Is it possible to do US and IOA in a day?

[LionKingRules84]

I know this has probably been asked before but my question is slightly more specific. I want to head to Universal Studios for a day while I'm vacationing at Disney in late september with my boyfriend. We really only have the one day since we already bought tickets for disney for the rest of the duration of our stay. There are only 2 rides I'm extremely interested in riding at IOA so I figure there's a good possiblity we could do both parks in one day. I'll list what attractions and shows we are interested in and let me know if it's possible and what on my list I should definately do:

Universal studios:
Revenge of the Mummy
Terminator 2 3d
ET
Shrek 4d
Poisedians Fury
MIB
Twister

IOA:
Jurassic Park river adventure
Spiderman

I'm not too interested in the BIG coasters at IOA but both Jurassic Park(I'm in love with dinosaurs and I've always loved the Jurassic PArk movies, I've watched video off youtube for it and it's a MUST see now) and Spiderman are MUSTs for our Universal trip. So will I be able to hit all these attractions if we get there at park opening?

Thanks in advance for anyone who helps!

 

[Fan2CSkr]

Poisedians Fury is located at IOA.
The answer to your question is maybe. Depends on the crowds and park hours. Get there before open and pray for the best. Others here will know best which park to start at and maybe a touring plan can help. Seems doable.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

In Late September, it's possible.. but I think you'll be running out of time.

Or maybe you can do more than that. It depends on how you attack it. Good luck though!

Get there before opening.

 

[mark2311]

I'm pretty sure you could do this in one day but it wouldn't leave a whole lot of time for sitting around absorbing the atmosphere or having food.

From my experience i would start off in US and go straight to Shrek 4D at opening. Then make your way towards Revenge of the Mummy. Then try and get round to MIB as quick as you can after that. Then take in ET and T2:3D and finish off with Twister.

Then go straight out and into IOA and do Poseidon's Fury. Then carry on round and hit Jurassic Park. This will be the final stretch now and you should definately have more than enough time to get to Spiderman and finish off on a high.

Of course its up to you where you want to put lunch in as it all depends on crowds and the weather. But I've used a strategy similar to that before and its had me out of the parks with plenty of time to spare.

Good luck and enjoy your trip

 

[LionKingRules84]

Thanks for all the help, I certainly appreciate it! I talked to my boyfriend about the not eating thing and he actually came up with the idea of just living off of 'Cliff Bars' the entire time we are there(granted if US and IOA allow snacks and food to be brought into the parks but I figure if Disney does they should too) and skip sitting down and eating. If we have time and wanted to check out one of the restaurants on our way out and they aren't too crowded I'm sure we could then.

Thanks again everyone and if anyone has anymore imput feel free to give it, I can use all the help I can get!

 

[mark2311]

I was maybe being a bit extreme about not eating. I'm sure you'd have time to grab a burger and fries but a table service meal like Mythos or something would be out of the question

 

[Planogirl]

I would allow a little flexibility with ET and Terminator. When you get to ET, often if an Animal Planet show has just let out, ET might be swamped. If it is, I would go see Terminator first and come back to ET after that. I can thank our resident touring plan expert for reminding me of that possibility - we ran into that situation ourselves.

As for IOA... That's a hard one because we found both Spiderman and Jurassic Park jampacked when we went. Hopefully, you can get more advice about how to work those in.

 

[kathfish]

Me and my daughter did it alone a couple years ago. She was 10 at the time... so we did some little kid stuff and most all big kid stuff. We did both parks, one day, didn't feel rushed or like we missed anything. This was also during a fairly "busy" time..... middle of March I think.
You'll be fine, they are very doable parks, with extremes between what this one wants and that one wants. You seem to know just what you want to do, even adding a few surprises to that I think you'll be good!

 

[macraven]

i just checked the calendar dates for september.
only one day, last friday of sept will ioa be opened until 7.
all other days for both parks, closing time will be at 6 pm.

with that in mind, you have to be at the turn stile at 8:15 and wait until the line grows a bit. people are usually let in at 8:30. not all rides are opened but some will be. T2 will not be open at that early time though.

go to the back and do mummy, then mib. these are favorites with the crowds.
then head back to shrek. shrek and jimmy neutron get the crowds early in the park opening time as they are the first 2 rides people usually see. i say that for the first timers at UO.
try to stay away from the crowd and back track if you must.

use the single line rider lane for mummy and mib. you can do repeats easily then. you don't get to visit much at all on those rides so it shouldn't be a problem if the two of you are not sitting side by side.

once you finish the studios side, go to ioa. hit the 3 rides there.
spiderman has a single ride line. check the park guide maps first so you can see what time poseidon starts

it might be rough if you go on the last friday of sept to UO.
rumor has it HHN will open that weekend. if it does the park that hhn will be held in will get crowded by 2. many like to do the park for the rides and then enjoy hhn in the evening.

try to go during the week rather than the weekend for your day visit.
less crowds then.

 

[brocklesnar69]

I know you dont care about the BIG coasters, but I must say that you should NOT miss the Hulk. It is fantastic!

 

[macraven]

i could never do both parks in one day.
especially when they have the early closing.

i wish you luck and hope it does not rain when you are there.
let us know how it turns out for you.

