2 parks in 1 day possible??

[TulipMom]

We are headed to Orlando for a mostly Disney-oriented vacation, but we want to experience Universal this trip, as well. DH and I haven't been to Universal since the early 2000's and don't remember much at all. I have been reading and watching YouTube videos about the two parks and I can't quite land on what we should do, but we'd really like to limit Universal to 1 day.

Trip will be DH, me, and our two kiddos, ages 8 & 9. We love big rides and are into Harry Potter. We'll be visiting the last week of August, which should be a fairly tame week. If we buy the Express Pass, can we do both parks in 1 day?

Also - if we do 2 parks in 1 day, which park should be go to first?

 

[bchbetha]

You can but it isn’t ideal at all. Would you feel like you could easily do 2 Disney parks in one day? You can do a greatest hits but know you’ll miss a lot. You will have to decide if you want to hit many rides or sightsee the immense Harry Potter areas- you won’t be able to do both.
A stay at one of the deluxe hotels (or even booking a “throw away room”) is usually the cheapest way for a family to get Express Passes. Bonus is you also get early entry.
Which park to start with? If you have early entry then that park. No EE then Universal so you can travel as Harry.

 

[DisneyLifePapioNe]

We are headed to Orlando for a mostly Disney-oriented vacation, but we want to experience Universal this trip, as well. DH and I haven't been to Universal since the early 2000's and don't remember much at all. I have been reading and watching YouTube videos about the two parks and I can't quite land on what we should do, but we'd really like to limit Universal to 1 day.

Trip will be DH, me, and our two kiddos, ages 8 & 9. We love big rides and are into Harry Potter. We'll be visiting the last week of August, which should be a fairly tame week. If we buy the Express Pass, can we do both parks in 1 day?

Also - if we do 2 parks in 1 day, which park should be go to first?

Technically yes you could get a lot done as far as rides go with EP, IMO Universal Orlando Resort has way more to offer though than just the rides, lots of stuff to see and take in, also some great dining options.

If you don’t have early entry then try rope dropping the opposite gate then the park that opened first.

Hagrids does not have EP and could take a lot of time to ride so keep that in mind...possibly very long waits for that one.

We have been visiting since 2011 and Universal has become a favorite destination and if we can we try to stay at least a week, all though we have many 4 and 5 night stays in the books we enjoy more time as there is so much.

 

[TulipMom]

Thank you so much for this info and input... very helpful!

Follow up question... If we really only have 1 day to dedicate to Universal, would you try to do 2 parks in 1 day, or dedicate the day to focusing on 1 park? (We live in Michigan and seem to go 2-3 years in-between visits to Orlando, in case that makes a difference in what you'd recommend.)

 

[DisneyLifePapioNe]

Thank you so much for this info and input... very helpful!

Follow up question... If we really only have 1 day to dedicate to Universal, would you try to do 2 parks in 1 day, or dedicate the day to focusing on 1 park? (We live in Michigan and seem to go 2-3 years in-between visits to Orlando, in case that makes a difference in what you'd recommend.)

I would decide what things are a must and yes still try to do as much as possible in both parks.

 

[Karnor00]

With unlimited express pass I managed to get through both of the parks in a half day a couple of years ago. I got pretty much all the big rides done (I avoided most of the water rides), and even had time to do a few of them more than once.

It's certainly not ideal doing it that quickly as you don't have time to soak in the ambiance - but it can be done.

 

[dawnnikol]

In 2017, our family went as a group of 12 (6 adults, 6 kids - elementary age and under, over half of us HP fans), with no EP or early entry. We went through US first and basically went straight to HP. We did the wand ceremony 3 times and shopped around, took the tour of Gringott's and hopped the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade. 3 adults then jumped on the Dueling Dragons coaster, while the others got food at the 3 Broomsticks.. ate lunch, walked around Hogsmeade a bit, then hit Forbidden Journey. Then we went on to do Jurassic Park River Adventure and some rock climbing, then onto Spider Man and Hulk, with visits and photos with the superheroes. It was around 3pm when we were at the Starbucks at the entrance of IoA and went our own ways.

It really depends on what you want to accomplish around the parks. I think one day is easily doable, minus Hagrid's now, but that doesn't mean it is for everyone.

 

[The Pho]

Everytime I go to Universal, I always do both parks every day, and manage to do every ride essentially (generally I skip the spinners and Woody Woodpecker and sometimes the Seuss stuff) with time to do repeat rides on my favorites. Express Pass makes it pretty easy. Usually we start at Islands of Adventure, then work our way from Hulk around the park hitting every ride through Seuss walk back to Hogwarts Express and do a loop at the other park starting at Diagon Alley then to Men in Black. After Studios we usually pop back over to Islands on the Hogwarts Express (it’s different in each direction) to hit Hulk and Spider-Man a few more times.

My last trip we managed every thing plus something like 8 Spider-Man’s, 6 Mummys, 2 Hulks, 2 Rip Ride Rockits, and 3 Hagrids, skipping only Storm Force Accelatron (Teacups), Kang and Kodos, One Fish Two Fish (both spinners). We did skip lunch this time, but it’s certainly doable with lunch and exploring though.

 

[Disxuni]

I'd say if you're a huge HP fan and only have one day I'd do a two park ticket. From there I would personally focus on Harry Potter as much as possible. It's one thing doing all the rides, but you want to take in the whole experience. Enjoy the area, the shops, the dining, and if you're into shows see those as well. From there, then decide what other "big" rides you want to go on. I do not know how much you really care, or want to focus on the other aspects of the parks, but you should be able to do a few of the major rides.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

I vote two parks in 1 day - the pass IMO isn't considerably more expensive but then you won't miss any of the HP stuff and you get to do Hogwarts Express! I feel like I'd have major FOMO if it was my first time and I missed half of the HP stuff - it's all so gorgeously, outrageously spectacular.

And honestly it is possible to do everything in both parks, esp. at that time of year when crowds are low. I went this past August w/ my fam including older parents who aren't as fast walking and we did everything, some stuff twice including Hagrid's. You can maximize your day going Open-Close. Have fun!

 

[Matty123]

If you're Harry Potter fans, do both parks. Such a thrill to ride the Hogwarts Express. Trying to do Hagrid's is the big potential time issue with the one day plan, but that will need gauging closer to the time. On our trip a few years ago, our family went through Diagon Alley first (like Harry did), and we were absolutely blown away. One thought on that reaction, actually -- After going to Universal, my tween kids were less impressed with Disney, specifically Magic Kingdom, both in regard to theming and the thrills offered by the rides. YMMV, of course, but may be worth a thought when deciding which parks you schedule when.

 

[Rinzler84]

I agree with bchbetha on this one. It really isn't ideal. If you are firm on only doing 1 day at Universal I would consider, like others have said, making a plan of which rides you absolutely want to ride and hit those first and after that see where you are on time. I wouldn't recommend trying to fit both parks in to one day. Also, park to park is a must if you plan on doing both parks in one day. I would also say don't count on riding Hagrids motorbike ride either since there are a ton of unknowns with that ride(1hr wait, if its down, etc etc).