Around the Universe – Discounts and News for June 2023

Time to break out the white theme park garb, it’s the unofficial start to the summer season at Universal! Find out what new treats and experiences are coming this month PLUS a construction update at Epic Universe.

All right, lets go!

Jurassic Summer

No expenses were spared on this year’s Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary Tribute Store! This summer only at Universal Studios Florida you can walk through a brand-new store celebrating Jurassic Park’s anniversary, pick up unique merchandise, and try some fantastic treats!

 

This new tribute store guides guests through sets that depict the movie’s pre-production, filming, and reception. In addition to unique treats and cool merch are real film props, such as the hunted triceratops from the movie, and authentic vintage memorabilia. Jurassic Park’s 30th Anniversary Tribute Store will be open through July.

At Islands of Adventure is an all-new cocktail in a commemorative tiki mug! The Nublar Libre is a rum drink made with spiced rum, lime, grapefruit, vanilla bean, passion fruit puree, cinnamon syrup, and Colombian soda. The Nublar Libre is only found at The Water Hole, located near the Jurassic Park land entrance by Hogsmeade.

Minion Land

Minions have invaded Universal Studios Florida’s soundstages and invited all the characters from Despicable Me along! This new mini-land includes Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, the new Villain-Con: Minion Blast opening this summer, two gift shops, a snack stand, a counter-service restaurant, and a meet and greet.

The new Minion Cafe serves up fun Despicable Me themed food options like noodle bowls, grilled cheese, Minion tater tots, and fun desserts in a setting only a Minion could have created. Minion Cafe opens this summer.

Villain-Con: Minion Blast gives guests a chance to live out their nefarious dreams as they sew chaos to become the next member of the Vicious 6. This new attraction whisks guests on moving walkways as they use ray blasters to score points and move up the leaderboards. Guests can also track their scores or customize the blasters using the Universal Orlando app. Villain-Con: Minion Blast opens later this summer.

Buy 2 Day Ticket, Get Three Additional Days Free Deal

Universal has brought back one of their best ticket deals of the past few years – buy a two-day admission ticket and receive three additional days free. Get five days of Minions, Potter, Jurassic Park, Marvel, and more for the price of two days. Tickets are available now and are good through December 7, 2023, excluding the Thanksgiving week of November 18 through 25. Purchase online or through Touring Plans Travel.

Epic Update

This is a short update this month because next week I will be doing a full article previewing Epic Universe! I will cover the layout of the park, how to get to it, what attractions are coming, and more!

First up is the Grand Helios located at the back of the park, the park’s Premier hotel. Construction on the first floor is finishing up and parts of the second floor are having concrete poured. The parking garage in the back is for the new hotel, too. Between the hotel and the park are gardens with walking paths and viewing areas. Hotel guests even have their own entrance to the park.

Final painting and aging is applied to the massive statues in How To Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk. These two will sit in a massive lagoon flanked by a family rollercoaster.

Next door is Starfall Racers, a launched racing thrill roller coaster. This coaster features an inversion and dive maneuver so stunning the manufacturer patented it. We are expecting this to be one of the parks’ star E-Ticket attractions when it opens in 2025.

Across the hub near Super Nintendo World is the Constellation Carousel. This beautiful flat ride resides in a stained glass dome perched over the water. It is going to look stunning at night and offer a fun ride to boot.

Universal Epic Universe is set to open in the summer of 2023, just two short years away!

Discounts

• FL Residents – Buy A Day, Get Two Days Free from now through September 29 (online only)
• FL Residents – 40% off hotels based on availability
• All Guests – 30% off 3-Park, 5-Night Vacation Packages
• All Guests – Up to $695 Off Loews Portofino Bay Resort
• All Guests – Buy Two Day Ticket, Get Three Days Free starting at $235 per adult plus tax

For more deals, including discounts on vacation packages, visit the Universal Orlando website or book your Universal vacation with the TouringPlans Travel Agency.

Refurbishments

The following attractions are closed for refurbishment:

• The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle (Return TBA)
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – June 8, 2023

Contact the travel agents at TouringPlans Travel Agency who can book you a Universal Orlando, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Cruise Line vacation. All quotes are free, and if you decide to purchase through us, you will get a free year subscription to the TouringPlans Line app for Universal Orlando.