Just got back from our first Universal trip (we have been a Disney World family for years)...

[a1tinkfans]

Lots of people mentioning… get a wand… is that something u buy or make there? Thx

 

[DoryGirl1963]

Lots of people mentioning… get a wand… is that something u buy or make there? Thx

Purchase on site

 

[redboat45]

Lots of people mentioning… get a wand… is that something u buy or make there? Thx

you purchase there. You'll want to get an interactive wand because there are spots in both the Studios and Islands Harry Potter areas that the wand does things. You could always watch others first to decide if you really want one or not.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Thx!

 

[Dawn Peterson]

Lots of people mentioning… get a wand… is that something u buy or make there? Thx

You can also do the show at Olivanders and your wand may choose you. They select a person from each show. if you don’t get picked you can follow up in the store with an employee who will help you get the correct wand. my one daughter has a dragon heartstring for her core and the other a unicorn tail for hers. Depends on how into HP you are

 

[UGA03]

What age would you say is OK for this show? All ages? 13+? Or...?

My 5 and 8 year old enjoyed it. It can get loud at times so just prep your kids for that.

 

[loves to dive]

Like others said, there is a lot he might not be able to do, but I think he could still potentially have a good time. Is he a Harry Potter fan? If he is, just walking around both lands and window shopping is great. He can get a wand and go around performing spells. Just trying to get to all the spell locations will take a couple of hours. And queue line for HP and the Forbidden Journey is great, it's like a walk through attraction all on it's own. It sounds weird, but you could totally enjoy your time just walking through the queue line and seeing everything. Ask a CM at the front of the attraction, this doesn't always happen but sometimes they will let people walk through the Express Line just to see the queue, and from their they can very easily exit without getting on the attraction (although as a note there are stairs). Also, I know Despicable Me has a non moving seat option. Like the OP said, you're basically in a large room and everyone sits on a moving bench. You can ask for the non moving seat (which is also the option for children who don't meet the height requirement) and basically enjoy the attraction like it's a movie. It's a big enough room that hopefully you wouldn't have an issue with claustrophobia, but if you all walk in and find it too constrictive they will let you walk right out the exit. I think some other attractions have a non moving seat option, at least Shrek 4-D did before it closed. And how does he do with Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids? There are some similar attractions at Universal (Jurassic Park, Dudley Do-Right, and Popeye) if you want to risk getting wet.

Might I suggest checking out the disabilities guide on the Universal website? It does a pretty good job describing the health restrictions and motion of each attraction.

We haven't done either Splash or Kali in years. Kali because I don't like walking around wet, Splash because of that but it also hurts him.

Good idea about the disability guide. Thanks.

 

[Leigh L]

Thx for sharing… literally on their site to add three days after an upcoming week at Disney. Have always wanted to go but just didn’t lol. I’m weighing whether I should upgrade the hotel ( to get express pass) or just stay less expensive n add on the express pass..late sept, so if anyone has any opinions feel free to jump in. It’d be Fri-Sunday 2 day/2 park pass ( atleast I think that’s what it’s called).
Loved reading ur take on the rides..

It depends on how many are in your party and the price of the EP for your dates. We have an upcoming 2-night stay at Universal before going to WDW and decided to book 1 of our 2 nights at Royal Pacific for the passes (plus we've enjoyed previous stays here). It was still cheaper this way even though only 2 of 4 of us are going into the parks. The EP price is $269 pp for one day for our June dates and one night at a deluxe gets you two days of EPs.

DD and I went to UO earlier this month (Stayed at Sapphire Falls) and by the time I decided to buy EP prices they'd jumped up more than $100 per pass per day in a matter of a couple of weeks. My recommendation is that if you don't want to stay at the Deluxe, buy EP early.

 

[LaDonna]

Lots of people mentioning… get a wand… is that something u buy or make there? Thx

I actually bought one off Facebook marketplace. I had heard if your wand stops working you can just take it to Olivanders and they will fix it with their magic aka replace it for free

 

[DeeBee3]

For those of you who love Universal, would you still say it's enjoyable if your party does not like crazy rollercoasters? Is there still enough to do? No one but me enjoys rollercoasters (but I don't do ones with upside down turns, etc). BTMR and Slinky Dog Dash/7DMT are my speed.

I went to the Harry Potter section when it was just me and my husband. We walked through the other sections and just enjoyed the Harry Potter theming. It was about 8/9 years ago so a lot of the new stuff was not there. No Hogwart's Express, etc. I want to go back just to see HP section because I am a huge fan of the books and my daughter just started going through them.

My biggest issue is spending money on tickets only to walk around and not really do a lot of rides. Thoughts?

 

[DoryGirl1963]

Hulk, Velocicoaster & Rip Ride Rockit are the only "crazy" coasters - you should be good on everything else - so I would say it's totally worth it!

 

[Kit Jackson]

For those of you who love Universal, would you still say it's enjoyable if your party does not like crazy rollercoasters? Is there still enough to do? No one but me enjoys rollercoasters (but I don't do ones with upside down turns, etc). BTMR and Slinky Dog Dash/7DMT are my speed.

I went to the Harry Potter section when it was just me and my husband. We walked through the other sections and just enjoyed the Harry Potter theming. It was about 8/9 years ago so a lot of the new stuff was not there. No Hogwart's Express, etc. I want to go back just to see HP section because I am a huge fan of the books and my daughter just started going through them.

My biggest issue is spending money on tickets only to walk around and not really do a lot of rides. Thoughts?

I am a huge ride coward and I loved Universal. There are a ton of non-coaster thrill rides: the King Kong ride, Minions, Jimmy Fallon, Men in Black (if spins are okay), Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, (that's my limit for intensity-I said I was a ride coward). The Velociraptor meet and greet is a fun photo-op.

Also, the shows at Universal are highly entertaining. Some are one and done, but I have never seen a show and thought it was a total waste of park time.

If there are major Harry Potter fans the theming/detailing of the area is amazing. You feel like you are there. The full queue for Forbidden Journey is almost an attraction all its own. You get this amazing tour of the castle if you do the full line (which all Harry Potter fans should do at least once) and skip the ride.

 

[MrBellatrixLestrange]

Hulk, Velocicoaster & Rip Ride Rockit are the only "crazy" coasters - you should be good on everything else - so I would say it's totally worth it!

And Dr. Doom, I'll run buck naked from Indianapolis to Orlando before I'll get on that thing. But I agree with your overall point, there's plenty to do and enjoy even if rides aren't your thing.

 

[AngieInOH]

Thanks for all this insight! I'm jumping ship and coming over to Universal in February and can't wait. Sorry Disney but you're starting to lose me.