Universal in October

[alipink3]

My family of 5 and my parents are planning a trip to Disney in October of 2016. My husband, son, and dad have all requested to go to Universal. None of us have been to Universal and I haven't been able to find the plethora of information like I can for Disney. How busy is Universal in October? Would the 3 of them be able to do both parks in one day? We will have a rental car so transportation should not be an issue. Any tips about Universal that you think could be useful?

 

[macraven]

i know i wrote suggestions in the other new threads for peeps going in october, have you looked over any of the many new threads for info?

what date in october 2016?

each year statistics and crowds can change.
when october comes around this year, be sure to read the threads that show up in this forum to get an idea of crowd levels.
that would give you a better idea of what you might face a year from then.

Kong will be opened when you will be doing your darkside visite one and half years from now.
new rides always tend to change park patterns.

 

[alipink3]

i know i wrote suggestions in the other new threads for peeps going in october, have you looked over any of the many new threads for info?

what date in october 2016?

each year statistics and crowds can change.
when october comes around this year, be sure to read the threads that show up in this forum to get an idea of crowd levels.
that would give you a better idea of what you might face a year from then.

Kong will be opened when you will be doing your darkside visite one and half years from now.
new rides always tend to change park patterns.

I had not seen any threads for Universal in October. I will do a search to see what I can find. We are looking to go either the 2nd to last or the last week of October.
Thank you for the heads up!

 

[macraven]

once you get to the middle of october, you will get more crowds in the parks.
hell week happens around that period.
this is when the local schools have days off on various days

 

[alipink3]

once you get to the middle of october, you will get more crowds in the parks.
hell week happens around that period.
this is when the local schools have days off on various days[/QUOTE

Would they be able to do both parks in 1 day or do they need 2 days?

 

[macraven]

if they go when hhn is happening, the studios will close at 5:00 for the day guests.
ioa will close either 7 or 8 those nights.
the non hhn dates in october usually have the studios closing at 6 and ioa 7:00 pm

weekends get crowded in the parks as many come early afternoon to do the rides before they wait for hhn to begin

do try to read the threads that talk about hhn crowds/park crowds while the hhn event goes on and after it is over.
peeps usually mention how park attendance went for them during the day.
that can give a person an idea of what they might expect.

traffic patterns at the parks can change frequently.
this is the big reason i can't say how it will be in october 2016 until after this year's event is over

 

[V2000]

Some people like to use the crowd calendars.

https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/october-2015/#calendar

 

[djmeredith]

We went the first weekend of Oct 2014, but stayed on site so had Express Pass. Crowds seemed to be manageable without Express pass, but it would be difficult to hit all the thrill rides in both parks in 1 day. Even with Express Pass (but US closing early for HHN) we were a little bit rushed to do everything we wanted in 2.5 days.

 

[tator320]

We did Universal on 10/22/14. It was a Wednesday with HHN. We stayed at Royal Pacific and had Express Pass, obviously. The parked opened that day at 8:00 thus early entry at 7:00 into Diagon. We lined up at 6:30. We stayed all day, did both parks and pretty much got everything done that interested us. We did everything in both Hogsmead and Diagon including the Hogwarts Express and Forbidden Journey multiple times. All the roller coasters (minus Rip Ride), everything in Simpson's land, MIB, Despicable Me, ET, Transformers, Spiderman (twice) and a few other things. We ate all three meals in the parks. We hung out the Confisco Grill bar for 30-45 mins, Hogshead for another 30. We did not get to the 3 water rides or anything in Suess landing (as no kids with us). We started in Diagon and ended in Hogsmead which makes for easier touring in both areas. We walked away feeling great about what all we had done, so i think you can do it in one day with Express Pass. If you don't have it will require more research and planning.

Don't want to move resorts? I would consider booking a night at a Universal deluxe even if you don't stay there. For 3 people, splitting among possibly two incomes it might be worth the money. Be ready to drive over the night before to get your Express Pass and room key for early entry or plan on showing up very early day of so they can make early entry.

Orlando Informer is/was a great resource. I know the main guy operating it moved on and haven't used it since. I believe the Unofficial Guide to Universal comes out later this year as well.