Universal Studios Orlando: Don’t Miss These Universal Studios Florida Rides!

Universal Studios Orlando will leave every adult with childlike wonder. This is an incredibly fun theme park to explore. It’s a place where you’ll experience all of your favorite tv shows and movies come to life. Whether you’re looking for thrill rides, amazing food, or epic shows, this 541-acre park will not disappoint. Not to mention that this park is home to Florida’s biggest party, the Mardi Gras celebration! This guide to Universal Studios Orlando will help you plan the most magical vacation.

Universal Studios Basic Information

• Park Address: 6000 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819 
• Hours: Varies, but typically can be from 9 am to 7 pm
• Cost: Tickets start at $109 per day for a single day, 3 day tickets (2 parks) begin at $233 per adult ticket

When Should I Visit Orlando Studios Orlando?

The best months to visit the park to avoid crowds are early September, mid-January to early February, and the first 2 weeks of December. However, with travel restrictions from the pandemic, many theme parks are not experiencing a slow period right now. Universal does not have a reservation system like Disney World, so it’s hard to predict if crowds will be at capacity. Typically, you may choose to aAvoid Universal Studios during Mardi Gras celebrations (Feb-April), Halloween Horror Nights (mid-Sept-October), and Christmas (mid-November-January). During these times, you’ll face larger crowds and longer wait times. However, those might be the EXACT times that you want to travel since it’s so much fun to enjoy the festivals and seasonal activities.

How Long Should I Stay at Universal Studios?

Give yourself at least one full day at Universal Studios, but 2 or 3 days is optimal for visiting all the Universal Orlando parks. Be prepared for larger crowds in 2022 than in the past. This means longer wait times for everything from parking, security, food, attractions, and shows. 

How Do I Get to Universal Studios Florida?

Flying: The closest airport to Universal Studios is Orlando International Airport (MCO). It’s an easy 19-minute drive from MCO to the Universal Orlando parks. 

From The Airport: to get from the airport to your accommodations, there are plenty of options. You can rent a car from the airport and drive yourself to your accommodations, but keep in mind you will also need to pay $26 per car to park at Universal Studios if you drive yourself to the parks. 

Another option is hiring an Uber, Lyft or taxi from MCO. These should cost between $20-$30. There is also the option of booking a shuttle service from the airport. A popular Orlando choice is Mears. 

If you’re staying at an onsite Universal Resort hotel, all offer complimentary shuttle service from the airport. 

Where To Stay When Visiting Universal Studios

You’ll find that staying at a Universal Resort hotel comes with amazing perks. There are 8 properties onsite at Universal and they are generally broken down into categories, including premiere, preferred, prime value, and value accommodations. These include: 

• Premier: Loews Portofino Bay, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando. The premier hotels begin at $267+ per night. 
• Preferred: Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. The Loews Sapphire typically begins at $181+ per night. 
• Prime Value: Cabana Bay Beach Resort and Aventura Hotel. These budget-friendly options begin at $131+ per night. 
• Value: Both Endless Summer Resorts, Surfside Inn and Dockside Inn. These are an amazing deal at $91+ per night. 

Staying Off-Property: Of course, there is always the option of staying off site in Orlando. This will absolutely give you more bang for your buck, but you’ll also miss out on the Universal perks. There are an incredible amount of options for every budget in Orlando. 

The Perks Of Staying On-Site At Universal

It is important to remember that at Universal, the perks of your stay depend on the category of the accommodations. It’s essentially an upgrade for extended amenities and perks. However, all on-site resort guests have Early Park Admission. This allows you to enter the park an hour before it opens to enjoy select attractions. All resorts also offer complimentary water taxi or shuttle services to Universal Studios. 

Universal Studios Orlando Tickets

When choosing what tickets will work best for you and your family, ask yourself a few questions. 

How many parks would you like to visit? Universal Orlando has 3 parks, Universal Studios, Universal Islands Of Adventure, and Volcano Bay Waterpark. For example, if you are interested in visiting the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, that is split between Universal Studios and Universal Islands Of Adventure. You’ll want to get Park To Park passes if you are visiting more than one park. 

How many days are you staying in the park? At Universal Studios, you can buy single-day tickets as well as 2-day, 3-day, 4-day and 5-day tickets. As mentioned above, if you are planning to visit more than one park, then 3 days is optimal. 

If you are visiting Universal Orlando, Park To Park passes are a great purchase and are a bit of a necessity if you are visiting more than one park. The cost of Park To Park passes is an additional $60 to $70 total depending on how many days you will be in the park. 

If you aren’t staying at a premiere resort, then Express Passes are a paid add-on. These passes allow you to have a shorter wait time in a separate line than other guests. They cost an additional $150 per person, per day. 

