Visiting Universal Studios - how early should I plan?

[mdcpr]

Recently we went to WDW and it took 9 months of planning - 6 months for ADRs, 60 days for FPs and everything that happens in between. The family now wants to go to Universal Studios to see all things Harry Potter. How early in advance should I start planning? Is there a best/worst time to go? Any agencies that specialize on this park? Thank you!!

 

[lazyboy97o]

In most cases show up and have fun, especially if your big focus is the Boy Who Lived. Unless it is a particularly busy time of year, two or three days will give you plenty of time. The Wizarding World restaurants are quick service and crowds are well managed even when it is busy. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure keeps becoming more reliable so even than will be less of issue. Theme parks, and the Wizarding World in particular, are places best explored.

 

[lebeau]

Universal is nowhere near as complicated as Disney (what is really?) There's no ride reservation system. You can walk up to most restaurants - even the busy ones. Reservations are advisable at someplace like Mythos during busy times of year, but you can get them a day or two out. There's no need to plan every second (or any second) of your vacation six months before you take it. Spontaneity is alive and well at Universal!

The best/worst times to go are the same as at that other place. But even at the busiest times of year, you don't get Disney crowds. You know, the kind that make you wish you were never born much less hemorrhaging money at the "happiest place on earth"? Most of the rides at Universal have comparatively high capacity so they will blow through crowds pretty fast even when there is a line.

Of course the ultimate planning tool is ExpressPass. Once we discovered the Deluxe Universal hotels (Portofino is our fave but they are all great), we were hooked. They are a bit pricey, but with ExpressPass you are getting a truly stress-free vacation experience. Planning? Who needs it! We just do what we want to do in the moment. Crazy, right?

One thing you should know is that Universal is teeny tiny compared to Disney. You can walk from one park to the other easily. The hotels are around a 10 minute walk - some being closer than others. The walking paths are well-maintained, but they also offer a variety of transportation options. We love the water taxis when they are offered, but even if you have to take the bus it's a much different experience than what WDW guests are used to. We have never had to wait for a bus to arrive. Not once. And buses aren't jam packed passed the point of personal safety either. I have always gotten a seat on a Universal bus.

Orlando Informer is a great resource to see what attractions and restaurants appeal to you. They will have all the tips. Watch YouTube videos, read trip reports. None of this is essential but it's fun and it will yield some useful info.

 

[DISR]

I definitely wouldn't say we like Universal better, but we do enjoy the lack of intense planning/spontaneity that Universal allows. It is night and day compared to Disney planning. If you can stay in one of the hotels that includes express pass, that is a huge bonus....we have actually considered booking one night at one of these hotels when we were staying somewhere else just to get the express pass. The hotel was cheaper than adding express pass to our tickets separately. We've never made restaurant reservations at Universal, we just walk in. Take that with a grain of salt though....we didn't eat at a lot of signature-level places. There are tons of great options on Sand Lake road that you can Uber to if your Universal choices book up.

 

[mdcpr]

Universal is nowhere near as complicated as Disney (what is really?) There's no ride reservation system. You can walk up to most restaurants - even the busy ones. Reservations are advisable at someplace like Mythos during busy times of year, but you can get them a day or two out. There's no need to plan every second (or any second) of your vacation six months before you take it. Spontaneity is alive and well at Universal!

The best/worst times to go are the same as at that other place. But even at the busiest times of year, you don't get Disney crowds. You know, the kind that make you wish you were never born much less hemorrhaging money at the "happiest place on earth"? Most of the rides at Universal have comparatively high capacity so they will blow through crowds pretty fast even when there is a line.

Of course the ultimate planning tool is ExpressPass. Once we discovered the Deluxe Universal hotels (Portofino is our fave but they are all great), we were hooked. They are a bit pricey, but with ExpressPass you are getting a truly stress-free vacation experience. Planning? Who needs it! We just do what we want to do in the moment. Crazy, right?

One thing you should know is that Universal is teeny tiny compared to Disney. You can walk from one park to the other easily. The hotels are around a 10 minute walk - some being closer than others. The walking paths are well-maintained, but they also offer a variety of transportation options. We love the water taxis when they are offered, but even if you have to take the bus it's a much different experience than what WDW guests are used to. We have never had to wait for a bus to arrive. Not once. And buses aren't jam packed passed the point of personal safety either. I have always gotten a seat on a Universal bus.

