First timer...help!

[HappyMomma]

We have Disney all figured out, but this will be our first trip to Universal. We are thinking the week after or before spring break. Hubby, myself and our 13 year old DD who is a HUGE HP fan. Can someone just tell me what to do?? LOL! We aren't huge roller coaster fans, not the super scary ones anyway. Do we need two days of tickets to get through both parks? Where should we stay on site? Is there a list of scariness level on the rides? Which ones do we need to run to on rope drop? I need a person to trip plan for me. Do ppl get paid to do this? It's likely the only time we will go.

 

[davper]

I recommend 2 days and stay at one of the 3 premium hotels (Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, Portofino) to get the include Express Pass and you won't have to run at rope drop.

You can go on Youtube to watch ride videos. This will be a good way to determine if it is too scary.

Not much planning needed for universal. Especially if you have the Express Pass.

 

[HappyMomma]

I recommend 2 days and stay at one of the 3 premium hotels (Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, Portofino) to get the include Express Pass and you won't have to run at rope drop.

You can go on Youtube to watch ride videos. This will be a good way to determine if it is too scary.

Not much planning needed for universal. Especially if you have the Express Pass.

Thank you!!! I just started looking and anxiety took over. I can't do a Disney Level investigation into this trip. I have too much going on and the trip is coming up too soon. I appreciate the input.

 

[davper]

Hi
You could stay 1 night at the Premium Hotel and get 2 days of Express Pass. It is good on the day you check in and on the day you check out. You can check in as early as 6am. I think, if not 7 will work.

 

[mvansear]

this is a great post to get you started
https://www.disboards.com/threads/how-i-plan-a-universal-trip.3794121/https://www.disboards.com/threads/how-i-plan-a-universal-trip.3794121/You will find out quickly that there is no where near the amount of planning required for universal. It is so much more of a laid back and relaxing experience! I personally am a planner, the planning extends the excitement of the trip for me, so I use these boards to read and get me excited about my trip. 6 days and I am there!!!SOOOOO excited

 

[bchbetha]

I loved the info on the Orlando Informer website. Here is their Harry Potter lovers itinerary https://orlandoinformer.com/universal/harry-potter-world-plan/

 

[HappyMomma]

I loved the info on the Orlando Informer website. Here is their Harry Potter lovers itinerary https://orlandoinformer.com/universal/harry-potter-world-plan/

So much appreciated!!!

 

[mvansear]

The board is still having trouble with the link type "how I plan a universal trip" into the search that should get you there
Not sure why the links above won't post

 

[ksanftleben]

I think you'll need two days to fully appreciate everything in both parks and wander around City Walk one evening. If you want to spend time at the water park too, make it three days. That should be plenty.

As for lodging, we took our daughter's family with three grandaughters and stayed in adjacent rooms at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort. The girls (and adults) loved the retro mid-century-modern theming, and the bowling alley was a big hit. You can walk or bus to the parks.

The best website I know of to find information and tips for planning a visit to Universal Studios Orlando is the Orlando Informer (OI). I imagine you'll be able to plan your own days after reading through the OI's touring plans section.

 

[Bethany10]

I think it also depends on how your family rolls. We spent a week in Orlando 2019, and still didn't see everything we wanted to see. We're not park commando people and would often be done with the park by 1, spending the rest of the time at the pool or at Volcano Bay. While others would see this as wasted time, for us it was just the right speed.

The Harry Potter areas are amazing and completely immersive. We could have spent the entire day there. Our DD got an interactive wand and spent time walking around doing the spells. I'd check out Olivanders and see if getting a wand is something your teen might be interested in doing. If you want to take the Hogwarts express to the other park you'll need park to park tickets.

I agree express pass will help tremendously, as well as just checking out videos of people walking around the parks. You can see what rides are available in each park and see for yourself how scary they are. For example my DH who will go on Hulk no problem refused to get back on Men In Black after riding it once. Not fear per say, but the spinning got to him badly. Conversely, I rode MIB back to back with both kids but no way no how are you getting me on Hulk or other big coasters.

 

[cfoxga]

I usually recommend a minimum of 3 days to get a good feel for Universal. When you take into account the onsite resorts, CityWalk, and the parks (rides and shows), there is just too much for only 2 days. Over our 4 trips, we've spent around 20 days at Universal and the kids keep begging to go back. Both are huge HP and Simpsons fans, so they just can't seem to get enough. Our last trip was a week over Thanksgiving, and we stayed Sat-Sat, and I bet they would have stayed another week if they could.

In all that time, we've only eaten at a couple places multiple times. We try to hit new spots each trip.

 

[HappyMomma]

Thanks everybody!

