5 Tips For Universal Orlando!

A New Theme for February!​

Here we are, already in the first week of February and it seems like only yesterday we were enjoying some Christmas cheer at Universal!

I’m always asked to give my top 5 of this or that, so I thought I’d devote my February blogs to some top five lists.  Today, we will start with My Top Five Tips for Universal Orlando

My #5 best tip is always get a Park to Park ticket. 

​Why?  Because you can’t ride the Hogwart’s Express without it!  Since its a different experience in both directions, you really want to experience it both ways.  You say you probably won’t want to ride it?  Are you sure?  I can’t tell you the number of people that I’ve heard say that and then realize that the part of Harry Potter they really wanted to see was in the ‘other’ park and they didn’t want to wait until the next day. Don’t believe me?  There is a ticket office outside both train stations and all they do is add the Park to Park option on tickets for people wanting to ride the train!
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Save yourself some time and get it before you leave home. Trust me.  This isn’t worth saving the extra few dollars on.​

My #4 best tip is to take advantage of the Early Park admission.
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​Each morning one park will have Early Park admission for guests staying onsite.  During busier times it might be both parks.  While not ALL rides will be open during that time (mainly it is the Harry Potter areas open) it is enough to give you the jump on a lot of the crowds.

​One note.  Hagrid’s sometimes isn’t open during that one extra hour and sometimes it is.  I’m hoping that during its small ride maintenance coming up from February 21 to March 5 that it will be more reliable in the mornings.

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My #3 best tip is to stay on property. 
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​Not only do you get the benefits of the Early Park admission, but you also can have your  purchases sent back to your resort.  Then there is the complimentary transportation between the parks and your resort; the proximity to the parks; and the ease of going back to your room for a midday break!

My #2 best tip is to take a VIP tour. 

Why?  If you are planning on purchasing one day standalone Express Passes, a non private VIP tour for a family of four would cost around $120 more (this is approximate and changes with both availability and dates). With the non private VIP tour you are also getting both breakfast and lunch for your party of four (which brings the cost much closer).  You are also getting  true front of the line access for 10-12 attractions usually including Hagrid’s and Velocicoaster during the tour, and Express Pass after the tour ends for rides you didn’t ride and more!

(In case you are wondering - this is money well spent!)

My #1 best tip is to get Express Pass!  Or to stay at a resort that has free Express Pass. 

But wait, you say those are expensive resorts.  Yes, they are, but after you do the math, you will find that not only are you getting a Premier resort with all the bells and whistles, you are saving money.  I’ve had many clients who didn’t believe me.  So I quoted them both a Value with Express Pass and a Premier with the Express Pass included.  The Premier was less expensive every time there were more than 3 guests! 

But why do I say you need Express Pass? Without Express Pass you are standing in lines all day.  With Express Pass, you are still standing in lines, but you are riding twice as many rides.  You are having time to explore Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.  You are able to see the shows.  You are able to enjoy the food.  In short, you can enjoy your vacation and not a forced march.  

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So, there you have it.  My top five tips for Universal Orlando.  But don't worry, I have much, much more.  In fact it was very hard to narrow it down to only five! 
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I save the rest of my tips for my clients that book with me.  So, make that decision to visit Universal soon, then contact me by clicking my calendly link and let's get started booking that trip, where you will get ALL my  tips and tricks!