Universal Executive Talks Travel Advisors and Latest Happenings at Parks and Resorts

Summer is here and the theme parks are heating up.

Universal Orlando was the first major theme park to remove mask mandates and increase capacity.

For an update on how things are going at the parks and various hotels, TravelPulse recently got in touch with Eric Marshall, Senior Vice President of Sales at Universal Parks and Resorts.

Marshall shares insight into what travelers and travel advisors need to know.

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TravelPulse: How have things been at the parks and hotels since the mask mandate changes? Can you take us inside the process of deciding to change the mask mandate and how that went down?

Eric Marshall: At Universal Orlando, the health and safety of our guests and team members has always remained our top priority and we continue to follow CDC guidelines. And according to CDC guidelines, face coverings are no longer required for fully vaccinated guests, indoors or outdoors. We expect those who are not fully vaccinated to wear face coverings while indoors. We also continue to encourage all guests to keep a safe distance between travel parties, and we remain focused on maintaining the highest cleanliness and sanitization standards.

TP: What are capacity levels looking like at Universal this summer, first for the parks and second for the hotels?

EM: This summer is off to an incredible start. Our guests are having an incredible time in our parks and across the entire destination. The excitement for Jurassic World VelociCoaster is very real and well deserved. Of course, we always manage attendance throughout our destination, including in our theme parks and hotels, in order to provide a safe and enjoyable guest experience. At this time, we have returned to pre- COVID capacity levels.

We are happy to share that last month, Universal’s Aventura Hotel officially welcomed back guests, marking the first time since the pandemic that all Universal Orlando Resort hotels are open and available to book. Guests now have eight amazing hotels to choose from – offering something for every style and budget but it’s important to highlight that all Universal hotel guests receive exclusive benefits including Early Park Admission to the theme parks, complimentary transportation, charging privileges with their room key and more.

TP: Jurassic World VelociCoaster opened on June 10, at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. How long did the entire project take and what are the key things travelers should know about this exciting new coaster?

EM: We are extremely excited to add this all-new species of roller coaster, which is a game-changer within the theme park industry and raises the bar as one of the most elaborate and ambitious roller coasters ever designed. This coaster was conceived and designed by the award-winning Universal Creative team in partnership with acclaimed filmmakers from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment – and our guests are absolutely loving it! It was a multi-year project and definitely lives up to the hype.

The attraction, which is Florida’s fastest and tallest launch coaster, is based on the blockbuster Jurassic World franchise and includes a series of intense coaster maneuvers, including two pulse-pounding launches (the fastest reaching 70 mph in 2.4 seconds), a one-of-a-kind, 360-degree barrel roll right above the lagoon, and a towering “Top Hat” – which propels riders 155 feet in the air and then immediately into an 80-degree drop.

TP: Anything else new at the parks or hotels and resorts travelers should know about?

EM: The world’s premier Halloween event, Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, is back – returning this fall for its much-anticipated 30th year and unleashing a sinister line-up of horrifying experiences on select nights beginning on September 3 through October 31. This year we’ll also have an all-new, limited-time “Jack’d Up” experience at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort – where guests get a closer look into

the chaotic world of Jack and some of the sinister environments inspired by his past invasions of Halloween Horror Nights.

TP: What’s the latest on the new theme park ‘Epic Universe’ that you’re able to share with us? When do you hope it will be completed?

EM: More to come soon, but we can share that it will be amazing!

TP: Lastly, what advice would you give to travelers selling Universal?

EM: At Universal Orlando, we value and recognize the importance of our relationships with all our travel partners. We are constantly working on ways to increase our support and strengthen our relationships with them. We continue to provide epic and meaningful opportunities for travel agents, including virtual and Resort based in-person training to provide our partners with even more in-depth information that they need to sell the ultimate Universal Orlando vacation.

We also can provide through our Travel company, Universal Parks and Resorts Vacations, an all-encompassing booking experience with VaxVacationAccess.com. This allows for ease of customizable package bookings and the ability to search and compare options for hotels, tickets, theme park add-ons, transportation, and flights.

We encourage all our travel partners to join our mobile-friendly online resource – the Universal Partner Community – which is a centralized place for our partners to get news, receive exclusive content, as well as the availability to ask questions and connect with other travel professionals. The Universal Partner Community also features content that has been developed exclusively for our partners, trainings, sales tools and marketing materials, in-language content and more.