Which Park First?

[andrabell]

We booked a last minute trip to Universal Orlando for later this month as a surprise for my 12 year old nephew who is coming to stay with my husband and I for a week. We are all first timers.

I booked us a tower family suite at Cabana Bay on reward points and got four day base passes at Undercover Tourist.

Which park to visit first? We will likely want to eat dinner in the park and look around after settling in after our drive down from ATL.

Any other advice will be welcome?

 

[damo]

Is your nephew a big Harry Potter fan?

 

[andrabell]

No, but I am.

 

[damo]

Then, perhaps do US first to do Diagon Alley stuff, take the Hogwarts Express over the IOA and do Hogwarts. The Harry Potter stuff is really magical in the evening.

 

[andrabell]

Thanks. We don't have hopper passes.

 

[TheConsciousness]

Thanks. We don't have hopper passes.

I would check the days with the least amount of people and use your most anticipated park tickets on those days. Though I would probably stagger the days: 1 park, other park, 1 park, other park.

 

[macraven]

Go with the park that has EE
If you check in after the parks are already opened, do DA park and the early entry the next morning

 

[avic77]

Why not let him pick? Since it sounds like you plan at arrive and go to park that day for a leisurely peak and dinner it will be later in the day so EE wont matter. He might enjoy grabbing maps in the labby of the hotel and picking what he wants to see first.
Do you have arrival day, 2 park days, a departure day making it essentially 1.5 days in each park??

 

[andrabell]

3 1/2 park days.

 

[avic77]

Id let him pick for the 1/2 day. do each park one full day and then decide what you wanna go back to on the final day.
Our first trip we had 4 days and we did everything (didnt have FOL)
There was only the first phase of Harry potter tho.

 

[khgreen]

When we were last at Universal my kids did not like HP at all. And they loved WWOHP-they kept asking to go back and ride FJ again and again. Now that my daughter has read all the books I think they will love it even more.

 

[macraven]

I think it is great there are many options for tickets for orlando parks