Universal Studios Orlando Removes Key Park Detail

By Allison Schonter

Big changes are occurring at Universal Studios Orlando. The popular theme park has removed an iconic piece of its history, and one of the first things guests are greeted to. The welcome sign the greets park goers at the entry point of Universal's CityWalk just after the security checkpoint and moving walkway has completely been removed, and there is no sign as to when or if it might return.

Changes on the sign, previously reading "Welcome to Universal Orlando Resort," were first noticed in late March. InsideTheMagic.com reported on March 25 that the sign had been "altered." While most of the sign remained intact at the time, the outlet reported that the "Orlando" portion had been replaced with a makeshift sign "to try and cover what might be possible damage." Now, several weeks later, the sing ceases to exist at all.

In a new report from InsideTheMagic.com on April, the outlet reported the "Welcome to Universal Orlando Resort" had been entirely removed. The Inside Universal Twitter account was first to share the news, the account posting a photo of the entryway, which looked awfully bare. At this time, Universal has not addressed the missing sing, and it remains unclear why the sign has vanished or if there are plans to bring it back sometime in the future. It is possible that this is just one of the park's latest refurbishment projects.

Over the past several months, the theme park has undertaken a number of projects to revamp some of its attractions, with everything from Jurassic Park River Adventure to Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls and even Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges briefly closing for refurbishment before later reopening. In March, the popular Poseidon's Fury attraction at Universal's Islands of Adventure reopened after closing in August 2020 and undergoing a refurbishment that included fresh coats of paint.

Meanwhile, some other attractions at Universal parks haven't been as lucky. Universal has "indefinitely" closed the Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure preshow, a popular pre-ride event. Universal did not provide a reason for the "indefinite" closure of the preshow or say if there are plans to bring it back in the future. The accompanying ride remains open.

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