Pro Tip: Don’t Forget About Security!

If you’ve never been to Universal Orlando, you may not realize that you will need to go through a security checkpoint before entering the park. Budget extra time for this because larger crowds mean longer wait times at security. I should also note that this is a huge perk of staying onsite at a Universal resort. You will go through a much smaller security checkpoint before entering a water taxi to the park. 

Universal Studios Lands

At Universal Studios, your favorite movies come to life right before your eyes. There are specific lands inside the park, although they are not as defined as they are at Walt Disney World. Some of these include: 

• Wizarding World Of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley 
• Springfield: Home Of The Simpsons 
• The Lagoon 
• Hollywood 
• New York
• San Francisco 

Universal Studios Rides And Attractions

There are 14 total rides and attractions at Universal Studios Orlando. Some of the park favorites include: 

• Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts: In Diagon Alley, riders will discover the magical thrill ride, Escape from Gringotts. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the fire-breathing dragon! On the ride, you’ll navigate the subterranean vaults of Gringotts Bank with Harry, Ron, and Hermione by your side. 
• Despicable Me Minion Mayhem: On this ride, that’s fun for the whole family. You’ll join Gru’s minion army through a supervillain’s laboratory! They consistently voted this ride a family favorite, kids will love joining the minion army. 
• Fast & Furious Supercharged: As one of the latest additions to Universal Studios, this attraction takes you on a supercharged thrill ride with the Fast & Furious crew. It may not be suitable for children. 
• Revenge of the Mummy: On this thrill ride, you’re transported to Egypt into the world of The Mummy. You’ll race through pyramids, forwards and backward to escape the evil mummy, Imhotep, on this racing rollercoaster. This is currently closed for renovation with a possible opening time of summer 2022.
• Men In Black Alien Attack: On this motion simulation thrill ride, you are a new agent in the Men In Black during an alien invasion. You’ll use your laser pointer gun to zap aliens and earn points! It’s a great family-friendly attraction. 
• The Simpsons Ride: On this motion ride, featuring 3D animation, you’ll join the Simpsons on a trip to Krustyland. You’ll get to see all of your Simpsons favorites as you careen through Springfield.

Shows At Universal Studios Orlando

The shows at Universal Studios take you inside all of your cinematic favorites and you’ll get to see movie magic right before your eyes. 

• The Bourne Stuntacular: You’ve seen nothing like the stunts in the Bourne Stuntacular. Although this show has a parental advisory, it doesn’t get more thrilling than watching Jason Bourne in fistfights and shootouts. Complete with rooftop and motorcycle chases. This show will leave your heart pounding. 
• Tales Of Beedle The Bard: Harry Potter fans won’t want to miss the compelling Tales Of Beedle The Bard in Diagon Alley. This trunk show features the thrilling tales depicted in the famous wizarding book. It’s entertaining for the whole family. 

Universal Studios Restaurants

Universal Studios has some spectacularly themed dining options. At this park, you’ll find amazing options, like having a meal at Harry Potter’s Leaky Cauldron or grabbing a donut the size of your head at the Simpsons Lard Lad Donuts. 

There are plenty of great restaurants throughout the park, such as the great Italian cuisine at Louie’s Italian Restaurant. Or check out the throwback 50s diner, Mel’s Drive-In. With over 30 restaurants to choose from, there is something for everyone. 

Character Encounters At Universal

There are several character-specific zones inside the park that are dedicated to character meet and greets. 

• Character Party Zone: At the Character Party Zone, your family can meet favorite characters like Gru and the Minions, SpongeBob SquarePants, and many more. 
• DreamWorks Destination: At the DreamWorks Destination you can see most of your DreamWorks favorites in an interactive experience. Characters here include Madagascar favorites, Kung Foo Panda, and Shrek among others. 
• Hollywood Character Zone: At the Hollywood Character Zone, classic characters are the name of the game. These characters include Scooby-Doo and the gang, Betty Boop, Doc Brown (Back To The Future), and Woody Woodpecker. 

Tips For Universal Studios Orlando

• If you stay on the property, take advantage of the early park entrance. 
• If you are not staying on the property, stay in the park later in the day. After 5 pm, the park starts clearing out for the night. 
• Take advantage of Single Rider lines, which are available to guests over 10 years of age. The Single Rider lines allow you to skip the long lines of the regular queue. 
• Look into the Universal Dining Plans. The parks offer several dining plan options that will save you both time and money. You can choose from full service or quick service plans. 
• What are you waiting for? Universal Studios Orlando will show you the magic of movies while inspiring the kid inside of you to let loose!