Guests heading out to Universal Orlando Resort in early 2025 should know that not all the theme park’s attractions will be up and running.
Refurbishments and surprise shutdowns due to malfunctions aren’t uncommon at theme park resorts. But it can still be disappointing to discover closed attractions after paying a hefty (and increasing) sum to visit a park. As for Universal Orlando Resort, future guests should be aware that multiple experiences will be out of action in the New Year.
Universal has been a hot topic recently thanks to its imminent launch of Universal’s Epic Universe, the third theme park gate and fourth overall for the Central Florida resort. Epic Universe is slated to open on May 22, 2025, bringing multiple new lands and attractions to the Sunshine State’s theme park landscape.
From Dark Universe to the Isle of Berk–a land themed after the How to Train Your Dragon franchise–to an entirely new addition to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with The Ministry of Magic, Epic Universe looks set to pull Universal Orlando Resort away from the crowd.
And if the bubbling Disney backlash is anything to go by, even the most ardent fans of the Mouse House may choose to vacation elsewhere in the future.
Prior to Epic Universe opening its gates to guests, Universal will shut down multiple attractions across Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. This is in addition to the already announced late 2024 refurbishments taking place before the New Year, including the lengthy and indefinite closure of Pteranodon Flyers in the Jurassic Park area.
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From January 28 through February 1, 2025, the Hogwarts Express will be shut down at both locations. The fan-favorite attraction allows guests with a two-park ticket to travel between them while enjoying the world of the Harry Potter franchise.
The other closures include Jurassic Park River Adventure, which shutters January 6 through January 23, and Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, which closes from January 24 through March 15.
These 2025 closures come after the likes of Fast & Furious Supercharged and Men in Black Alien Attack have and will experience closure periods at the end of this year. Chances are that no matter when a guest visits a theme park, at least one attraction will be out of service–unfortunately it is just the nature of the game.
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Presently, the resort is hosting its annual—and ever-popular—Halloween Horror Nights, turning Universal Studios into a hellish yet fun playground for all things horror. In the future, Universal will expand its horror offering to Las Vegas with the new Universal Horror Unleashed, an announcement about which is expected to drop on October 31.
Looking ahead in Florida, with Universal’s Epic Universe on the horizon, guests will soon have even more things to experience. The crowds during Epic Universe’s opening few months are expected to be heavy, with tickets to Epic Universe and reservations for its in-park hotel, the Helios Grand Hotel, being made available on October 24, 2024.
How do you feel about these attractions shutting down in 2025? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!