This is the go-to vacation place for any age group. I loved this place more than Disneyworld 😀 Universal Orlando Resort is much more than Harry Potter! Being a Harry potter fan myself, I enjoyed everything the park had to offer. In this post I’m sharing our top tips for Universal Orlando to help you plan for your most memorable and magical vacation.

We had an incredible two days exploring most of what Universal Orlando Resort has to offer. Writing down these Universal Orlando tips brings back all those beautiful memories!

Universal Orlando Resort consists of three parks:

Universal Studios Florida
Universal’s Islands of Adventure
Universal’s Volcano Bay (Water Park)

Universal city walk is the entertainment and retail districts.

We visited Universal Studio Florida on September 17th, 2018 and Universal’s island of Adventure on September 18th,2018.

Note: A Park admission ticket is required to enter the gates Theme park. This park ticket will allow you to ride all of the rides and see all of the shows for no additional charge. 

We booked our tickets from Universal’s Official Website:
https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/index.html

We did the following 2 selections

We decided and selected 2 theme parks.
1> Universal studio Florida – September 17
2> Universal’s Island of adventure – September 18

I found a Website which shows crowd information:

https://orlandoinformer.com/universal/crowd-calendar/?month=sep&yr=2018#crowdCalendar

So, without wasting any more time here are the tips related to park.

Allotting Time

Select at least 1 day each for the park. We visited Universal Studio and Island of Adventure for 2 days using Park to Park ticket. There is so much to cover and the time we spent with activities was unexpectedly a lot.

Read our story of How we planned our entire Orlando trip.

Purchase your tickets in Advance

Needless to say, Theme parks gets crowded all year round. Even during off-season, you will see a lot of people. But there is one way to avoid a lot of hassle while entering the park.

Book your Park Admission tickets in Advance

Here are some of the best sites to do so:

https://www.universalorlando.com/web-store/en/us/park-tickets/index.html  (Official)
https://reservations.arestravel.com/
https://www.bestoforlando.com/
http://www.reserveorlando.com/
https://www.undercovertourist.com/

After booking, Download Universal Orlando App, it links your reservations, lets you search ride wait times, book dining reservations, purchase souvenirs and also send them to your room.

To save time in lines, use the alerts in the Universal Orlando App to let you know when a wait time has dropped.

If you are a fan of Harry Potter this place is a like heaven. The best season to go to Orlando Universal is September and Early December say 1^st to 15^th. (Off season)

The biggest advantages of buying online is that you can save $20 off the price plus avoid the crowd at the booking center.

Buy a Park to Park Ticket

If you want to jump from 1 park to the other on the same day, then Universal offers Park to Park ticket.
https://www.universalorlando.com/web-store/en/us/park-tickets/index.html

If you are a Harry potter fan, the Park-to-Park ticket is a must have. It allows you travel from 1 park to the other on the famous Hogwarts Express.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is split between the two Universal Florida parks, with Hogsmeade in Universal Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley in Universal Studios.

Both parks have unique shops, rides and experiences, so you’ll want to go to both. You’ll also need a Park to Park pass to ride the Hogwarts Express!

The Park to Park ticket is not same as the Multi day park ticket.

The Multi Day park ticket allows you to access for multiple days but only 1 park per day.

Note: You can walk from One park to park if you do not wish to purchase Park to Park ticket.

A Special Ticket

If you are not a fan of long lines, then you should purchase the Universal Express Pass. This is not a VIP pass, but it is a special ticket that allows you to skip the regular lines for rides and shows after you have entered the park.

Note: This is an Add-On ticket. Universal Express access is not valid for certain attractions.

There are various offers that Universal provides:

You can check them here:

https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/express-passes/index.html#universal-express-passes

We purchased Universal Express Pass with admission tickets. We were glad to have purchased this. Some of the rides had a wait time of 40+ mins, but the Universal Express Pass got us in within 10mins.

The VIP Pass:
Experience the red-carpet life by purchasing the VIP Pass.

