We are shifting gears to put the spotlight on another of our favorite Orlando vacation spots, Universal Orlando Resort. Home to three unique theme parks featuring more than 50 attractions, a variety of live entertainment and fun encounters with beloved characters, there’s a reason our clients are booking stand-alone trips to Universal or adding onto their Disney vacations with a visit to Universal.
Today on the blog, we’re talking all about Universal Orlando Resort.
Universal’s Theme Parks
Universal Orlando Resort is comprised of three theme parks - Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida and the newest park, Volcano Bay. Universal rivals Walt Disney World in attendance thanks to the popular and incredibly immersive Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Islands of Adventure is home to Hogsmeade where you can enter Hogwarts Castle and experience an intense Quidditch match on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, while Universal Studios houses Diagon Alley where you’ll break into a wizarding bank on Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.
The dragon atop Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley breathes fire regularly throughout the day!
Even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan, there is much more to explore at Universal. Thrill seekers can get their adrenaline pumping on rides like the Incredible Hulk Coaster where you’re launched upward of 150 feet and reach a top speed of 67 mph, or on Doctor Doom’s Fearfall where you’re blasted 185 feet into the sky then immediately dropped back down.
Contrary to popular belief, Universal also offers a variety of options for families with little ones who don’t meet height requirements for the heart-pumping attractions. Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone is a bright, colorful area with a kid-friendly outdoor roller coaster and fun-sized playgrounds. On E.T. Adventure, you can board a flying bike and relive the story of everyone’s favorite extra-terrestrial. There are also characters galore to meet. Little ones will never forget meeting Nick Jr. characters Dora the Explorer and her cousin Diego, while Marvel fans have the opportunity to meet universe-saving super heroes like Spider-Man, Wolverine and Captain America.
It’s always summer at Universal’s water park, Volcano Bay. It offers the best place to cool down in the heat and humidity, and you don’t have to miss out on the fun in the winter as the water is heated to a delightful 85 degrees. There are thrill rides like Kala & Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides where you enter a transparent shoot and are plunged from the top of a volcano to the waters below. You can also chill by floating along the lazy river or relaxing on Waturi Beach. What makes Volcano Bay unique is that you don’t have to lug tubes around - they are waiting for you at the rides themselves - and the use of the TapuTapu where you can reserve your place in line for an attraction while you enjoy other experiences.
Using TapuTapu at Volcano Bay is easy; simply tap the band at an attraction, the band will display the wait time, relax while you wait, then the band will alert you when it’s time to enjoy the attraction!
Universal also features its own entertainment and dining district called CityWalk. It’s a great place to take a break from the parks and sample delicious food offerings, buy souvenirs at unique stores and enjoy a zany performance by the Blue Man Group.
Universal Hotels
Universal Orlando Resort features six on-property hotels with another to open in the summer of 2019. Like Walt Disney World, the hotels are categorized into tiers. Cabana Bay Beach and Aventura are Prime Value resorts; Loews Sapphire Falls is the only Preferred resort; and Loews Portofino Bay, Loews Royal Pacific and Hard Rock Hotel are the Premier hotels. All hotel categories offer a huge benefit - early access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Volcano Bay. While other guests are still sleeping, Universal’s on-property guests can enter the most popular section of the theme parks one hour early! All the Universal hotels also provide resort-wide charging privileges using your room key - no need to bring your credit card to the parks, complimentary delivery of merchandise purchased at the parks to your hotel - no lugging heavy bags around while enjoying attractions, and free transportation from the hotels to the parks. Universal’s hotels all offer shuttle buses, but the Preferred and Premier hotels also allow guests to be transported via water taxi. Another bonus of staying on property is that you can easily and safely walk from any of the Universal hotels to the theme parks. Cabana Bay even features its own private entrance into Volcano Bay.
Although the Preferred resorts are more expensive than the other categories. they offer Universal Express Unlimited which allows you to bypass the standby lines at the most popular attractions in Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure as many times as you wish for the duration of your stay. With a current value of $129.99 per day per person, we find that the additional cost of staying at a Preferred resort ends up being less than staying at a another hotel category and supplementing park tickets with the Express Unlimited option. Another bonus is that the Preferred resorts are in closer proximity to the Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure entrances.
All aboard … your park-to-park ticket reserves your seat on the Hogwarts Express.
Universal Tickets
Universal offers a variety of ticket options from one-day to multi-day and from one-park to three-park tickets. The longer you stay, the more you save on your ticket purchase. No matter how many days of tickets you buy, Harry Potter fans should purchase a park-to-park ticket. It is the only way to board the Hogwarts Express which takes you to and from Hogsmeade and King’s Cross Stations with each route providing a different experience. To whichever type and length of ticket you buy, you can add on the Universal Express Unlimited - discussed above - or the Universal Express Pass which allows you to skip the lines once per ride. If you are visiting Universal Orlando during a busy time, we highly recommend adding one of the Universal Express options. Unlike Disney World, Universal does not offer FastPass+ - meaning you’ll be waiting in long lines unless you are an Express holder.
Universal Seasons
In our opinion, it’s always a great time to visit Universal Orlando Resort. But if you want to take your trip to another level, you may want to consider visiting during one of Universal’s seasonal events. From November 17 to January 6, Universal celebrates the holidays with festive décor and food along with a special projection show on Hogwarts Castle at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter; Seuss Landing is transformed into Grinchmas; and a spectacular holiday parade rolls along the streets of Universal featuring the Minions and other film characters. From February 9 to April 4, Mardi Gras is transported from New Orleans to Universal Orlando with nightly parades, street performers, live bands and flavorful food offerings. Perhaps most well-known is Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. Not for the faint of heart, the event puts the fright in fall with haunted houses, scare zones and terrifying live entertainment.
Universal Extras
After you’ve settled on your hotel/ticket package, you can consider adding on Universal Extras like dining plans allowing you to pre-pay for meals, a dining experience with Marvel or Despicable Me characters, photo packages to get everyone in the picture and shuttle service to and from Orlando International Airport.
We love visiting Universal Orlando Resort - both as a standalone trip and as an add-on to our Walt Disney World vacation. Have you visited yet?