As the turkey thaws, Joe is making a last-minute dessert for his family and Derek is setting out the collectible cups around the fancy table. But here on TouringPlans we cooked up a special Turkey’s appetizer full of the things our Universal contributors, Derek and Joe, loved from this year. So chug that triple espresso and do a line of pumpkin spice, let’s go.

# 6 – My 1st Rock the Universe Weekend – Derek

Pretty much every hard ticket event at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando is covered exhaustively. Countless blogs and YouTube videos giving vacation planners all the information you could possibly want to know. However one event that doesn’t get that much publicity is Universal’s Rock the Universe weekend, which has been taking place at Universal Studios Florida for over 25 years!

I’m as much to blame as anyone as I’ve covered every nook and cranny at Universal in the decade I’ve been with TouringPlans, but I’ve never covered Rock the Universe. That changed this year, as I went to both nights back in January.

For those who don’t know, Rock the Universe is a Christian music festival that features various acts at three different areas in USF. In New York there was a small stage for newcomers, a larger set up outside Central Park for established up and coming talent, and the Music Plaza Stage at the front of the park for the headliners.

I had only heard of a couple of the headliners, so for the most part every performance over the weekend was “new to me” and it was pretty cool to experience.

You can read my full review of the event by CLICKING HERE. It was a complete blast and I have to say that I have never, ever been around a more polite group of theme park guests. Heard more versions of “pardon me,” “excuse me,” and “I’m sorry” in two days than I’ve heard in my entire lifetime combined going to WDW and Universal Orlando. Usually when people bump into you or cut you off they just continue on as if nothing happened, so that was definitely refreshing.

As a theme park fan, I also liked the fact that – for the most part – the wait times for rides were relatively low for the entire weekend. This allowed me to do stuff I wouldn’t be able to do easily during an average park day, such as being able to see all the queue videos at The Simpsons Ride.

Also, major props to Rock the Universe for a completely bonkers piece of event merchandise. What a Voltron-like giant robot playing a guitar has ANYTHING to do with a Christian music festival is beyond my realm of understanding, but you know I had to buy it!

# 5 – Mardi Gras’ Speakeasy Bar – Joe

Mardi Gras is easily Universal’s best food and drink event with dozens of food booths featuring countries from around the world and the classic Mardi Gras favorites we love. Where else in Orlando can you grab a bite from the Virgin Islands, a Bloody Mary, and catch some beads during a parade? But Mardi Gras has always remained, mostly, inside Universal Studios Florida. But this year something strange happened…

Around Pat O’Brien’s, the classic New Orleans restaurant that set up shop in CityWalk Orlando, was a small sign advertising the 600 Block. With a password provided to the door man, given to you by a kind server or a willing friend, one is granted access to this super special speakeasy…

The 600 Block is an upscale, quiet reinterpretation of Pat O’Brien’s with its own special food and drink menu.

Millionaire Bacon (eat your heart out Elon)? Charcuterie in a Cone? Classic prohibition cocktails like the Bees Knees and Sazerac? This must be a dream!

I never got to experience the 600 Block; I didn’t get to Mardi Gras this year, hence my lack of saying something about the quality and execution of the bar. But what I do want to say is that it’s super cool that a bar which was reportedly a Team Member idea was given the funding and support by management to become a reality. We’ve consistently seen some of the best ideas come from Team Members who were enameled by management to create something new, like the Tribute Stores. Compare this to Walt Disney World, which feels like any Cast Member suggestion needs to go through layers of approval just to be considered; Disney has a level of franchise governance where any changes feel like turning a massive ship. I hope this cool speakeasy bar returns for 2026 and I desperately wish Universal Orlando management continues to listen to their awesome Team Members and gives them the power to make the guest experience the best it can be, even if it is a small addition.

