 | “Vacation Like You Mean It”. That’s the tag line for Universal Orlando Resort and boy, do they mean it! If you are visiting Orlando and have at least an extra day to spare, it is worth your while to spend it at Universal Studios Orlando. You won’t able to see and do everything in one day but you can certainly pick and choose which attractions you want to do to maximize your experience. The more days you spend there, the more cheaper the per day cost so if you have 2 days to spare, that would be perfect! |
It’s great for kids and teens who are looking for more thrilling and adventurous rides. While there are some things to do with younger kids and toddlers, Universal Studios is geared more for older kids, teenagers and adults. There are many attractions that have minimum height requirements and the rides are more thrilling, and sometimes could be a bit “scary” fo younger kids.
Universal Studios Florida consists of two theme parks (soon to be three, with Volcano Bay, a new Universal waterpark expected to open in Spring 2017).
If you are planning on visiting Universal Studios JUST for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there are two different areas, Hogsmeade Village and Diagon Alley, one located in each park and connected by the Hogwarts Express.
If you only have one day to visit Universal Studios, you have the option to purchase a one day park ticket where you choose either park to visit for the day. You can also choose a 1 day park-to-park ticket, which would give you access to both parks on the same day. If you are looking to ride on the Hogwarts Express, you will need a park-to-park ticket to ride this attraction (and they check your admission tickets at the both King’s Cross Station, and Hogsmeade Station before you board.)
Other upgrades to your tickets include the Express Pass, which permits you Front of the Line Access to most of the attractions once. This is a great option if you are short on time and want to experience as much as you can during your visit. Skip to the front of the line and you don’t need to waste valuable time waiting in line. Or, if you want to experience an attraction more than once, you can upgrade to the Unlimited Express Pass which grants you Front of the Line Access to most of the attraction with unlimited access to skip to the front of the line! Ride each attraction over and over as many times as you like!
Please note that the attractions in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter are not eligible for the Express Pass services. All guests must wait in regular lines to access the rides. If you stay onsite and book a Universal Studios Vacation Package, onsite guests receive Early Admission one hour before the park opens to the public so guests can visit the park early and experience the attractions with minimal wait times in the morning.
Can’t decide which park to visit? They are both very good and you will be happy with either one! But here are a few highlights from each park to help you decide which one might be better for you! Please note that there are minimum height requirements for some rides so you want to make sure your kids will be tall enough to ride certain attractions.
- Universal Studios Florida
- Universal’s Islands of Adventure
If you are planning on visiting Universal Studios JUST for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there are two different areas, Hogsmeade Village and Diagon Alley, one located in each park and connected by the Hogwarts Express.
If you only have one day to visit Universal Studios, you have the option to purchase a one day park ticket where you choose either park to visit for the day. You can also choose a 1 day park-to-park ticket, which would give you access to both parks on the same day. If you are looking to ride on the Hogwarts Express, you will need a park-to-park ticket to ride this attraction (and they check your admission tickets at the both King’s Cross Station, and Hogsmeade Station before you board.)
Other upgrades to your tickets include the Express Pass, which permits you Front of the Line Access to most of the attractions once. This is a great option if you are short on time and want to experience as much as you can during your visit. Skip to the front of the line and you don’t need to waste valuable time waiting in line. Or, if you want to experience an attraction more than once, you can upgrade to the Unlimited Express Pass which grants you Front of the Line Access to most of the attraction with unlimited access to skip to the front of the line! Ride each attraction over and over as many times as you like!
Please note that the attractions in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter are not eligible for the Express Pass services. All guests must wait in regular lines to access the rides. If you stay onsite and book a Universal Studios Vacation Package, onsite guests receive Early Admission one hour before the park opens to the public so guests can visit the park early and experience the attractions with minimal wait times in the morning.
Can’t decide which park to visit? They are both very good and you will be happy with either one! But here are a few highlights from each park to help you decide which one might be better for you! Please note that there are minimum height requirements for some rides so you want to make sure your kids will be tall enough to ride certain attractions.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA
For the thrills, these are the rides you must do!
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (minimum 42”)
Transformers: The Ride 3D (minimum 40”)
Terminator 2: 3D
Revenge of the Mummy (minimum 48”) - this was the fastest roller coaster I have ever been on and it’s all in the dark!! If I had known what the ride was going to be ahead of time, I probably would not have gone on it!
Men in Black Alien Attack (minimum 42”)
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (minimum 51”) - too rich for my blood! But you have to watch Jimmy Fallon’s hilarious experience with this ride!
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (minimum 42”)
Transformers: The Ride 3D (minimum 40”)
Terminator 2: 3D
Revenge of the Mummy (minimum 48”) - this was the fastest roller coaster I have ever been on and it’s all in the dark!! If I had known what the ride was going to be ahead of time, I probably would not have gone on it!
Men in Black Alien Attack (minimum 42”)
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (minimum 51”) - too rich for my blood! But you have to watch Jimmy Fallon’s hilarious experience with this ride!
 Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit |  Transformers: The Ride 3D |
 Revenge of the Mummy |  Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts |
| Rides that are fun for the whole family include: Despicable Me Minion Mayhem (Must be 40”) E.T. Adventure (minimum 34”) Kang & Kodos’ Twirl n’ Hurl (under 48” must be accompanied by adult) Shrek 4D The Simpsons Ride (minimum 40”) |  The Simpsons Ride |
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Just for Kids
If you have younger kids, you won’t want to miss these rides that cater to the young ones so there is fun for them too:
A Day in the Park with Barney
Curious George Goes to Town
Fievel’s Playground
Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster (minimum 36”)
If you have younger kids, you won’t want to miss these rides that cater to the young ones so there is fun for them too:
A Day in the Park with Barney
Curious George Goes to Town
Fievel’s Playground
Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster (minimum 36”)
UNIVERSAL'S ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE
On the other side of the park is Islands of Adventure, with an equal amount of must do attractions for your visit!
