First trip advice

[disneydietitian]

I would appreciate advice from Universal experts! We are Disney people, but thinking of visiting Universal this summer- both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I would ideally like to just visit for one day and park hop to try it out. We are not into Harry Potter and these are the rides that my son say he wants to do for sure- Transformers, Jimmy Fallon and the Simpsons at Universal Studios and Hulk, Velocicoaster & Spiderman at Islands of Adventure. There are a few other things we wouldn't mind riding if time allows, but those are the priorities. Can we do this in one day in mid July without express passes or are those a must? How are the wait times? I know you can get the express pass with a premier hotel stay but we are staying on DVC points and not really wanting to move. Thanks!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You can do that, just be prepared that you'll be waiting in lines for each (maybe not Fallon, they often have a virtual queue for that one).

If possible, midweek is better and arriving early is also helpful - and staying late if that is also feasible. A show or sit down lunch and/or dinner will allow for good AC breaks. It should be pretty long hours in July which is to your benefit - short lines in the evening, and you can either plan a dinner break then finish strong, or plan to eat late after parks close.

Even if it's an hour wait for each of your must-dos, you've got plenty of time. And lines early / late in the day won't be that bad.

How old is your son? If you are comfortable riding separately, the single rider lines for Hulk, Transformers, & Spiderman are typically very efficient. Either for the first ride if the line is excessive, or for a quick reride.

I would not bother with the Hogwarts Express train if you are not Harry Potter fans and have no Express Passes, the line will take longer than just walking between parks. Plus you can stop for lunch or dinner in CityWalk while you're hopping anyways.

I would also suggest downloading the Universal Orlando App, for wait times & show times.

 

[disneydietitian]

Thank you! My son is 17 and he does single rider in WDW so that is definitely an option.

 

[Skywalker3]

Hey, That can be done, but likely will have waits for some of it. We did a similar start of the day over a busy Columbus day weekend, 2022, but we did have an advantage of early entry from being onsite, but no express. Our 'route' that day was 1. Velocicoaster (wait not too bad, but about 30 mins mainly because Hagrids was down, and everyone rushed to VC, usually not too bad wait in the AM) 2. Hulk, (about 20-25 mins) then 3 Dr Doom, and 4. Spider man. Can't remember the Spider man wait, maybe 30-40 mins, then we went to Universal, and pretty sure we did Simpsons next. Wait maybe 20-30 mins but that queue/wait in general can build . Then we did MiB. After you do the few things in IoA, I"d hoof it over to Universal and just pick based on wait times there. Transformers waits can build a lot too, so try and knock out either it or Simpsons. MiB is such a fun ride, may want to work that in. It will be super hot in July, and then Florida is prone to daily afternoon showers, which may affect the coasters/outdoor rides, so try and do as many of those asap. Also, get as early as possible. I've driven twice now from Boadwalk to Universal in the AM to check in , and I tried to leave at 6:30 AM at the latest, lucked out w no traffic either time, But we were parking at hotels/checking in. No idea what the garage is like early in the AM. Leaving Disney a little earlier might be better.
Happy planning. Hope y'all get to work in some Universal time. It's great fun!!!

 

[MousetersInc]

See my comments on this other first-timer thread, though that's one with a 5-year-old Harry Potter fan. By the way, even for a non-Potter-fan, Hagrid's coaster is very fun, though it's also the longest wait in the park. It could be worth squeezing in at park close. And unless you're specifically anti-Harry Potter, it can be impressive to see the theming of those areas, just as Pandora or Galaxy's edge at WDW could be appreciated by non-fans.

Take your time to appreciate details in queues. The Jimmy Fallon ride is nothing spectacular, but if you enjoy the Late Show, the queue is full of video clips that you might remember. And the queue for the Simpsons ride is almost more fun than the ride itself.

Conventional wisdom might tell you to rope-drop Velocicoaster, but its wait times actually go down as the day progresses. On the other hand, save time because you might want a second ride. It's easily the most fun roller coaster I've ever been on, by orders of magnitude. You might rope-drop Hulk instead; it might be a walk-on. But note, if it's an "Early admission" day, Hulk might not be running that early. In February it isn't, but Spiderman is.

The Universal app has a nice feature that, if the wait time for a ride is higher than you want, you can have it alert you when it drops below a certain level.

 

[disneydietitian]

Hey, That can be done, but likely will have waits for some of it. We did a similar start of the day over a busy Columbus day weekend, 2022, but we did have an advantage of early entry from being onsite, but no express. Our 'route' that day was 1. Velocicoaster (wait not too bad, but about 30 mins mainly because Hagrids was down, and everyone rushed to VC, usually not too bad wait in the AM) 2. Hulk, (about 20-25 mins) then 3 Dr Doom, and 4. Spider man. Can't remember the Spider man wait, maybe 30-40 mins, then we went to Universal, and pretty sure we did Simpsons next. Wait maybe 20-30 mins but that queue/wait in general can build . Then we did MiB. After you do the few things in IoA, I"d hoof it over to Universal and just pick based on wait times there. Transformers waits can build a lot too, so try and knock out either it or Simpsons. MiB is such a fun ride, may want to work that in. It will be super hot in July, and then Florida is prone to daily afternoon showers, which may affect the coasters/outdoor rides, so try and do as many of those asap. Also, get as early as possible. I've driven twice now from Boadwalk to Universal in the AM to check in , and I tried to leave at 6:30 AM at the latest, lucked out w no traffic either time, But we were parking at hotels/checking in. No idea what the garage is like early in the AM. Leaving Disney a little earlier might be better.
Happy planning. Hope y'all get to work in some Universal time. It's great fun!!!

Thank you! That helps so much! Especially about driving time. We are spoiled to the Disney bubble!

 

[disneydietitian]

See my comments on this other first-timer thread, though that's one with a 5-year-old Harry Potter fan. By the way, even for a non-Potter-fan, Hagrid's coaster is very fun, though it's also the longest wait in the park. It could be worth squeezing in at park close. And unless you're specifically anti-Harry Potter, it can be impressive to see the theming of those areas, just as Pandora or Galaxy's edge at WDW could be appreciated by non-fans.

Take your time to appreciate details in queues. The Jimmy Fallon ride is nothing spectacular, but if you enjoy the Late Show, the queue is full of video clips that you might remember. And the queue for the Simpsons ride is almost more fun than the ride itself.

Conventional wisdom might tell you to rope-drop Velocicoaster, but its wait times actually go down as the day progresses. On the other hand, save time because you might want a second ride. It's easily the most fun roller coaster I've ever been on, by orders of magnitude. You might rope-drop Hulk instead; it might be a walk-on. But note, if it's an "Early admission" day, Hulk might not be running that early. In February it isn't, but Spiderman is.

The Universal app has a nice feature that, if the wait time for a ride is higher than you want, you can have it alert you when it drops below a certain level.

That is a cool feature of the app! I appreciate your comments. I will check out the other thread too!

 

[Skywalker3]

Thank you! That helps so much! Especially about driving time. We are spoiled to the Disney bubble!

Hey, should've added to get the Universal app and check the opening times for the parks. Sometimes they push them back if it's busy. Maybe leave just a little earlier than we did to get there well before opening time,park, get through the security, etc. since it'll be a new experience!!!
I admit, I do like staying in the Univeral bubble too when we can. It can spoil one too.