# 4 – Halloween Horror Nights’ Art the Clown – Joe

Halloween Horror Nights is a beast of an event. Doing some back-of-the-Thanksgiving-napkin math here, the event draws over 1.2 million guests a year. That’s a lot of guests in the scare zones and haunted houses. This year’s queue waits showed how long guests were willing to wait for their favorite slasher film, with lines for Five Nights at Freddy’s and Terrifier over two hours long. With the event reaching a breaking point with the amount of haunted houses they can reasonably operate it becomes imperative to find other ways to entertain guests at the event. Rides and shows, especially the walk-up lagoon show, are a lifesaver, but we need more. Universal listened and started to quietly expand HHN this year. First we got two new street experiences, not quite a scare zone but not quite the roaming chainsaw hoards. One street experience was zombie bellhops at Mel’s Drive-In, while the other was a sinister and seductive dance party at Club Horror in San Francisco.

Enter: Art the Clown. The main villain from the Terrifier series, this terrifyingly comedic clown is more than a monochrome Pennywise as he loves to play pranks and mess around with his victims. What better way to entertain guests standing in line for outrageous snacks than a roaming Art the Clown? The entertainment team at HHN went above and beyond with Art, expanding the pop-up nature of the M3gans and Jack the Clown to the next level interactions with Art anywhere in the park. Such as roaming around on his tricycle in New York…

Finnegan’s Bar and Grill…

The Universal Studios Store…

And much, much more…

Art the Clown at HHN34 was the viral hit on social media from the event, and I’m thankful for the whole team that created this opportunity.

# 3 – Volcano Bay Nights – Joe

Sometimes, insane brilliance comes together with the need to create something so weird that Derek and I were texting into the night about it. It is time to talk about Volcano Bay Nights in September. Created in spring 2025, then slightly tweaked for a fall return, Volcano Bay Nights offers free snacks with a low-wait, nighttime experience at Volcano Bay. This is legitimately a great time to get some rides on Krakatau Water Coaster and on the lazy river when the weather is a little more pleasant. Oh, and the Mystery Team is there.

First things first, snacks! Universal offered churro bites and flavored popcorn for free in addition to food for purchase. The Island Churro Bites were offered with several dipping sauces, and the popcorn came in a golden pineapple and coconut flavor. Fancy.

I love these popcorn buckets, I dunno why but the whimsy of the red lines extending beyond the bucket always tickles my brain in the best way.

A party Jeep adorned with Volcano Bay branding, lights, and speakers directs guests to line dance and have a blast at Volcano Bay. Pun intended.

But the wildest offering? How about Scoob, the gang, and the Mystery Machine?

This is where a regular event goes from an 8 to an 11. See, Mystery Inc. is here to solve the mystery of a terrorizing clown. Yes, we have TWO terrorizing clowns this year at Universal. Almost like it’s  universally recognized, go figure.

Of COURSE it isn’t as simple as a nice day at Volcano Bay for our team…

Gah! Well, the clown from Bedlam in the Big Top episode of Scooby-Doo is now in Volcano Bay, running around causing problems. Which problems? Maybe some of the same ones that’ll be fixed next winter when the park goes down for a lengthy refurbishment.

But man, does Volcano Bay look beautiful at night. When the park was originally in the construction phase, there was speculation and hope that there would be some sort of nighttime event or show as part of the volcano. It never happened, but hopefully Universal reconsiders when they take the park down for refurbishment.

God, what a beautiful park at night. I hope Universal really embraces the nighttime brilliance of the water park once it returns from refurbishment. Add a nighttime show using projections and fountains to the Volcano!

Of course even the Mystery Team soon joins us on the beach to dance and finally apprehend our suspect who suspiciously looks like Horror Make Up and Halloween Horror Nights actor Josh Siniscalco (we love Pennyman).

Scooby Doo gang taking in a bad guy from season one in Volcano Bay is coo-coo bonkers pants wild concept. AND WE LOVE IT. Universal has so many rights to so many properties that allow for the craziest and silliest interactions imaginable. So why not lean into it more? The original Horror Nights sent The Munsters roaming the park, so why not now? We hope Universal makes more silly, creative swings in the future like they have for Volcano Bay Nights.

