Help an IOA Newbie?

[luuuceee]

Hi all! I'm hoping some of the experts out there can help me. I will be in Orlando for a week in August, and I have 3 days to spend at Universal/IOA. I have been to Universal ONCE, and that was for a half day, back in 1993. I have never been to IOA.

I am looking for advice on the best way to tour IOA. I would love to know the order in which I should ride the rides and the best way to maximize the Universal Express passes so that I can avoid long lines. I found a pretty good-sounding plan for Universal on another site, so that's why I'm only focusing on IOA for now.

Do I do all the coasters first? Get an express pass for one and ride another? If any of you have a tried-and-true touring plan for this park, I would LOVE for you to share it! Thanks so much!!!

P.S. If it helps...the days we're looking at are a Thursday, Monday and Tuesday. The party will just be DH2B and I (although I guess by that time he'll be DH). No kiddos this trip - they'll join us next summer.

 

[spatenfloot]

For adults I would say get to the gates at opening then hit Hulk right away. You should be able to ride twice without much wait. Grab an express pass for later then go to Spiderman (after the first time, you can use the single rider line for repeat trips. This will save tons of time. Same applies to MIB at US). After this, visit Dueling Dragons. Then you can do lunch and visit any other rides or shows you may be interested in.

 

[luuuceee]

Thanks for the info! :thewave:

So...looking at a park map, it appears that Spiderman and Dueling Dragons are on opposite sides of the park. How long will it take us to walk from one to the other? And what's the best path? Clockwise, through Toon Lagoon and Jurassic Park, or counterclockwise, through Seuss Landing? I would guess clockwise, as we can avoid all the guests that are still coming through the entrance - is that what you would recommend as well?

 

[spatenfloot]

It doesn't take that long. Going through toonland and JP is the best way to go there to avoid the crowds. You could do JP River ride on the way if you wanted since it takes a while for Dragons wait time to get long.

 

[Metro West]

Do I do all the coasters first? Get an express pass for one and ride another? If any of you have a tried-and-true touring plan for this park, I would LOVE for you to share it!

Get there as early as you can and head for the Hulk first thing. The line shouldn't be too long so you can walk right on and maybe get an EP so you can ride again. Spiderman is down the street. It would probably take you 15 mins to walk around to the back at a leisurely pace.

As for Dueling Dragons, the lines won't usually get long until midday and if the park is jammed. Since it's at the back of the park, it takes a while for people to make it over. I seriously doubt that you'd need an EP for DD. I've seen the lines pretty long but for me, the queue is worth the wait.