Orlando Informer is a great resource to see what attractions and restaurants appeal to you. They will have all the tips. Watch YouTube videos, read trip reports. None of this is essential but it's fun and it will yield some useful info.

I love all of this! Great info. WDW was fantastic, but if we ever go back it will be in a few years because the planning was madness. As for Universal, how many days do you need to explore the parks?

 

[Lilofan]

I know a family that spent a week at Universal Orlando from Christmas to New Years. They commented that the Universal staff exhibit poor guest service and are unfriendly.

 

[mdcpr]

I know a family that spent a week at Universal Orlando from Christmas to New Years. They commented that the Universal staff exhibit poor guest service and are unfriendly.

Poor guest service and unfriendly is very subjective. This can be experienced anywhere.

 

[DISR]

I wouldn't call the Universal Staff poor or unfriendly, but they are overall not as good as the Disney Castmembers IMO. Time to explore depends on a few things: are you trying to do every ride or just the main attractions? Do you have Express Pass? Are you doing Volcano Bay? In general terms 2 days will be a good visit. Three days is a lot of time at Universal. For 4 days I would say a lot of people probably add in Sea World, a pool day, Volcano Bay or other Orlando activities.

 

[mdcpr]

I wouldn't call the Universal Staff poor or unfriendly, but they are overall not as good as the Disney Castmembers IMO. Time to explore depends on a few things: are you trying to do every ride or just the main attractions? Do you have Express Pass? Are you doing Volcano Bay? In general terms 2 days will be a good visit. Three days is a lot of time at Universal. For 4 days I would say a lot of people probably add in Sea World, a pool day, Volcano Bay or other Orlando activities.

I wasn't that impressed with WDW. There were some good CMs, and others not so great. Among all the CMs that I encountered, only 1 went above and beyond. As for the what I want to do, we're interested in some of the main attractions, definitely not all of them. And we're not doing Volcano Bay. Tks for the info!

 

[lebeau]

I know a family that spent a week at Universal Orlando from Christmas to New Years. They commented that the Universal staff exhibit poor guest service and are unfriendly.

That has not been our experience. Not remotely. I have received equal service (good, great and not-so-good) at both resorts.

I love all of this! Great info. WDW was fantastic, but if we ever go back it will be in a few years because the planning was madness. As for Universal, how many days do you need to explore the parks?

It's possible to blow through the highlights in a day, but I don't recommend it. Two days will give you time to see all the essentials without making yourselves miserable. I would personally recommend at least three days to give yourselves some time to explore. Some people complain that there's not much to do at Universal. They don't like simulators or coasters or whatever. I find that these people tend to be the ones who run from one ride to the next without taking the time to look around. For my money, there are a lot more hidden treasures to be discovered at Universal than there are at Disney. That's especially true in the HP lands and I'm not even a Potter fan.

ExpressPass and time of year will impact your wait times obviously. Even with EP, you can encounter some waits at busy times. The rule of thumb is EP will cut your wait in half. So if Minion Mayhem has an hour long line, you may wait for a half hour even with EP (we've never had more than a 20 minute wait but it's possible). If the wait for a ride seems too long, move on. Wait times fluctuate wildly. Keep an eye on the app. Sometimes the crowds will clear out and suddenly even the HP rides will have short lines (except Hagrid).

You'll hear people say that Universal is a two-day resort but it's all in how you do it. We like to stay for an entire week! We'll spend a lot of time at the hotel since getting to and from the parks is so easy. We also spend a day at Volcano Bay which is terrific. We're not even water park people, but it's a great way to mix things up. An entire week makes for a very leisurely pace which won't be for everyone. For most people, I'd recommend somewhere between 2-4 park days.

I am going to share my most recent trip reports if you want some light reading.

2018

2019

 

[RustySpork]

I love all of this! Great info. WDW was fantastic, but if we ever go back it will be in a few years because the planning was madness. As for Universal, how many days do you need to explore the parks?

3-4 days. That will give you ample time to ride all of the attractions, go back to ride what you loved again (multiple times), and also have time to explore the shops and CityWalk. Make sure you do all of the free tours, there are a lot of them.. Men in Black, Fallon, Mummy, the wand shop, and the Lennon Room at Hard Rock.

