Help! Going one day, need advice

[MellyBeans]

Alright friends. I’m budgeting one day, and one day only to see Universal in January. We will get park 2 park tickets, so we can get in both Universal and IOA. Wish it could be more, but one day is all our vacation will allow. We haven’t been there since we were kids in the 90s! It will be just my husband and I (leaving the kids with grandparents for the day.) Can anyone point me to a good tour guide/itinerary or resource for must dos/how to get the most out of one day? We will be going balls to the wall, commando. Not huge thrill ride seekers at all, mostly just want to focus on HP and maybe some of the more tame thrill rides. Suggestions? Where can I start? I know next to nothing.

Also, recommendations where to eat in the parks would be much appreciated!

 

[bobbie68]

Hi I love Universal

I would be at the turnstiles at least 30-45 minutes before opening. We like to start at the studios and head to Diagon Alley. Since you won't have express passes it seems I would go straight there. However, if you are interested in Minion Mayhem then I would do that right through the gates then head to Diagon Alley. Gringotts is amazing and one of our favorite rides. After exploring Diagon Alley I would take the Hogwart's Express to IOA and Hogsmeade. Harry Potter lands get crowded late morning to late afternoon.

Everyone has their version of tame so would not want to recommend something. I would however, go through the rides on the website and look at you tube to get an idea of what you might like.

We love to eat at Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron. If you don't want to eat at Hogsmeade or Diagon Thunder Falls Terrace in the Jurassic area is a good quick service. If you want a sit down in the park I hear Mythos is very good. If you can take the Hogwart's Express both ways would be good it is a different experience.

I hope you have a great time!

 

[noreen99]

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[tobikaye]

Starting to talk about doing a 1 day USO/IOA visit in January during a WDW trip. Early plans are to get the Universal Express pass to make sure we can see everything we want without having to rush everywhere. There are quite a few new things since the last visit that that I really got to go and ride what I want. I figure it might be a bit of a splurge, but I since I rarely make it to Universal it should be worth it.

 

[wagman67]

So, a couple of things you want to be aware of...what date are you going and are you firm on that date? If you go, for only 1 day, the first week of January...without an Express Pass...you're not helping yourself...busy as crap, usually.

Look at some of the crowd calendars to get a good idea of when crowds are lowest...but, also which days have longer hours. Always make sure, if you are going for a single day, to go when the parks are open longer...the crowds thin out a lot more during longer evenings...parents have to start taking their kids out for dinner, which they do more around 6pm...this thins the herd tremendously.

Middle of the Month, in the middle of the week, you traditionally have lighter crowds.

Rule of thumb...for 1 day, don't buy an Express Pass unless you realize you need or want one, after you arrive. There are a couple of types...the cheapest is a ride a ride once via Express Pass, and the more expensive lets you ride an unlimited number of times (well, there is a limit...however many times you can ride during park hours).

YMMV

 

[heather13]

We did this last week. Made several mistakes! First I was under the impression that we should make a beeline for Diagon Alley and the line at Olivanders, before going to Gringotts and Minion Mayhem after lunch. We probably wasted two hours with this plan.
Agree with above that you should do Minions right away. We would have walked on and been done in 10 minutes.
Then if the line at Olivanders isn't down the block (they take groups of 30 at a time) ride Gringotts first. Then if you want to get a wand and see the "show" get in line. The line should be lower by then. If you want to take the train both directions (highly recommended - it's different) you can take it one way then and take it back right away, then walk about Diagon Alley and see everything there is to see on that side of the park until no later than 2:30 or 3. The line to get to IOA was starting to get long then and, after talking to the Universal employee at Kings Cross station, it only gets worse after 3. Then Hogwarts (the line will be long but it was interesting) and dinner at Three Broomsticks before hitting the rest of IOA.

 

[solfan68]

Watching this one for tips. We'll be doing Universal for about a day and a half prior to an extended family trip to WDW in '18.