The VIP Experience is a guided tour led by a Universal Orlando expert through the most popular rides and attractions. The experience also provides a variety of special benefits before, during, and after the tour. Universal offers a variety of different tours, some of which are private. The VIP Experience can be purchased online at UniversalOrlando.com.

https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/vip-experience/vip-guided-tours/index.html

Where to stay in Orlando

a>Stay on Property

 There are lot of benefits if you are staying on the Universal Orlando property especially if you have a big group.

Some of the resorts offer free Universal Express Pass for each of the guests. If you are outside these select resorts or outside the property it can be pretty expensive to purchase the Universal passes.

Apart from this, you also get

Free Transportation’s i.e. Shuttle facilities to and from the resort.
Early park admissions , on Select days you can enjoy extra hours of the park too.
Lots of Convenient ways of exploring the beautiful park.
Can meet characters in the resort
Have the option of wake-up calls.
Your souvenirs can be parceled directly to your rooms.
You can take a break and come back.

b>Stay off property

If you are 2 people or less, then stay off the property. This way you can save money. There are many websites that offer some pretty nice deals. If you wish you can buy Universal Express pass, it will work out cheaper.

Both Parks offer package pickup at the front gate. So, even if you do not stay at their resorts you can send all your purchases to the front gate and collect it before heading out.

Some of websites are:
https://www.booking.com/
https://www.expedia.com/
https://www.undercovertourist.com
https://www.priceline.com/
https://www.hotwire.com
https://www.airbnb.com/

We booked from Booking.com and stayed lavishly in Double tree 😀

The Official Card – American Express

The best way to save some of your hard-earned money is to use an AMEX card. American Express is the official card of the Universal Orlando Resort and has a variety of discounts.

Enjoy 10% off when you use any American Express Card to purchase $75 of qualifying in-store merchandise in Universal’s Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios Florida. Terms apply.
You must show the merchandise offer code on the Official Universal Orlando Mobile App at the time of purchase.

Enjoy 10% off when you use any American Express Card to purchase a Universal Dining Plan.

Another perk of this place is AMEX card holders can access the air-conditioned lounge inside the park and get free snacks and drinks. The American Express Lounge is open seven days a week from 12–5 pm and subject to availability.

The entrance to the American Express Lounge is in Universal Studios Florida across from Shrek’s Ye Olde Souvenir Shoppe.

Locker Facilities

Some Rides need your hands to be free, so where will you put your bags and other belongings?
Don’t worry, Universal Orlando has you covered. They offer free locker facilities located outside their rides. Remember that these lockers are small so make sure you carry a small backpack, something below 15”.
Be sure to write down or take a picture of your locker number, this will save you time and frustration when you return to retrieve your items.

Money Machines

There are many ATM’s located inside the park. Find the information in the below link.

https://touringplans.com/universal-orlando/money

First Aid stations

At Universal Studios Florida, a First Aid Station is located at Family Services, near the Studio Audience Center at the front of the park. The main Health Services station is located on Canal Street between the New York Street Set and the San Francisco Street Set.

At Universal’s Islands of Adventure, First Aid Stations are located inside the Guest Services Lobby, just to the right of the main entrance turnstiles. The main Health Services station is in Sindbad’s Village within The Lost Continent.

At Universal’s Volcano Bay™, the First Aid Station is located next to the park entrance and is staffed with registered nurses and professional paramedics. If you have any questions or need special assistance, ask any team member.

Daytime kennel service for cats & dogs

There are many hotels on Universal Orlando property that are pet friendly. But you cannot leave your pets unattended in your room while you spend the day at the parks

You can drop off your pets at any of their daytime kennels while you enjoy the day at the park. You need to provide proof of the vaccinations before boarding pets.

Drop off starts as early as 8 am, you pets will have a wonderful time with the caring staff, and you can pick up you pets up to two hours after park close at a charge of $15.00* per pet.

