Universal Orlando Podcast By Orlando Informer

Green Eggs and Ham Cafe reopens after a lengthy closure with a brand-new menu focused on... tater tots, which just may be the latest theme-park trend. And with New Year's Eve just around the corner, we discuss all of Universal Orlando's celebratory offerings, from the headlining Eve to the various dinners at the hotels.

This week, we answer your questions on:  Cabana Bay Beach Resort's shuttles, upcoming renovations at Portofino Bay Hotel, and what's the best land to stay in all day (if you had to!).

It's the most wonderful time of the year! We break down all of the various activities that Universal throws across its entire resort for the holidays, from parades and special shows to feasts and exclusive drinks.

This week, we answer your questions on:  when the best time to buy your annual pass is and what our favorite places at Universal Orlando are.

We have our very first details on next year's Halloween Horror Nights, including its dates and a tease on what to expect from its haunted houses.  Then we quickly touch upon Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites's newly announced opening date and the various food, drink, and dessert-party upcharge options for this year's Holidays celebration.

This week, we answer your questions on:  Bayou Boil at Mardi Gras 2020, the meaning behind some of our most commonly used acronyms, and Shutterbutton's at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Cue the music.  We break down all of the food, shops, and (most of) the Easter eggs located in Islands of Adventure's first land.

This week, we answer your questions on:  No-Shave November and a simple-enough-sounding question about Universal's most overrated and underrated rides that ends up in one member of the OI Podcast quitting and the other getting fired.

This weekend sees the end of the 29th annual Halloween Horror Nights, so what better time to revisit – and revise – our official review and standings?  (And what better time to get sidetracked down a rabbit hole of theme-park design, specifically revolving around the usage of franchises versus original creations in attractions?)

This week, we answer your questions on:  the fastest way to pick up your new annual pass (without infringing on your park-touring time), whether it's better to meet the Marvel superheroes in the streets or the Marvel Character Dinner, how fast you need to leave the theme parks to make it back to MCO, and just what, exactly, an E-ticket attraction is.

Epic Universe is coming in four short years.  Christmas is already showing up at Islands of Adventure.  Today Cafe gets a new Al Roker-inspired seasonal dish.  Tuk Tuk has arrived at Royal Pacific Resort.  And Universal announces a new annual-passholder perk (or two).

The 39-year-old franchise that is "Jason Bourne" will be arriving in stunt-show form at Universal Studios Florida next spring, replacing Terminator 2 3D: Battle across Time.  Universal Studios Beijing has been revealed, giving us seven fully-themed lands based on one popular franchise or another.  And registration for the very first Running Universal event has started!

This week, we answer your questions on:  secret areas where ride-shares can drop you off at, just who those pushy salespeople are all throughout CityWalk and the two theme parks, and the utility of pool-view hotel rooms.

This week, we answer your questions on:  tipping bartenders (or not), moving to Orlando, bees at Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, and our favorite OI Podcast hashtags.

An explosion of hotels.  The doubling(!) of real estate.  Entirely new theme (water) parks.  These are the biggest macro changes to Universal Orlando Resort since May 2015, when we started doing the Orlando Informer Podcast.

First, Taylor tells us all about fulfilling his nearly lifelong dream of being a scareactor at HHN (thanks to Boo Camp for the media) in the Vanity Ball scare zone.  Then we get just a quick rundown of what the brand-new Stranger Things interactive experience is over at the Cyber Image gift shop.

This week, we answer your questions on:  historical ticket discount data, getting from Universal to Disney cheaply (and quickly), fist-bumping Universal team members, vacations from Ireland (surprise!), and – at long last – the secret story behind Mike's Cabana Bay pool phobia.

Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle is here, along with a slew of Death Eaters who prowl the streets of Hogsmeade.  Running Universal will soon be here, bringing a whole new way to experience the resort.  And we have some small tidbits about what to expect for the various holiday events this year.

This week, we answer your questions on:  HHN Express, Unmasking the Horror Tours, the best things to outside of the rides, a possible maximum height restriction on Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, and how to make the HHN houses less scary.

Taylor sat down to interview Patrick Braillard, Creative Development Show Director, about some of the houses at this year's Halloween Horror Nights.