As the busiest day of the year approaches for the Orlando theme parks, a Universal Orlando park is experiencing a prolonged closure that will last until 2024.
Over the last few days, most of the parks at Walt Disney World have reached capacity, with Genie+ reaching both record-high prices and selling out several times since Christmas. In addition, wait times at both Disney World and Universal have skyrocketed, with waits projected at several hours. Unfortunately for guests who wanted a tropical getaway for the holidays, Mother Nature had other plans.
According to the National Weather Service, a hazardous weather outlook has been issued for Orlando, Florida, and the surrounding counties due to “excessive cold impact.” Temperatures are expected to drop to the upper 30s, an occurrence that the Florida parks don’t experience all too often. In response, both Disney World and Universal announced the closure of one of their parks for the duration of the cold snap.
Disney World announced that it would be closing Blizzard Beach Water Park through the New Year, and now Universal has confirmed the same for its Volcano Bay Water Park. In a post shared to X/Twitter, the official Universal Orland Resort account shared the following: “Weather Update Universal Volcano Bay will be closed on Sunday, December 31, due to inclement weather. For park updates, please call 407-817-8317 or stay tuned to Universal Orlando’s social channels.”
🌧️ ❄️ Weather Update ❄️ 🌧️
Universal Volcano Bay will be closed on Sunday, December 31, due to inclement weather. For park updates, please call 407-817-8317 or stay tuned to Universal Orlando’s social channels.— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) December 30, 2023
Originally, the water park was closed until today, December 30, but it appears as though the cold front with be sticking around a little longer, resulting in the prolonged closure of Volcano Bay. Blizzard Beach also received further closure, now currently unavailable until January 3.
The water park is home to several water slides, a lazy river, a wave pool, and a tropical aesthetic sure to make you feel like you’re vacationing in the islands instead of Orlando, Florida. In addition, Universal Orlando is home to Universal Studios, which features attractions like the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Revenge of the Mummy, and Diagon Alley from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, as well as Islands of Adventure, which offers the Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Incredible Hulk, and the Hogsmeade Village.
Stay tuned to Inside the Magic for further updates on the closures and expectations for the busy holiday weekend.