2023 Holidays at Universal Orlando (Nov 17 - Dec 31)

[Brian G.]

Not as exaggerated as Mad Dog believes... but:

• Less concerts offered at Mardi Gras (not sure if they feel like the event no longer needs it, but it's definitely not a talent problem as Disney can schedule 3-4 months worth of acts for Food & Wine)
• Mannheim reduced to 4 nights (compared to the 10-12 nights prior to Covid)
• No daytime parade (I'll give this one a pass in the short term)
• No Nighttime show (I'll give it a pass, but even before its closure they wouldn't run it every night)
• No Hogwarts Projections (it doesn't take months to replace lighting and projectors lol)
• 2 Empty theaters at IOA
• Poseidon's Fury early closure
• 1 Empty theater at USF
• Blue Man Group theater
• No lagoon show at HHN (I don't give it a pass as they didn't offer something else to attract guests)

Ok. Now do the stuff they’ve added

 

[Mad Dog]

Ok. Now do the stuff they’ve added

Added one street show when they said they were going to add four or five to make up for the parade and all those parade side shows during the day....But, in the meantime they cut the Hollywood band street show, not 'temporarily' I assume. Bottom line: If I compare my 2018-19 visit to a visit today in 2023, there's considerably less entertainment in the parks.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Ok. Now do the stuff they’ve added

Over the last few years or so...

Added

• (IOA) Pirates at Port of Entry
• (USF) Mel's Drive-In Dance Show
• (USF) Vamos in NY

Removed

• (IOA) Poseidon's Fury
• (IOA) Sinbad
• (USF) Parade
• (USF) Nighttime Spectacular
• (USF) Barney/DreamWorks
• (USF) Fear Factor
• (USF) Beetlejuice

I know we're getting a huge entertainment boost next year, but it's not like they've made any significant additions as well... especially with the ridiculous attendance increases they've had paired with price increases.

Edit: I don't want my criticisms of Universal to be seen as negative. I just don't want the massive improvements they've made over the last few years to stop and to get complacent like WDW.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I'm experiencing major Deja Vu

 

[Brian G.]

Over the last few years or so...

Added

• (IOA) Pirates at Port of Entry
• (USF) Mel's Drive-In Dance Show
• (USF) Vamos in NY

Removed

• (IOA) Poseidon's Fury
• (IOA) Sinbad
• (USF) Parade
• (USF) Nighttime Spectacular
• (USF) Barney/DreamWorks
• (USF) Fear Factor
• (USF) Beetlejuice

I know we're getting a huge entertainment boost next year, but it's not like they've made any significant additions as well... especially with the ridiculous attendance increases they've had paired with price increases.

Edit: I don't want my criticisms of Universal to be seen as negative. I just don't want the massive improvements they've made over the last few years to stop and to get complacent like WDW.

Added one street show when they said they were going to add four or five to make up for the parade and all those parade side shows during the day....But, in the meantime they cut the Hollywood band street show, not 'temporarily' I assume. Bottom line: If I compare my 2018-19 visit to a visit today in 2023, there's considerably less entertainment in the parks.

Firstly, forgive my brevity in the previous post. Typing on a cell while pushing a stroller is tough... LOL.

Secondly, I think there is a fine line between cuts and adjustments, and we're conflating the two. That's not to say some of the examples you've listed aren't cuts but I can't just outright say all of the examples provided give any credence to an overall systemic issue of entertainment cuts. Per your list, you left out A LOT of additions...

Added

• (IOA) Pirates at Port of Entry
• (USF) Mel's Drive-In Dance Show
• (USF) Vamos in NY

Missing Gabby's Dollhouse Dance, The King Julien Dance thing at IOA, the Po and Tigress Meet, the expanded Raptor meets (and Baby trike), the Illumination Theater meets,

More nights for HHN, as well as additional entertainment throughout the event (Death Eaters, Red Coconut Club, Blumhouse Photo Op, M3gan dancers). Mardi Gras parade goes nightly now, including the addition of 6 new floats a year.

AS far as the list you gave about removed...

Removed

• (IOA) Poseidon's Fury - hurricane damage caused plumbing issues plus other maintenance issues for the low-attended show caused an earlier demise for a rumored new attraction.
• (IOA) Sinbad - bad show got cut for future expansion. I can definitely understand the frustration of leaving it idle for years, though.
• (USF) Parade - New one coming soon
• (USF) Nighttime Spectacular - New one coming soon
• (USF) Barney/DreamWorks - New land coming soon.
• (USF) Fear Factor - Bad show got cut for a cancelled ride.
• (USF) Beetlejuice - Bad show got cut for Fast & Furious.

Basically, I would understand the complaint if they WEREN'T doing anything except removing - but that's not the case.

 

[Mad Dog]

Added one street show when they said they were going to add four or five to make up for the parade and all those parade side shows during the day....But, in the meantime they cut the Hollywood band street show, not 'temporarily' I assume.

Firstly, forgive my brevity in the previous post. Typing on a cell while pushing a stroller is tough... LOL.

Secondly, I think there is a fine line between cuts and adjustments, and we're conflating the two. That's not to say some of the examples you've listed aren't cuts but I can't just outright say all of the examples provided give any credence to an overall systemic issue of entertainment cuts. Per your list, you left out A LOT of additions...