 

[maverik85]

If you're going around spring break it will probably be busy so I definitely agree with the plan to stay a night at a deluxe resort to get the Express Passes.
Getting around is pretty easy as the parks are next to one another so you can walk everywhere (technically from the hotels even but I'd grab a shuttle still). It takes much less planning compared to Disney since you don't have to worry about Fast Passes and stuff.

 

[MomOTwins]

All the posts here saying do a resort stay/get express passes are really stressing me out! We hate packing up to move hotels and the thought of doing it twice in two days was a real turn off for me and made me not want to do the "one night at a deluxe" option. So we were just going to visit Universal as a day trip from WDW. Would go mid-week to minimize crowds in March (but not during peak spring break weeks) and literally the only thing we want to do is Harry Potter stuff. From my count, there are really only five HP rides total, and one of them, Hagrid's, does not even utilize express pass. And we'd also want to do Ollivanders but it looks like no express pass for that either. So is it really all that unrealistic to get through all or most of that in one day without an express pass? Rest of the time we would just be wandering around, doing the interactive features with wands and checking out the harry potter sights, snacks and sounds.

For our family of five, buying express pass would be almost $900 for a single day, on top of the price of tickets, so that is not an option.

 

[maverik85]

If all you care about is the Harry Potter stuff you could get through it all in a day.
People recommending getting a deluxe room is for the free Express Passes. I have heard of people booking a room and not even staying there just to get the two days of passes as it is often cheaper than buying the passes themselves for a family. However if you only care about the HP areas then they won't be as improtant. Especailly as the standby lines will take you through all the themed corridors and rooms in Hogwarts and Gringotts. Weekdays will be quieter especailly if before peak spring break but the month as a whole will start picking up in attendance.
If lines for other attractions you stop by and want to ride are long one tip I'd recommend is checking the Single Rider line if you don't mind getting split up. I have been there at busy times were lines on rides could be 2+ hours but got on in 5-10 minutes with single rider (there is no guarantee of wait time for them though).

 

[sandam1]

We hate packing up to move hotels and the thought of doing it twice in two days was a real turn off for me and made me not want to do the "one night at a deluxe" option.

We actually did a split stay once on our arrival day. What we did was pack a change of clothes for day 2, night clothes, and toiletries in one separate bag. That was the only bag that got opened (other than our carry-ons) at the deluxe hotel. On Day 2 we went to the parks for early entry/first couple of low-crowd hours, did a late check-out at the deluxe hotel, and then we moved to Cabana Bay. By the time we got there, our room was ready and we could completely unpack for the rest of our stay. It wasn't as big of a hassle as it might seem. (Tip: Bring an extra reusable shopping bag for anything that you might buy at the parks on Day 1)

So is it really all that unrealistic to get through all or most of that in one day without an express pass? Rest of the time we would just be wandering around, doing the interactive features with wands and checking out the harry potter sights, snacks and sounds.

On our first trip to UO/HP, we stayed at an off-site hotel and did one day. This was pre-Hagrid and at a low-crowd time of year. We did a total of ONE ride outside of HP world. It is easy to underestimate the time it takes to do the wand work and explore the shops and eat at the restaurants/snacks and examine all of the details and take pictures and take the train both ways (it's different!). I will say, however, that the Express Pass doesn't help much since you WILL want to do each one of the lines for Forbidden Journey and Gringotts the first time. By staying on-site (even at a non-EP hotel), you get early entry which is the PERFECT time to do the stand-by queues. EP helps with multiple re-rides, but that's about it.

If lines for other attractions you stop by and want to ride are long one tip I'd recommend is checking the Single Rider line if you don't mind getting split up.

I believe, with COVID, there are no single rider lines. That makes me sad because I love single rider.

 

[cfoxga]

All the posts here saying do a resort stay/get express passes are really stressing me out! We hate packing up to move hotels and the thought of doing it twice in two days was a real turn off for me and made me not want to do the "one night at a deluxe" option. So we were just going to visit Universal as a day trip from WDW. Would go mid-week to minimize crowds in March (but not during peak spring break weeks) and literally the only thing we want to do is Harry Potter stuff. From my count, there are really only five HP rides total, and one of them, Hagrid's, does not even utilize express pass. And we'd also want to do Ollivanders but it looks like no express pass for that either. So is it really all that unrealistic to get through all or most of that in one day without an express pass? Rest of the time we would just be wandering around, doing the interactive features with wands and checking out the harry potter sights, snacks and sounds.

For our family of five, buying express pass would be almost $900 for a single day, on top of the price of tickets, so that is not an option.

It would be cheaper than $900 to book a room at a deluxe hotel and just not use it. It would get you EP and EE, and give you parking if you need/want it. If you were going for 2 days, then it would be an easy decision to get the room. But it is still a lot of money for 1 day.

