Universal Studios Orlando Tips and Review

     The last time I visited Universal Studios Orlando, Islands of Adventure had barely begun construction. Back to the Future, Jaws, and the King Kong rides were still the main draws, and Wizarding World of Harry Potter wasn't even a thought. Even though I had been several times as a kid, going into our 1-day, 2-park visit last week, I felt very much green in the ways of Universal.
     Prior to our trip, I tried to research Universal tips and tricks on the ever-reliable web. But alas, there just isn't as much info out there as there is for say, a little place called Walt Disney World. So, I made my best educated guesses on crowd levels and wait times, and came up with a very rough touring plan. Because the main (ok, only) reason for our visit was to see the two Harry Potter lands, my plan centered around those attractions. Everything else came second. If WWoHP is not your main draw, then just adjust to what's important to you. Alrighty then, on with the show...
(Side note: I tried my best to be objective throughout our visit, and with this post, but the Disney geek in me always manages to come out and I find myself comparing the two theme park giants in certain areas. Sorry Universal!)

Parking and Entering
     Universal makes use of a parking deck for guest parking (I'm guessing due to the limited space). They offered preferred or regular parking (the preferred costing about $7 more). As far as I could tell, the only difference in the two was that the preferred was on ground level and the regular was on the upper levels.
     To get to the theme parks, you must go through CityWalk (Universal's version of Downtown Disney). There are huge signs saying "Attractions" that lead you from the parking deck toward the park entrances. Bag check is before you enter CityWalk.
     The parks typically open at 9 a.m., although we arrived earlier than that (around 8:45) and went right in without encountering any kind of rope drop or anything. All the attractions seemed to already be open.

Where To Go First
     Because Diagon Alley is the newest addition to the parks (it just opened summer of 2014), it is typically the most crowded area. It's only attraction (besides the Hogwarts Express), Escape from Gringotts, also typically has the longest line. We headed straight there and the wait time was already 30 minutes. That would have been great, except the ride had technical issues just as we were about to board, and we ended up waiting over an hour. From talking to others who have visited before me, Gringotts is no stranger to ride delays. Sounds like they still have some bugs to work out. The attraction (when it works) is amazing though! The que, which takes you on a tour through the bank, is equally as awesome. It's incredibly detailed and true to the films, as is the whole Diagon Alley. It's an A+ from this Harry Potter geek!

The signs of Diagon Alley with a Gringotts backdrop.

     After Gringotts, we hit a few other attractions in the Universal Studios park (this is the original park. The newest park is called Islands of Adventure). E.T. is a can't miss and one of the original Universal attractions. In all honesty, it's probably still my favorite. The other, newer attractions lack it's storytelling and cohesiveness. We also experienced Men in Black and the Mummy, all with short waits. I'm not sure if this is the norm, or if we just hit the right time of year (January and on a Thursday). We opted to skip the biggest non-Harry Potter attraction, Transformers, but the line didn't appear incredibly long there either.
     With our list of Universal must-dos complete, we hopped aboard the Hogwarts Express and headed to Hogsmeade in the Islands of Adventure Park. You MUST have park-to-park admission to ride the train, as you depart from one park and arrive at another. You must scan your ticket and fingerprint before boarding.

Islands of Adventure
     The village of Hogsmeade hosts three Harry Potter attractions: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, and Dragon Challenge. The Forbidden Journey has the longest wait, although we only waited about 35 minutes. It was my favorite attraction of the day. A definite can't miss, even if you aren't a Harry Potter fan!
     Other than Harry Potter, we only did one other attraction at Islands of Adventure, and that was the carousel at Suess Landing. It was the ONLY attraction our 7 month old was allowed to ride in either park. That was a big bummer, especially considering that there were several attractions similar to those at Disney (like Dumbo or the teacups) that he is allowed to ride at Disney, but not at Universal. I noticed Universal was much more strict about certain things (such as absolutely NO bags on rides) than Disney. But more on that later.

Don't expect a grand castle reveal when you round the corner of Hogsmeade. The theme park version of Hogwarts is actually pretty small...But very detailed!

     Islands of Adventure is where you'll find more thrill rides like the Hulk, Jurassic Park, and Dr. Doom's Fearfall. After researching each one (mostly via YouTube POVs), we decided we could skip most of them. As I mentioned, the Harry Potter areas were what we came to see, so we spend 90% of our time there.
     The parks both closed at 7 p.m. After doing a little golden hour, pre-sunset photography in Hogsmeade, we walked back to the Universal Studios park (which isn't far at all. The parks are rather small), and headed back to Diagon Alley for some ice cream at Fortescue's and so I could do some nighttime photography. Diagon Alley was amazing during the day, but was even more impressive after dark.

