Universal Orlando will no longer allow smoking inside of its theme parks.
The resort has updated its smoking policy to remove all designated smoking areas from the parks.
Visitors who want to smoke will have to do it outside the park gates in the designated areas near the exits.
The policy also applies to e-cigarettes and vaporizes, which can only be used in designated smoking areas.
The move, Universal said in a memo sent to employees on Wednesday, was made to “enhance Guest and Team Member comfort.”
Universal CityWalk, which is the shopping and dining complex adjacent to the parks, will still have smoking areas, one spot near the Red Coconut Club and those near the park exits.
The designated smoking area at Universal’s Volcano Bay water park will remain inside the park for now. However, Universal plans to move it outside once the TapuTapu wearable device and virtual line are discontinued at the park. That change is expected to happen in October.
The new Epic Universe park, which has been operating in preview mode ahead of its official grand opening on May 22, also lost the designated smoking area it had near the Stardust Racers coaster. Smoking is only allowed outside the park near the restrooms by the exit.
Universal’s decision to make its theme parks smoke-free seemed inevitable. A few years ago, speculation that things were headed that way began swirling when Universal reduced the number of smoking areas to just one per park.
With this latest change, Universal is now aligned with it counterpart down the road. Disney World theme parks went smoke-free in May 2019. Disney also slowly reduced the smoking areas in its parks before eliminating them altogether.
