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Universal Reverses Water Bottle Ban

Photo:Universal Orlando Resort
Photo:Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando has reversed a Monday decision to ban water bottles and liquids inside theme parks.

Park officials had been insisting that the ban, implemented during the park's Mardi Gras celebration, was only temporary.

But that didn’t stop angry guests from flooding social media with reports of overflowing trash cans and sticky park entrances where people dumped out their drinks.


Derek Burgan, a blogger for TouringPlans.com, says the ban was for safety during large events, like Mardi gras.

“This is something they do every single year around Halloween Horror Nights time," said Burgan. "While they didn’t say exactly what this test was exactly about, you have to assume it was about underage drinking. They don’t pay lip service to underage drinking – they are very aggressive about getting it out of the parks.”

Theme park officials say they introduced the ban earlier this week as part of a safety review. 

Universal’s Mardi gras festivities continue through April.

Brendan Byrne is Central Florida Public Media's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing the organization's internship program. Byrne also hosts Central Florida Public Media's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration, and the weekly news roundup podcast "The Wrap."