# 2 – Three New Hotels – Derek

Looking back, I was truly blessed growing up with my mother and grandmother taking me on Disney and Universal vacations from the time I was very young. However, the one thing we never did during our annual trips to Florida was stay on-site. We always stayed offsite at some cheap motel off I-drive or somewhere near Disney. When we would go to the parks I would dream about staying in places like The Contemporary. When I got older and was able to book my own vacations, I immediately started booking stays at on-site hotels and we have created some unbelievable memories at places such as Cabana Bay (with a Volcano View Room!), Hard Rock Hotel (Club Level!), and Sapphire Falls. Even my dog Bacini likes staying on-site, especially at the Hard Rock thanks to their “Unleashed” program for pets. Over the years we have stayed at pretty much every single hotel at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando and have loved them all (well, except Disney’s All-Star Resorts but that’s a story for another time.)

This year Universal Orlando opened not 1…not 2…but 3 new hotels. Two of the hotels fall into the value category with Stella Nova and Terra Luna. These two hotels sit directly across from each other and are near Epic Universe.

Both Stella Nova and Terra Luna are easily identifiable thanks to their distinctive, shimmering colorful tile outside.

The overarching theme of Stella Nova is “space” where Terra Luna’s is “the moon.”

Love the futuristic look of the chairs outside Stella Nova’s quick service restaurant, Cosmos.

Longtime readers of the SATURDAY SIX know how much I love refillable mugs that are exclusive to a resort, and I really appreciate how Stella Nova’s mug is based on it’s colorful tile.

It’s the “little things” that mean a lot to me on theme park vacations, and Stella Nova having a “Stella Cookie” is something that speaks to me.

The other food options at Stella Nova aren’t too shabby either.

Another “little thing” I appreciate? Themed restroom signage.

One of my favorite souvenirs whenever I stay onsite at Universal are the room key cards, and the opening of Stella Nova brought with it new designs. These included references to places inside Epic Universe!

For all intents and purposes, Terra Luna is the exact same hotel as Stella Nova with some minor differences.

It will never cease to amaze me how large the gyms are in Universal’s “value resorts” because the only workout you are going to get at any of Disney’s value resorts is the cardio from walking from your room to the Coke Freestyle machine located two miles away in the food court.

Terra Luna’s Coke Freestyle mug also features it’s distinctive tile.

Bonus points for themed swizzle sticks!

Okay, the colorful tile is pretty cool during the day, but at night Universal has a “falling star” effect across the buildings? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!

Now when it comes to staying on-site, I love hotels that allow me to just walk over to a theme park. No car needed, no bus, not even a Skyliner (as fun as they may be.) In fact, we did a whole article looking at the Disney and Universal hotels that are closest to the theme parks.

In 2025, the game was changed in Florida as not only was Universal’s Grand Helios Hotel close to a theme park, it had a dedicated entrance into the park itself!

You can’t get closer than that!

Talk about a million dollar view from the Grand Helios lobby!

Unlike Stella Nova and Terra Luna, Grand Helios also offers a variety of suites, including two gigantic Presidential suites. These unbelievable rooms even include your own private workout area with a look straight out to Epic Universe!

“So much room for activities!” – Stepbrothers

Grand Helios also offers a whole bunch of standard guest rooms as well.

Love the design of the bathroom mirror.

Need anything sent to the room? No more calls to the front desk (or calls to a call center in another country if you’re staying somewhere, uh, magical) as anything you want can be accessed directly through a tablet in the room.

The pool at Grand Helios is one of the most serene places you can be at while on vacation.

Along with the great pool is an even better pool bar. Who could ask for more?

We’ll be doing more articles on Grand Helios Hotel in the coming year, as personally I’m looking forward to staying in one of the How To Train Your Dragon suites. But until then, let’s look at the single greatest thing Universal fans need to be thankful for this year…

# 1 – Epic Universe – Derek

I had just about given up hope that a new theme park would be built in Florida during my life time, but lo and behold the gates to greatness were opened up to reveal Universal’s latest theme park…

…EPIC UNIVERSE. The Chronos Portal icon at the front of the park immediately became one of my favorites from any theme park.

Walking through the Chronos Portal leads us to Celestial Park, the central hub of Epic Universe and home to some truly fantastic restaurants including Pizza Moon, Oak & Star Tavern, Blue Dragon, and Atlantic.

Celestial Park is also the home to several attractions, including the Constellation Carousel and the dueling coaster Stardust Racers (which immediately became my family’s favorite roller coaster from Ride One.)

