The Best Universal Orlando Tips 2024

The Best Universal Orlando Tips 2024

The Best Universal Orlando Tips 2024

This article is your complete guide to the 25 best Universal Studios tips! In this article, we’ll cover some of the best Universal Studios Orlando tips and tricks to help save you time in the morning, money on express passes, picking the right time of year to visit and so much more. 

Since we’ve been going to Universal for over 20 years, we’ve really learned the best Universal Orlando tips. Such as picking the right shoes for your day in the parks and using the Universal Orlando single riders line!

We hope you find this post helpful! Our goal at The Park Prodigy has always been to help you save time and money on your next Universal Orlando vacation!  If you are planning a trip to Universal Orlando be sure to check out our discounted multi-day Universal Orlando tickets and Universal Orlando vacation package deals which include EARLY PARK ADMISSION to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

So if you’re ready to learn all about the best tips for visiting Universal Orlando read on!

SPECIAL NOTE: If you’re looking for the best time to visit Universal Orlando check out our Universal Crowd calendar! 

Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar

Tips for Universal Studios Orlando 2024

Before we dive into our list of the 25 best Universal Orlando tips and tricks let’s the best tip for Universal vacationers.  Plan you visit during the slower times of the year! Guests will get the most out of their Universal Orlando vacation by giving thought to visiting during one of the slower times of the year, always buying their park tickets in advance, considering staying at an on-site Universal Orlando hotel, give thought to if your group would like to upgrade the express pass, always have a game plan or park plan going into your day, and always take advantage of early park admission when possible!

The Best Universal Orlando Tips

• Plan your stroller or electric vehicle options
• Download The Universal Orlando App / Bring a battery charger
• Check Showtimes and Character Meet and Greets on the Universal App
• Wear The Correct Shoes For Theme Parks
• Prepare for Universal Water Rides
• Be Prepared for Motion Sickness
• Know the Height Requirements Ahead of Time
• Don’t Skip the Universal Orlando Single Rider Line
• Don’t Ride the First Ride You See
• Give Some Thought to Universal Orlando  Special Events
• Consider a Refillable Universal Popcorn Bucket
• Check Out Food Options Before you Arrive and Make Advanced Reservations
• Know How to Ride the Hogwarts Express
• Upgrade and Buy an Interactive Wand
• Upgrade to an On-site Universal Orlando Hotel
• Know What to Pack for the Universal Orlando Parks
• Create a Park Plan
• Know What’s New at Universal Orlando
• Try to Avoid the Crowds When Possible
• Use Early Park Admission
• Combine the Express Pass With Early Park Admission When Possible

Related Page: How Do You Get The Express Pass For Free

Plan Your Stroller or Electric Vehicle Options 

We are going to start our list of the best Universal Orlando tips and tricks with one to save you time in the morning and this would be to understand how to rend stroller and electric vehicles. Guests will be happy to know that they can rent strollers, wheelchairs, and electric convenience vehicles upon entry to both Islands of Adventure Park and Universal Studios Florida. The rental locations will be direct to the left side of each park’s entrance. Guests who do need additional assistance from the parking garage can also rent a wheelchair from the parking garage as well. 

• The scooters cost $50/day plus a $50 deposit. 
• A single stroller is $15/day and doubles are $25/day plus a $50 deposit

We would say that the most important tip to understand here is for guests who plan to rent an electric vehicle we highly suggest calling Universal at least one week before your arrival to see if you can place a hold on one of the electric scooters because they can sell out. The Universal Orlando guest service number is 407-224-4233. Guests can also look to take advantage of one of the stroller and electric vehicle rental companies in the Orlando area which will deliver either directly to your hotel upon your arrival.

Related Page: Guide to Stroller Rentals at Disney World 

Download The Universal Orlando App / Bring a Battery Charger 

Another one of our favorite Universal Studios Florida tips is always to download the Universal Orlando App before you arrive at the parks. We feel like this will simply save you so much time in the morning and you can focus on your park plan (which we will discuss in a bit) and not have to worry about connecting to wifi to download anything. Not only do we recommend downloading the app but we also recommend getting familiar with exactly how the app works so that you are ready to use it to its full potential during your time in the parks. Check out our video on the best tips for the Universal Orlando app right here! 

