Oh what fun it is! It’s Christmas time at Universal Orlando Resort!
Universal’s Christmas celebration spans across Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida with two major Christmas experiences in each one. The parks look especially nice with their Christmas decor. At Universal Studios Florida you can see huge, amazingly looking floats which are a teaser to the Macy’s parade with characters like Garfield, Scooby-Doo and more. At Islands of Adventure the main event is called Grinchmas at the whimsical, wonderful world of Seuss Landing. Universal’s Christmas experiences are included in the regular price of admission, so it’s a great time to visit both parks (and enjoy much more)!
Without further ado – these were our highlights:
Mannheim Steamroller Live In Concert / Universal Studios Florida*
Mannheim Steamroller is the #1 top-selling holiday artist of all time. They delivered a stellar, energetic performance that thrilled the audience with their amazing Christmas songs and unique renditions. The show is visually very appealing and contains many surprises which I won’t ruin for you.
Macy’s Holiday Parade / Universal Studios Florida
The grand parade of Universal Studios with authentic floats and balloons direct from Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. The floats are just huge and awe-inspiring and whole parade was a joy to watch. I also liked how the parade feels more intimate as it wasn’t extremely crowded that day and that meant more interaction with the visitors!
The Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast / Islands of Adventure
This was the highlight of the experience for me! For $36 for adult and $21 for child you’ll get a true VIP experience! The Grinch was just hilarious, surprising and absolutely amazing! He just looks and acts the part and you could not tell this one apart from the Grinch of the famous movie. He was so much fun and even stole my breakfast! It was pretty surprising to see that many cute characters from the Dr. Seuss stories and they added even more enjoyment to the experience. There was a short performance by a vocal group (that was, of course, panned by the Grinch). The breakfast itself was great and the desserts were delicious. One of the benefits of starting your day with this breakfast is that you get a head start at Islands of Adventure and you can enjoy its many attractions before things get crowded over there. This breakfast is highly recommended.
Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular
This show tells the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It’s an impressive show with all the beloved songs and solid performances by the actors and actresses. The star is of course the Grinch with his song: You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.
A visit to Universal Orlando Resort is not complete without enjoying some of their top attractions. The newest ones are Skull Island: Reign of Kong – an amazing voyage to Skull Island which puts you in the action with King Kong fighting T. Rexes and mind boggling scenes projected in 3D over huge screens. The finale is a surprising tribute to fans like me, who remember the original King Kong attraction as a child (which is much more impressive today than how it used to be). The second attraction is The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster which was reopened in its enhanced version recently. There are not a lot of roller coasters at Universal Orlando Resort and this is one of the best.
Christmas time at Universal Orlando Resort is one of the best times to visit. You get to enjoy unique experiences as well as spectacular attractions like Skull Islands and the two Harry Potter mini-theme parks. Oh what fun it is!
Holidays at Universal take place from Dec. 3 – Jan 1.
- The last Mannheim Steamroller concert was on 18/12.