Each world of Epic Universe is accessed through it’s own portal, allowing every guest to have an unbelievable reveal in each area. My personal favorite is walking out to discover the sheer awesomeness of the Isle of Berk.

Each world of Epic Universe is filled with fantastic attractions, such as Donkey Kong Mine Madness in Super Nintendo World.

When it comes to walk around characters in a theme park, we keep being told “they can’t do that in Florida,” but Epic Universe is loaded with them including Aurors in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic.

For YEARS theme park fans like myself have wanted a land dedicated to “the baddies,” and we finally got it with Dark Universe, home to the Universal Classic Monsters.

Epic Universe looks amazing during the day. Just AMAZING. But believe it or not it looks even better at night! With the addition of Christmas decorations, the entire park aesthetic went from a “10” right up to an “11.” We did a whole bunch of articles on Epic in 2025 (including our favorite Easter Eggs, Snacks, and Merchandise) and here’s to even more articles dedicated to this incredible park in the coming year.

HONORABLE MENTION- OI Meetups

If you’ve gone to Universal a lot over the past decade or so, there’s a good chance you came during a time when either Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios Florida (or both) closed early due to a park buy out. For the most part, these park buy outs are by companies offering private events/parties for their employees. I had always wanted to go to one of these park buy outs to see what it was like, and this year I got a chance with the OI Meetup.

Several times throughout the year the company Orlando Informer buys out both parks on Friday and Saturday nights. Guests of all ages can purchase tickets for either night, or go for a package deal and get tickets for both nights. This past February I went for the first time and had my mind completely blown. My experience was better than anything I’ve ever done in a theme park, and I’ve been very blessed to do just about everything you can do, including VIP tours. Blogger-in-the-sky @bioreconstruct went to an OI Meetup earlier this month and let’s check out some photos from his experience.

First of all, check this out…the OI Meetups offer PAPER PARK MAPS! That alone is straight up E-Ticket.

An OI Meetup ticket gives you access to both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. While the OI Meetups don’t officially start until the parks close and have been cleared of day guests, your OI Meetup ticket gets you into each park at 5PM to start enjoying attractions.

25+ attractions are included during the OI Meetup, which is pretty much everything except the water rides. I was consistently shocked seeing no waits for rides that always have waits.

Can you imagine seeing signs like this. Forget The Grinch, MY heart grew three sizes that day seeing stuff like this.

Not only did my heart grow, but my stomach did a bit of stretching too because the OI Meetup offers an UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF FOOD during the event that includes over 75 items. Want a slice at Louie’s? Grab as many as you want.

We’re talking full size portions. Check out this plate from Thunder Falls Terrace in Jurassic Park.

For the most part, all of your favorite quick service locations at both parks are offering limited menus. Here’s the menu from Krusty Burger during an OI Meetup. Anyone familiar with Fast Food Boulevard knows that menu isn’t all that different from the one offered to day guests. The biggest difference is every item here is included with your OI Meetup ticket!

The OI Meetup gave me and Bio a chance to sample items we otherwise would probably never order during the day. I love Fast Food Blvd more than anyone, but my go-to’s are always Cletus Chicken Shack and Krusty Burger. I know what I like there, so I always go back  to them. Since it’s included with my ticket, the OI Meetup is the perfect way to try something from The Frying Dutchman.

Lemon Slush in Port of Entry? Normally I’d think twice during the day, but during an OI Meetup? Don’t mind if I do!

Tongue Tying Lemon Squashes in the Wizarding World are my all time favorite Harry Potter related drink and you can drink as many as you want (along with as many regular Butterbeer, frozen Butterbeer, and hot Butterbeer!)

While you can’t win the prizes, the skill games (and arcades) were all set to FREE PLAY during the OI Meetup. Whenever we are in the parks during a regular day the kiddos beg and plead with me to play these games. At $10 a game? In this economy?! On a regular day I have to play the bad cop, but during an OI Meetup I get to play good cop and let them play as many games as they want.

I’d also recommend the OI Meetups for an aspiring theme park photographers because this is your chance to get so many areas of the parks with absolutely no guests to step in front of your shots. For more information on a Meetup, CLICK HERE.

2025 was an unbelievable year with so much to be thankful for and here’s looking ahead to 2026! – Derek and Joe