Late arrival to the parks

[DisFam95]

Not sure what summer crowds are like and park capacity. We were thinking of going on a Wednesday after a 9:40am arrival at MCO w no luggage (carry-on) or rental car (being picked up by friends). What time could we expect to get to the park if we drive straight there? Is there a risk of not getting in? Are they hitting capacity? We'll have a 2nd full day as well.

Thanks for any insight.

 

[asuburbanman]

They are not hitting capacity. You can watch the app from home to get an idea of wait times. Today looked brutal because of thunderstorms. All inside rides during storm 2 hours or so and then coasters 2 hours after storms passed. Non-storm days I’ve seen top tier rides at 60-90 and others at 30-60.

 

[soniam]

I think the lower capacity levels for covid have been removed. Universal has rarely hit their regular capacity limits, so you should be fine for getting in. They might only hit the normal capacity limits for things like the opening of the Wizarding Worlds or a really big holiday. It will probably take a couple of hours to get to Universal after landing at MCO.

 

[DisFam95]

I think the lower capacity levels for covid have been removed. Universal has rarely hit their regular capacity limits, so you should be fine for getting in. They might only hit the normal capacity limits for things like the opening of the Wizarding Worlds or a really big holiday. It will probably take a couple of hours to get to Universal after landing at MCO.

Thanks - so arriving at lunchtime - is that terrible? We're always early in -early out people and feel we get more done so arriving late is stressing me out but it's our only option for this short trip.

 

[thevolcanogod]

Will take you 1-1.5 hours to get through security to get into city walk. The parks have people but do t be afraid - they aren’t as packed as some say. We did 3 days without express and rode what we wanted with a little bit of predicting (IE velocicoaster is high right when park officially opens then times taper off to 50 mins around 11:30 which is actually like 35 mins. Crowds on indoor rides get huge during rain but then right after you can do indoor rides with shorter lines as people run to the coasters). I’d take your time ans chill a bit - snag whatever ride looks short. You’ll be good.

 

[soniam]

Thanks - so arriving at lunchtime - is that terrible? We're always early in -early out people and feel we get more done so arriving late is stressing me out but it's our only option for this short trip.

Will you have Express Pass? If not, lines will be longer mid-day. However, it is what it is. Go, have fun, and don’t stress. I never remember what we didn’t ride; only what we rode.

EDIT: Waits usually go down later in the day too. So, if you can plan to stay late or park close, you will maximize your time,