For the thrills, you don’t want to miss the newest attraction.....
Skull Island: Reign of Kong (just opened summer 2016) - this was an awesome ride! Even with Express Passes where we could skip to the Front of the Line, we still had a 20 minute wait before we boarded the ride but it was worth it!
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (minimum 40”)
Doctor Doom’s Fearfall (minimum 52”)
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls (minimum 44”, under 48” must be accompanied by an adult) - When we saw people loading into the logs with ponchos, we chuckled to ourselves. But….we later realized why. You will GET SOAKED. I have never been on any water ride where you get soaked. Not just wet. Not just a little wet. SOAKED. Through everything….puddles of water in your log…SOAKED. You have been warned.
Jurassic Park River Adventure (minimum 42”) - you may get wet on this ride. But compared to Ripsaw Falls, it’s nothing.
The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster (minimum 54”)
Dragon Challenge (minimum 54”)
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
For the thrills, you don’t want to miss the newest attraction.....
Skull Island: Reign of Kong (just opened summer 2016) - this was an awesome ride! Even with Express Passes where we could skip to the Front of the Line, we still had a 20 minute wait before we boarded the ride but it was worth it!
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (minimum 40”)
Doctor Doom’s Fearfall (minimum 52”)
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls (minimum 44”, under 48” must be accompanied by an adult) - When we saw people loading into the logs with ponchos, we chuckled to ourselves. But….we later realized why. You will GET SOAKED. I have never been on any water ride where you get soaked. Not just wet. Not just a little wet. SOAKED. Through everything….puddles of water in your log…SOAKED. You have been warned.
Jurassic Park River Adventure (minimum 42”) - you may get wet on this ride. But compared to Ripsaw Falls, it’s nothing.
The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster (minimum 54”)
Dragon Challenge (minimum 54”)
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
 Skull Island: Reign of Kong |  Jurassic Park River Adventure |
 The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman |  Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey |
Fun for the whole family:
Comic Strip Lane
Jurassic Park Discovery Adventure
Flight of the Hippogriff (minimum 36”)
Storm Force Acceleration
Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges (minimum 42”, under 48” must be accompanied by adult)
Comic Strip Lane
Jurassic Park Discovery Adventure
Flight of the Hippogriff (minimum 36”)
Storm Force Acceleration
Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges (minimum 42”, under 48” must be accompanied by adult)
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Just for the little kids:
Camp Jurassic
Caro -Seuss-el
The Cat in the Hat (Under 48” must be accompanied by adult)
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
If I Ran the Zoo
Me Ship, The Olive
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (Under 48” must be accompanied by adult)
Pteranodon Flyers (minimm 36”, under 56” must be accompanied by adult)
Camp Jurassic
Caro -Seuss-el
The Cat in the Hat (Under 48” must be accompanied by adult)
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
If I Ran the Zoo
Me Ship, The Olive
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (Under 48” must be accompanied by adult)
Pteranodon Flyers (minimm 36”, under 56” must be accompanied by adult)
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Connecting the two parts of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter taking you from Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure is the Hogwarts Express. You must have a park-to-park admission ticket to ride the Hogwarts Express. I highly recommend getting the park-to-park ticket to be able to experience this unique attraction aboard the Hogwarts Express as it is a fully immersive experience and so much more than just a train ride! It takes you directly into the story and you experience the Hogwarts Express just like any other muggle or wizards heading from King’s Cross Station to Hogwarts Castle or heading to the bustling Diagon Alley for a break from your studies. See the beauty of London and meet characters and creatures from the stories as they join you on your ride.
Hogwarts Express
For our experience at Universal Studios, we stayed onsite at the Loews Portofino Bay Resort, which was one of the premier resorts, which included Unlimited Express Passes with our stay. (Read about the Universal hotels onsite here) Having the passes was a huge bonus as we were able to skip to the front of the lines for most rides (except the Harry Potter ones) so we didn’t have to wait in line each day. We enjoyed the luxurious hotel stay in a recreated Italian coastal resort town, and were able to skip the lines at the parks so it was worth the upgrade! Plus, staying onsite permits you early admission to the parks 1 hour before the public so that you can head straight to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with no wait times.
Download the Universal Studios app onto your phone for the most accurate and up to date wait times, as well as a map of the park so you know where everything is located and how to get there.
I found the three days we spent at Universal were awesome, but exhausting. The rides are definitely more thrilling, more adventurous and exciting but I couldn’t wait to go back to Disney World for a more relaxing few days to wind down from Universal Studios! I know, right??!! Disney relaxing?? Yep.
Taken in Comic Strip Lane in Universal's Islands of Adventure, this photo perfectly describes the Universal Studios Florida experience!
I found the three days we spent at Universal were awesome, but exhausting. The rides are definitely more thrilling, more adventurous and exciting but I couldn’t wait to go back to Disney World for a more relaxing few days to wind down from Universal Studios! I know, right??!! Disney relaxing?? Yep.
Taken in Comic Strip Lane in Universal's Islands of Adventure, this photo perfectly describes the Universal Studios Florida experience!
So perfectly fitting!
But nonetheless, it was an incredibly amazing experience and definitely one worth checking out. If you have any questions about Universal Studios Orlando or Hollywood, please ask! I would definitely include them in your vacation plans if you are in the area! Contact me to book your next vacation as I would love the opportunity to help you maximize the most of your time and money for your trip!
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