 

[morris]

Hi, I heard somewhere that if the parks close early 7 or 8 p.m. that means that the attendance is down and it is a good time to go is that true? I plan on doing universal on may 4th and was hoping some one would know this answer. also where can i get the menu for the meal deal? Thanks

 

[rodkenrich]

It is always possible to attack both parks in one day. Personally, I make it a habit to visit both parks each and every time of my visits.

 

[macraven]

Hi, I heard somewhere that if the parks close early 7 or 8 p.m. that means that the attendance is down and it is a good time to go is that true? I plan on doing universal on may 4th and was hoping some one would know this answer. also where can i get the menu for the meal deal? Thanks

i just pulled the calendar up and for may 4th, ioa closes at 8 and studios at 7

yes, when the parks close early, less crowds is usually an indication.

go to the UO site for the menu for the meal deal.
it is listed there which resturants and menu on the plan.

i always considered closing early was 5 or 6.

 

[bapvoeller]

I always go to both parks and hit a list of attractions as big as yours in just two-thirds of a day. The key is to get to the parks when they open. The parks will be basically empty until 10:00 - 10:30. If you are staying on property this would be really simple with express pass room keys, but it is still very doable without express pass.

I like the big coasters at IOA and especially riding up front on dueling dragons so we always go to IOA first then US last. Since you are not interested in the big coasters at IOA, then the attack outlined by MARK2311 should work good. If the wait times are long by the time you get to MIB then go through the single rider line. Single rider lines are generally faster than express pass lines. There is also a single rider line at Mummy, but the waits shouldn’t be bad early in the morning. You should be able to do the plan outlined above and still have time to eat meals.

You said you didn’t like the big coasters at IOA. Just to let you know revenge of the mummy is a roller coaster and Jurassic has a big drop at the end. The rides you have listed are all good. If you are running short on time, than I would skip twister. Twister is one on my least favorite rides at US and IOA.

 

[LionKingRules84]

I know you dont care about the BIG coasters, but I must say that you should NOT miss the Hulk. It is fantastic!

My boyfriend expressed interest in 'Dueling Dragons' but I told him he will be riding it alone if he decides to go on it and I doubt I could handle the Hulk. I do know Revenge of the Mummy is a Rollar coaster but from video I found of it it's in the dark and doesn't go upside down so I should be ok. It looks to cool to me to not try. Jurassic Park's drop doesn't seem too too bad and it's the only highlight of the whole ride anyway, I'm hoping I'll be so happy to see the T-Rex up close that the drop will not affect me much. We'll see I guess, I'll ride it for the dinosaurs and who knows maybe I'll love the drop, but it is also in the dark so I doubt it will be to awful bad.

As for the not eating thing, I want to make sure we have enough time to do everything we want and then some(like letting my boyfriend ride Dueling Dragons if he decides he would like to) so if that means living off of Cliff bars or granola bars the entire time I don't mind. I'm certainly flexible.

One new question I have is if my boyfriend decided he wanted to go on DD could I wait in the long queue with him and wait till he gets off or will the staff at IOA not let me do that? It's a long queue I heard and I would feel less stupid waiting and talking with him in line rather than waiting by myself outside of it. Any ideas on what I can do?

 

[macraven]

One new question I have is if my boyfriend decided he wanted to go on DD could I wait in the long queue with him and wait till he gets off or will the staff at IOA not let me do that? It's a long queue I heard and I would feel less stupid waiting and talking with him in line rather than waiting by myself outside of it. Any ideas on what I can do?

you can go and wait with him while he is line.
not a problem.
have had my son do that with me and then met up after the ride.
once his ride takes off, go back out and head to the other side.

he can do a repeat without having to exit the building.
signs are up pointing in the direction to repeat the ride for the other side.

fire/ice are the two sides
(blue/red)

 

[bapvoeller]

If he wants to ride "Dueling Dragons", I would go to IOA first then do US last. If you are willing to do the single rider lines at US, this plan should be doable. If you can, ride "Dueling Dragons" up front. This is my favorite coaster, but a lot of people like Hulk better. Here is another plan of attack to include "DD".

IOA –
Spiderman
Dueling Dragons
Jurassic
Poseidon’s Fury

US
Go thru Hard Rock entrance. This is a reentry only entrance with no wait. Take sidewalk on right side of Hard Rock Opens at 10:30 or 11:00 can’t exactly remember.

Revenge of the Mummy (single rider line)
MIB (single rider line)
ET
Terminator
Shrek
Twister

 

[PatsGirl]

I don't think it's going to be a problem -- you certainly sound like you can handle a "commando" day, considering you are willing to give up nourishment to do it.

My kids and I have done both parks when they close at 6-7 with no problem and thats 3 or 4 of us going in many different directions: my DS17 that rides coasters, my DD10 that hates them and prefers shows and that sort of thing, and then there's me, a MIB fanatic! Between MIB and ET I get my $$ worth, lol.

Go, have fun, and please....eat lunch at least!

 

[tomorrowland]

My husband and I went to US/IOA during the second week of October last year. I had planned for two days at the parks because of the early closing times. However, the parks were pretty much empty and we were able to do everything in one day. We pretty much rode everything, plus saw some shows including Terminator and Shrek. We even had time for a late lunch. We did park hop quite a bit though, because we had started at US and found that not all rides were open yet.

I was really worried that we may need to buy the FOTL passes but that was definitely not an issue. Also, Make sure you get there before the park opens.

Good luck and have a great time.