Expert Planner opinions for first time visitors

[Elliemay2]

Hi! Our Disney vaca got cancelled, but our VRBO house couldn't. We are going to tackle Universal for the first time. Please help us with any tips/tricks/touring plans. Thanks!
We want to get as much out of it as we can, but we know nothing about Universal. I could plan Disney all day everyday.

-2 families of 5 with mostly teen kiddos.
-We are arriving a day early to stay at Royal Pacific (Express passes) (Note: One family will not arrive in Orlando until Noon)
-4 day park to park tickets
-Sunday (7/12) - Arrive- Park day using EP (Cannot go until afternoon) - Stay at resort
-Monday - Park day using EP Early entry - Stay at VRBO house
-Tuesday - Free day
-Wednesday - Volcano Bay (2 single cabanas rented)
-Thursday - Universal (No EP)
-Friday - Travel Home

Thank you again!

 

[TommyJK]

Based on everything you are doing, you don't need to plan. You will have EP and 4 days worth of tickets.

Go to the park and enjoy at your own leisure. Even without EP on that last thursday, with crowds still looking light at the moment you will be fine.

Only real "planning" I would say is to have a look at the park maps and where the attractions are so you have your bearings when you get there.

 

[e_yerger]

Agree with above poster - you’re plan is enough! Last time we did Universal we “planned” our dining and experiences. My boyfriend wanted to do Olivanders, and that line can get pretty long. We made that a priority one morning. We looked at restaurants in CityWalk and other resorts to see if there was anything unique. We loved Cowfish in CityWalk and the brunch at The Kitchen at HardRock is delicious!

 

[DisneyLifePapioNe]

Hi! Our Disney vaca got cancelled, but our VRBO house couldn't. We are going to tackle Universal for the first time. Please help us with any tips/tricks/touring plans. Thanks!
We want to get as much out of it as we can, but we know nothing about Universal. I could plan Disney all day everyday.

-2 families of 5 with mostly teen kiddos.
-We are arriving a day early to stay at Royal Pacific (Express passes) (Note: One family will not arrive in Orlando until Noon)
-4 day park to park tickets
-Sunday (7/12) - Arrive- Park day using EP (Cannot go until afternoon) - Stay at resort
-Monday - Park day using EP Early entry - Stay at VRBO house
-Tuesday - Free day
-Wednesday - Volcano Bay (2 single cabanas rented)
-Thursday - Universal (No EP)
-Friday - Travel Home

Thank you again!

I agree also with what the others have said....

A tip or 2 you may already be aware of....

Take advantage of early entry and rotate which attractions to hit first on those mornings.

Also grab lunch a bit early to avoid a long lunch wait and catch the afternoon slow down once things settle.

 

[glocon]

Not sure if anything has changed with covid, but at UO you can pool hop if you want to. CB and PBH have pretty good pools.

 

[macraven]

My only suggestion is to look at the park maps on the UO website

It helps to know the layout of the parks before you go.
You can read about each ride/ attraction and have an idea which rides are your priority.

 

[only hope]

Normally planning beyond knowing to go early to enjoy Diagon Alley isn’t necessary. Things are different for now. No preshows for rides, characters have masks and are kept separate from guests, new procedures everywhere.

The Ollivanders show experience is now by reservation only and slots fill up quickly.

Try to eat at off-peak times to reduce the chance of having to wait for a table. Capacities are reduced right now. If you want sit down, reservations are more necessary now to avoid a long wait.

Download the app ahead of time and become familiar with it. Some quick service are only taking mobile orders.

To avoid wasting plastic for water refills, you now have to either bring in all the water you want for the day, buy a freestyle cup (which is still plastic), or be willing to refill from fountains. Employees can no longer refill bottles for you, which makes no sense as the freestyle machines are still in use.

Bring neck gaiters, not masks. Masks are too hot. Neck gaiters are breathable and looser around the mouth.

 

[nkereina]

Bring neck gaiters, not masks. Masks are too hot. Neck gaiters are breathable and looser around the mouth.

