Universal Studios Florida sits on International Drive in Orlando, just a few miles from Walt Disney World, and for many families visiting Central Florida it is part of the same vacation equation. A day at Universal before the Disney parks, or a day after, is a common itinerary choice for guests who want to cover as much of what Orlando has to offer as possible. The parks compete for the same visitors, the same hotel stays, and increasingly the same planning attention as guests research what they want to do before they arrive in the city.Credit: NBC UniversalOn Saturday, July 18, something went wrong at Universal Studios Florida that is worth knowing about before any upcoming visit to the park, because the way it unfolded offers a real picture of how a major theme park handles an unexpected emergency when guests are stranded mid-attraction.Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, the motion simulator ride based on NBC’s The Tonight Show, came to an unplanned stop when a power outage hit the resort. Seventy guests were on board at the time. They were in an upright position in an air-conditioned theater when the outage occurred, according to a statement the Orlando Fire Department provided to WESH 2 News. No injuries were reported and no medical complaints were filed.But the 70 people on board did not exit on their own. Orlando firefighters responded to the scene with harnesses, safety ropes, and ladders to bring guests down from the attraction.What Happened Inside the RideCredit: UniversalRider Shayden Leite was on board Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon when the ride stopped. She described what it felt like for the guests inside in an account shared with WESH 2 News.“It didn’t feel like things were being communicated in a well manner, it was just the same thing over and over again, like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna get it fixed ASAP,'” she said. “Eventually it was, ‘Oh, the ride may continue at any moment,’ and then it turned into, ‘OK, we’re just gonna get you guys out of there.'”That progression, from reassurance to wait signal to evacuation announcement, describes the experience of a situation that evolved faster than the on-board messaging could keep up with. The ride stopped abruptly enough that guests noticed. “It jerked suddenly,” Leite said, which was the first indication that this was not a routine pause.A TikTok video posted by @stephbuffamonte captured the evacuation itself, showing Orlando firefighters working with harnesses, safety ropes, and ladders to help the stranded riders exit the attraction. Universal confirmed to outlets covering the incident that the attraction was stopped due to a power outage at the resort. @stephbuffamonte Orlando firefighters used harnesses, safety ropes, and ladders to help stranded riders get off the Jimmy Fallon ride at Universal Studios on Saturday. Universal said the attraction was stopped due to a power outage at the resort. #orlando #florida #universalstudios ♬ original sound – Stephanie Buffamonte One guest who was on the ride commented on the TikTok video with an account of what followed the evacuation: “I was in the ride they gave me 250$ gift card and free express it was like 2 hours we was stuck up there.” Two hours on a stopped ride, followed by a harness-assisted exit, followed by compensation from Universal. That is the full arc of what Saturday looked like for at least some of the 70 guests involved.About Race Through New York Starring Jimmy FallonRace Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon opened at Universal Studios Florida in 2017, replacing the long-running Twister attraction. It is a simulator-style experience housed in a dedicated theater building themed around 30 Rockefeller Center, the home of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC.Guests enter through a recreation of the building’s lobby, move through interactive pre-show areas featuring memorabilia and elements from the show, and board a simulated vehicle for the ride itself. The experience involves a fast-paced race through various locations including the streets of New York and outer space. It is designed for a broad age range and is generally considered a lower-intensity experience compared to some of Universal’s other major attractions.The theater format of the attraction is relevant to understanding what Saturday’s evacuation involved. The ride vehicles are enclosed, elevated platforms inside a large indoor theater space. When a power outage stops the attraction, guests are not sitting in an open-air coaster they can step off at ground level. They are inside a building, in positions that require firefighter equipment to safely exit when the normal egress systems are not functioning. That is why harnesses and ladders were part of the response.What Universal and Emergency Responders DidCredit: UniversalThe Orlando Fire Department confirmed the details of the evacuation to WESH 2 News, including the number of guests on board and the fact that no medical issues were reported. The department’s involvement reflects the standard protocol when theme park guests are stranded in positions that require professional extraction equipment.Universal confirmed through its communications that the power outage was the cause of the stoppage. The attraction was not operating at the time of this report, though no official timeline for reopening was given.The compensation offered to at least some of the affected guests, the $250 gift card and complimentary Express Pass described in the TikTok comment, is consistent with what major theme parks typically offer when guests experience significant operational disruptions. A two-hour stay on a stopped ride followed by an emergency evacuation is not a routine inconvenience, and Universal’s response in that regard appears to reflect the severity of what guests went through.What This Means for Anyone Visiting Universal Studios FloridaRace Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon’s operational status following the Saturday incident was not confirmed at the time of this report. Guests with upcoming Universal Studios Florida visits who had planned to ride the attraction should check the park’s app or official website for current availability before building their day around it.The broader lesson from Saturday’s event applies to any theme park visit: power outages are rare but they happen, and when they happen on enclosed attractions they require a response that can take significantly longer than guests expect. Two hours is a long time to be inside a stopped ride, and the communication experience Shayden Leite described, repetitive messaging that did not evolve quickly with the situation, is worth noting as a realistic picture of what emergency situations feel like inside a theme park attraction when they are still being assessed.Universal’s emergency response procedures, coordinated with the Orlando Fire Department, worked as designed on Saturday. Everyone got out safely. But the process was neither fast nor simple, and it involved professional rescue equipment rather than a routine walk-off.For guests planning a Central Florida vacation that includes both Universal Studios Florida and Walt Disney World, Saturday’s incident at Universal is a useful reminder that operational disruptions can affect any park on any day and that building flexibility into a park day schedule is always worthwhile.If you were at Universal Studios Florida on Saturday and saw or experienced any part of the evacuation, share what it looked like from the ground in the comments. And if you have questions about visiting Universal during the current period when Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon may still be closed, drop them below.The post Children Among 70 Guests Evacuated From Controversial Universal Attraction appeared first on Inside the Magic.