Another important Universal tip is to make sure that you bring a battery charger to recharge your phone throughout the day. Guests can bring a portable charger from home to save some money or you can take advantage of the “Fuel-Rod” charges throughout the park. You can purchase a fuel rod for $30 and when it goes dead, swap it out for a fully charged one. You can also purchase these fuel rods on Amazon so you have it ahead of time. The fuel rods are also rechargeable via USB cord so you can always charge it that way as well. This is one of the best Orlando Universal tips, as the heat also makes your phone die faster, especially with excessive use! 

Related Page: How to Ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure 

Check Showtimes and Character Meet and Greets on the Universal App 

Okay, now that you have downloaded the Universal Orlando App our next tip and trick for visiting Universal is to take advantage of the different shows and Universal Orlando character meet and greets within the parks. We thought this was worth mentioning because we feel like Disney World gets most of the fame when it comes to amazing shows. Still, Universal Studios Florida is an entire park dedicated to the history of movies. Our favorite show is the Bourne Stuntacular in Universal Studios. Another reason why it’s so important to use the App when trying to find the best shows is that Universal will sometimes not release the show schedule to their website and the only way to know if a show might be happening that night is by looking on the App or by speaking with a Universal team member. 

The Universal app actually has a lot of useful information and can allow you to have a personal park guide right in your hand.

Related Page: Guide to all Disney World Character Meet and Greets 

Wear The Correct Shoes For Theme Parks 

If you have ever been to a theme park, you know how much walking goes on. Universal is no different, especially Islands of Adventure. This park is one big loop so to get from one land to the next you must go through all of the other lands, there are no cut-throughs. This means you will be walking a lot so you will want to make sure you have comfortable shoes or sneakers to prepare for walking. One of the other tips and tricks I have picked up from participating in some of the RunDisney and Universal Orlando races throughout the years is to break your shoes in. So we would suggest making sure that you purchase your shoes a few weeks in advance and wear them for a few days before your trip to Orlando. 

Related Article: List of the Best Rides at Universal Orlando

Prepare for Universal Water Rides 

We think some of the best rides at Universal involve getting you soaked! Universal has a few water rides most of them are located in Islands of Adventure and they are Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges, Dudley Do Right’s Rip Saw Falls, and Jurassic Park River Adventure. These rides are a blast, especially on a hot day, you are going to be happy to ride them. That being said you will get soaked, especially on Popeyes, so one of our favorite Universal Orlando tips and tricks is that we recommend bringing a change of socks so you can at least have dry feet for the rest of the day. They also have “human dryers” for $5 per cycle. You can get a little drier in these.

Related Page: Complete Guide to all Universal Orlando Water Rides

Be Prepared for Motion Sickness 

We feel like this might be one of the most important tips for visiting Universal Orlando and that is aware that many rides can cause motion sickness. This is especially true for the popular ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. So if you are prone to motion sickness we highly recommend skipping some of the rides or bringing Dramamine from home which always helps me go on my favorite rides in the parks. We would also say that it could be worth waiting in the queue with the rest of your party just because of how immersive many of the queues are at Universal Orlando and then you can simply let a team member know at the front of the line that you would not like to ride. 

Additional Universal TIP – First aid stations located around the park do have Dramamine in case you forget to take some for motion sickness however, in our experience, they had only the drowsy Dramamine.

Related Page: Guide to Visiting Harry Potter World

Know the Height Requirements Ahead of Time

This is another one of our top tips for Universal Studios Orlando especially with families visiting with young children and that is to make sure you understand the Universal Orlando height requirements for each ride. This is especially true for Universal over Disney as we feel Universal is more geared towards the thrill rides which in our experience have taller height requirements. We also know that there is nothing worse than getting expectations up and not being able to ride the attraction once you get to the parks. We always suggest keeping in mind that you can always use child swap if some members of your party would like to ride the attraction that a child is too small for or just rather skip.  You can switch riders while someone stays behind to watch the kids. The next person doesn’t have to wait in line to get on the ride after swapping riders.

