Though Walt Disney World has been keeping operating hours at its theme parks to a very conservative minimum with all theme parks currently scheduled to close at 7:00 PM or earlier from now through mid-November, Universal looks like they are heading in the opposite direction, extending hours for some weekends this fall after seeing massive crowds and reaching capacity over the previous Labor Day weekend.
At Universal Studios Florida, park hours are still 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM most weekdays, but have been extended two hours this weekend Sept. 12-13 with the park closing at 7:00 PM. The following Saturday, Sept. 19, the park has extended hours to 8:00 PM, with a 7:00 PM closure that Sunday as well.
The situation is almost identical at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, with 6:00 PM closures most weekdays, with the exception of select weekends. but have been extended two hours this weekend Sept. 12-13 with the park closing at 7:00 PM. The following Saturday, Sept. 19, the park has extended hours to 8:00 PM, with a 7:00 PM closure that Sunday as well, with the closing times now matching Universal Studios Florida on these dates.
Rumors are currently swirling about some special entertainment offerings coming to Universal Studios Florida as part of a slimmed down, daytime version of Halloween Horror Nights experience, and these extended hours (at least at Universal Studios Florida) could be evidence of that. However, Universal could also be capitalizing on higher local crowd levels on the weekends and extending hours to meet this additional demand.
Would you like to see a “daytime” Halloween Horror Nights experience at Universal Orlando Resort this year during the fall season, or would you rather just wait for the full experience next year?
