Universal Orlando Resort Preview Center


This weekend I said hello to an old friend. No, not the dragon perched atop Gringotts in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley in the photo above, but the Universal Orlando Resort theme parks, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, which I had last experienced in my early high school years. On our annual family trips to Walt Disney World, we always spent a day doing Universal (just Universal Studios Florida for every trip but one, as most of these trips predated Islands of Adventure). Some of my favorite attractions as a child were in Universal Studios Florida: ET Adventure, Jaws, Back to the Future: The Ride, Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies, Earthquake: The Big One, and my ultimate favorite, Kongfrontation. These attractions sparked my interest in classic Universal blockbusters and my passion for Alfred Hitchcock films, with both interests continuing to this day.

For various reasons (okay, it’s entirely due to laziness in never wanting to rent a car), Sarah and I had not returned to Universal Orlando on our many Walt Disney World trips over the last several years. Being a fan of themed design, I wanted to see Hogsmeade when the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in Islands of Adventure a few years back, but not enough to stop being lazy and actually rent a car. Finally, with the opening of Diagon Alley and all of the fanfare on Jimmy Fallon and the dedicated NBC special, I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer.

I knew most of my childhood favorites were gone (which was also a reason for me not being so eager to visit), but I had no idea of just how excellent the replacements were. I’m used to being disappointed by attractions that replace those of my youth, both due to the tight grasp of nostalgia on me and the reality of the changing landscape in many theme parks. Although I missed the smell of bananas in the queue for Kongfrontation and the gas on Jaws, I was impressed with virtually all of the replacement attractions. Most of these were fully realized and used a variety of effects, clever structure, and storytelling devices to form really solid attractions. Certainly not what I expected in light of the (undeserved) criticism that Universal is all screens and 3D.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, consisting of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, was especially awe-inspiring. Prior to the week before the trip, I had never seen any of the Harry Potter movies. I watched the first three, but couldn’t really get into them. That made no difference, as I was still blown away when I stepped foot in Diagon Alley for the first (and second, and third…) time. It is a next-level theme park experience that I think is on-par with the best of Tokyo DisneySea, and anyone who knows me knows that this is the ultimate praise for any theme park. Beyond the excellent detail and immersive sense of place in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I was blown away by the ambitious main attractions in each land, and intrigued by Hogwarts Express is, which is interesting both from an operational and substantive perspective.

I could write a wall of text about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter alone, but that would be getting ahead of myself. This is only meant as an introduction to my upcoming posts about Universal Orlando, and to gauge interest in what you might want to see and read about with regard to Universal Orlando. With a few exceptions, this will be the home to all of my postings that relate to Universal Orlando. I know I haven’t exactly been active with this site, but I plan on resuming a regular posting schedule this fall. I suspect many of you reading this are primarily Disney fans with a curiosity or potential interest in a “side trip” to Universal, so, what are you interested in reading about with regard to Universal Orlando? Unfortunately, despite my many trips as a child, most of that knowledge is stale, and I’m far from an expert on the contemporary Universal Orlando Resort, so the best I can really offer is critique, reports, and tips based on anecdotal observations, rather than anything even remotely comprehensive. With that said, I’m more than happy to write restaurant reviews, a trip report, or whatever else might interest you.

As for the knowledge thing, I’ll work on quickly bringing myself up to snuff on Universal Orlando through future trips. Admittedly, I was half-hoping to be disappointed by Universal Orlando Resort so as to not feel the need to revisit. That was not even close to the case, which I means my lazy ways of not renting a car in Orlando have come to an end. On the plus side, I have two more theme parks to add to my rotation of things to do in Florida! That more than offsets the hassle of having to rent a car.

This photo of Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Florida was shot with my Nikon D810 and Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens, plus the Luxi L III tripod.

To see more of my Wizarding World of Harry Potter photos, check out my Universal Orlando Resort Photo Gallery.

Your Thoughts…

What would you like to see covered here with regard to Universal Orlando? Have you visited Universal Orlando recently? Interested in visiting? Any questions? Share any thoughts you have in the comments!

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  1. Chris D
    Chris D says:

    I’m Interested in any commentary you have about Universal Orlando… Which i visited for the first time a couple of weeks ago at my friend’s insistence.

    But I wonder if it’ll be the same impression as mine. Namely: the Wizarding World and Diagon Alley are beyond detailed and totally immersive, but the second you step outside those lands, things get a bit ropey. The “Marvel Comics” section of IoA seemed like thinly themed excuses for thrill rides (I’ve heard people compare Doom’s Fear Fall with the Tower of Terror, which is frankly laughable) – and it isn’t easy to wholly immerse yourself in the experience as a result.

    Reply
  2. Sharon
    Sharon says:

    Thanks for this article. I found the link here by searching for “Diagon Alley” on smugmug, and was surprised (but pleased) to see your photos come up. I would love to see you cover tips for photography at Universal Orlando, like you have for WDW.

