Non-Rider Question

[kittyab]

I don't care for rides, is there lots to do for someone who does not ride rides?

 

[Robo56]

There is plenty to enjoy. The monster makeup show is hilarious.

Walking through the two Potter Parks is worthwhile. Hogsmeade in IOA and Diagon Alley at Universal Studios is fantastic.

 

[Jack's Nan]

My sister and I just walked thru the queue at Gringotts. Lots of fun and a photo op if you have the Universal Photos package. Just see the team member when you enter and tell them you just want to walk thru and not ride. Then just after photos before they board the ride just ask the team member again and they will show you the exit doors. We were so glad we did this! Got lots of great photos! My sister and I have both have knee issues so we spent our time visiting the shops and finding characters for photo ops while the family rode the various rides. Toon Lagoon is full of backgrounds for photos that are so much fun.

Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade are both amazing and full of great photo ops. Set out to record your vacation in photos and you will find so much to keep you busy.
We loved the afternoon parade, meeting Thing1 and Thing 2, visiting the Jurassic Park Discovery Center, and trying to get the perfect pic of the fire breathing dragon atop Gringotts. Lots of characters to find. Our faves are Scooby Doo, the Cat in the Hat characters, Popeye and Olive Oil, Betty Boop and looking for Beetlejuice whom we never found.

 

[skylock]

Some of the rides have non moving options.

 

[Flyg1rl]

The queues and pre-shows on a lot of the ride are absolutely amazing. Not sure how you would take advantage of them without waiting in the lines though...

 

[nkereina]

Are you traveling with people who do ride? If so, as mentioned, you can wait in the queues with them and just exit right before they board. Many of the pre-shows and queues are worth seeing, even if you don't go on the ride. I would also get a times guide that shows what time each show will be playing because those would be entertaining for a non-rider as well. Also, as mentioned, some rides have a non-moving seat option (i.e. Minions) and Poseidon's Fury at Islands is a walkthrough attraction.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Also, though many rides at US are a bit intense, a few are quite tame, like E.T. the Hogwart's Express, and Seussland.

Oh, do make sure to check out the splash area and the ball toss room over past Woody woodpecker. It is tricky to get past the water jets without getting wet, but the ball room play area is lots of fun, even if you just watch others shoot each other.

Universal also has a number of fun, highly-themed eateries.

You might also want to go to Olivanders and get a wand. At $50+ they are not inexpensive, but US will fix them forever, and doing the spells is very fun. I also suggest really taking time to explore all the nooks of both HP lands.

 

[only hope]

If you like Harry Potter, yes. If you are a huge HP fan, then it’s easy to spend 3-4 hours in Diagon just taking in all the details. Some specific details are from the books but the overall look is based on the movies. If you don’t like HP and you don’t like shows, then no. There’s a fair amount of characters too, which are listed on the app and website.

Unlike Disney, most rides are thrill rides. There’s some exceptions, mostly motion simulators. Some simulators have stationary seating, which is noted online I think and on the map. Just read about it all online to find what you’re interested in.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Yes, you can opt for stationary seating at several attractions. Then you are pretty much just watching a 3-D movie, like for Minions.

We also have not yet mentioned the many Universal gift shops. Some are not that exciting, but some are very neat. There's an art store near the talking fountain. The fountain only talks certain part of the day, but it is a hoot when it does. teh art shop is not at all theme park themed, it sells local artists' work. There's also a neat prop shop over by the monhter's make-up show that has very unique merchandise. It is easy to walk right past it, and many of the other little gist shops, so DO take time to look carefully. The merchandise in the prop shop changes, so I can't say exactly what wll be there on your visit.
City walk also has some fun shops. The Piq! shop and the Chocolate Emporium come to mind.

If you like Dr Seuss at all, then the whole land is fun to see and explore. It is just full of Seuss references and unique landscaping. Even if you don't go on the One Fish ride, the song is cute, and it is kind of fun to watch others dodge the little water jets for a bit.

The Universal hotels are also nice to explore. Portofino used to have nightly singers- I'm not sure if they still have them. The Hard Rock has all kind of live music events. Sapphire Falls is also very pretty, and a nice place to eat and explore. All have shops.

 

[skylock]

I highly recommend the sky high trolley. Very tame, but very enjoyable to me.