I’m going on a week-long solo trip in mid-September and it’ll be my first time at the parks. 5 days park-to-park (all parks except Volcano Bay), no express pass, no early entry. I wanna hear your HOTTEST takes—unpopular tips/faves, overrated experiences/attractions, best food you wouldn’t expect to be good, everything. Let it rip!
Hello everyone,
We are going to all 3 parks at universal studios orlando. Purchased tickets from universal studios directly.
Is it possible to just purchase the Express pass for Epic from Undercover Tourist?
Could there be any issues?
My daughter and I will be going to Epic in October for the first time. We do NOT have early park admission so what is a recommended strategy? The park hours that day will be 10am-8pm.
Also- what are the must-eats?
Hi all - we’re in the process of booking a trip for the three day weekend in October, flying in on Friday and visiting Universal on Saturday and Sunday. We’re primarily going for Epic Universe and I’m trying to decide what makes sense for us. We’re a family of four with a 7 year old and a 5 year old. They have both been to Disney multiple times, but this is their first Universal trip. We’re mostly coming for Super Nintendo World and Isle of Berk. My 7 year old is a theme park junkie - loves rollercoasters and thrill rides, while my 5 year old is much more interested in experiences, shows, and calmer rides.
What I’m currently trying to decide is if we should buy two days of single day passes and do Epic Universe on both Saturday and Sunday, or if we should book a 2 Day Pass with Epic Universe one day and Universal/IOA the other day. I’m stuck here, as I’m not totally convinced the rides and attractions in the other two parks are going to be as attractive to the kids.
Anyone with similar aged kids have any advice? Should we do the two days at Epic Universe or are the other two parks can’t miss?
Bonus question - I currently have the Double Tree Hilton booked as we had points, but now I’m debating whether it is worth it to stay on property somewhere closer…thoughts?
Hello! My wife and I are looking to go to Epic Unuverse on October 29th for 1 day only. We are trying to do the following things; Mario Kart, Minecart madness, monsters unchained, Hiccups wing gliders, stardust racers, Harry Potter and the Battle of Ministry, Curse of the werewolf.
We are not staying on property so would be unable to get early entry. Should I get the express pass?
Hey everyone,
Looking for some advice on whether to buy Universal Express Passes for an upcoming trip to Epic Universe.
Here is our situation:
Origin: Travelling all the way from Europe
Dates: Sunday, Sept 13 & Monday, Sept 14 (2 full park days)
Hotel: Universal Helios Grand Hotel (with Early Park Admission)
Previous visit: We already spent 2 days at Epic Universe back in January with Express Passes on both days. During that trip, Express was honestly only really worth it for Mine-Cart Madness , Mario Kart, and Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.
We are currently planning to skip Express on Sunday, as Sundays generally seem more manageable.
For Monday, Express is currently priced at around $230 per person.
Since we are travelling internationally from Europe, we definitely want to make the most of our time, but $230/person is still a significant extra cost. Given that mid-September is usually a bit quieter post-Labor Day, combined with Early Park Admission and direct park access via Helios, do you think Express is necessary for Monday? Or should regular standby lines be totally fine across our two days?
Would love to hear your thoughts and insights from recent visits!
I’ve seen comments that nighttime on Stardust is amazing and dinner at Atlantic at night is also gorgeous, but with park closure at 8pm, sunset at 7:37pm and latest possible reservation at 7:45pm, I’m not sure if I can make both happen.
If we save our express pass shooting for Stardust at 7:40pm, do you think we’ll make it to Atlantic? Not sure if they’ll still hold a reservation for 15 mins for the last seating if park close is 8pm…
Or do we avoid the time crunch altogether and take the shuttle back to Epic the following evening for dinner at Atlantic? Only have 1 day of express at Epic so hadn’t really considered returning on another day, maybe we’ll want to?
So we always hear references to Disney adults but never Universal adults. Does Universal have that type of fandom? I love Disney but I love Universal more. I find myself at Universal 3 to 4 times out of the year and I'm in Maryland, but the minute I walk thru Disney's gates after having not been for 2 or 3 years, my friends jokingly call me a Disney adult.. Are people who frequent Universal parks just considered lovers of theme parks? Do you think it has to do with the nature of the attractions at the Universal parks and the IPs? When I go to the parks, sometimes I go all out with my Ravenclaw robe or most recently at Epic Universe with my Mario shirt and hat. People see pictures and it's all in good fun, but the minute I put on ears, even if that is all the memorabilia I might be wearing, I'm a Disney adult.
I've been noticing Stardust and the carousel have times listed in the App after hours - posting wait times around 9:15pm. People get in line a few minutes before park closing and are able to stay until the line clears but usually the ride will be listed as closed. I'm wondering if TM's are allowing people to get in line at those two rides after the fireworks show? Has anyone seen this in the parks?
