2024 Mardi Gras

[erider]

Mardi Gras parade got cancelled tonight because of technical difficulties

 

[Brian G.]

 

[Jake S]

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Always admired how they can get some of the floats around some very tight corners. (the Transformers/Mel's corner is impressive)

Hope we get back the Esoteric gate soon

 

[Wesker69]

(the Transformers/Mel's corner is impressive)

I'm just disappointed that Optimus never popped a Macy's balloon

 

[Brian G.]

 

[Brian G.]

Taking place daily through April 7, 2024, Universal’s Mardi Gras features a dazzling Mardi Gras parade, mouthwatering cuisine inspired by global Carnaval celebrations, and more!

REVIEW: Mardi Gras 2024 at Universal Orlando

Laissez les bons temps rouler! It's Mardi Gras season at Universal Orlando, with the popular Springtime event bringing another year of parade, food, and fun! Taking place daily through April 7, 2024, Universal’s Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval – features a dazzling Mardi Gras parade

www.insideuniversal.net

 

[TVUpbm]

Taking place daily through April 7, 2024, Universal’s Mardi Gras features a dazzling Mardi Gras parade, mouthwatering cuisine inspired by global Carnaval celebrations, and more!

REVIEW: Mardi Gras 2024 at Universal Orlando

Laissez les bons temps rouler! It's Mardi Gras season at Universal Orlando, with the popular Springtime event bringing another year of parade, food, and fun! Taking place daily through April 7, 2024, Universal’s Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval – features a dazzling Mardi Gras parade

www.insideuniversal.net

Coming up with the best unit on a whim over the phone is nuts.

 

[Mad Dog]

Countdown to Mardi Gras vacation. TEN days to liftoff. My wife is sooo psyched. It'll be her first Universal Mardi Gras.

 

[GAcoaster]

 

[Fritz]

So excited to check out Mardi Gras today! Does anyone know what time the food tents open?

 

[GA-MBIT]

Parade was great as always! Loved the silly Fish costumes, and the Mushroom ladies with the Bug hats were great too!

I honestly really appreciated the new diversity in this year's parade as well. I believe Universal took a different direction in casting this year because in the past it's always been guys with rippling muscles alongside some skinnier performers, who are all great themselves, but this year there are also quite a few larger performers doing the routine and they were really killing it! They looked great in the costumes and were incredibly high energy. Uni weren't afraid to have them be shirtless and all glittered up just like everybody else, and it was just really nice to see! Shoutout to the whole cast who look like they're having a great time out there.

The tribute store is stunning. The facades outside are really intricate, the projected effects and use of screens was incredible especially in the bayou room, multiple animatronics is so neat to see, and the scrim effect is so creepy and atmospheric, it's honestly unlike anything I've seen them do with a Tribute Store before. Reversing the path through the new Hollywood Tribute Store space was a wonderful idea, and their limited use of giant props and photo-ops led to the space feeling so much more open and pleasant to walk through, unlike the Jurassic Park TS last year that felt like a cramped nightmare if you walked through a photo-op room on a busy day. Last year's Mardi Gras TS was honestly pretty dull and forgettable imo, but they've really learned how to master this new flexspace and I can't wait to see how they build it out for future seasons.

Really love seeing them lean into their non-HHN original characters/Icons like Earl and King Gator. A fun plush that I might end up picking up by the end of the run!

 

[pmorosin]

Two questions:
1) how do the refill mugs work? For example Mexico has a 20oz mug for $17 and $13 refills. Can you only use the mugs ay Mexico, or any of the other countries too? And can you use them over multiple visits?

2) can I still purchase the mardi gras gift card as I think I read that they were limited (was it $65 for $75?). And if so where so you purchas them. Thanks!

 

[Mad Dog]

We're off to see the Mardi Gras. We completely refrain from media, and relax when on vacation....so signing off and I'll be back in 9 or 10 days......

 

[Brian G.]

We're off to see the Mardi Gras. We completely refrain from media, and relax when on vacation....so signing off and I'll be back in 9 or 10 days......

Enjoy!

