finally trying out universal for a day, any advice?

[smurphym]

after several trips to disney, and not really having any interest in universal, we're considering spending one day there on our next trip. we dont know the 1st thing about heading over there. whats the best way to get a one day ticket, from the universal website? how about transportation from our disney resort? we are not interested in uber. are there any shuttles? if not, what can i expect to pay a taxi? are they currently doing their version of fast passes? any other do's or don'ts for just one day there. thank you so much for your help!

 

[ElizabethG]

I don’t have any advice. We are in the same boat. We are considering a day on our next WDW trip. We are thinking about doing their 1 day VIP tour.

 

[CarolynFH]

You can get lots of good, current advice here: https://www.disboards.com/forums/universal-studios-islands-of-adventure-forums.30/.
And this thread from the Transportation forum might help - you can post questions to this thread or to the board itself: https://www.disboards.com/threads/transportation-to-us-ioa.2517318/.

 

[princesscinderella]

I would recommend since you are only planning one day to get a one night stay at one of their premium hotels that give you express access so you can get on the rides much quicker. It’s included as a hotel perk but costs up to $100 per person to buy as a day guest. If you are a family of 4 it’s like the hotel stay is free. There’s a lot see and to do it in one day you would need the express pass. If you are Harry Potter fans you will need a two park ticket to experience all the areas and the Hogwarts express.

 

[smurphym]

You can get lots of good, current advice here: https://www.disboards.com/forums/universal-studios-islands-of-adventure-forums.30/.
And this thread from the Transportation forum might help - you can post questions to this thread or to the board itself: https://www.disboards.com/threads/transportation-to-us-ioa.2517318/.

great, thank you

 

[smurphym]

I would recommend since you are only planning one day to get a one night stay at one of their premium hotels that give you express access so you can get on the rides much quicker. It’s included as a hotel perk but costs up to $100 per person to buy as a day guest. If you are a family of 4 it’s like the hotel stay is free. There’s a lot see and to do it in one day you would need the express pass. If you are Harry Potter fans you will need a two park ticket to experience all the areas and the Hogwarts express.

ok thank you

 

[AllisonLB1994]

I went in December of 2019 (week before Christmas). We did 2 days with no park hopper so we did one park per day. It was just my husband and I so we got up early and were there at park openings both days.

If you want thrill rides, best advice I can give you is to NOT go to HP land first thing. That is where everyone goes. We did Hulk, Rip Ride Rocket, etc first and found that we beat all those crowds. We typically left after lunch both days as we had done the majority of rides. Depending on your pace and if you want to do a full day, you can get a lot done. We were at OKW and Ubered/Lyfted back and forth.

 

[redrosesix]

agreed with above -- everyone heads for HP first thing. If you're planning to do both parks and are interested in HP, start on the Studios side first and take the train from Platform 9 3/4 to Hogwarts.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

There are 2 parks with a Harry Potter section in each park. So if you want to see all of Harry Potter and/or both parks, you’ll need either 2 days worth of tickets or one day park to park ticket. I know you said no Uber but that’s probably your quickest and cheapest bet. We always drive our own car there. We are also DVC members and we do universal each trip, usually 2 or 3 days. They’re great parks. You can easily do the parks without the express pass but it is nice to have. Glad you’re giving universal a try, it really is worth it.

 

[Claudia1]

We do this often and I agree 100% on getting a room with an express pass, if the express pass is a deal breaker for you. The resort express pass is unlimited but the purchased one is one time/ride. If you are going at an extremely low time, tho, it may not be worth the cost but even a regular day will keep you in lines long enough that you won't be able to do everything in one day.

Mears has a shuttle service for $11.50/per/trip plus tip. We have used them and they sometimes are 10-15 minutes late, so be sure to request them early. If you are only doing one day, every minute counts. We like them in the evening because Ubers and Lyfts often have surge pricing at closing. We like getting transportation to and from a resort, which is easier to access.

 

[smurphym]

I would recommend since you are only planning one day to get a one night stay at one of their premium hotels that give you express access so you can get on the rides much quicker. It’s included as a hotel perk but costs up to $100 per person to buy as a day guest. If you are a family of 4 it’s like the hotel stay is free. There’s a lot see and to do it in one day you would need the express pass. If you are Harry Potter fans you will need a two park ticket to experience all the areas and the Hogwarts express.

thank you

 

[smurphym]

I went in December of 2019 (week before Christmas). We did 2 days with no park hopper so we did one park per day. It was just my husband and I so we got up early and were there at park openings both days.

If you want thrill rides, best advice I can give you is to NOT go to HP land first thing. That is where everyone goes. We did Hulk, Rip Ride Rocket, etc first and found that we beat all those crowds. We typically left after lunch both days as we had done the majority of rides. Depending on your pace and if you want to do a full day, you can get a lot done. We were at OKW and Ubered/Lyfted back and forth.

thank you

 

[smurphym]

I went in December of 2019 (week before Christmas). We did 2 days with no park hopper so we did one park per day. It was just my husband and I so we got up early and were there at park openings both days.

If you want thrill rides, best advice I can give you is to NOT go to HP land first thing. That is where everyone goes. We did Hulk, Rip Ride Rocket, etc first and found that we beat all those crowds. We typically left after lunch both days as we had done the majority of rides. Depending on your pace and if you want to do a full day, you can get a lot done. We were at OKW and Ubered/Lyfted back and forth.

thank you

 

[smurphym]

We do this often and I agree 100% on getting a room with an express pass, if the express pass is a deal breaker for you. The resort express pass is unlimited but the purchased one is one time/ride. If you are going at an extremely low time, tho, it may not be worth the cost but even a regular day will keep you in lines long enough that you won't be able to do everything in one day.

Mears has a shuttle service for $11.50/per/trip plus tip. We have used them and they sometimes are 10-15 minutes late, so be sure to request them early. If you are only doing one day, every minute counts. We like them in the evening because Ubers and Lyfts often have surge pricing at closing. We like getting transportation to and from a resort, which is easier to access.

thank you. where do you set up your mears reservation? their website, call them, disney concierge?

 

[Claudia1]

Website. We used them because we have an ECV to transport. If you are not sure about Universal drop off spots, you could call them for confirmation. Good luck!

 

[keishashadow]

OP definitely peruse the threads in the Universal Boards, lot of great info there

you definitely want a park to park ticket. I suggest picking up a two day ticket. If you enjoy the parks, it’s not much more $ to upgrade to an annual pass. Even lowest tier, seasonal, gives access to many perks; including substantial AP room discounts.

I strongly urge people to book one night onsite at one of the premium U onsite properties that offer the free FOTL pass. It is valid for both your check in & out days.

Another suggestion is to book that portion of your split stay at the end of the trip. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a WDW standby line yearning for that FOTL access

 

[kniquy]

whats the best way to get a one day ticket, from the universal website? how about transportation from our disney resort?

One thought would be to actually spend one night at universal. There is a lot to see there so you could actually benefit from 2 days there. I would choose one of the resorts that offer the express pass (which can cost ($100+) per person. When you get a hotel room for one night it actually gets you 2 days of express pass (so a value of about $800 if you had a family of 4). Check out Loews hotel site for booking directly through them. Royal Pacific is the most reasonably priced. Tickets you can get at undercover tourist and I would get the park-2-park tickets so you can bounce between the 2 parks, but not completely necessary, you do save a bit of money if only getting the base ticket.

As for transportation we use Tony Hinds - prompt and reasonably priced.