I believe Universal allows neck gaiters, but Disney will not be - I know that's off-topic here, but just mentioning for anyone who may heed this advice. I'll also add that in my experience, I prefer a light colored cotton mask to a neck gaiter. The neck gaiter makes my neck hot and sweaty. YMMV.

OP, I agree with all PPs that there's not much else to consider. We're two adults in our 30s and find that Universal generally takes us longer than Islands of Adventure, so we tend to spend more time there. Park hopping is easier than at WDW - quick walk or Hogwarts Express ride between parks. Also, we prefer the dining options at City Walk so we'll usually do a quick service lunch in the parks and dinner later on at City Walk.

 

[e_yerger]

I believe Universal allows neck gaiters, but Disney will not be - I know that's off-topic here, but just mentioning for anyone who may heed this advice. I'll also add that in my experience, I prefer a light colored cotton mask to a neck gaiter. The neck gaiter makes my neck hot and sweaty. YMMV.

OP, I agree with all PPs that there's not much else to consider. We're two adults in our 30s and find that Universal generally takes us longer than Islands of Adventure, so we tend to spend more time there. Park hopping is easier than at WDW - quick walk or Hogwarts Express ride between parks. Also, we prefer the dining options at City Walk so we'll usually do a quick service lunch in the parks and dinner later on at City Walk.

Where did Disney say no neck gaiters?

 

[nkereina]

Where did Disney say no neck gaiters?

They didn't explicitly say "no neck gaiters", but the guidance they released on what an acceptable face covering is says this:

-Fully cover an individual’s nose and mouth and allow the Guest to remain hands-free
-Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
-Be secured with ties or ear loops
-Be made of breathable material, either disposable or reusable

The third point would make neck gaiters non-compliant. Now, will CMs let neck gaiters slide or potentially be up to CM discretion? Very possibly, but I would have a back-up plan if I were bringing a neck gaiter to Disney in the near future.

https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney.go.com/question/face-shield-count-face-covering-mask-429158/

 

[Elliemay2]

Thank you everyone!
We do want to everything. Being that we will not get to the park on our first day until afternoon:
Should we eat before?
Should we choose one park over the other?
We do want to ride Hogwarts Express, but we could do it another day if better.
What are the hardest things to get to do (rides, food reservation....)? We want to be prepared to wait to do them if we need to.
How do we make reservations for Ollivanders?
What order should we do things so that we are not criss crossing the parks?

The Ollivanders show experience is now by reservation only and slots fill up quickly.

 

[macraven]

If I read your first post correctly, you are staying one night onsite then staying offsite for vrbo?

Second family arrives after you ?

take advantage of the ep since you are staying at
RP
You can use it the next day even though you are checking out for an offsite hotel.

 

[e_yerger]

Thank you everyone!
We do want to everything. Being that we will not get to the park on our first day until afternoon:
Should we eat before?
Should we choose one park over the other?
We do want to ride Hogwarts Express, but we could do it another day if better.
What are the hardest things to get to do (rides, food reservation....)? We want to be prepared to wait to do them if we need to.
How do we make reservations for Ollivanders?
What order should we do things so that we are not criss crossing the parks?

Make sure to ride the Hogwarts Express both ways - it's different each time!

Since you'll have EP, just go in the order as things go. I would suggest starting your mornings in Hogsmeade or Diagon Ally, and then move around the park.

 

[Elliemay2]

If I read your first post correctly, you are staying one night onsite then staying offsite for vrbo?

Second family arrives after you ?

HI! Yes you read it correctly. We booked one night at RP just for the EP.
We are driving and may or may not arrive by Noon.
The other family is flying (couldn't get refunds on previous flights so they are using them for this).
Their flight arrives just before Noon and they will have to get a rental and meet us at RP before we head to the parks.

It is my understanding that we can use EP the day of check-in (afternoon due to arrival) and the day of check-out only.

