The Universal Orlando theme parks closed for capacity just 10 minutes after opening this morning. It was the third straight day this week that the resort has had to close Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure due to capacity crowds.
Yes, the parks are operating at just 35 percent of their usual capacities due to the need for increased physical distancing during the pandemic. But theme parks shutting their gates to new visitors during Christmas week is nothing new. It happens almost every year.
And it's not just happening at Universal. You can't just decide to head over to the Walt Disney World theme parks at the last minute and expect to get in this week, either. But Disney is handling its capacity crowds in a very different way than Universal. And that raises an interesting question for theme park fans.
Ever since it reopened in July, Walt Disney World has been requiring visitors to make advance reservations to visit its theme parks using the new Disney Park Pass system. Six Flags and other parks also have required advance reservations to visit their reopened parks this season. If you can't reserve a specific date because all spots are claimed, it's tough luck. Pick another day, or stay home.
But Universal did not implement any sort of advance reservation system, choosing instead to operate under the traditional "first-come, first-served" system. As a result, Universal has had to close its gates to newcomers on several occasions this year, especially after it introduced a sharply discounted seasonal pass to locals after canceling Halloween Horror Nights last summer. Universal Orlando's parks have been packed on weekends and even during the week before Christmas, as Floridians rushed to get as much time as they could in the parks before the passes expired on Christmas Eve.
It's a different crowd this week, including a fair number of tourists from elsewhere in the United States. But it's still enough to fill the parks' reduced capacities.
That means Universal visitors must be up and in line perhaps hours before the parks open, in order to be certain of getting in. Meanwhile, Walt Disney World visitors can take their time arriving, since their place in the parks was essentially guaranteed when they made their Disney Park Pass reservation, however long ago that was.
Yes, that meant that the Disney visitors had to get it in gear to make reservations weeks in advance to secure a place, especially for Disney's Hollywood Studios, which has the lowest capacity of the four Walt Disney World theme parks. But if you couldn't book the dates you wanted, you weren't left hanging at the gates as some wanna-be Universal visitors this week might have been. (If you are in Orlando this week, please tell us in the comments about your experiences visiting the parks.)
Which system do you prefer?
I suppose that is tempting to suggest that parks use advance reservation systems during periods when they are likely to hit capacity, such as during Christmas week. But customers hate inconsistent messaging. It is far easier to tell guests that they need to use an advance reservation system whenever they want to visit than to try to teach them that they need to use the reservation system only if they are visiting on certain dates, but not on others. Good luck getting that message to stick with people.
An advance reservation system also may limit parks' ability to overbook on popular dates — increasing a park's attendance (and revenue) by admitting late-comers after enough early arrivals have left for the day. People who can't get those initial reservations might not choose to travel to a reservations-required park while they might be willing to book a trip to a "you takes your chances" one. That creates some incentive for a park not to spend the money to develop and maintain an advance reservation system.
Even if vaccine distribution allows parks to return to full capacity sometime in 2021, crowd sizes might still overwhelm some parks, as they were doing more and more before Covid-19 hit. So the question whether to implement an advance reservation requirement — including moving to date-specific tickets — will remain.
As a fan, which system would you like to see parks use — one that requires visitors to book a specific date or the old way of allowing people to try to visit at any time?
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Going to vote yes, but this is only during covid times.
Firstly, this helps with track and trace. If everyone has to have a reservation, all groups are logged.
Second, it manages expectations. I wouldn’t want to be the staffer at the front gate having to put the proverbial velvet rope back up in front of a family. The crying disappointed children, the angry response of unreasonable parents? Stuff that, protect the staff by making it reservation only for now.
If thousands of people are showing up early to get into the park within the first 10 minutes, it's easy to assume that there is very little, if any, social distancing going on. (Anyone got photos to share of these pre-opening crowds?)
Advance reservations for the win. I would rather reserve a date and time than wake up extremely early to have a shot of getting in(This is more inconvenient than the reservation system).
I’m going to agree with Chad H .... reservations probably make sense now, but once we’re back to something like normal, I’d hate to see it become a permanent thing - especially at UO. On a typical multi-day visit, we bounce in and out of each park several times a day with our annual passes and onsite hotel rooms. I’d hate to lose that spontaneity that is at the heart of a Universal visit for me.
If it's all or nothing, I'd side with those saying all guests must make reservations. However, in an ideal world it would be something like this...
-Guests with day tickets (both single and multi day) must make a reservation unless buying tickets day-of at the park, which would be subject to availablity. Those purchasing these tickets are largely those who don't visit regularly, likely plan out their trip in advance, and may not be able to reschedule easily if they can't go on their originally planned date. Plus, as many tickets are now date specific and have variable cost based on date, this is largely the case already.
-Guests with annual passes may make reservations, but are not required to do so. As annual passholders can easily visit another time if the park reaches capacity, being denied entry is not nearly as big of a deal for them. However, reservations would be tied to park capacity, and if reservations filled up in advance, there would be no option for walk-up visitors that day. Therefore, the option would be there for those visiting with out-of-town guests or who need to visit on a specific day to guarantee they'll be able to do so if they plan ahead.