For more information call (407) 224-9509 or fax (407) 224-9516.

https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/plan-your-visit/hours-information/theme-park-services/index.html#kennel-boarding

Choose Dining Plan Options

https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/universal-orlando-dining-plan/index.html

Can you bring food into Universal Studios?

There are lots of lot of options in Universal parks.
If you are a Harry potter fan. It has lot of signature restaurants.

There are many restaurants in City Walk too.

Acceptable items you can take inside include:

Bottled water (maximum 2 liters)
Small snacks that do not require heating
Food required for medical purposes
Food required for special dietary needs
Baby food/baby formula

Also Read our Post about Universal Studios Florida.

Unlimited Thirst quenchers

If you purchase one of the Universal Studios’ refillable cups, you can fill it will Soda, Water, Slushies or Lemonade throughout the day. You will end up saving a lot of money by using the Universal Studios Refillable Cups.

Universal Studios Florida sells Coca-Cola products. Pepsi products can be found at a few CityWalk locations. You cannot buy soda in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley.

The Refillable cup has an RFID chip in the bottom of the cup (hidden away)
One of the standard Universal Studios cups is $15.99 + tax. This includes one day of refills (running from midnight to midnight). Remember, if you’re an annual pass holder then you’ll get a discount on Universal Studios food, drink and merchandise. While one cup will set you back $15.99 + tax you can get; 2 cups at $14.99 each plus tax,3 – 6 cups at $12.99 each plus tax. And yes, you can use this cup on different days too you simply pay a reactivation fee + tax which will cover the cup being reactivated and used for that entire day (until midnight)

Universal Studios Park Essentials

Poncho
Waterproof Phone Case
Autograph Books
Specialty Souvenirs Ex: Harry Potter robes before your trip, Interactive Wands ,T-shirts.
Bring a Lanyard to put tickets, Credit, Cards.
Sunscreen
Sunglasses with strap
Small towel or change of clothes
Comfy Shoes that can get wet too.
Mobile charger/Power Bank
Pain reliever
Band-aids
Wipes and Kleenex
Bag Pack – Small
Moleskin Blister Dressing
Swimwear
Dry Towel
Cooling Towel
Water Bottle
Hand Sanitizer
Summary/Itinerary for Universal (Take printouts)
Tablets for fever, cold and motion sickness
Hair band and bobby pins
Chub Rub (Body Glide)
Watch
Chapstick and other beauty essentials

Good news for Rider lovers

Universal offers amazing options for ride lovers.

1>Child Swap

This allows one member of your party to wait in a designated area along with any children who is unable or unwilling to participate. Once the rest of your group is off the ride, just trade places and take your seat on the ride while those who rode previously stay with the child(ren). For more information or instructions, please ask a ride attendant upon arrival to the theme park.

2>Single Rider Line

If you want to get onto the rides quicker, and don’t mind riding without the rest of your group, use the single rider line. This will save you a lot of time in queues.

Single riders wait in a separate queue and are slipped into vacant seats left by large groups without impacting the other lines.

Know the Height Requirements of Rides

To ensure you have a vacation that’s both fun and safe, certain rides and attractions at the Universal Studios theme parks have height-based restrictions.

https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/plan-your-visit/hours-information/ride-height-requirements/index.html

Personal Tips:

I highly recommend watching the movies or TV shows featured at the parks before visiting.

There’s free WiFi throughout the park. We found it fast and reliable, so turn off your data roaming to save money. Thanks, Universal!

Make sure you check closing times! Closing times for Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure can be different.

Check the park opening time here:
https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/plan-your-visit/hours-information/park-hours/index.html

Watch videos of every ride (but not the full video), choose your favorite rides in advance, so that you can avoid confusions. Also, you should decide for yourself if the rides are kid friendly.

There are free park brochures at the entrance of Universal Studios Florida; be sure to grab one when you get in the park. The brochure includes a park map, show times, and other important park announcements.

Make sure to collect a hard copy of Ticket and other additional copies from Guest services. It is easy to carry around in a lanyard.