Universal Studios Park

4 Tips for Exploring Universal Studios in One Day

I’d been to Universal Studios in Orlando a couple times before, with family and through school. It was one of the first places that felt exciting to me. I distinctly remember leaning my head against a school bus window, looking down at the Florida license plate of a car down below and deciding I may want to move to Orlando someday. Of course, nowadays I dream of moving to Rome or Madrid or Paris. Still, it’s comforting to trace some thread of familiar wanderlust back to my younger years.

Recently, I returned to Orlando with my husband, who’s (more or less) from there. We went over a weekend to celebrate his birthday and spent some time connecting with his friends and family. Though it was a whirlwind weekend, I felt refreshed afterward. Birthdays should be like this — milestone days we look back on and clearly recall amidst the sea of days trickling into one another.

We were lucky to be surrounded by familiar faces throughout the trip, also devoting one full day to exploring two Universal Parks on our own. Tackling two parks in eight hours is a feat I may not have attempted as a first-timer, but one that worked well for two people who were fairly familiar with what to expect. It helped that our visit fell on a Monday in January, I think. If you’re planning a similar trip, read on for how we did it.

4 Tips for Maximizing One Day at Universal Studios Orlando

1. Purchase a Park-to-Park pass.

It’ll allow you to go back and forth between Island of Adventures and Universal Studios. If you want to ride the Hogwarts Express between the two parks, you should purchase this pass. We started our day off in the Island of Adventures park. After making our way through Hogsmeade, we hopped aboard the Hogwarts Express and rode it over to Universal Studios for the second part of the day.

Hogwarts Express at Universal Studios

2. Invest in an Express Pass

I’ve never had one before, and now I can’t imagine not having one going forward. Our express passes were a huge help in allowing us to cram two parks into the equivalent of one workday. While not all rides accept the passes (many of the Harry Potter ones do not), for rides that do our wait time was usually obsolete thanks to the express passes.

Note that rides that don’t accept the express passes may instead have a single riders’ line with significantly shorter wait times. The only caveat is you may be separated from your group. It’s worth it! Designate a post-ride meeting spot and take advantage of the virtually non-existent wait times. Who knows, you may even still wind up riding with your buddy — it happened for us on the Hogwarts ride.

Hogwarts Castle at Universal Studios

Hogwarts Castle at Universal Studios

3. Download the App

The Universal Studios official park app provides a map, lets you check ride wait times and even set alerts so you know when wait times drop. Wondering which rides are express-pass friendly? This is the app for that. It will help you plan your way efficiently through the park.

Universal Studios Park

4. Look for Lockers

Keep an eye out for lockers before you get in line for each ride. Many of the rides require you to stow away all bags and loose items. Don’t be like the woman we saw who, after a 30-minute wait, had to step our of the Gringott’s ride line to go put her small crossbody bag in a locker. The lockers are free for an hour, so you can stow while you ride. If you want to lock up items for longer than that, be sure to carefully read the pricing information so your sessions doesn’t expire before you’re ready.

Diagon Alley at Universal Studios

There you have it. It’s completely possible to squeeze two parks’ worth of fun into one, eight-hour day. We had ample time to go on a whole host of rides, try different foods and spend solid time exploring the new (for us) Harry Potter parks.

Before you go:

Know where you’ll stay? Get Airbnb credit for use on your trip, or check out this Hyatt Regency hotel that’s located close to Universal and offers free shuttle service to the park. If you’ll be staying farther away from the parks, don’t forget to rent a car.

Have you visited Universal Studios lately? What advice or questions do you have? 

4 Tips for Exploring Universal Studios Orlando in Only One Day #universalstudios #harrypotter #orlando Universal Studios in 1 Day - how to get the most out of your amusement park visit on your next trip to Orlando, Florida

4 Tips for Exploring Universal Studios in Orlando