First time Universal experience

[wosmack]

We are going at the end of May to WDW and was wanting to take my family of 4 over to Universal for one day. Of course, the ticket prices online are very expensive, but I was wondering if anybody had tips for me to buy tix cheaper and whether or not you felt like 1 day at Universal was enough to get good experience? Any tips greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

[Squirlz]

You probably won't find anyone here who thinks one day is enough. We go for 8 or 9. Not much discount to be found on one day tickets.

 

[macraven]

One day for both theme parks at UO at the end of May (memorial weekend?)
would be over whelming

Go when you have more time to be there

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I would recommend 2 days; I prefer 3 myself. I also like to get park-to-park. When I bought my tickets from UT it was under a deal for buy 2 days get 3rd free just to give an example.

1-day tickets at both WDW and USO aren't generally seen as a good deal financially speaking and this is the case for many amusement or theme parks.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

if you are Harry Potter fans, prepare to be amazed! You will probably need two days to see it all. Well......most of it. Arrive early! Study park maps in advance so you have an idea of what rides are in each park and each section. Download the Universal app in advance. have fun!

 

[pattyw]

I agree with the others- one day isn't enough to see it all. I would at least try to spend two days. It would be ideal if you could stay onsite at a deluxe and will get two full days of unlimited express pass for all in your party. Then you could do both parks leisurely.

 

[Slapshot1188]

Totally agree that one day would not be long enough.

You may want to check out Seaworld instead. You still won’t get to do everything there but you can do a big chunk of it and definitely get a good feeling of the Seaworld experience.

 

[nighttowll]

As much as I love Universal, I wouldn’t recommend trying to do 1 day for a first trip during a busy time. I think you would be setting yourself up to spend a lot of money and then be disappointed with the outcome.

Each park takes a day to a day and half to see. You can do both parks in one day, but that requires a good plan, EP passes, being ok with not doing everything, and lots of rushing around. It wouldn’t be a very enjoyable to trip.

I feel like one of the biggest reasons people enjoy Universal so much is because it is so relaxed compared to Disney. You can really take your time to explore, sleep in, lounge by the pool, no meal reservations needed, no ride reservations needed, no advance planning needed, just a nice laid back vacation. However, you only get this effect if you stay 3 or more days onsite and have early entry for HP and EP.

By trying to fit both parks into one day during a busy time, you can forget any relaxing. You’d need EP, and I think most would agree the cost for EP wouldn’t be worth it for one day. Best deal is to get EP through a hotel stay, one night stay gets you two days EP for every person in the room, so you can see right there alone, one day only isn’t really worth it.


I second spending a day at Seaworld instead.

1. If money is an option, SW is the more economical choice.
   • For less than a Uni one park one day ticket ($130), you can get a SW one day ticket ($80), reserved seating for shows, and unlimited skip the line on the rides ($30), totaling $110 for the day. The equivalent at Universal would be over $200 and not include reserved show seating. This makes SW a much better value for your money.
   • SW also has one of the few dining packages around that can actually save you money. ($35adults / $20 kids). What sets it apart from the packages offered at other parks is that it is unlimited dining. You can eat as many meals a day as you want. You aren’t limited to only 1 lunch and 1 dinner a day. You get one meal per every hour.
2. In general, SW is also less crowded then the other parks, so this makes it a better option for crowded times.
3. It is mainly made up of viewing tanks / aquariums and shows. These handle crowds well, so again, a better option.
4. As far as the rides go, with a little planning you can get by without any type of paid front of the line skipping. You just need to do the big rides first thing.
   • However, if you do find you need skip the line, it is much cheaper than paying for EP, only $20 for rides, $28 for both rides and shows verses over $100 at Universal.

If you are set on one day at Universal, here’s my recommendations.

To save money, pick only one park and focus on it, or if going for HP, focus only on that. Either way be prepared to wait in some long lines.

1. IOA only ($130) + EP ($109)
2. US only ($130) + EP ($109)
3. HP only ($185) + EP ($129)

IOA
This would be my choice if only going to one park in the summer. The attention to detail in the different lands is done very well here, it has options for all ages especially younger children, it has the water rides to help cool off in the heat, and it has the Hogwarts Castle.

1. The Dr. Seuss area is very well done and if you have any younger children, provides a great place for them to have fun.
2. All ages can enjoy the attractions in the Lost Continent area. Although, I don’t suggest Poseidon’s Fury for preschool / toddlers or children scared of the dark.
3. Hogsmeade and the Hogwarts Castle form the basis of HP, so again this makes this park a good choice. If new to HP, you really only need a knowledge of the first book or movie to enjoy this area. If a fan, the one thing you don’t want to miss is the castle.
4. Jurassic Park and Toon Lagoon have good family friendly water ride options as well as a couple play areas for kids.
5. Marvel Super Hero Island has fun rides for older kids and teens.

Lines for rides will get long by lunch. Choose your must do rides (excluding HP) and hit those first in the morning. Of the rides, Hulk, Spiderman, Kong, P flyers for small kids will get the longest lines. The Dr. Seuss rides can also get long during the busiest parts of the day, so if you have small children and these are a must, you might want to split up and one parent hit Dr. Seuss and the other hit Marvel. Raptor Encounter can also get long, so if this is a must, I’d try to hit it as soon as you finish the headliner rides because it opens later than he rest of the park. Then, I’d either do Lost Continent shows or the water rides in the afternoon during the busiest hottest part of the day. The water rides will have long lines, but they will cool you off. There are also a number of play areas if you have younger children (1 in TL, 2 in JP, 1 in Dr. Seuss). The busy afternoon would be a good time to break and visit those. Discovery Center is air conditioned, and the caves in JP are cool as well. If I ran the zoo is a splash play area geared more toward 6 and under, but good for cooling off as well. Save HP for as late in the day as possible. You won’t have early entry, so by regular entry, it will already be packed. Best hope is lower crowds at end of the day. I’d finish with dinner at the 3 Broomsticks which is shouldn’t be missed.


Whatever you decide, do your research. Orlando Informer is a great resource for Universal. Undercover Toursit and Triple A offer the best discounts, although you won’t find many for 1 day tickets. Prepare yourself for crowds and long lines and not being able to fit everything in. If you are ok with all that, you can still have a good time. Lots of people go just to see HP which can be achieved in one day, and they have a great time.