    Reply
  3. Clara
    Clara says:

    Just wanted to chime in that I’d love to see a Universal trip report from you, as I love your tone and commentary on these reports and I’d be very interested in hearing the order in which you took in the parks, your first impressions upon entering HP lands, your experiences photographing the parks, etc.

    Also, I completely agree about never wanting to rent cars on Florida vacations. We get around this by taking Mears shuttle for a day and it’s always worked well for us.

    Reply
  4. Melissa
    Melissa says:

    Trip report!!!! As well as dining reviews. I haven’t been able to find much about the dining options at Universal, and would love to have several options for meals over the three days that we will be there in October!

    Reply
  5. Erin
    Erin says:

    Woot! I can’t wait to hear about the Universal trip. My husband & I are doing both Disney & Universal in October. It will be nice to see a good Universal trip report to know what to expect.

    Reply
  6. Mark
    Mark says:

    What did you think of the Simpsons area. Last time I was there they only had the ride but as I understand it now there is an entire Simpsons/Springfield area.

    Reply
  7. nicole
    nicole says:

    I love would to read just about anything you are willing to write about Universal!You are always so thorough and your posts are incredibly detail. They are always my go-to spot when planning a trip and I cannot wait to visit now that the new expansion is finished on Harry Potter land. I would love to know more about the new rides/restaurants with the intricacies you always include in your trip reports. What is worth our time and what isn’t. Where to eat, etc. Anything you can offer would be much appreciated!

    Reply
  8. Valerie
    Valerie says:

    Anything! I’m looking forward to hearing more about your feelings and experiences there! My husband and I being DVC and AP holders, don’t venture too often to Universal, but we did go in 2011 to see Hogsmeade (I’m a Harry Potter fan, my husband just goes a long with it) and we are planning to visit in October for 1 day during our Disney trip to see Diagon Alley! It looks absolutely amazing!

    Something I found interesting and definitely helpful, was an article on touring plans about the Universal AP. We’re planning on going back in January for my best friend’s 30th birthday (huge harry potter fan and never been to the parks), so we’ll be there for at least 2 days and probably will stay onsite. The park to park ticket for 1 day is $136 pp. The lowest level of AP they have is $216. We are planning on buying these, basically saving $100 pp (instead of buying 1 park to park in October and then 2 days park to park in January), will probably be able to get some kind of discount on the room (Cabana Bay!), and will hit up another day next Sept when we return to Disney World. I feel like this is kind of a hidden gem, if you go to the parks like even 2 days a year, the AP might save you money. Of course there are different levels of AP, the lowest one has blackout dates and such, but I didn’t even think to look until I saw that article about how doable they are!!

    Thanks for all the great info and advice as always!

    Reply
  9. Abby
    Abby says:

    What has stopped me from wanting to visit Universal before is I am not a thrill ride person; Space Mountain and Expedition Everest at WDW are pushing my limits haha. I think a generalized trip report in your usual style would be helpful in deciding if a trip to Universal is worth it. My husband has been pushing for a day or two at Universal but we just haven’t done it yet. Since we live in Indiana, we would probably tack it on to a Disney trip. I would be interested in how many days you think someone would need at Universal (we usually agree with your Disney itineraries). Looking forward to reading it!

    Reply
  10. Holly
    Holly says:

    My husband and I actually honeymooned at Universal, instead of Disney *gasp* because it was so much cheaper for the week in 2009. But since then tons has changed. What I would really be interested in, besides a regular trip report, would be comparing and contrasting what Universal gets right/wrong in comparison with Disney. My two complaints were having to (mostly) go outside the park for a sit-down meal and no nighttime activities. We had a wonderful meal at Mythos but everything else in the park was typical burgers and fries counterservice so we ventured out to citywalk for dinner. I’ve heard they’ve improved recently on this front so I’m also curious about your take on the food situation. Last I was there, the parks closed fairly early as well. You could hang out at citywalk afterwards but that was it. Has anything improved on that front? Whatever you decide to do, I’m sure it will be great and I look forward to reading, as always!

    Reply
  11. jlaalja (Joe)
    jlaalja (Joe) says:

    Tom,

    Thanks for stepping out and showing us something new! For all of our trips to Disney, I have never been to Universal. My wife told me early on that one day we would venture over to see Hogsmeade and years later we still haven’t. When Diagon Alley was announced, she said we would visit when complete. Well, we bought APs for Universal this year and plan to spend four days of our two week Christmas-New Years trip there with the rest at Disney. So far after 4 weeks at Disney this year, we have avoided the temptation to activate our Uni APs. With MNSSHP during our trip in Sept/Oct, we definitely won’t then either. So December it is…

    I am a little apprehensive and uncertain about Universal, having never been there. If definitely is weird how close to trip time you have to wait to book meals…no 180 days! We have our room booked and are hoping to take advantage of early entry. I am sure we will enjoy it.

