🌎 This Week At Universal

Making your Universal Orlando trips smarter, one email at a time.

In this post you'll find:

• Full Mardi Gras menus

• Exclusive food and drinks for lunar new year

• A bus catches fire at Stella Nova Resort

• and more!

🗞️ Recent News

Mardi Gras’ Full Menu

Universal has a really convenient full menu online of all the Mardi Gras booths so you can prepare a game plan prior to getting there!

You can check it out here! Make sure to cycle through the tabs to see each food and drink option. The only downside is that there aren’t any pictures for some reason!

Special Lunar New Year celebration

Through February 15th, you can celebrate the Lunar New Year with exclusive food and drink options at Universal Orlando!

From donuts to boba tea to potstickers, there’s a little bit of everything!

You can read our full writeup on it here!

A bus catches fire at Stella Nova Resort

A bit of bad news this week unfortunately! A bus transporting guests from Stella Nova Resort caught fire late last week. According to an internal report from the fire department, thankfully no one was injured and everyone was safely evacuated!

As of yet, Universal has not made an official statement concerning the incident.

🛍️ Fun Finds

Each week we scour Amazon for the best deals and unique items!

🚧 Upcoming Ride Closures

If you’re going to be at the parks today through the 31st, do note the Hogwarts Express is closed for scheduled maintenance!

Universal Studios Florida

• No scheduled closures!

Islands of Adventure

• The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle

• Pteranodon Flyers

• Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges: February 1, 2025 – March 15, 2025

Universal Volcano Bay

• Ohyah and Ohno Drop Slides – January 2 – February 13, 2025

• Puka Uli Lagoon – January 2 – February 13, 2025

Volcano Bay itself is closed on the following days:

• January: 28

• February: 5, 6, 10, 11, 18, 19, 24, & 25

☀️ Weather

Planning your Universal Orlando trip? Here's your weekly weather outlook so you can pack accordingly!

Thursday, February 6 ☀️ Mostly Sunny | 84°F / 60°F | 💧 10% | 🌬️ SSW 9 mph

Friday, February 7 ⛅ Partly Cloudy | 84°F / 60°F | 💧 9% | 🌬️ NW 5 mph

Saturday, February 8 ⛅ Partly Cloudy | 84°F / 62°F | 💧 10% | 🌬️ SSE 6 mph

Sunday, February 9 ☀️ Sunny | 85°F / 64°F | 💧 9% | 🌬️ WSW 6 mph

Monday, February 10 ☀️ Mostly Sunny | 85°F / 65°F | 💧 9% | 🌬️ ESE 7 mph

Tuesday, February 11 ☀️ Mostly Sunny | 86°F / 65°F | 💧 9% | 🌬️ S 11 mph

Wednesday, February 12 ☀️ Mostly Sunny | 86°F / 66°F | 💧 17% | 🌬️ SSW 9 mph

Thursday, February 13 ⛅ Partly Cloudy | 84°F / 65°F | 💧 24% | 🌬️ SSW 9 mph

Friday, February 14 ⛅ Partly Cloudy | 83°F / 65°F | 💧 23% | 🌬️ NE 9 mph

Temperatures have definitely risen! It doesn’t look like we are expecting to see any rain so it’s time to get out the sunscreen and summer clothes. At night it might be a tad chilly, so if you’re cold-natured I would make sure to bring a light jacket or sweatshirt just in case!

👥 Crowds & Park Hours

Wednesday, February 5 🟠 Crowd Level: 5
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-7PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-7PM

Thursday, February 6 🟠 Crowd Level: 5
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-7PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-7PM

Friday, February 7 🔴 Crowd Level: 7
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-8PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-8PM

Saturday, February 8 🔴 Crowd Level: 7
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-9PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-9PM

Sunday, February 9 🔴 Crowd Level: 7
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-8PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-8PM

Monday, February 10 🟠 Crowd Level: 6
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-7PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-7PM

Tuesday, February 11 🟠 Crowd Level: 6
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-7PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-7PM

Wednesday, February 12 🟡 Crowd Level: 5
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-7PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-7PM

Thursday, February 13 🟡 Crowd Level: 5
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-7PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-7PM

Friday, February 14 🔴 Crowd Level: 7
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-9PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-9PM

Saturday, February 15 🔴 Crowd Level: 8
Universal Islands of Adventure: 🎢 EPA 8AM-9AM | 9AM-10PM
Universal Studios Florida: 🎭 9AM-10PM

Crowd Breakdown

Crowds start moderate mid-week, with a steady rise into the weekend. Expect higher crowds Friday-Sunday, especially February 14-16, due to Valentine’s Day and the holiday weekend. Saturday, February 15, is the busiest day, with parks open the latest. After Presidents' Day (Feb 17), crowds ease slightly, making midweek a better time to visit.

Weekly Spotlight

The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!

Is this a kid’s ride? Yes. Do I still ride it every time as a fully grown adult man? Also yes.

This ride is just a lot of fun for a kiddie coaster. There’s a little bit of a twist to this ride that most people don’t know. If you are at the top of the queue right before they put you in a numbered line, you’ll notice that there are two separate tracks. Did you know that each of these gives you an entirely different experience? The left track stays outside the entire time while the track on the right actually goes through the top of the Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous!

Epic Universe Construction Update

Stardust Racers was seen testing a few cycles at night! This ride is going to be 10/10 at night because of all the lighting effects. Super excited to ride this!

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