-Guests staying on property do not need reservations and are automatically eligible for admission every day from their arrival date to their departure date. If they have tickets that extend beyond this timeframe, they are required to make reservations for additional days.
-Reservations at multi-park resorts have a primary park but are eligible at all parks at the resort that day subject to current occupancy. For example, if you have DHS reservation, you could visit any of the parks at Walt Disney World if there's sufficient space, but you would only be guaranteed access to DHS.
The reality is that in a typical year, parks only hit capacity a handful of times. However, advance reservations are very helpful from a staffing perspective, and they also guarantee guests won't be turned away unexpectedly. Given that advance purchase is becoming the standard for tickets and the amount invested in a visit is a far greater percentage of the average guest's income, I don't see a reason to not make advance reservations the norm among major theme parks.
I support the idea of reservations.
I do have a question? I know Disney has announced they are operating at 35% of capacity but, I don’t think Universal has stated that is what they are doing? With them now operating most rides at regular capacity and still running 2+ hour lines, I would say they are higher than 35%.
It would be great to have someone in the media actually ask them what their capacity currently is.
I am not sure we want to know what ‘capacity’ SeaWorld is operating at.
The question wasn't clear as to whether this would apply only whilst the pandemic is raging or whether it should be an ongoing policy even in 'normal' times. For that reason I voted 'no'. At the moment I think it it should be mandatory for reservations to be made. People should be minimising their contact and their journeys and travelling to a them park, lining up only to be turned away and sent home because capacity has been reached is simply exposing people to unnecessary risks. You should know that you can get into the park before you leave home.
But one of the biggest things this pandemic has stolen from us, and one of the things I miss most, is spontaneity. Being able to wake up and think "let's go to Islands of Adventure today" or being on vacation at Disney Word and being able to leave several days un-planned so that you can just 'go with the flow' and visit whatever park takes your fancy - these are pleasures I treasure and I desperately want to get back to a world where I don't have to micro-plan every day days or weeks in advance. It was already bad enough with Disney's FastPass+ but even then I had been able to plana few 'flexi-days' into the vacation we had to cancel last October. I want that back so much.
So it's a resounding 'No!' from me, with the caveat that in the current state of play 'Yes' is the necessary but temporary default.
@aj hummel
100% agree except for multi park. they should be required to specify what park each day. Again these aren't locals (mostly) so this way they get to see the parks they want, and people showing up to 'hope' they get in have a better chance because the levels will be monitored.
Observations from my Florida visit this week, all with reservations made in advance where needed...
Busch Gardens Tampa - Arrived late Monday evening with no problem entering. Arrived again early on Tuesday with no problem getting in, but by the time we left around 1 pm, there must have been 1000 reservation holders standing in line outside the park waiting until such time that capacity allowed them to enter. I get that parks need to overbook with a reservation system in place, but perhaps they forecast too many no shows for this week?
SeaWorld - Tuesday afternoon at 5 pm, no problem getting in, but ride lines were long, with Kraken being the shortest at around 30 minutes. Arrived about an hour after open Wednesday and while there was a long line to get through parking, temperature check, security, and the gate, everything moved orderly. Went ice skating and then headed over to Mako, which had a 10 minute wait and Kraken which had a 25 minute wait. Skipped Manta as the wait was up to 90 minutes.
Universal - I didn't even bother this week. Universal is a sh*t show getting in even on regular days, between handheld temperature screening and fingerprint scanners that never work, and figured why even bother. Besides, we had visited earlier in the month (Mon 12/14) and even that day was lunacy, despite most K-12 kids still being in school.
I think there a couple of ways to look at this question. Obviously from a guest perspective, having the ability to guarantee access to a theme park on a day that it's likely to reach capacity is important to avoid the depressing sight of gates being closed right as you reach the front of the line. No one (including park operators) wants to see excited, paying customers sitting outside, disappointed, and upset that they may have to wait hours to get into a park they paid significant money and spent lots of time scheduling to enter. On the other hand, closing gates generates demand, and forces guests to show up to the park earlier, meaning people are probably spending more time in the parks and spending more money. The last thing parks want is to establish a reservation system only to have 50% of the people make "place holder" reservations and never show up. Obviously, parks could create a system that punishes no-shows, but even with consequences, people are liable to not show up, leaving the park short of capacity or having to overbook with the possibility that guests are still standing outside of the gates because park capacity has been reached.
However, as we've seen from Disney's reservation process and the insanity that existed surrounding the securing of FP+ reservations, simply setting up advanced reservations is not necessarily going to make people happy. The fact of the matter is that when you introduce a system like this, it's going to give advantages to frequent visitors (APs) and those that are "in-the-know", and leaving less tech-savvy and knowledgeable guests out in the cold. People are constantly complaining about the increasing need to plan a WDW vacation, so I think you should be careful what you wish for with a system like this.