 

[macefamily]

We've pretty much 'winged' our last couple trips to the FL parks and it worked out well. We went in August and November of last year. Due to work and school schedules, we have done Thursday through Monday stays. We allocated two days for Universal on each trip and that was more than enough time. Universal offers many choices for dining in City Walk.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Universal Orlando is more like a typical theme park in how you plan.
Of course you'll have to find accommodations but that's about all you'll really need to plan.
There's mostly quick service restaurants.
You can purchase express pass.
I'd get a park to park ticket since you're HP fans so you can go on the train.
I wouldn't recommend more than 3 days.
It will be crowded around the usual suspected times like around President's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, etc.

 

[DISR]

Check carefully before purchasing an Express Pass a la cart. The price calendar lists price ranges of $99-$159 per person per day over the new couple of months. The Universal Premier hotels that include express pass for all people staying in a room list for $225-$270 per night for the room on a date I randomly selected. I believe you get express pass for the day of arrival and the day of departure with the stay. Even if you don't ever step foot in your room and stay somewhere else, getting a room for one night would be cheaper and give you at least two days of the pass.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

No one mentioned this, but Universal has a free shuttle to Sea World and Busch Gardens, I think? We never used it because our stays were 2 days. It is so much fun and so freeing to what you want, when you want, and to ride the rides over and over if you want. We rode MIB back to back 4 times! We always stay at a deluxe resort and get the free EP's. It is cost effective for us. You will have a great time at Universal!

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Recently we went to WDW and it took 9 months of planning - 6 months for ADRs, 60 days for FPs and everything that happens in between. The family now wants to go to Universal Studios to see all things Harry Potter. How early in advance should I start planning? Is there a best/worst time to go? Any agencies that specialize on this park? Thank you!!

I recommend 3 days in the parks, and staying at one of Universal's 3 deluxe resorts because you you get free express passes. If you want to make a vacation of it, do 4 days with day 3 being a non-park day. Sleep in then relax by the pool, dinner in CityWalk then see Blue Man Group in the evening.

There are some "not to miss" things that I recommend. Of course all the headliner attractions like all the Potter stuff, Spider-man, Mummy, Kong, Men in Black, Jurassic Park River Adventure, and Hulk. And there is one show that no one mentions but is a lot of fun, the Horror Make-up Show. It's hilarious.

PS, don't ride Fast & Furious: Supercharged. It's impressively bad.

 

[RustySpork]

I recommend 3 days in the parks, and staying at one of Universal's 3 deluxe resorts because you you get free express passes. If you want to make a vacation of it, do 4 days with day 3 being a non-park day. Sleep in then relax by the pool, dinner in CityWalk then see Blue Man Group in the evening.

There are some "not to miss" things that I recommend. Of course all the headliner attractions like all the Potter stuff, Spider-man, Mummy, Kong, Men in Black, Jurassic Park River Adventure, and Hulk. And there is one show that no one mentions but is a lot of fun, the Horror Make-up Show. It's hilarious.

PS, don't ride Fast & Furious: Supercharged. It's impressively bad.

Yup, falling and smashing your face on the pavement would be more enjoyable than F&F Supercharged.

 

[mdcpr]

Check carefully before purchasing an Express Pass a la cart. The price calendar lists price ranges of $99-$159 per person per day over the new couple of months. The Universal Premier hotels that include express pass for all people staying in a room list for $225-$270 per night for the room on a date I randomly selected. I believe you get express pass for the day of arrival and the day of departure with the stay. Even if you don't ever step foot in your room and stay somewhere else, getting a room for one night would be cheaper and give you at least two days of the pass.

Chances are we will stay at one of the Deluxe resorts, and it looks like the Express pass is included!

 

[mdcpr]

No one mentioned this, but Universal has a free shuttle to Sea World and Busch Gardens, I think? We never used it because our stays were 2 days. It is so much fun and so freeing to what you want, when you want, and to ride the rides over and over if you want. We rode MIB back to back 4 times! We always stay at a deluxe resort and get the free EP's. It is cost effective for us. You will have a great time at Universal!

Which Deluxe do you recommend? I'm looking for the quietest one.

 

[RustySpork]

Which Deluxe do you recommend? I'm looking for the quietest one.

They're all pretty quiet, probably equally so. My favorite is actually Royal Pacific as it tends to be the least expensive, and it's quiet. Rooms there are also the smallest of the three though. Hard Rock is bustling and busy, but also quiet at night. I've stayed a few times and no complaints. Portofino Bay is an amazing resort as well and it's quiet. All three offer boat service to CityWalk making transportation very easy.