Spring Break and St. Patrick's Day week will soon be upon us and as always with them come huge crowds to Universal Orlando Resort. With the parks already packed, Universal is expecting the parks to be even more crowded in the coming week.

As a result of this, Universal Orlando Resort has extended their park hours to try to accomodate the crowds. From March 13 - 20, Universal Studios Florida will be open from 8:00AM to 10:00PM. Universal's Islands of Adventure opening are a little more complicated.

Based on the current schedule on the Universal Orlando Resort calendar, Universal's Islands of Adventure will open from 8:00AM to 10:00PM on March 12 - 14, 16, 18 - 20. On March 15 it is open from 8:00AM to 9:00PM and on March 17 it will open at 8:00AM and will close at 6:00PM. From March 21 - 25 the park will open from 9:00AM to 10:00PM and will then shut at 8:00PM on March 26 before returning to 9:00AM - 9:00PM opening hours from March 27 onwards.

Universal is currently in the middle of its annual Mardi Gras celebration which kicked off on Saturday February 5 and will run through April 24, 2022. It will be filled with a whole host of street performers, parades, beads and an abundance of food options as well as concerts.

Unlike Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort doesn't have a Park Reservation system so we are hoping the parks won't be too overcrowded. At least the extended opening hours will give guests more opportunity to enjoy the parks during the upcoming holiday.

To keep up to date with the latest opening hours for Universal Orlando Resort, check out the official calendar here. Let us know what you think about this years Mardi Gras celebration by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.