Hi guys! It’s my first time at universal!!!
We are going to epic 9/20- only one day total :(
So to maximize time- I did buy express pass, we have early entry, and I am definitely rope dropping.
I will arrive to the gates around 7:45-8am
Rope drop/early entry is at 9am this day.
My goal is so fast walk to DK madness-
I’m being told the “exit” entrance is now blocked for rope drop… true? Or not?
Otherwise- I’m going to enter the portal then take a right for the elevator rather than the escalator- is this a good idea? If some how everyone walks faster than me I am hoping they just take the escalator - otherwise I hear there’s stairs that will still put me in front of the masses.
I will ride DK (regular line not fast pass)
Then Mario kart (express)
And hope and pray I get to toothless meet and greet by 9:44(to avoid the early ppl for the 10am entry). I heard they get let in to the portals at 9:45 so ya.
My overall questions:
What’s the fastest way to DK now?
Is this realistic for the toothless meet?
Should I arrive earlier than 7:45 for rope drop?
I read a ton of people's ride plans before going, so wanted to share mine! Completed with a 10 yr old and 12 yr old.
Went on Sunday 8/15
Arrived 30 min before early entry (was 8am). Went straight to Berk and rode hiccups, then dragon racers, then went to Battle at the ministry which still had very tiny wait. We did all three by 9am ish, then went back to the toothless meet and greet.
After this we headed to Dark universe and rode monsters unchained. We had a child swap so my son got to ride it twice.
By this time it was just 10:45, so we went to SNW, which we had planned for all afternoon. We spent a ton of time doing bands there early and later in afternoon--enough to do all minigames and bowser jr 2x. We did lunch at toadstools around 1145.
We did decide to bite the bullet and got in line for minecart with 100 minute wait...I think we waited about 80 minutes and again did a childswap so 2x for my son riding. We did yoshi after for prob 30 min wait. Then more bands before doing Mariokart.
Ended up being able to ride mariokart 2x before dinner at the Oak tavern before going to Battle at the ministry a 2nd time. The first time through mariokart i think it said 45 min but i dont think it was that long. 2nd time 30 maybe?
Stayed for the light show at 930, so it was a long day but I was super pumped by how much we did without express!
I debated and debated about doing berk or minecart for early entry. Knowing we were going to stand in line for rope drop, I decided that we would do best just going to hiccups so we could at least start riding.
I think minecart, mariokart, and then the 2nd time at Battle lines were faster than what was posted by at least 10 or so minutes. We didn't rush, really, and let the kids explore what they wanted. I think we also lucked out bc No Rain!
Adding: minecart line was a slog with nothing very interesting to look at. Saying that, my oldest loves the ride. Mariokart and Battle lines were great and time passed quickly. Mariokart in particular was fun and my kids loved reading the book names throughout. Really awesome que. My youngest favorite ride was Battle. I'm the only one who liked monsters unchained.
Forgot! We Also rode the carousel 2x
I am worried It won't fit into the tiny lockers at the other parks though 🥲
Would the following Monday be better? No express pass or early entry.
Social media has epic day passes on sale for around $110 a day.
Do i buy now or wait till October like last year when prices drop.
They started selling them on Thursday and you can still purchase them today! I want everyone to have a chance but I feel like this is not a good sign.
I am trying to purchase tickets for November, when I go through the passholder link for the discounted epic tickets it only shows me dates until the end of September. When I go through a regular ticket buying option, it gives me dates through the end of November. I emailed and they just said to call if it doesn’t work when I try again, but I’m having the same issue. Am I missing something? We’ve only been to passholders for a few months. Thank you!
I am currently trying to decide between becoming a seasonal annual passholder (we do plan to go back another time within the year) or to buy regular tickets. The annual passholder hotel and food discounts seem worth it, and I have checked the dates we want to go for blackout periods. My main concern is will the cost of epic add on days negate the hotel and food discounts?
I was wondering if Express makes sense in this scenario:
Trying to do the math and really think through the schedule, I feel like my experience could be done without Express.
My thinking is:
So, do you think we’d feel rushed and like we weren’t really able to experience Epic Universe without Express?
I realize this wouldn’t be a “full” Epic Universe experience since we’re perfectly fine skipping some of the smaller attractions and anything with a really long wait. At the same time, I’m wondering if we’d still have an enjoyable day at a comfortable pace.
Part of my thinking is that, since Epic Universe is still relatively new, the overall attraction lineup feels a little lighter compared with the more established Universal parks, especially if you’re already willing to skip some of the longer-wait attractions. It almost feels like visiting Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios a decade ago, before some of the major additions were there.
Basically, does this seem like a reasonable plan for doing Epic Universe without Express, or am I underestimating how quickly the day can fill up?