If you really only plan to ride the 5 HP rides and spend the rest of the time walking around and shopping, then you can pull it off in one day. There is a great writeup for the Perfect Potter Day at https://www.disboards.com/threads/wizarding-world-touring-plans-and-details.3666427/. If you end up with a virtual queue for Hagrids, then the return time would guide your path. Assuming you could get one for the afternoon, here is what I would do:

US
- Get on your Universal App and look for virtual queue times for Hagrids. When we were there, they started at 8, 11, 2, and 4. Tickets went very fast. Might want to grab two times (on different phones) in case you want to ride twice
- Start in US and go straight to Ollivanders to book a time for your group.
- Ride Gringotts. The regular queue has a lot to see, EP won't help you out
- Hit the shops/knight bus while you wait for Ollivanders if you didn't get to do it first
- Do Ollivanders and get your wand(s) and go hit the casting spots
- Not sure what time Tales of Beedle the Bard is, but we enjoy that quite a bit
- Lunch at Leaky Cauldron? Or you could hit Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade after the train
- Once you've done enough, head over to the Hogwarts Express

IOA
- If Hagrids is not virtual queue, then you probably want to do that first. Given its proclivity to break down, I would not wait and hope to ride in the evening.
- Next would be FJ. I would expect the lines to be at their longest in the afternoon, so you could consider waiting until later to see if the lines shrink
- FotH is right next to FJ, so that would be next. Like FJ, if the line is too long, you can wait to do this later.
- Hit shops and casting sites
- If possible, a second ride of Hagrids in the dark/dusk would be great.
- Ride Hogswarts Express back to IOA, since the show is different in each direction

 

[ChanaC]

Is there a list of scariness level on the rides?

Like others said, if you don't mind being spoiled YouTube videos are a great way to "test drive" some of the rides to determine scariness.

For the HP rides, Flight of the Hippogriff if similar to the Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom - a basic kids coaster with some theming. It goes by really fast and while there are some sharp turns, it's really nothing too scary or intense. The whole thing is outdoors and the line actually snakes around under it so you can totally see everything before you go on to determine if you want to keep going.

HP and the Forbidden Journey (the one inside Hogwarts) is really like nothing else. If I had to compare it to something at Disney, the best I can do is say it's like Soarin mixed with Rise of the Resistance, which in itself is still not a good description. It's a mix of a simulation with real sets and characters like a dark ride. I will say, since it's hard to tell from all the YouTube videos I've seen, is that at one point the ride dips you backwards and for a brief moment your knees are higher than your head. It's really only a second, and you are never truly upside down. The ride itself isn't really intense, but they are some scary-ish scenes. For example, you face a dragon, the giant spiders, and dementors. I think at 13 your DD will be fine. I'm a huge scary cat that hates big roller coasters (even Expedition Everest is a little too intense for me) but I love this one. Even if someone isn't sure if they want to go it, it's definitely worth it to walk through the line. I personally think it's the best queue out there - you get a whole tour of Hogwarts and it's awesome!

Hagrid's is the new rollercoaster in Islands of Adventure (where the previous two attractions are) but I haven't been on it yet. From what I heard, it's like Rockin Rollercoaster, in that it's a fast launch style coaster.

In Universal Studios you also have the Gringotts ride. This is a hybrid coaster/dark ride. It's similar-ish to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in that sense, but obviously is a lot darker. It's a lot less intense than Forbidden Journey and I believe it was made to be slightly more family friendly. It's also in 3D.

Connecting the parks is the Hogwarts Express. As a note, you'll need a park-to-park ticket (aka a Universal park hopper) to go on this. It's basically like the Disney monorail, but with screens instead of windows. If I remember correctly, one of the routes has a dementor, but you only see it outlined on the screen. It's basically a slow moving train ride and is meant to be family friendly.

 

[DL1WDW2]

You should experience the new Bourne Stunt Show Spectacular.
I guarantee nobody has this technology combined with live performers on stage! It is spectacular!

 

[sandam1]

Hagrid's is the new rollercoaster in Islands of Adventure (where the previous two attractions are) but I haven't been on it yet. From what I heard, it's like Rockin Rollercoaster, in that it's a fast launch style coaster.

I equate Hagrid's to a bigger, faster, smoother Big Thunder Mountain. There are two surprises in it that might startle a nervous roller coaster rider, but you can find out about them either on YouTube or you can message me privately. When I knew what was going to happen and when, I was a lot more relaxed about riding.

Note that Forbidden Journey can cause motion sickness in many people. For me the ride is an acquired taste. After riding it the first time, I probably wouldn't have done it again if it wasn't Harry Potter. Now it is one of my favorite rides.