Ten Fun Things to Know About Universal Orlando
Florida is home to theme-park giants. Disney, you know. And if you’re a Disney-fan, talking about the “other park” down the street can seem taboo. But, that “other” park down the street is a major player in the theme park scene and can offer a sense of thrilling adventure with some of your favorite intellectual property like Minions, Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Doctor Seuss, Marvel (yes, that Marvel), and more. Here’s 10 fun things to know about Universal Orlando.
#10 – It’s Not Part of Disney!
I must put this one out there first because it’s a common mistake. So many of my clients who are not familiar with the Orlando theme-park landscape mistakenly think that Universal Studios and Walt Disney World are the same theme park. It doesn’t help that Hollywood Studios (Disney) sounds awfully like Universal Studios. You have former Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, to thank for that. That said, Universal Orlando is its own large property about 30 minutes from Disney property that encompasses 3 theme parks – Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay Water Theme Park. And, in 2025, it is opening its fourth gate – Universal’s Epic Universe. Universal is already a multi-day (probably 3 to 4 days) destination. With Epic Universe, it makes it a full-week destination and not a simple excursion off Disney property. You can read all about my recommendation avoiding the combo trip by clicking here.
#9 – Staying on Site at Universal
Most of Universal’s hotels and resorts are operated by Loews. If you’ve never stayed at a Loews property, you’re missing out. Service and accommodations are extraordinary. Just like staying on property at Disney is a plus, so is staying on property at Universal Orlando. You get extra perks like early admission, bus, or water taxi transportation, or in the case of the Hard Rock Hotel, you are within walking distance of both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. And, what’s better, is that the pricing is not completely out of this world. In fact, staying at a Universal premiere hotel (their version of a deluxe) typically only runs about 60 to 70% of what a deluxe hotel would run at Disney. So, more bang for your buck!
And, what’s more, their value hotels, Universal’s Endless Summer Resort Dockside and Surfside Inns, have nights starting at $99 with quick transportation to all three theme parks, but especially Volcano Bay Water Theme Park. In total, there are four categories – value (Endless Summer Dockside and Surfside Inn), Prime Value (Adventura and Cabana Bay), Preferred (Loews Sapphire Falls), and Premiere (Loews Royal Pacific, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Portofino Bay).
#8 – Universal’s Express Pass
Universal’s Express Pass runs how most major theme parks run their “fast pass” systems: you pay a price up front, and you can skip the lines of most of the attractions – no technology required. But here’s the thing, it ain’t cheap. In fact, a Universal Express Pass (or especially the unlimited version) can run you as much as or even MORE than the cost of the one-day ticket. Now, there are sometimes that the express pass just isn’t needed. But there are other times that YES, it absolutely is. And, going back to point #9, there is one additional VALUABLE PERK to staying at a premiere hotel at Universal Studios. Staying at Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific, or Loews Portofino Bay Hotel gets you complimentary Universal Unlimited Express Pass for everyone in your party for the duration of your stay (both the check-in day and the check-out day) included. This means staying just one night at one of these hotels, you’ll get two days of express pass. That alone makes staying at a premiere hotel worth it!
#7 – Superstar and Take-Two Transportation
Universal Orlando offers convenient transportation to and from Orlando International Airport with their Superstar Shuttle service. This inexpensive option will pick you up from your terminal and drop you offer at any of the Universal resort hotels. This sure beats Uber or Lyft. Moreover, perhaps you want to take a one-day excursion over to Walt Disney World for the day – Universal’s Take-Two transportation allows you to do that with roundtrip transportation to and from your Universal hotel. And the reverse is true too. Suppose you do end up doing the combo trip (not recommended, but hey, it’s your vacation). You can have Universal pick you up from your Disney hotel and take you to the Universal parks and back again for a relatively reasonable fee.
#6 – Harry Potter
Ah, yes, the thing that brought Universal Orlando back into the mainstream. Universal Orlando is home to TWO Harry Potter themed lands. And with the addition of Universal’s Epic Universe in 2025, it will NOW be three. To fully explore all of Harry Potter, you will need a two-park, park-to-park ticket as each of the themed lands resides in two separate parks. And once Epic Universe opens, that will change again. For now, let’s focus on the two parks that are open.
First, you can visit Hogsmeade at the Islands of Adventure theme park. Here ride along with Harry Potter and his friends on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, see the Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle, enjoy the Flight of the Hippogriff, ride along with Hagrid on his Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, or face the Dementors, Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord Voldemort at the Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle. You can also enjoy dining at Hog’s Head and Three Broomsticks, enjoy entertainment with the Frog Choir and the Triwizard Spirit Rally, or check out Ollivanders. And of course shop at Dervish and Banges, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods, Honeydukes, or at the Owl Post. And don’t forget to enjoy butterbeer frozen, warm, or iced!
