NEWBIE - 1 day - which park?

[jessicamouse]

Hi all,

My husband has a conference in Orlando this July, and we will have one free day. We are usually Disney travelers, but since we will be without kids, we thought we'd try Universal for something new and exciting. We priced out a one day park hopper (with the express pass add-on) and it is coming to $400 for the two of us! That seems insane to me. So, we are considering bringing it down to one park for the day. For someone who has never been, which park would you recommend? Also, should we pay for the express pass add on? DH and I both love roller coasters/thrill rides, but it seems as if both parks offer that. I am interested in Harry Potter, but DH could take it or leave it. Any advice would help! Thanks a bunch!

 

[Metro West]

Hi all,

My husband has a conference in Orlando this July, and we will have one free day. We are usually Disney travelers, but since we will be without kids, we thought we'd try Universal for something new and exciting. We priced out a one day park hopper (with the express pass add-on) and it is coming to $400 for the two of us! That seems insane to me. So, we are considering bringing it down to one park for the day. For someone who has never been, which park would you recommend? Also, should we pay for the express pass add on? DH and I both love roller coasters/thrill rides, but it seems as if both parks offer that. I am interested in Harry Potter, but DH could take it or leave it. Any advice would help! Thanks a bunch!

It sounds like you will be more in tune with IOA since you're wanting to see WWoHP. There will be plenty of stuff for both of you to do for the day. July is a busy time and the park will be crowded. I would recommend waiting until you arrive and can see what the wait times are like before spending the money on EPs.

One day tickets are never discounted so its very expensive to visit any of the Orlando parks cheaply for a single day.

 

[jessicamouse]

thank you

 

[macraven]

use the single rider lines for shorter ride waits.

 

[HulaMinnie]

I would definitely do IOA. There are so many more rides compared to the other that you might be underwhelmed if you went to the original (especially compared to Disney). DH and I visited Universal for the first time in a long time on our honeymoon and were actually a little bored at Universal Studios, but we loved IOA. I don't think it matters if your husband likes Harry Potter because it's such an immersive experience and I, personally, think most people would enjoy it. You can probably skip Ollivanders since that's more kid-centered and from what I hear usually has a long wait. You can always bribe him with Butterbeer (that stuff's SO good)!