Seth Kubersky - Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando 2020

Supplement your valuable guidebook with tips, news, and deals by visiting our websites:

theunofficialguides.com

touringplans.com

Also, while there, sign up for The Unofficial Guide newsletter for even more travel tips and special offers.

Join the conversation on social media:

@theUGSeries

theUnofficialGuides

theUGSeries

theUGSeries

TheUnofficialGuideSeries

Other Unofficial Guides

The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disneys Dream

Universal vs. Disney: The Unofficial Guide to American Theme Parks Greatest Rivalry

The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland

The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas

The Unofficial Guide to Mall of America

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids

The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C.

Please note that prices fluctuate in the course of time and that travel information changes under the impact of many factors that influence the travel industry. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making your travel plans. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information throughout this book, and the contents of this publication are believed to be correct at the time of printing. Nevertheless, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, for changes in details given in this guide, or for the consequences of any reliance on the information provided by the same. Assessments of attractions and so forth are based upon the authors own experiences; therefore, descriptions given in this guide necessarily contain an element of subjective opinion, which may not reflect the publishers opinion or dictate a readers own experience on another occasion. Readers are invited to write the publisher with ideas, comments, and suggestions for future editions.

Published by:

AdventureKEEN

2204 First Avenue South, Suite 102

Birmingham. AL 35233

Copyright 2020 by Seth Kubersky. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923; 978-750-8400; fax 978-646-8600; or on the web at copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to AdventureKEEN, 2204 First Avenue South, Suite 102, Birmingham, AL 35233, 205-322-0439, fax 205-326-1012.

Unofficial Guide is a registered trademark of Keen Communications LLC in the United States and other countries and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Keen Communications is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Cover design by Scott McGrew

Text design by Vertigo Design with modifications by Annie Long

For information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact us from within the United States at 888-604-4537 or by fax at 205-326-1012.

AdventureKEEN also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats.

ISBN 978-1-62809-106-9 (pbk.); ISBN 978-1-62809-107-6 (ebook)

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Manufactured in the United States of America

5 4 3 2 1

Touring Plans

Seth Kubersky is the coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland and The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas and a contributor to The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. A resident of Orlando since 1996, Seth is a former employee of Universal Orlandos entertainment department. He covers arts and attractions for the Orlando Weekly newspaper, Attractions Magazine, AAAs Via Magazine, and other publications. You can find Seth online at sethkubersky.com or on Twitter @skubersky.

Bob Sehlinger is the author of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas and is also the publisher of The Unofficial Guide series.

Len Testa is the coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and has contributed to The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland and The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas. He is also the webmaster of touringplans.com, the sister website of The Unofficial Guides.

INTRODUCTION

WHY UNOFFICIAL?

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

THE AUTHORS AND RESEARCHERS of this guide specifically and categorically declare that they are and always have been totally independent. The material in this guide originated with the authors and has not been reviewed, edited, or in any way approved by Universal Orlando or any other companies whose travel products are discussed.

The purpose of this guide is to provide you with the information necessary to tour with the greatest efficiency and economy and with the least hassle and stress. In this guide we represent and serve you, the consumer. If a restaurant serves bad food, a gift item is overpriced, or a certain ride isnt worth the wait, we can say so, and in the process we hope to make your visit more fun, efficient, and economical.

DANCE TO THE MUSIC

A DANCE HAS A BEGINNING and an end. But when youre dancing, youre not concerned about getting to the end or where on the dance floor you might wind up. In other words, youre totally in the moment. Thats the way you should be on your Universal Orlando vacation.

You may feel a bit of pressure concerning your vacation. Vacations, after all, are very special eventsand expensive ones to boot. So you work hard to make your vacation the best that it can be. Planning and organizing are essential to a successful Universal Orlando vacation, but if they become your focus, you wont be able to hear the music and enjoy the dance.

So think of us as your dancing coaches. Well teach you the steps to the dance in advance, so that when youre on vacation and the music plays, youll dance with effortless grace and ease.

A BETTER MOUSETRAP?

DIE-HARD DISNEY DEVOTEES may want to cover their mouse ears because we are about to utter the ultimate blasphemy: it is possible to enjoy an awesome Orlando vacation without spending a single minute in Mickeys world. For much of the past half century, the notion of spending a holiday in Central Florida without seeing Walt Disneys sprawling wonderland seemed silly. While visitors might take a day or two out of their trip to explore independent attractions such as SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, or Kennedy Space Center, the Magic Kingdom and its sister parks were seen by most as the areas main draw.