Resort today announced that its newest attraction will be based on Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s blockbuster 3-D-CGI feature “Despicable Me,” bringing minions, mayhem and a whole new level of 3-D family fun to its guests. The “Despicable Me” experience will replace the Jimmy Neutron attraction at Universal Studios Florida. Continue reading

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex 10 Year Master Plan

NASA officials announced on 4/12/11 that Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has been selected to permanently display space shuttle Atlantis upon retirement of the Space Shuttle Program. Atlantis, one of three orbiters in the space shuttle fleet, will fly the last scheduled space shuttle mission before being retired in 2011. 

 

The $100 million exhibit for Atlantis will be the marquee element of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s 10-year master plan. Initial design concepts for the 65,000 square-foot home for the space-flown orbiter include viewing the space shuttle “in flight,” showing how the spacecraft worked in space and providing a unique vantage point for guests to look at the complex vehicle up close. Complementing the orbiter display will be interactive features reflecting major accomplishments of the Space Shuttle Program, including the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station.

 

Officials with Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex plan to break ground on Atlantis’ new home in 2012 with a grand opening planned for 2013. The orbiter home will be located in the Shuttle Plaza at the main Visitor Complex; incorporating the Shuttle Launch Experience attraction. To purchase your Kennedy Space Center Tickets, please call our office toll free at 1-877-406-4836 TODAY.

Harry Potter Theme Park at Islands of Adventure

Islands of Adventure ~ Recently I was over at the newest addition to the Orlando theme parks, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter inside Universal Orlando’s, Islands of Adventure theme park. What amazed me the most was that we were there at 8:30 am and we were not alone. As we sat there we got to talking with a few of the families that were there waiting with their mugs of coffee and asked them what they were going to do first. Continue reading

Universal’s Rip Ride Rockit Coaster To Remain Closed Indefinitely

 

After Only 1 Year Universal Studios Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster Will Be Closed Indefinatly

After Only 1 Year Universal Studios Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster Will Be Closed Indefinitely

 

The Official Ticket Center Inc. ~ Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, the year-old roller coaster at Universal Studios that closed down last week for repairs, will remain shuttered longer than initially expected.

Universal Orlando said today that it has decided to perform the thrill ride’s annual maintenance now while it is already offline. Continue reading