Welcome to another beautiful day here at Universal Orlando. We’re here bright and early to take advantage of Early Park Admission, and enjoy a quiet stroll before the park officially opens.

The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and we’re ready for a busy day.

Our first stop of the day is to the Tribute Store. There wasn’t any new Halloween Horror Nights merchandise during our visit, but we spotted a coffin shaped display with generic Halloween light up souvenirs. If you need a new pair of light up horns, the Tribute Store has you covered.

Several merchandise locations have reopened around the park, including the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley.

Many of the unnecessary social distancing markers have been removed from Diagon Alley. The sticker residue left behind will hopefully fade away over time.

The San Francisco Candy Factory is having a “flash sale” on select candy items.

Putting an E.T. pressed penny design between two extinct attractions at Universal Studios Florida had better not be some kind of omen. If you’re looking for more pressed penny designs, we also suggest checking out the JAWS pressed penny machine in San Francisco.

Park hours have gotten shorter, and even though Universal Studios Florida may be open for Early Park Admission at 8 AM and for all guests at 9 AM, Islands of Adventure does not open until 10 AM. The entrance for the Hogwarts Express at King’s Cross Station is barricaded until Islands of Adventure opens at 10 AM.

Arriving at Islands of Adventure, we get to enjoy the calm, peaceful entrance to Hogsmeade. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure started testing out stand by queue only and has removed the Virtual Line option for now. This has actually made getting on the attraction easier and we were able to ride multiple times the other morning with almost no wait.

Construction is currently underway on new lockers for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Team Members were excited about the addition of new lockers, but we’re not sure when they will be completed. Let’s hope they get themed to blend into the surroundings better.

It’s nice to see some smiles, even if they’re from a distance.

We’ve noticed more food offerings popping up at small stands around the park, including the addition of corn dogs to Chomp Hot Dogs in Marvel Super Hero Island.

Who did this? We could be friends, because this was the highlight of my day.

Storm Force Accelatron is one of the attractions closing temporarily on August 9, so get your spins in now!

Thanks for joining us today around the parks. Be sure to keep following Universal Parks News Today for all the latest news and updates!