    I definitely would like hear your opinions and comparisons on the parks and restaurants.

    Reply
  12. Skye Haun
    Skye Haun says:

    My husband and I have made 3 trips down there over the past 2 years. Two with just the 2 of us and one with our kids, who were 4, 9 and 18 at the time and we all LOVED Hogsmeade, haven’t had the chance to experience Diagon Alley yet. When we went with our kids, we only took one day away from our Disney World park time, but when just the two of us went down we spent two and then three days. While you can do and see everything in one day, we found that we enjoyed both of our trips a lot more, we were able to ride the rides a lot more and really enjoy the experience. One thing worth mentioning. when we had our kids with us, is that our daughter who was 4 couldn’t go on as many of the rides. She loved the ones she could go on but there are definitely a lot more of them that she couldn’t go on there than there are at Disney World. We are heading back down there next week for another Disney World trip and are spending 3 days at Universal with the kids this time.

    Reply
  13. Steph
    Steph says:

    I want to see so much about Harry Potter, I just can’t wait! I want to see more of your pics of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade and all things Potter! I would also like to see some more about the parks because I really don’t really know what else is there, and I do want to know if it’s worth me getting a car when I’m in Orlando. We never do so I’m curious about more details in the park.

    Reply
  14. Dave
    Dave says:

    Tom,

    Your feelings going into it are mine exactly. Many of my favorite memories are of the attractions you listed but that are no longer there (except for ET). This is what has kept me away from Universal. I’m not a “roller coaster” guy and prefer well executed themes to thrills. I think if you wrote a trip report in your normal style, this would be most appropriate. I’m really excited actually to get a “Disney Geek’s” opinion as we seem to agree on most things.

    I don’t think comparing and contrasting to Walt Disney World is inappropriate and would give us a baseline to judge by. Just do your thing… there’s a reason you have like 150,000 followers!

    P.S. Go heavy on the pics!

    Reply
  15. Tammy
    Tammy says:

    We usually so Disney with 3 or 4 adults and 5 kids. Ranging in age from 13-5. Is there enough to keep all age ranges happy?

    Reply
  16. Matt Bell
    Matt Bell says:

    One thing I wanted to add is that you can easily do all of the attractions you wish to do in one day at both Universal parks if you stay on site. In addition to the extra magic hours (or whatever the Universal equivalent is called), you also get to use the Express Pass for every ride and attraction all day, as many times as your want. If you don’t have small children with you, this makes it easy to do all of the attractions and still have time to sightsee and have a sit-down meal. The on-site hotels are really expensive but you make up this cost by getting to do everything and only having to buy a 1 day park hopper.

    Reply
    • Tom Bricker
      Tom Bricker says:

      I pretty strongly disagree with this (in fact, I wish I had another day there), but to each his own. If you do all of Walt Disney World in 3 days, I could also see doing Universal in 1 day. But I’ll cover this in the planning post/trip report.

  17. Kayla
    Kayla says:

    I think for a lot of Disney fans, the logistics of a visit can be intimidating. There are so many ways you can do it, maybe a post about how you combined both resorts in one trip? Like did you stay in one Disney hotel as your base and make day trips to Universal? Rent a car from the airport, or from Alamo/National at Car Care Center or Swan/Dolphin?

    Tickets…park to park practically essential now…but did you buy Express Passes? Did you do advance purchase or at the gate? Seems basic, but when you spend years traveling on Disney packages, it’s a whole new world!

    Reply
    • Tom Bricker
      Tom Bricker says:

      Hmmm…this might be the kind of stuff I could do in a pseudo-planning post because, after doing it once, I *have* learned a lot about this. Thanks!

  18. Aly
    Aly says:

    Yay! I’m so excited to read this. We went in 2012 when IOA debuted Hogsmeade, and it was awesome…but JAMMED with people. We’re going to visit in October for a day to see Diagon Alley, now. I’d love to just hear a trip report from you — what did you do, how was the experience, etc.

    Two questions (which you’ll probably answer): 1. Did you use their fastpass-type system? I know they had a paid one (it’s worth it if you can do two parks in one day like we try to do). I can’t remember if they have a paper one like Disney’s. 2. How were the crowds? Did you find anything helpful in navigating around people? We were at the park at rope drop, ran to the Harry Potter section, and it was still crazy.

    Thanks! I’m so excited for this report!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Tom Bricker
      Tom Bricker says:

      Yeah, these are the kinds of things I can cover in a trip report, but my experiences are too limited at this point to do a dedicated post to avoiding crowds or that sort of thing. I’ll be sure to cover it in the report, though!

    • Aly
      Aly says:

      Yeah, I didn’t mean to say those questions were for individual posts, more things I’m curious to find out from your experience. Thanks!

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