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Before anyone says it – yes, we knew it would be hot in Florida in May.

Knowing that intellectually and actually experiencing the sun and the humidity for hours while walking miles of concrete are two completely different things. I read dozens of trip reports and watched hundreds of YouTube videos while preparing for this trip, and the absolutely unrelenting heat isn’t mentioned nearly enough.

Wanted to share our experience with 3 back-to-back hot and humid days in the parks.

The Key Details: May 2026 | First Time Visiting | On-Site Hotel | Express Pass All 3 Parks (Studios, IoA, Epic Universe)

We stayed on-site at Loews Portofino Bay, which gave us Express Pass Unlimited for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. For Epic Universe, we purchased Express Pass separately.

The thing nobody talks about enough: the heat

It is absolutely, brutally, relentlessly hot and sunny in Orlando in May.

We had a UV umbrella, we brought water bottles, we were hydrating constantly – and it still got to us.

After just a few hours in the parks, the combination of heat, sun, and walking made it genuinely unpleasant to be outside. We saw it everywhere: older family members sitting in motorized carts looking miserable, little kids who wanted to be excited but were just melting.

Epic Universe in particular was a hot, sunny mess – very little shade, almost no relief anywhere you walked. Islands of Adventure was by far the most comfortable park because of how much tree cover and shade there is throughout.

I really cannot stress this enough: if you’re going in summer, prepare accordingly and don’t plan on being in the parks for more than a few hours at a stretch.

Day 1 – Arrived early afternoon, original parks from ~4pm

We checked into Portofino and headed into Universal Studios around 4pm. Started with Villain-Con Minion Blast as a warm-up – fun shooting ride, good way to ease in. Then Revenge of the Mummy, which held up well. Walked through Diagon Alley which is genuinely impressive and rode Escape from Gringotts. Took the Hogwarts Express from King’s Cross over to Islands of Adventure – the train experience itself is worth experiencing.

Over in IoA, we went straight to Hagrid’s. This was our longest Express Pass wait in the original parks – we were there around peak evening hours and the Express line was noticeably backed up. Still much better than standby, and everyone in our group loved the ride. After Hagrid’s we did VelociCoaster, which was also excellent.

One important lesson from Day 1: check the hours for every food location if you think you might want dinner from a specific place and you’re going in the late afternoon/evening. By the time we got off VelociCoaster around 7pm, virtually every food option inside the park we wanted had already closed (e.g. Fire Eater’s Grill, Green Eggs and Ham). We ended up exiting IoA and getting food at CityWalk instead. This was frustrating and easily avoidable – just check hours in advance.

Day 2 – IoA Early Entry + Studios

Had breakfast at the hotel and headed to Islands of Adventure for early entry. We were on the later side – by the time we reached the front gates, they had already started letting people in. We were probably through the turnstiles just after 8am.

Went straight to Hagrid’s with Express Pass – practically a walk-on first thing in the morning, massive difference from the night before. Then Flight of the Hippogriff, also a walk-on. Walked over to VelociCoaster and waited maybe 5 minutes because we wanted the front row. Highly recommend.

After Velocicoaster we worked our way through the rest of the park – Hulk, Doctor Doom, Spider-Man, Kong – all basically walk-ons with Express. Crossed back via Hogwarts Express to Universal Studios, did Men in Black and ET, and by roughly 11:30am we were done. Melting. So hot. Had noon lunch reservations at CityWalk and lunch was fast and easy.

Day 2 was the smoothest day of the trip by far. Early entry at IoA is exceptional – you can knock out the entire park in a few hours if you have early entry and Express Pass.

Day 3 – Epic Universe

Had breakfast at the hotel and took the first shuttle of the morning to Epic Universe. Here’s the timeline for anyone researching the early entry process as a resort guest:

~7:45am: arrived at the bus drop-off area, held there until just before 8am

~8:15am: walked to security gates and allowed to queue for security

~8:35am: allowed through ticket turnstiles and walked to the early entry holding area

Important update from what’s been reported elsewhere on Reddit: they now split the early entry holding area into two sides. Left side is for rope drop to Super Nintendo World. Right side is for rope drop to Ministry of Magic or Isle of Berk.

Almost everyone on the right side was heading to Ministry of Magic – we were one of maybe 10 people heading to Isle of Berk. We were second in line for the Toothless meet and greet, then did Hiccup’s Wing Gliders (walk on, didn’t use Express Pass).

After Berk, we walked over to Stardust Racers and found a delay, but they appeared to be testing the trains. Took a bathroom break and by the time we returned they were loading. We were on the second train of the day. Riding both the green and yellow sides back-to-back was fast – no Express Pass needed. Stardust Racers was so much fun.

After Stardust x 2, we booked it over to Super Nintendo World. We got to SNW at 9:49am, just before normal park entry crowds were let in. Walked straight to Mine-Cart Madness – posted wait was 90 minutes, Express Pass line was a literal walk-on with 2 people in front of us. Best Express Pass use of the day. The ride itself was rough and not a favorite.

Mario Kart went down right as we were entering the queue, so a cast member advised we come back later. We headed to Dark Universe – Curse of the Werewolf wasn’t running at all the day we went. Did Monsters Unchained via Express Pass (which was absolutely not necessary for this ride – because at this point in the morning just after 10am, it was effectively the same as walking the standby line).

Then Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry – posted 115 minute wait, we were on in about 15 minutes with Express Pass.

By this time, our group was already so hot and so sweaty and so tired and just about done. Stopped for a quick lunch. Sat in the shade. It was still brutally hot and we barely wanted to eat, but we knew we needed to hydrate and fuel up.

Mario Kart came back online after lunch – went back, used Express Pass, maybe 20 minutes for a posted 100+ minute wait.

After Mario Kart, we were done. Walked out, waited for the hotel shuttle, and were back at the hotel just after 1pm. That was all our group could handle.

Summing it up

Express Pass was a worthwhile luxury for us – especially for Epic Universe where standby waits were over 100 minutes for multiple attractions and Express had us on in 15-20.

The on-site hotel early entry benefit was outstanding.

Everyone visiting in the summer needs to spend as much time planning heat mitigation strategies as they do planning the rest of their trip.

Even though we were hot sweaty messes each day, we still had a ton of fun. Was a great trip overall.