PHOTOS: Here’s What New Face Mask Policy Looks Like at Universal Orlando

Last week, both Universal Orlando Resort and Disney World changed their face mask policies soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided updated mask guidance for those who are fully vaccinated.

We’ve already taken a look at what Disney World’s updated policies look like in action, and today we made our way over to Universal Orlando to see what their mask policy (which varies slightly when compared to Disney’s) looks like. 

Updated Rules

Before we dive into what it looks like in the parks, let’s first take a look at Universal’s updated policies.

On May 6th, Universal removed their temperature screening areas and reduced social distancing guidelines to 3ft. Last week, they announced changes to their mask policies.

Under the updated guidelines, guests are no longer required to wear face masks when outdoors in Universal Orlando Resort, except in certain circumstances.

Face masks must be worn in all rides and queues (even if it’s an outdoor queue — essentially masks must be worn from the moment the queue starts until the exit of the ride), and when inside shops, restaurants,  and other indoor areas.

What Things Look Like

When we first arrived at Universal Orlando and had to go through security, we found that there was quite a bit of crowding in this area. It was difficult to maintain your distance from others while waiting to get through that area.

Once we got past security, however, things were much better.

We heard the overhead speakers announce Universal’s updated mask rules as we were walking over to CityWalk and the parks.

It was busy, but not impossible to stay away from others in this part.

As we walked around CityWalk, we noticed that around 3/4 of the guests outdoors were not wearing masks.

Check out our video below to see what our walk looked like!

Headed to Universal for the day! pic.twitter.com/CMFWQ7UBki

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) May 20, 2021

 

 

 

 

As we approached the entrance to the actual park, there was a bit more crowding.

Inside the park, many areas were not too bad in terms of crowds.

One thing that we did note is that Universal is requiring guests to wear masks as soon as you enter any part of a queue, including extended queue areas that are entirely outdoors.

This differs slightly from Disney World’s policies. In Disney World, from what we’ve seen, you can generally keep your mask off if you are in an overflow line. Once you reach the “real” line for the ride though, you must put your mask back on, even if that line is outdoors. Things can vary though.

In Universal, we saw that masks were being required at ALL parts of a ride’s queue, including extended/overflow queue areas.

Ultimately, it’s extremely important to look for these signs throughout Universal’s parks and listen carefully to the Universal employees’ instructions about where masks are and are not required.

When we got over to the Hogsmeade area in Islands of Adventure things were BUSY!

The line for Three Broomsticks stretched out VERY far and there were a lot of guests generally just in this area.

We’ll continue to update this post as we experience more of Universal’s updated health and safety policies. Stay tuned for all the latest news!

Are you planning to visit Universal Studios soon? Tell us in the comments.

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