PHOTO REPORT: Universal Orlando Resort 2/14/23 (New Wizarding World Button-Up Shirt, Ube Ice Cream Masquerade Shake, Villain-Con Update, and More)

Annie Wilson

PHOTO REPORT: Universal Orlando Resort 2/14/23 (New Wizarding World Button-Up Shirt, Ube Ice Cream Masquerade Shake, Villain-Con Update, and More)

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Universal Orlando Resort. It’s a beautiful day and we’re ready to check out what’s new around the parks today and make a few stops for some Mardi Gras snacks. Let’s get going and see what’s happening today.

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Before hitting the parks, we stopped into the Universal Studios Store in CityWalk and found a new button-up shirt. This shirt features a Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes print. Take a closer look at the new shirt here.

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Fans of the ube ice cream from the Japan Mardi Gras booth will want to check out this new Masquerade shake from the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen. This new shake will be available through April 16 and can be ordered in the restaurant or from the walk-up counter. Read our full review of this new shake here.

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Grab napkins and eat the pop tart before it falls into your hair. Learn from my mistakes.

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Universal Orlando Photo Report 2 14 2023 45

There’s scaffolding and barricades set up around the front of the Hard Rock Cafe. It looks like they might be doing a few repairs, but the restaurant is still open.

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We made a quick stop into Islands of Adventure to try the Mardi Gras Banana Upside Down Cake from Croissant Moon Bakery. Stay tuned for our full review.

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The strawberry and cheese pop tarts at Croissant Moon Bakery were decorated with icing hearts for Valentine’s Day. This was a cute little touch.

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Let’s check out what’s going on at Universal Studios Florida next. There’s a lot more happening here now that it’s Mardi Gras!

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More construction walls at the front of Universal Studios Florida. This time, the walls go around the Silver Screen snack cart in front of the Betty Boop store. A temporary cart was set up in front of the walls and the store is still open, but it’s just surprising to see more walls around here. It feels like there’s construction happening everywhere in this park.

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The border is getting painted along the side of the Villain-Con building. We noticed most of the building was painted on our last visit, aside from the edges. There’s painter’s tape starting to peel away along the bottom now.

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You can see the difference better when the light hits it just right. It looks like the building is going to maintain the same color scheme as before, just refreshed.

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Universal Orlando Photo Report 2 14 2023 9

Along the side of the building facing the Minion Cafe, it looks like the wall is being primed for fresh paint over here, too. Too bad they got rid of the Murder She Wrote billboard.

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Universal Orlando Photo Report 2 14 2023 12

New York could use a little love, too. These “buildings” are looking a little shabby over here.

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Boots and Diego were hanging out in front of the new Tribute Store location. Somebody is rocking those new MSCHF big red boots!

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In the evening, before the Mardi Gras parade, there’s tons of entertainment roaming around. This year’s theme is Mythical Realms of Mardi Gras, so you’ll see dragons, unicorns, and much more. This is a great opportunity to get photos with some of the performers. They do a great job of hyping people up for Mardi Gras!

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A few of the characters are dressed up for Mardi Gras, including Shrek, Fiona, and King Julien. You can find all of the DreamWorks characters meeting in the Hollywood section of the park, as well as along the path near Central Park.

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That’s all for this visit to the Universal Orlando Resort. Thanks for joining us around the parks today. We’ll be back again soon, so stay tuned for more updates!