Added

• (IOA) Pirates at Port of Entry
• (USF) Mel's Drive-In Dance Show
• (USF) Vamos in NY

Missing Gabby's Dollhouse Dance, The King Julien Dance thing at IOA, the Po and Tigress Meet, the expanded Raptor meets (and Baby trike), the Illumination Theater meets,

More nights for HHN, as well as additional entertainment throughout the event (Death Eaters, Red Coconut Club, Blumhouse Photo Op, M3gan dancers). Mardi Gras parade goes nightly now, including the addition of 6 new floats a year.

AS far as the list you gave about removed...

Removed

• (IOA) Poseidon's Fury - hurricane damage caused plumbing issues plus other maintenance issues for the low-attended show caused an earlier demise for a rumored new attraction.
• (IOA) Sinbad - bad show got cut for future expansion. I can definitely understand the frustration of leaving it idle for years, though.
• (USF) Parade - New one coming soon
• (USF) Nighttime Spectacular - New one coming soon
• (USF) Barney/DreamWorks - New land coming soon.
• (USF) Fear Factor - Bad show got cut for a cancelled ride.
• (USF) Beetlejuice - Bad show got cut for Fast & Furious.

Basically, I would understand the complaint if they WEREN'T doing anything except removing - but that's not the case.

Yes. That's why I used the 'temporary' on the major stuff. Mainly, until those major entertainment venues actually return, the overall experience doesn't measure up to a 2018/2019 vacation. And on other threads I have stated I believe that things will be probably be back in second half 2024 and I have tentative plans to return then. But I'm not spending full price for a discounted experience now. But my main issue is on the Holiday dates, and most importantly lack of a announcement until the last minute for guest's vacations. People, and many complained on the official AP site, that they booked their vacations in anticipation of the normal week before Thanksgiving week of Holiday events. And for most, it's too late to change plans, flights, vacations etc. I hate to keep beating a dead horse, but it almost sounds like there was no regular notice because the powers to be anticipated weak bookings for that week if tourists knew there would be no holiday events. That's kind of a wasted time to go to Orlando if there's no Holiday entertainment. We generally, though not this year, go that week and the daily weather generally is too cool for pools and water parks. Anyway, and this is my last word on this thread, the most troubling issue to me is why wait until Oct. 19th to make an announcement, when they always knew that's what they were going to do. Complete reversal on notification announcement from previous years.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

As someone who may be coming down for an impromptu trip the first weekend of January - what are the odds Christmas decorations/Tribute Store will be up? I know entertainment will be gone, but do they tear everything down that quick?

Wanted to revisit this - if anyone knows?

 

[GAcoaster]

Some or most of the Christmas decorations will still be up-- Tribute Store, probably gone.

 

[SeventyOne]

Universal is not and has never been Disney. Until 7 years ago, we had to wait a week after Thanksgiving for Holiday entertainment to start, because they had to truck the balloons down from NYC until after the real parade. Now they seem to have settled on a 6-week schedule. Probably works well for scheduling entertainment TMs. The hard stop date is first weekend in January, so start date is 6 weeks back from that. Sometimes week before Thanksgiving, sometimes 2 weeks. I feel bad for anyone who booked expecting to celebrate Christmas in mid-November, but that's not cuts, that's a Disney thing--only been a Universal thing a couple of outlier weeks in the park's history.

 

[Mad Dog]

Orlando Informer just posted that Holiday Decorations went up in IOA Port of Entry today.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Orlando Informer just posted that Holiday Decorations went up in IOA Port of Entry today.

I can’t be the only person who thinks it’s about time Universal hired a proper team (or even a third party) to decorate everything overnight and not piecemeal starting in mid-October…right?

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I can’t be the only person who thinks it’s about time Universal hired a proper team (or even a third party) to decorate everything overnight and not piecemeal starting in mid-October…right?

I get why they do it, just feels odd, especially since we're still 3-4 weeks out from the actual event.

 

[Clive]

I'm not saying I love it, but Disneyland literally does the same thing. There's snow on their castle right now.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I'm not saying I love it, but Disneyland literally does the same thing. There's snow on their castle right now.

I get staffing is short, not a fan of Halloween decor in July (MK had them late July), but it is what it is unfortunately.

 

[Legacy]

I can’t be the only person who thinks it’s about time Universal hired a proper team (or even a third party) to decorate everything overnight and not piecemeal starting in mid-October…right?

Universal has a team that does everything overnight. They’re called events. There is just too much to do in one night.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I'm not saying I love it, but Disneyland literally does the same thing. There's snow on their castle right now.

Only ever been to Disneyland during summer months but that’s bad show.

Universal has a team that does everything overnight. They’re called events. There is just too much to do in one night.

I think you're conflating two different teams that have similar but different tasks (unless things have majorly changed in the past few years)…and even so, I still think at the very least if you can’t do it all in one night at least wait until 11/1. It’s not a big deal but it just seems weird to me.

 

[Brian G.]

They focus all the attention on IOA during this time since it's free from Spooky stuff. As soon as HHN ends, they have two weeks to tear down everything while getting ready for the Holidays. It's pretty impressive, IMO.

 

[Alicia]

They focus all the attention on IOA during this time since it's free from Spooky stuff. As soon as HHN ends, they have two weeks to tear down everything while getting ready for the Holidays. It's pretty impressive, IMO.

Yea, I was thinking that earlier. It’d be one thing if they just had to take down some Halloween decorations, but HHN is a bit more involved than some autumn garland and pumpkins.

 

[Mad Dog]

Seuss Landing Holiday decorations went up today. That's a big job.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

They focus all the attention on IOA during this time since it's free from Spooky stuff. As soon as HHN ends, they have two weeks to tear down everything while getting ready for the Holidays. It's pretty impressive, IMO.

Huh - is this why IOA never has Halloween decor?