This will be our first visit. We do have some very big fans of Harry Potter and want to be sure to see and do everything.
We also have some big fans of Marvel.

Thank you!!!!!!

 

[only hope]

Reservations for Ollivanders are in person. I’d sign up first thing on your last morning, since you won’t have express. I’d recommend doing all the rides the two days since you will have express. The day without express you can take in the details, watch the shows, meet characters, and reride favorites. If you want to ride Hagrid’s, I would try doing that day one though even though there’s no express. The virtual queue can be very hard to get. If you do manage to ride it day one and love it, then you’ve still got two more days to try to reride.

 

[e_yerger]

Reservations for Ollivanders are in person. I’d sign up first thing on your last morning, since you won’t have express. I’d recommend doing all the rides the two days since you will have express. The day without express you can take in the details, watch the shows, meet characters, and reride favorites. If you want to ride Hagrid’s, I would try doing that day one though even though there’s no express. The virtual queue can be very hard to get. If you do manage to ride it day one and love it, then you’ve still got two more days to try to reride.

I agree with all of this, except of when to do Olivanders. If you plan on buying a wand, I would do it your first day, or as soon as you can. Diagon Ally is VERY interactive with the wands, and it's part of the experience. We spent half a day just doing all of the "spells" with our wands. It's very fun!

 

[nkereina]

Should we eat before?

If you mean eat before arriving at RPR, then yes I would say so. There's not really a "quick service" type option at RPR, so if you don't eat before arriving at the hotel, the best options for a quick/easy lunch would be in the parks.

Should we choose one park over the other?

IOA takes us less time than UO, but we're just two adults. With a larger group and teens, that may not be the case. Although, I think part of the reason IOA takes us less time is because we breeze through Seussland. We're generally not interested in any of the family oriented rides there.

Another thing to consider are the water rides at IOA. All of them have the potential to get you drenched. Jurassic Park is hit or miss, but Ripsaw Falls is a pretty safe bet you will be soaked. Because of this, we strategically do the water rides as our very last stop at IOA before we had back to the hotel.

We do want to ride Hogwarts Express, but we could do it another day if better.

I've seen the lines backed up for HE, so I would do it on the days you have EP. It doesn't matter when you do it, so I would just save it for when you're ready to hop over to the next park. As PP said, be sure to ride it in both directions.

What are the hardest things to get to do (rides, food reservation....)?

I'm not aware of any difficult dining reservations. We don't even make reservations most of the time. Leaky Cauldron and Three Broomsticks, the two QS restaurants in the two Potter areas, can get backed up for lunch. If you want to dine there, I'd recommend going before or after the lunch crowd.

As far as rides, Hagrid's does not have EP. Because its still new, the waits get backed up. I would do this first thing in the morning on your second day.

What order should we do things so that we are not criss crossing the parks?

With EP, order does not matter. That's the beauty of it. We usually just pick a direction and start there. Some die-hard Potter fans will recommend visiting Diagon Alley in UO first, and then riding Hogwart's Express over to Hogsmeade because it replicates the order Harry lived it in the movies. But we just do what's convenient for us. I would take advantage of your park to park tickets especially when you have the EPs though so you can get as much done as possible. When you visit on your last day, you can then focus on re-riding your favorites in either park since you won't have EP then.

 

[Erica Ladd]

Is Hagrids relatively successful if you do it during early entry???

 

[nkereina]

Is Hagrids relatively successful if you do it during early entry???

I believe right now its Universal that has early entry and Hagrids is in IOA. Only one park or the other offers it, and they switch it periodically. But if its being offered at IOA when you're there, that's the time I would try to do it.

 

[Monykalyn]

Is Hagrids relatively successful if you do it during early entry???

We got there yesterday an hour before park opening (issues with annual passes linked to wrong accounts) so we were only about 3 groups back from the gate. They did open a few minutes early. Calm walk through Seussland and we didn’t stop walking until just before load platform at Harris’s to get sanitizer. Hagruds is so awesome forgot I was wearing a mask . Picture is a snapshot of these times