Disney had planned to ban smoking inside its theme parks as early as 2019, but the measure was never implemented. Currently, the ban will officially take effect, with smoking allowed in designated areas outside the park gates, resort hotels, and Disney Springs. However, smoking in the park will be completely prohibited, including e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.
When Disney implemented this measure, Universal Orlando did not follow suit and remains one of the few theme parks in Orlando that allows smoking. While smoking is confined to designated areas, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay each have several areas where smokers can stop throughout the park. While they are mostly off the beaten path, many non-smokers still end up passing through smoking areas (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when the largest and most easily accessible rest areas also double as smoking areas).
However, it appears that Universal Orlando Resort is now moving towards a complete ban on smoking in its parks. Earlier this year, each park's entrance saw a reduction of one designated smoking area. Please note that CityWalk still has three designated areas. The reduction could mean a complete ban in the near future. As more people become aware of the harm that smoking and e-cigarettes pose to health, smoking in public places is becoming increasingly unacceptable.
In fact, The Street speculates that when Universal Studios' newest theme park, Epic Universe, opens in 2025, it will have no designated smoking areas.
Do you want to know where you can still smoke (or if you're a non-smoker, where you should avoid smoking)?
The region of Universal Studios Florida is located in the Gramesy Park, while the area of Universal's Islands of Adventure is situated beneath the entrance port. The Volcano Bay area of Universal Studios is positioned in the east of the Surfside region, near the exit of each theme park of CityWalk. The platform of the descending lake in front of the Hard Rock Cafe® Orlando on the left side of the Red Coconut Club. This is located outside Universal Cinemark and Hollywood Drive-In Golf.
Many smokers are unhappy with Disney's policy change in 2019, and many are also disagreeing with Universal Studios' decision. The common argument is that it is not feasible to go the whole day without smoking when guests have already paid for their park admission and that walking outside to smoke is a waste of precious time. This is an understandable viewpoint, even though the ban may be beneficial for most guests.
If you fall into this category, here's a tip for quitting smoking: nicotine patches. It's not the tobacco itself that makes you run to the park exit every few hours, it's the nicotine. When I was a smoker, this was my airport navigation (which is now smoke-free). The patch lasts for 24 hours and is waterproof. Put one on the morning before your day at the theme park and you'll find that you have significantly fewer thoughts about smoking during the day, without experiencing the dreaded "nic-fit" associated with quitting. Who knows, this could even be the first step towards quitting smoking for good!
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