Questions for Universal Studios and Epic Universe

[gelatoni fan]

It's been a long time since I've gone to Universal so I have a few questions:

1. Given that the holiday parade at Universal Studios is ending on Jan 4, I was planning to visit Universal Studios and Epic Universe on Friday Jan 2 and Sunday Jan 4.
I'm thinking to visit Universal Studios on the 2nd because I've read that Olivanders is the best place to buy an interactive wand and I'd be able to use it at Epic Universe after. If I I visit Epic Universe on the 2nd instead, I save $10 on tickets so if it's not recommended to get a wand or if I won't be missing out much by buying it at Epic Universe, maybe I should switch the days. Is it even worth buying a wand for a 2 day visit or would you recommend skipping it?

2. Which rides don't allow bags and would I miss out on a lot by skipping them? I know there's free lockers but they seem small and I usually have a larger backpack to hold my jacket and other things.

3. Any tips on a basic plan of what to prioritize first if I don't pay for any line skipping? Also, which shows are worth watching and which can be skipped?

4. Is it worth eating at Atlantic in Epic Universe or would I likely run out of time to do everything? The Leaky Cauldron is the most appealing to me at Universal Studios but would lunch or dinner be better there? Any other foods that are must tries?

5. Anything else that someone who hasn't visited a Unviersal park in years should know?

 

[sentimental13]

Even the small lockers could fit a wand box if placed askew rather than straight in. I remember the box fit easily in the small Mummy lockers. My daughter bought the wand that chose her after the wand ceremony at Ollivander’s (she was chosen on our first visit and had saved up the money, so that was a lovely moment), and that was important for her at the time so it didn’t really matter how much she would use it. I think it’s a matter of if the souvenir is worth it for you. However, a backpack would require you to pay for the larger lockers I would think. Try watching some of the YouTube ride videos if you’re okay with spoilers and see which you think you’d rather experience. No one else can tell you what will be best and most fun for you.

We loved both shows at Epic and rode all of the rides (some twice). If you are vegan or have dietary restrictions, Atlantic is not for you. Honestly, it takes a significant amount of time, so Pizza Moon or Cafe L’air de la Sirene may be better. If you’re a HP fan, then definitely Cafe. Mario was not awesome, but we aren’t huge fans. The coaster there was a letdown. The coaster in Berk was fun, but the winged gliders were a bust for us. We wanted to try everything, though, so we made it work. Ministry was the most challenging to get on, but the queue was amazing.

We did not do the wand ceremony at Epic (ran out of time). We also didn’t have time to do any of the wand things at Epic in a one day trip.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Lockers - the free lockers can hold a decent amount and you can get multiple free lockers if needed. You can also carry the jacket through the line & just put it on for the ride. I would not skip rides due to a larger backpack.
Locker rides at Studios: Gringotts, MiB, Mummy.
Locker rides at Epic: Stardust Racers, Monsters Unchained, Hiccup's Wing Gliders, Dragon Racers Rally (these are large cubbies).

I don't understand why the price is different for swapping the parks/days?

Wands - are you a big HP fan? Diagon Alley will be packed in the middle of the day, early or late will be the best time for spells but that's also when the lines are shortest.

Shows - the Bourne Stuntacular is the best show in all of Universal Orlando. The two Epic shows are good but not unmissable. All three are solid air conditioned sit down breaks, so they are worth it for that if you are not taking a mid-day break outside of the parks.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Lockers - the free lockers can hold a decent amount and you can get multiple free lockers if needed. You can also carry the jacket through the line & just put it on for the ride. I would not skip rides due to a larger backpack.
Locker rides at Studios: Gringotts, MiB, Mummy.
Locker rides at Epic: Stardust Racers, Monsters Unchained, Hiccup's Wing Gliders, Dragon Racers Rally (these are large cubbies).

I don't understand why the price is different for swapping the parks/days?

Wands - are you a big HP fan? Diagon Alley will be packed in the middle of the day, early or late will be the best time for spells but that's also when the lines are shortest.

Shows - the Bourne Stuntacular is the best show in all of Universal Orlando. The two Epic shows are good but not unmissable. All three are solid air conditioned sit down breaks, so they are worth it for that if you are not taking a mid-day break outside of the parks.

Thanks for the list of rides! I'll need to think about what I bring a bit more.

Two day tickets are more expensive than buying two individual one day tickets for those days and the price for 1 day tickets changes depending on the day/park. Universal Studios is $30 cheaper than Epic Universe on the 4th but only $20 cheaper on the 2nd.

I guess my question is if the spells are even that interesting compared to other things to do. If people are running out of time to do everything, maybe this is something I should skip this time.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Spells also depend on if you want the challenge/satisfaction of preforming the spells yourself. Especially if you are at a busier time, you may well be waiting for (& watching) one or more people in front of you do the spells. You can/will see the effect of the spells just wandering through the HP areas.

I expect Epic is the best place for the spells because there are fewer people willing to dedicate the time to them with everything else new to do at Epic.

It is also going to depend on where you want to focus your time. Do you want to reride something or spend that time doing a few spells, checking out a store, etc? Spells can also be something in the middle of the day when all the ride lines are at their longest.

There is no wrong way to plan, just many different ways to experience the parks.