 

[Wesker69]

I'll be back in 9 or 10 days......

Oof... thoughts & prayers for when you catch up on the threads

 

[Mad Dog]

Left Orlando a day early due to that bad weather popping up in Georgia and the Carolinas, which is our direct driving route back to Pittsburgh, It worked and we beat the horrendous weather. Anyway, we were very impressed with the Tribute Store. Definitely the best I've ever been in. While there, a TM lead engaged us in a long conversation about the Tribute store, and the past stores. He said this store was designed by the same Creative who put together the Jurassic Park Tribute store. I don't know if it's been brought up on the HHN threads, since I don't read them often, but he said he was really excited since this same Creative will be designing the 2024 HHN Tribute store. So that sounds like that will probably be a winner for sure..

 

[IzzyB]

Left Orlando a day early due to that bad weather popping up in Georgia and the Carolinas, which is our direct driving route back to Pittsburgh, It worked and we beat the horrendous weather. Anyway, we were very impressed with the Tribute Store. Definitely the best I've ever been in. While there, a TM lead engaged us in a long conversation about the Tribute store, and the past stores. He said this store was designed by the same Creative who put together the Jurassic Park Tribute store. I don't know if it's been brought up on the HHN threads, since I don't read them often, but he said he was really excited since this same Creative will be designing the 2024 HHN Tribute store. So that sounds like that will probably be a winner for sure..

Welcome back home. Hope you had a good trip down here!

 

[Mad Dog]

Welcome back home. Hope you had a good trip down here!

The weather report heading into the week looked terrible. Fortunately, all the weather services were very wrong. Instead of 80 and 90% rain days, all we had was a brief daytime sprinkle that lasted less than 5 minutes. A little rain when we were sleeping, but that doesn't really count against the trip. And with the temps around 80F all week, we got plenty of pool time in. I'll make some comments on Mardi Gras, probably Monday.

 

[Mad Dog]

Here's my Mardi Gras summary: Parade was excellent. Alene enjoyed it immensely. Here's a quote from her that sums it up pretty well, "The floats were fantastic, the performers were fantastic, the music was fantastic. The Mardi Gras Parade was phenomenal." We watched it on three days. But since we were at the AP juncture spot twice, we actually watched the parade twice each time there since we saw it coming and going. So it was like watching it five times. Alene got over 150 beads total, so she was very happy, and dancing most of the time while the parade went by...........The food kiosks were excellent. So good that we basically ate most of our meals from them. Bought a few AP discount food lanyards, a great deal. Best booths were: Puerto Rico, Philippines, Mexico, Germany, New Orleans. Lines were usually short and fast served....Dixie land strolling band was good but hard to find since there didn't seem to be a schedule. So we very rarely saw them during our week there. Kind of like the Meighans at HHN. The only failing of Mardi Gras is the lack of music. They could really use a regular stage with a daily local Blues or Jazz band with a set schedule in addition to the strolling band......The performers/stilt walkers were very active for photos. Alene enjoyed that aspect of photos with them........The Saturday concert was meh for us, but that was expected. The youngest part of the crowd seemed to like it, and I'd guess that's the crowd it was intended for. Mostly teenagers it seemed. ..........The Tribute Store was EXCELLENT. A definite high point. And as I said earlier, the lead TM told us that the gentleman that designed it will be doing this years HHN also, and that he did last summer's Jurassic Park store. Damn, these stores just get better and better........Stopped by the Cursed Coconut Club. Nicely themed. It reminded me of the heavily themed disco clubs I used to go to back in my younger 1970's days. I had the first drink on the drink menu. I was drinking it and I told Alene it tasted familiar. Though it was a liquor mix, it tasted exactly the same as the Holiday Wine I make, which is a mix of Sangria/Cloves/Cinnamon. That was one of the bottles of my wine I brought to the dinner that Dave @Disneyhead and his girlfriend Lisa cooked up for us. We had a nice day long visit with them. Dave especially liked my Cabernet Sauvignon .......All in all the Mardi Gras was a nice vacation experience. It wasn't something I'd do every year, but once every three or four years would be enjoyable.