Related Page: Guide to Visiting Universal Orlando With Kids

Don’t Skip the Universal Orlando Single Rider Line 

The single rider line is another great Universal Studios tip and trick for families who have some members who would like to go on a ride and others who would like to skip it. And just like it sounds it allows one member to go onto a shorter line to get onto one of the popular attractions faster. Now, with the Universal Orlando single rider line, your party will most likely be split up. However, this can cut your wait time down by a lot, giving you more time to have fun in the parks. Not all attractions have single rider lines but if it does and you don’t mind being split up, it may help you save time.

As Passholders, we love popping into the parks and using Single Riders Lines to get through all of our favorite rides quickly. It’s one of the best hidden Universal tips for those who love to ride attractions but hate waiting in excessive lines!

Related Page: Guide to the Universal Orlando Virtual Queue 

Don’t Ride the First Ride You See 

Another one of our favorite top tips for Universal Studios Orlando that we give when helping families create their park plans is to skip the first ride you see in the parks. This is especially true for Universal Studios Orlando and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem which usually has a long wait because it is the first ride you see when you enter the park. For this reason, we always recommend heading to Diagon Alley first to get on Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. We will say the one time when we do believe that this Universal Orlando tip does not matter is when you have early park admission which we will cover in a bit! 

Related Page: Complete Guide to all Universal Orlando New Rides

Give Some Thought to Universal Orlando Special Events 

Did you know that Universal Orlando has some amazing special events throughout the year? We would say to always take a look at the Universal Orlando event calendar while planning your trip just to get an idea of some of the amazing events throughout the year. And this is a very important tip and trick for visiting Universal Orlando for two reasons with the first being that we typically will see more people in the parks during many of these events and the second being that one of these events might be something that you would really enjoy such as Halloween Horror Nights or Christmas at Universal Orlando. The other cool thing is that events such as Universal Mardi Gras and Christmas are included in your park admission ticket absolutely free.

• January – Rock The Universe (Christian Music Festival)
• February – March – Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 
• September – October – Halloween Horror Nights 
• November – December –  Universal Orlando Holiday Celebration  

Related Page: Guide to Universal Orlando During Christmas

Get Celebration Buttons

This is another great tip and trick for the Universal Parks for anyone visiting with someone celebrating a special occasion such as a Universal Orlando birthday or anniversary. And very simply Universal has celebration buttons that guests can wear around the park and possibly receive some special happy birthdays or congratulations. Guests can stop by guest relations to see if they do have any celebration buttons and the best part is they are absolutely free! 

Related Page: Guide to a Universal Orlando Birthday 

Consider a Refillable Universal Popcorn Bucket

This is a great tip for going to Universal Studios Orlando on a budget and that is to buy a refillable Universal Orlando popcorn bucket. The main reason is that Universal Orlando popcorn buckets start at $12.99 and refills are only $2 each throughout your vacation. So as you can see this can be a very affordable way for a large family to share popcorn throughout your entire vacation. It’s also important to note that Universal does have some very cool themed popcorn buckets which start at $28.00 for characters like the Minions and the Grinch, and these buckets also come with the same $2 refill cost. 

Related Page: How to Visit Universal Orlando For Cheap 

Check Out Food Options Before you Arrive and Make Advanced Reservations 

There is nothing worse than being hot and hungry in a park, trust us we’ve been there. For this reason, we always suggest taking a look at the restaurants and menus before you arrive to the parks. This is especially true for any families traveling with dietary restrictions, and you will be happy to know that many of the restaurants in the parks will be able to accommodate you. Guests can also use the mobile ordering feature on the Universal Orlando app to save even more time once they are inside of the parks and a few of our favorite quick-service restaurants in the parks are Thunder Falls Terrace in Islands of Adventure and Krusty Burger in Universal Studios. We also highly suggest making dining reservations for any of the best sit-down Universal restaurants in advance even if you are visiting during one of the slower times of the year. 

You can even mobile order from a few restaurants in CityWalk, which we highly recommend for the best tips for Universal Studios Orlando.

