It’s happening! I just booked a trip to Orlando for a visit with family. One of the major attractions I am planning to visit: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
Aside from the fact that this is my first real vacation break this year, I am particularly excited about this trip because I’m a fan of J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I watched all 7 films when they were released, read all the books, and even read the play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”.
Needless to say, I am excited about the visit. I know some people think of theme parks as an “kid-thing” to do, but it works for me since I’m a big kid at heart! Of course, I hope the parks aren’t really just geared for kids and there are things that adults would enjoy just as much.
I know there are tons of good information out there about Universal Studios and the Harry Potter theme parks, and I’ve been doing my research. However, I’d love to flip this around and hear some insider tips and travel advice from fellow readers instead.
Seeking Reader’s Experiences
Of course, it helps to provide some parameters on what I am looking for:
- Where to Stay: I usually stay at the same hotel if staying in an area, but I am open to hotel hopping during this visit if it makes sense. Some initial thoughts:
- IHG property: Complete my IHG Accelerate promotion while I’m at it? Any particularly good IHG property in Orlando?
- Book a stay at Hilton resort property and try out my Hilton Diamond benefits?
- Is it worth it to book at a Universal Studio property for the extra hour of park access and fast passes?
- One Park or Both Parks: I’m not into roller-coaster/thrill rides. Is the Island of Adventure park still worth it, given that it’s mostly thrill rides?
- Fast-pass Access: Is it worth it?
- Must Do Rides: Any must-do rides that you love that is worth the wait?
- Orlando to do: Any cuisines/restaurants near the parks/outside of the parks that are worth a visit?
- Other money saving tips?
I would love to hear tips and your experiences from dear fellow readers. Thanks!
I recommend staying at the Top tier onsite hotels for the express pass benefit. Since you are not a rollercoaster rider, it will help you do the two parks in two days. You will need to hop parks to do the HP in each park multiple times! You actually could accomplish this with a one night stay as you can check in early on arrival day, and use it all day on checkout.
Thanks for the tip. We did go back and forth on staying at an onsite hotel. The property we were interested in is pretty pricey for the dates we need, but we will be staying at an onsite hotel (at least for part of the trip anyway)
I don’t know how many days you’re planning on going to Universal, but I would say at least 3-5 if it’s your first time. It sounds like you aren’t considering going to Universal’s new waterpark Volcano Bay, but I would HIGHLY recommend checking it out if you like water parks at all. It’s beautifully-themed and the rides there are so much fun. The rides at the two traditional parks are fun too, especially if it’s your first time, but don’t have as much re-ride potential in my opinion. We usually stay onsite which gets you early admission and free fast passes if you stay in one of their “deluxe” hotels (any of them except Sapphire Falls and Cabana Bay). I honestly don’t think you need fast pass right now though. We went in May once and it wasn’t too crowded. Some popular rides also have single rider, so you can do that if you’re cool with it if any ride lines get long. If you do decide to go to Volcano Bay, I would recommend staying at Cabana Bay. It’s their cheapest option and is also right beside the water park. It’s easy enough to walk to the other parks, but being able to just head out your door wearing a swimsuit and be at the water park in a few seconds is awesome. I’ve also stayed at Sapphire Falls and Portofino Bay, which are both nice. Portofino Bay honestly isn’t worth the money that it costs though, and while Sapphire Falls is brand new and beautiful, you lose a little of the convenience of getting to Volcano Bay as fast (although it’s still close). You said you don’t like thrill rides, and Universal honestly doesn’t have much I would consider as such. Each park has a single roller coaster and then multiple virtual screen rides. These can be somewhat unpleasant if you have motion sickness, but I just take a pill and am fine. Definitely, check out the Forbidden Journey in Hogsmeade since you seem most excited about Harry Potter stuff. It’s extremely fun and a unique ride. The HP ride in Diagon Alley (Escape from Gringotts) isn’t as fun but is so-so and the queue to get to the ride is extremely cool (you go through the entrance to Gringotts, see the dwarf bankers, etc). The rest of Diagon Alley is awesome, the ride just kind of is meh. Definitely eat at Leaky Cauldron while there. We usually get the Ploughman’s Platter and split it (basically a British charcuterie platter). Riding the Hogwarts Express does require a park-to-park ticket to go between Hogsmeade and “London” and is fun but definitely not the end of the world if you don’t want to do both parks. Other cool rides that aren’t too intense would be the new King Kong ride in Islands, the Men in Black Ride in Studios, and any of the water rides in Islands (Popey, Dudley Doo Right, and Jurrasic Park). Jurrasic Park does have a drop at the end, but it’s not too bad and the ride is a lot of fun. In general for eating (outside Harry Potter restaurants) I think you’re better off in City Walk or at one of the resorts. The resorts have some fun restaurants and are usually not busy at all. For example, you can eat dinner in “Italy” on the water at Portofino Bay. Strong Water at Sapphire Falls and Tchop Tchop at Royal Pacific are both good. Some even have happy hours. Good places at City Walk are Cow Fish, Bread Box, and the pink Mexican restaurant (I can’t think of the name).
Thanks so much Austin! Lots of really good nuggets of info jammed in there.
Short time there, so I will skip on the water park. I haven’t booked the park tickets yet but I probably will end up visiting the Island of Adventure (just to check out Hogwarts Express). I’m not adversed to thrill rides — i’ve done the crazy scary superman ride at Six flags and other rides like Tower of Terror. I just don’t care much for them and one person in my party is not a good fit for thrill rides (heart can’t take it well), so it’s not too high on my list.
>>>Escape from Gringotts isn’t as fun but is so-so…
Bummer. I might have to temper my expectations. I think that’s the ride I am looking most forward to, though I should also figure out the order in which I want to visit the attractions before the trip.
Thanks for the restaurant mentions. I’ll check them out (I am guessing the resort restaurant is going to cost quite a bit), but I’ll also check out the options in CityWalk. It does sound like better bet!
Ed at PizzaInMotion wrote about Universal not long ago. They have good parks, and a very nice pair of Harry Potter areas. The good news is that the line jumper pass (fast pass?) saves an enormous amount of time. The bad news is that the expense is breathtaking. It seems that staying at certain hotels on property will automatically give you these passes. I haven’t done it, but that should give you a starting point to check. Another much cheaper option is to split up your party into single riders. That saves a lot of time but obviously is less fun.
If you’re in town for a few days or more, verify the park hours, since Universal sometimes closes down very early, as in 5PM early. That would kill a lot of value for a day pass.
If you’re also visiting Disney World, check the hours for the different parks as well. On some nights, they stay open until midnight, which means much shorter lines late at night.
Flyingdoctorwu is correct that you have to have a ticket for both parks in order to ride the Hogwarts Express, which is a lot of fun. Also, Universal broke the Harry Potter area up into one part in each park, so they can get more money. If you’re a fan, you pretty much have to go with the 2-park ticket.
I’ll check out Ed’s post. You are right – the expenses are really breathtaking ( I am booking for a few weeks out so prices aren’t cheap, as I am already finding out). I will only be in town for about 3 nights (and I was really thinking about spending 2 days max at universal studios), so I’m weighing between $ savings vs. time/convenience. I value the latter a bit more, so I’ve reserved an onsite hotel for now (It might actually work out cheaper than getting fast passes separately for my party, but I’m still working some things out)
Certainly some things to think about, thanks for the tips!
Have to do both parks for Hogwarts express. Stay on site to get access to fast pass. Butter beer is gross.
Thanks! I’m interested in the Hogwarts express, so I will weigh that (against the lack of interest in Island of Adventures). Duly noted on the butter beer — got to cut back on my expectations there!