To Express Pass or Not to Express Pass
     Express Pass is Universal's version of Disney's FastPass system. At Universal, however, this little pass will cost you extra. Limited passes start at $40 for one park (limited meaning you can only use them once per attraction), or unlimited passes for both parks are $60 (unlimited passes can be used multiple times per attraction). I've never used it, but from what I understand, you can use the pass one time for each attraction that accepts it (if you purchase the one park limited passes), or as many times as you want if you purchase the unlimited. There are no set return times like with Disney's FastPass. Skipping lines always sounds good, but is that extra $40-$60 worth it? From what I saw while we were there, I'd say no. There were no ridiculous wait times for even the most popular attractions, and standby lines moved constantly for everything we rode. Generally speaking, Universal crowds are lighter than Disney crowds on any given day, so I'd recommend saving your Express Pass money for Harry Potter souvenirs (that stuff is outrageous!).

The Great Disney vs. Universal Debate

     Oh, you knew this was coming. This being a Disney blog, it shouldn't be hard to guess my preference, but even so, let's do a little comparison just for academic sake, huh?

Universal Pros

- Lower crowd levels. Universal just isn't as popular as Disney, therefore crowds tend to be lower than at the Disney parks. The original Universal Park was almost like a ghost town, except for Diagon Alley. Islands of Adventure was a little more crowded.
- No magic bands. This one is probably more of a personal preference of mine, but I love that Universal is still pretty old school in their tickets and park entry. A simple paper ticket and fingerprint scan is all you need. No awkward plastic band around your wrist, or trying multiple times to get it to read at park entry. It was a fabulous step back in time.
- Everything is in walking distance. Both theme parks, as well as CityWalk, are all right beside each other. It's just a short walk between each area, making it very easy to park hop as you please.
Universal Cons
- Not very kid-friendly. If you have very young children or infants, you may want to hold off on your Universal trip until they're older. There just isn't a lot for little ones to do here. All but two attractions have height restrictions (and one of those still doesn't allow infants). Suess Landing and Fivel's Play Area are about the only places for little ones to go, and those spots don't offer much.
- Poor park layout. The layout of the parks is not as smooth as Disney's hub and spokes design. Here, there is no "weenie" and no way to really orient yourself in either park. The theming and storytelling is also very lacking. I noticed several attractions that didn't make any thematic sense in the lands where they were located. In fact, I'd say Universal spent all it's theming and detail on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
- Less than friendly staff. Maybe it's just because Cast Members have us spoiled, but we found most of the workers at Universal to be not-so-happy in their work. There were a few who were absolutely wonderful and welcoming, but I saw others being a little rude to park goers, especially the ones who couldn't speak very much English.
- Major ride restrictions. Universal doesn't allow any bags or loose items like cameras on any of their rides (or at least the ones we rode). Those items must be stored in free lockers at each attraction. Because the lockers are located inside the que (and most people don't know they have to store their items there), this causes major line disruption and sometimes confusion. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was the worst. It was so crazy in there, we almost got separated and couldn't fine the actual que. I snuck my camera onto Gringotts, but probably couldn't have gotten away with it on Forbidden Journey. They were brutal about that one. These intense restrictions added to staff unpleasantness as well.
- Cost. There's a common misconception that Universal is cheaper than Disney. Let me tell you right now, that couldn't be more false. Everything we saw, from tickets to souvenirs to food, was more expensive at Universal. Think about it. It costs $300 (tax included) for two adult one-day park-to-park tickets at Universal. That's two theme parks for one day. Two adult one-day park hopper Disney tickets cost $285 (tax included), That's admission to four theme parks. See what I mean. You get more bang for your buck at Disney.

In Conclusion
     It had been 16 years since we had last been to Universal Studios, and will likely be another 10 before we return. While there are things that I really enjoy about the parks (E.T. and Harry Potter are amazing!), overall it's just not the place for me. As a whole, the parks and attractions lack the storytelling and theming that makes a theme park a THEME park, instead of just an amusement park. I wish they had applied as much thought and care into all areas of the parks as they did into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I had heard that those areas rivaled Disney quality as far as detail and theme, and I can say I wholeheartedly agree.
     If you do plan to make a trip to Universal, I'd say one to two days is all you need. There's not really enough to fill up an entire week. If you don't plan to visit the Disney parks at all, consider combining your Universal trip with a stop at Sea World that's just down the road.
     As for me, I'm sure I'll return to Universal again someday. Maybe when my son is old enough to read and enjoy the Harry Potter books and begs to see Hogwarts for himself. Until then, I can say I've sipped Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, shopped in Diagon Alley, and survived the vaults of Gringotts, but I'm still a Disney kid ;)