Second, you’ve got Diagon Alley – exclusively at Universal Studios in Orlando. Here you can ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, dine at Eternelle’s Elixir of Refreshment, Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour, the Leaky Cauldron, the Fountain of Faire Fortune, and the Hopping Pot. You can enjoy entertainment like Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees, the Tales of Beedle the Bard, check out the Gringotts Money Exchange, the Knights Bus, Ollivanders Wand Shop, and shop at Borgin and Burkes, Gringotts Money Exchange, Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, Magical Menagerie, Quality Quidditch Supplies, Scribbulus, Sugarplum’s Sweetshop, Wands by Gregorovitch, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, and Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment.
And, oh yeah – you can travel between both amazing worlds aboard the Hogwarts Express. But, because these two lands are in two separate theme parks, that’s where your admission to both parks comes in. Without a park-to-park ticket, you cannot ride the Hogwarts Express.
#5 – Dining at Universal Orlando
There are over 140 places to eat at Universal Orlando both in the theme parks, at the hotels, and at their sprawling entertainment, dining, and shopping plaza: CityWalk. Restaurants like Bigfire, Boby Marley – a Tribute to Freedom, Cowfish, NBC Sports Grill and Brew, Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast, Vivo Italian Kitchen, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, Hard Rock Café Orlando which are all located in CityWalk, or Lombard’s Seafood Grille, Finnegan’s Bar and Grill, Mythos Restaurant, or Confisco Grille located in the theme parks, or Mama Della’s Ristorante, Trattoria del Porto, Bice Ristorante, the Kitchen, the Palm, Islands Dining Room, or Amatista Cookhouse all located in the hotels, you’ve got plenty of places to enjoy! And, reservations are easy. CityWalk and hotel reservations open 90 days in advance and theme park dining opens 30 days in advance.
#4 – Halloween Horror Nights
While Disney does a “not so scary” Halloween party, Universal has taken it in a completely different direction. They encourage their guests to “summon their scream squad” and visit what they call the “World’s Premier Halloween Event.” Whether it’s their terrifying haunted houses, their sinister scare zones, live entertainment, rides and attractions, themed food and drinks or merchandise, if you’re a fan of the “scare” or the “horror,” you’ll love these events. They run usually late August through October on select nights. When visiting during this time, it’s important to know which dates so your regular Universal day is not cut short. It’s also important to note that admission is a separately-ticketed event AND there are separate express passes available that are not part of the complimentary express passes for staying at a premiere hotel.
#3 – Some of Your Favorite Characters
Universal offers interaction with some of your favorite intellectual properties between the two existing theme parks and the soon to come Epic Universe. As we already mentioned, you can experience Harry Potter like never before. But what about the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise? Perhaps you want to experience King Kong like never before, take a picture with the Minions or even Gru, experience the world of Springfield from the Simpsons Fame, take out some aliens from Men in Black with Agents K and J, go on an adventure to find the Mummy from The Mummy, have a whimsical day with Doctor Seuss and friends, or get absolutely soaked with some of your cartoon favorites like Betty Boop or Popeye, you can do it! And when Epic Universe opens, there’s even more to explore with Dark Universe that will include Universal’s Monsters, Mario and Donkey Kong in Super Nintendo World, and the How to Train your Dragon Franchise!
#2 – Marvel – did you say Marvel?
Yes, yes I did. In fact, the only place you’ll get to experience Avenger and X-men attractions in a theme park on the east-coast is at Universal’s Islands of Adventures. But how? Isn’t that a Disney property? Yes, it is, but this dates to before Disney owned Marvel Studios – in the dark times, before the…oh wait, that’s a different story. OK, so here’s the deal. When Marvel was struggling back in the 1990’s, Universal approached them to use their properties in their new theme park – Islands of Adventures. In need of cash, Marvel Comics sold the rights to use the comic looks of some of the most popular characters like the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Spiderman, and more, exclusively and in perpetuity, to Universal Studios on any parks east of the Mississippi. And thus, Marvel Superhero Island was born. And it’s also why you’ve not seen the MCU version of Spiderman, Ironman, the Hulk, or any other Avenger pop up in Walt Disney World…yet. There’s a lot of speculation as to whether this deal will ever end. At some point, Disney would like to claim this property for its own parks, and I’m sure Universal would love to not have to pay its chief competitor in the theme park business a royalty every time they sell a Spidey action figure.
#1 – Not the Little Brother Down the Street Anymore
My final fun point about Universal is simply not to underestimate it. They’re not Disney’s little brother down the street anymore. They are definitely a force to be reckoned with and a great, less expensive alternative than Disney for families looking for something that doesn’t include a mouse in their vacation. They offer kid-friendly, but they also offer chills and thrills, and a whole lot of fun. And with the edition of Universal’s Epic Universe coming in 2025, they also offer length of stay – a chance to enjoy a new park every day during a full week-long vacation, rivaling the King.
Interested?
Visit www.caseywooley.com and fill out my Universal Planning blueprint OR email me at caseywooley@mainstreetandmoretravel.com and we can start planning your trip today!
Magical Memories by Casey 