Long weekends are always more crowded than a normal week, since parents figure their kids won't miss as much time (that was the reasoning by my parents, anyhow)... If you are staying at a Universal hotel, try to hit it on the early opening for IoA, or go later in the afternoon/evening when the crowds die down.
Biggest time saving tip I have, is do the single rider line for Forbidden Journey, and you'll get on in 10-15 minutes. Then you can do the castle tour and see all the stuff you missed walking through the regular line, move at your own pace, and take all the pictures you'd like.