I think ultimately what theme parks should do is to offer a hybrid reservation system. Guests visiting on day tickets/multi-day passes should be required to declare which days they are visiting when purchasing their tickets and/or making resort reservations. This makes sure guests traveling from out of the region are not denied entry on the limited days they have to visit the parks. APs/Season Pass holders on the other hand, would be forced to make reservations at least 48 hours in advance, but no sooner than 14 days ahead of their visit unless they are making resort reservations. This gives locals the opportunity to get a chance to use their APs, but gives parks the ability to control admission and eliminate the need to close the gates.
I was pretty disappointed with Universal that they didn't go with reservation system. I think during the pandemic it should have been a must to have it. Not that I would have gone either way because in my opinion you shouldn't be travelling at all during this time but it would have been so convenient for locals.
I've been watching a lot of videos and it doesn't look like Universal is at reduced capacity at all. This past week I've seen more people in the paths then when I go during Horror Nights. I really wouldn't be surprised if they are allowing as many people as they normally would.
Hard to understand why a complete entrance and attractions reservations is still not in place. waiting times always were the no 1 guest complaint and queueing has even become more critical during these Covid times. Due to physical distancing lines are 3 times the length, so we can imagine how long they will become at full capacity. Parks claim to put a lot of effort in guest friendly operations, but paying for waiting in line most of the stay is actually providing a very bad visitor experience. Quite incredible that visitors have so far put up with this kind of business model. While the solution has just been arround the corner with queuefreethemepark.com
I voted with the others who said "yes" during COVID, "no" when this is all over. If I'm staying at an on-site hotel, I do want some flexibility when planning a vacation and don't want to be shut out by local AP holders.
I agree that it is disappointing for Universal either not to have anticipated this or just a blatant money grab. Disney once again one ups them with being able to value the guest experience and weigh it with return visitation.
I voted yes. The question was rather vague - are you asking about "forever", or just during the pandemic? I have long advocated a reservation system for entrance...but that was when talking about Disneyland's overcrowding, not all theme parks.
I voted yes, because if I planned a trip down to Universal and spent money on plane tickets, park tickets, rental car and hotel, for a family of 4, I would be beyond upset if we didn't make it in to the parks at all. It was nice to go to Disney this past August and not have to worry about possibly not being able to get in. I know the crowds were extremely low then, so that just added to our pleasure and decreased any anxiety.
Hey Sue
Stay at an onsite hotel and you are guaranteed admission. With their new budget hotels they are very affordable too. For that reason alone it would be the only reason I would travel from out of state. No way I would come with a reservation needed, also no way I would come during Christmas or New Year's regardless of a pandemic.
Hello all !
There are many separate topics here.
To start with: the actual situation is not representative for anything in the past, nor in the future.
However, the following topics are not related to the actual situation :
(They do NOT represent my opinion on the Covid exception situation)
1/
Date specific tickets, actually devaluates them. It adds more on the stress of travel then needed, and more then is allready the case now. The best definition of leisure time is : relax time. Date specific tickets do not contribute to this most essential aspect of leisure/vacation time.
When it's a ticket for (example) a performance at your local city theater, it's OK, because it involves only a very short travel time, but when going to a theme park, for most people (multiple day) long distance travel planning in itself is already stressfull enough, and being obliged to have your day-by-day planning ALSO strictly done beforehand, is over the top...
So, definately and strongly disagree with : "Good luck getting that message to stick with people." I advocate NOT to penetrate into this next level of killing down the feeling of 'Relax-leisure-time'.
2/
"....before the passes expired on Christmas Eve."
That's happening when all year/season passes go-in and end at the same pre determined moment. It's much more intelligent to have a year pass system of 356 days, counting from the day you bought it. It is spreading "rush moment" of all customers smoothly over the year.
3/
The problem of overcrowding of parks, if this happens frequently, demands a structural approach in extending the capacity of the park itself. Most amusement parks in the world, almost never reach over the top (of safety).
If Disney and Universal, as expensive as they are, cannot (refuse to...) do investments to allow more (safetywise) customer accomodation on the grounds, it will never be solved by additional bureaucracy. They just MUST invest structurally.
Cheers
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Having worked in this industry for 20+ years and being in Orlando for most of it IMO Universal not requiring reservations during the pandemic, when they know they are going to constantly hit capacity and have lots of people show up and get pissed off, is the most stereotypical Universal move I can possibly think of. While Disney is very much also a money grubbing corporate mega giant, at least they usually think things like this through a long-term perspective and realize that its not a good idea to have that situation happen. Universal just wants as many people to show up as possible because as people leave they can fill the park back up and it means more people in City Walk throughout the day and at night = more $$.
Also WTF is with their wait times? I don't get the logic in posting 3 hour waits for rides when the park is at reduced capacity, they have some serious dunces running their parks.