Under Tickets --> Extras. May need to filter by Epic.
Easier on desktop browser. The UOR app was having trouble earlier.
UOAP discounted tix link: https://purchase.universalorlando.com/Webstore/shop/PassLookup.aspx?CG=UOAPDis&C=APDisParkTickets&RedirectURL=PassValidation
UOAP discount saved us $18 per tix.
Trip report here. Just finished our trip in Orlando. I want to preface this by saying that this was my first ever experience in a Universal park. I've never even been to Universal Hollywood. I know, I know... I did 4 days of Park hopper at Universal and 4 days of park hopping at Disney, but this is a Universal forum and I'm only going to talk about that.
Islands of Adventure:
This and Epic were the two parks I was looking forward to the most but enjoyed the least. I was actually shocked at the lack of entertainment in this park. No theaters, no shows. what? The two shows I did see were in Hogsmeade and they were mediocre. I also didn't see a lot of roaming characters or character meet and greets. The meet and greet I did do was the Velociraptor encounter which I LOVED!!!! Disney would never lol..
The Theming at Islands was quite good, especially with Hogsmeade. I see how people say Hogsmeade laid the groundwork for themed and immersive lands moving forward. The interactive wand activities were a blast.
Food: Unfortunately this is another place this park lacked. My partner and I are foodies, so we purchased a lot of food items throughout the park. We only enjoyed food at three locations; Confiscos (I think I spelled that incorrectly), Mythos (AMAZING), and Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. I did want to add that the butter beer ice cream and soft serve in Hogsmeade and Diagon alley have become my favorite ice cream flavor!! Too bad they don't sell it commercially.
Rides: Velocicoaster is the best coaster I've ever been on in my life!! Wow!!! Hagrids, I ended up liking more than Cosmic Rewind, Hulk reminded me of a coaster at Magic Mountain that I haven't been on in years!! I enjoyed it but it wasn't my favorite. Spiderman was excellent!! its on my list of favorite dark rides. I can say as far as rides it's really where this park shines, but is SEVERELY lacking in entertainment which to me places it low on my list as it being an overall complete theme park experience.
Overall Islands is a very well themed and immersive park, but the lack of entertainment and streetmosphere, and things for people who don't want to ride rides is what made us enjoy it less!
Universal Studios Florida:
Loved this park, from the parade, to the shows, to the food, to the store options, and walk thru experiences, so many roaming characters, and the met and greets. I think I liked it more than Hollywood Studios. If all of this was at Islands of Adventure, it would have made that park amazing amazing instead of just going from ride to ride....
Rides. I know the park is criticized quite a bit on the simulator screens but I didn't mind them. I thought they were done well. I ADORED ET. it reminded me of Peter Pan. I also LOVED Men in black. It reminded me of buzz light year. The mummy was an amazing themed coaster experience, and it looks like they are building another amazing coaster to the Fast and furious franchise. Speaking of which, The fast and the furious ride was the only one at the entire park that I didn't like. Did they rush that attraction? Forbidden Journey Queue is one of the best themed queues I've ever seen. So elaborate. Sensational was a great nighttime show.
Shows: Bourne Stuntacular has joined my list of favorite theme park shows of all time. Like how did they do that lol
Epic Universe:
The theming and immersion of that park is number three on my list of all the parks that I've visited for theming and immersion after Tokyo Disney Sea and Shanghai Disney!! Wow. As far as the United States, Epic takes the cake for making you feel like you are literally in that world from the food, to the characters, the music, everything. I don't know what to say about this park. The food was as good as Epcot. The rides fell so well rounded. Everything in the park isn't throwing you around or spraying you with water like the other two parks.
Rides: Battle at the minsistry is a world class attraction. Monsters unchained is a world class attraction. I absolutely LOVED Donkey kong (favorite game as a kid). I think I spent 2 hours in Super Nintendo world playing the games. I wish the people mover was longer in that land. Curse of the werewolf, loved it stardust racers, another coaster that took me out. I was being thrown out of my seat left and right!!! it was amazing, but due to the intensity, we just chose to ride each side once during the day and once at night.
Shows: Both were fabulous, and the untrainable dragon show is also on my list of new favorite shows in a theme park.
Extras: I met this cute bear, but I'm not that familiar with his back story but I'm always down for a meet and greet.
Toothless meet and greet was just as magical as any meet and greet at Disney if not more.
Overall I loved the Universal Orlando resort. Disney really has some competition down there. Is Universal Hollywood as good as Universal Orlando?
The one thing I missed is photographers. I'm used to seeing one every 20 or 30 feet lol. Is that not a thing at Universal? Also the app. None of my ride photos and videos came to my phone? Can I contact support about that?
Thanks for reading.