Universal Orlando is located in Orlando, FL. There are currently three parks at Universal Orlando, they are Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and the newest park, Volcano Bay, Universal’s waterpark.
Each of the parks has something different to offer guests, but often guests are expecting a Disney style park of the same size and with the planning requirements. However, Universal is very different than Disney.
Planning for Universal Orlando
Universal Orlando is perfect for the last minute traveler who likes to book a trip and go. The on-site hotels at Universal are rarely fully booked, so it is always easy to find a room on property. Also, there is no need for Advanced Dining Reservations, although they can be made. There is also no need to schedule rides in advance, in fact, you cannot schedule rides in advance. The most planning that is required for Universal is to decide if you want to stay on-site or off-site, stay at a resort that offers free Express Passes or not, and deciding on which ticket type you would like for your visit.
Universal Orlando Hotels and Offerings
Universal Orlando has 6 on-site resorts, with a new resort opening in the Summer of 2019. All of the on-site resorts are within walking distance to the three parks. The resorts also offer bus service or boat service depending on their location. The resorts vary in price range. Endless Summer Resort opening in Summer of 2019 will be Universal’s first official value resort. Universal’s Aventura and Cabana Bay resorts are considered Prime Value resorts. Loew’s Saphire Falls is Universal’s only Preferred resorts. Topping out the list are the three Premier resorts – Lowe’s Royal Pacific, Lowe’s Portofino Bay, and the Hard Rock Hotel. The biggest difference between the Premier resorts and the other categories is that Premier resorts offer free Express Pass Unlimited to their guests. I’ll discuss Express Passes later in this post. Each resort offers amazing theming and top of the line service. The best way to select a resort is to decide if your family will benefit from the free express passes if the answer is yes then select the resort that matches your families personality. If you decide the free express passes are not necessary, then pick the resort that you feel your family will enjoy the most based on the theming. I have stayed at Cabana Bay, Royal Pacific, and Hard Rock and they each have their own vibe. My daughter loves Cabana Bay and I prefer the Royal Pacific. Really, you can’t go wrong with any of the on-site resorts.
Tickets
Universal offers a variety of ticket options for guests. Clients always ask me if they can do Universal in one day. The quick answer is yes, you can do it in one day, but if it’s your first visit I don’t recommend it. My family does one-day trips to Universal often, but we have been often enough that we know what our favorite things to do are and only do those. If you want to visit all three parks, then I would recommend a minimum of three days. To visit all three parks you need a three park ticket. If you do not want to visit Volcano Bay, then you can purchase a two-park ticket. Universal offers their own version of the Park Hopper called a Park-to-Park ticket. If you have a Harry Potter fan in your family that will want to ride the Hogwarts Express, a Park-to-Park ticket is required. To give an example of what a ticket purchase would look like, if you are visiting the two theme parks for two days and you want to be able to visit both parks on both days, you would need a 2 Day 2 Park-to-Park ticket. If you are not sure about the right ticket, your travel agent can direct you to the ticket that is right for you.
Express Passes
Now, Express Passes. Disney offers Fastpasses included in their park admission. With a Fastpass, you are able to pre-book three rides that you want to skip the lines for during a set window. Universal has their own version, but it looks very different. The first and most important difference is that Express Passes are not free. Universal charges guests for the ability to skip the lines. There are two types of Express Passes that guests can purchase, the regular Express Pass and the Express Unlimited. The second most important difference is that you do not schedule when to use your Express Passes. You walk to the Express Pass line when you’re ready, they scan your pass, and you enter the line. If you purchase the regular Express Pass, you can only use it once per ride. So if you decide to use the Express Pass on the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman at 10:00 a.m. in Islands of Adventure, you will not be able to use it on that ride again that day. The Express Unlimited allows you to use your pass on the rides as many times as you want. So if your child decides that the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman is their absolute favorite ride and they need to ride it fifteen times in a row, then you can use your Express Unlimited Pass to make that happen. Yes, you can ride it fifteen times in a row, I know this from personal experience with my own little Spiderman fan. As I mentioned above, there are three on-site resorts that offer free Express Unlimited Passes. I suggest working with your travel agent to determine if staying at one of these resorts will be a better economic value for your family than purchasing the passes separately.
Universal Orlando is very different from planning for Disney and can be a bit of a shock to anyone that is accustomed to the lack of planning required to have an amazing vacation. If it is your first or fiftieth visit to Universal Orlando, I recommend using a Magical Enchanted Vacations travel agent to make sure that you are getting the most out of your vacation.