Related post: Complete Guide to CityWalk Bars and Clubs

Know How to Ride the Hogwarts Express 

It’s important to note that the Hogwarts Express is not just an ordinary ride, you will need a universal park-to-park ticket to ride this attraction since it picks you up in one park and drops you off in another. So this Universal Orlando tip has to do with getting familiar with the Universal Orlando ticket options and trying to think about which one is the best fit for your family. As a general rule of thumb, we always suggest starting with the base ticket if you are unsure if you want to go park-to-park or even ride the Hogwarts Express. The main reason is that you can always add the park-to-park option on once you get down to Orlando with the only real downside being that you would have to take time out of your day to upgrade your ticket. On the flip side, the Hogwarts Express is an immersive experience that we believe every Harry Potter fan will truly love. 

Additional Universal Studios Tip– be sure to ride it both ways for different ride experiences

Related Page: The Cheapest Universal Orlando Park-to-Park Tickets

Upgrade and Buy an Interactive Wand

This is another one of our favorite tips and tricks for Universal Studios for families visiting with young children. Guests who would like to make the most out of their wizarding world experience can purchase an interactive wand in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. With an interactive wand, witches and wizards can cast spells around Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. We have a full video showcasing everything you need to know about the interactive wands on our YouTube channel, be sure to check it out here! Overall we feel like this is a great activity for the entire family to enjoy and get the little ones involved as there might not be a full day’s worth of rides depending on how you are visiting the parks. 

It’s also important to keep in mind that if you do want to purchase a wand, Ollivanders is not the only place to do so. Ollivanders is usually a very long line so if you don’t want to wait, you can purchase your wand at various other locations in the wizarding world or even the Universal Studios store at the front of both parks or the big Universal Studios store in CityWalk.

Related Page: Universal Orlando Harry Potter Robes

Upgrade to an On-site Universal Orlando Hotel

One of the reasons why we love this Universal Studios planning tip is that ALL of the Universal hotels have great benefits like early park admission, free and easy Universal transportation to and from the parks, free merchandise delivery back to the resort, and resort-wide charging privileges! Last but not least we would say that one of the coolest benefits that is not offered at Disney is the ability to pool hop over at the Universal Orlando hotels!

There are 8 different Universal Orlando hotels that range from budget-friendly to luxury in style for guests to choose from. The best Universal Studios tip 2024 of them all is booking at a Premier hotel and getting Express Pass Unlimited for free for everyone registered in the hotel room.

Related Page: The Best Universal Orlando Hotels for Families

Know What to Pack for the Universal Orlando Parks  

When preparing for your visit to Universal Studios Orlando, carefully considering what to pack is a valuable tip that offers both cost and time savings. By bringing essential items from home, you can avoid the need to purchase them at inflated prices within the park. Some key items to pack include sunscreen, ponchos, reusable water bottles, lanyards, backpacks, and snacks. Bringing your own sunscreen not only saves money but ensures you have a familiar brand that suits your skin needs. Packing ponchos can prove beneficial, as sudden rain showers are not uncommon in Orlando. By having reusable water bottles on hand, you can refill them at water fountains throughout the park, reducing the need to purchase expensive bottled beverages.

Lanyards are convenient for holding park tickets, ensuring easy access at entry points. Additionally, bringing backpacks allows you to carry personal belongings comfortably and securely. Finally, having your preferred snacks on hand can save both time and money, as you can enjoy quick and affordable bites throughout the day. By packing these items and other essentials, you’ll be well-prepared, save on expenses, and optimize your time for an enjoyable experience at Universal Studios Orlando.

Related post: Complete Guide to Best Universal Studios Pool

Create a Park Plan

Coming up with a park plan for your time in the parks might be the most important Universal Orlando tip and trick on this list. We would suggest watching some YouTube videos, looking at park maps and even a list of all of the Universal Orlando rides before your trip to get a feel for what you would enjoy the most. You can even team up with a company like The Park Prodigy where all of our clients who purchase discount Universal Orlando tickets can ask us to create a custom park plan for their trip absolutely free!

We feel like having a park plan going into your day will allow you to focus on going on the rides that you have your heart set on in an optimized order so you won’t be confused or overwhelmed once you arrive at the parks.

