The big money grabbing company UNIVERSAL STUDIO'S ORLANDO... ripped me off
We bought 3 3-day tickets for 3 people just before COVID hit... they closed down and we could not go.. finally 2 years later we wanted to go and use the tickets... they now had expired, so did the credit card they were purchased with... LOL on me..They told me the tickets were no good and could not be extended and offered me a refund to the card and bank they were bought with and their was nothing they could do otherwise... basically a big go screw yourself we already got our money
We have no recourse against their actions and cannot afford to replace the tickets, our loss $750.00 Universal Orlando's loss my love for them
After the Mardi Gras parade at Universal Studios in Orlando ended these huge crowds exiting the park were routed into even larger crowds of concert goers which resulted in a mass chaos of colliding crowds.
From that point on inexperienced security tried to reroute people into areas with no exit, which caused more confusion.
The crowd pushed and shoved and several children were torn from their parents and even adult parties were seperated.
At this point many people started to seek the reunion with others they were with in the crowds and this is when the real madness occurred. Instead of stopping teenagers from jumping barriers, or climbing statues and jumping off to get further into the crowded area - security started to argue with panicked parents who lost their children - insisting they 'move back or be arrested' when they asked for help - the problem was - there was no place to move.
This caused more pushing and shoving and adults and children were affected - some falling and one even needing an ambulance. All the time nothing was being done to stop those young people forcing their way into the concert area through the exiting crowd - over fences, over barriers, even pushing past security guards who were arguing with parents.
The only thing being done was the removal of parents from their children and others who were seeking help to find lost parties.
Then these parents were expected to go to the other side of the park and to stand in line to report their missing children - which they did. Reports were made. My son was among the missing. He said he asked security on the other side of the park for help and not one person apparently bothered to follow through with that information.
In fact - for the two and half hours I waited at customer service I saw only one of over 30 children returned. The rest of us finally left in attempts to find our own children. We passed our cell phone numbers to each other and we tried to help each other out - which was a lot more than any of the staff offered.
It was four and half hours later before our entire party was reunited. It was a harrowing night of fright and chaos.
When I complained the next day they offered me free express line tickets. They still didn't get it. I wasn't coming back. I just want to warn others that what should be a good experience for your family can quickly turn into a terrifying one at Universal Studios Orlando. Crowd control is unsafe. If it could not be controlled for a concert the park prepared for I can not even imagine what it would be like in an unplanned emergency.
I know it has not always been this way. I also know that Universal recently changed ownership and wonder if ths has something to do with its new found method of crowd control.
I know of only a little over 30 families affected that night - of the thousands of families there - that experienced this terrible incident first hand. And of only one major injury when the ambulance was called.
With those numbers being less than 1% of the park population that night it does not suprise me our ordeal was swept under the rug by company concern.
But for other families going to this park I ask you:
Are you willing to take a chance to put your children in a dangerous situation when it comes to crowd control?
Are you willing to take a chance to be forced to leave the area that your party was divided at - even if young children were invovled - and be forced to wait it out on the other side of the large park until the park closed - which could be for for hours on end?
If you are willing to take this chance - then go for it - the rides at Universal may make your children happy even after hours of waiting in line to get on them.
If you are not - however - there are plenty of other theme parks and tourist attractions in the Orlando area that can offer your family SAFE crowd control options, fun rides, small lines, and can do it more at a cost far less than you would ever pay at Universal Studios Orlando.
Universal Orlando Reviews
The big money grabbing company UNIVERSAL STUDIO'S ORLANDO... ripped me off
We bought 3 3-day tickets for 3 people just before COVID hit... they closed down and we could not go.. finally 2 years later we wanted to go and use the tickets... they now had expired, so did the credit card they were purchased with... LOL on me..They told me the tickets were no good and could not be extended and offered me a refund to the card and bank they were bought with and their was nothing they could do otherwise... basically a big go screw yourself we already got our money
We have no recourse against their actions and cannot afford to replace the tickets, our loss $750.00 Universal Orlando's loss my love for them
After the Mardi Gras parade at Universal Studios in Orlando ended these huge crowds exiting the park were routed into even larger crowds of concert goers which resulted in a mass chaos of colliding crowds.
From that point on inexperienced security tried to reroute people into areas with no exit, which caused more confusion.
The crowd pushed and shoved and several children were torn from their parents and even adult parties were seperated.
At this point many people started to seek the reunion with others they were with in the crowds and this is when the real madness occurred. Instead of stopping teenagers from jumping barriers, or climbing statues and jumping off to get further into the crowded area - security started to argue with panicked parents who lost their children - insisting they 'move back or be arrested' when they asked for help - the problem was - there was no place to move.
This caused more pushing and shoving and adults and children were affected - some falling and one even needing an ambulance. All the time nothing was being done to stop those young people forcing their way into the concert area through the exiting crowd - over fences, over barriers, even pushing past security guards who were arguing with parents.
The only thing being done was the removal of parents from their children and others who were seeking help to find lost parties.
Then these parents were expected to go to the other side of the park and to stand in line to report their missing children - which they did. Reports were made. My son was among the missing. He said he asked security on the other side of the park for help and not one person apparently bothered to follow through with that information.
In fact - for the two and half hours I waited at customer service I saw only one of over 30 children returned. The rest of us finally left in attempts to find our own children. We passed our cell phone numbers to each other and we tried to help each other out - which was a lot more than any of the staff offered.
It was four and half hours later before our entire party was reunited. It was a harrowing night of fright and chaos.
When I complained the next day they offered me free express line tickets. They still didn't get it. I wasn't coming back. I just want to warn others that what should be a good experience for your family can quickly turn into a terrifying one at Universal Studios Orlando. Crowd control is unsafe. If it could not be controlled for a concert the park prepared for I can not even imagine what it would be like in an unplanned emergency.
I know it has not always been this way. I also know that Universal recently changed ownership and wonder if ths has something to do with its new found method of crowd control.
I know of only a little over 30 families affected that night - of the thousands of families there - that experienced this terrible incident first hand. And of only one major injury when the ambulance was called.
With those numbers being less than 1% of the park population that night it does not suprise me our ordeal was swept under the rug by company concern.
But for other families going to this park I ask you:
Are you willing to take a chance to put your children in a dangerous situation when it comes to crowd control?
Are you willing to take a chance to be forced to leave the area that your party was divided at - even if young children were invovled - and be forced to wait it out on the other side of the large park until the park closed - which could be for for hours on end?
If you are willing to take this chance - then go for it - the rides at Universal may make your children happy even after hours of waiting in line to get on them.
If you are not - however - there are plenty of other theme parks and tourist attractions in the Orlando area that can offer your family SAFE crowd control options, fun rides, small lines, and can do it more at a cost far less than you would ever pay at Universal Studios Orlando.