Related Page: Hogsmeade Vs Diagon Alley

Know What’s New at Universal Orlando

Last summer, Universal Orlando opened a new attraction – Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast. Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast is an interactive, blaster game experience that will invite guests to put their villainous skills to the test as they compete against each other in a bid to join the ranks of the franchise’s most infamous supervillains. Villain-Con Minion Blast combines innovative screen technology, state-of-the-art gaming interactivity and elaborate physical sets to create a one-of-a-kind, game-based adventure where guests encounter immersive environments, nefarious villains and tons of mischievous Minions from Illumination’s films in a whole new way. This is all a part of a newly opened “Minion Land” This new area is home to the fan-favorite Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction, Minion Café, Freeze Ray Pops, Illumination meet and greet and more! 

Looking to 2024, guests can expect to see the opening of the brand new “Dreamworks Land” replacing Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone. Guests can enjoy time with their favorite Dreamworks characters like Shrek, Donkey, Trolls and more.

Related Page: How to Ride the VelociCoaster 

Try to Avoid the Crowds When Possible

This is one of our favorite tips and tricks for Universal Orlando as we feel like it will help save you a ton of time in the parks if you can take advantage of it, and that is try to pick one of the slower times of year at Universal Orlando. As a general rule of thumb, these slower times will be right after the holiday breaks and the times that you will want to avoid are typical: 

• Winter Break: Typically the second week in February
• Spring Break: The first week of March through the third week of April
• Memorial Day Weekend: The entire week leading up to Memorial Day
• Summer Vacation: Specifically the third week of June through July
• Thanksgiving Break: The entire week before and after
• Christmas Break: The third full week of December until after January 1st

Related Page: What is the Best Day to Visit Universal Orlando

Know When to Buy the Express Pass 

Continuing on with the best time to visit Universal, we know that it’s not always realistic that you’re able to visit at the perfect time which is why you might be wondering if the Universal Express pass is the right fit for you. And we would say if your plan is only to visit Universal Orlando for one or two days and you want to get on absolutely every ride then the express pass might be a good fit for you. We also always recommend shopping around and looking at the Universal Orlando Express Pass combo tickets or even upgrading to one of the Universal Orlando premier resorts where the express passes are included for free. And one additional tip regarding staying at a Universal Orlando premier resort would be that the express pass is included on both your check-in and check-out day! 

Tip –  It’s also important to note that the further in advance you purchase Express Pass, the cheaper it will be. The price is dependent on the day you pick and the price goes up the closer it gets to the date. Sometimes Express Passes will even sell out for certain days so if you know you want it, I wouldn’t hesitate.

Related Page: How to Get the Express Pass For Free?

Use Early Park Admission

This is by far our favorite Universal Orlando tip and that is to make sure you use early park admission when you can! Very simply this will save you so much time by avoiding long lines later on in the day as early park admission is really for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which has some of the most popular rides. Early park admission also includes the newest ride the VelociCoaster which is another extremely popular ride. Very simply we have seen that getting on 1-2 of the most popular rides can help save families up to three hours later in the day. We would also say that guests can take advantage of Ollivander’s Wand shop and enjoy the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with little to no crowds as well during this time so we really feel like it’s a great opportunity for every family. 

Related Page: How to Get Early Park Admission 

Combine the Express Pass With Early Park Admission When Possible

In our opinion, this is the best combination of any theme park benefits within both Universal Orlando and Disney World and that would be to combine your Universal Express Pass with early park admission. The main reason would be that there are three rides that are not included with the Universal Express pass and two of those rides are included with early park admission when Universal’s Islands of Adventure open. So our Universal Studios Orlando tip would be if you see that Islands of Adventure open and you have both the Universal Express Pass and early park admission then you should visit Hagrid’s and the VelociCoaster during early admission because you cannot use your Express Pass on these rides later in the day. On the flip side you can then focus on all of the rides that do accept the Universal Orlando Express pass later in the day to make sure you’re getting the most out of that ticket.

Related post: Complete Guide to the Lockers at Universal Orlando

Universal Studios Tips FAQ

When Is The Best Time To Visit Universal Orlando?

Our Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get the most out of your time in the parks. We breakdown the park crowds, park hours of operation, ticket prices by day, and average temperature.

Are You Ready to Plan Your Next Universal Orlando Trip?

If you are planning a trip to Universal Orlando be sure to check out our discounted multi-day Universal Orlando tickets and Universal Orlando vacation package deals which include EARLY PARK ADMISSION to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

And to stay up to date on everything going on inside the theme parks be sure to check out our partners at Themeparktoday.com!