Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Orlando, Florida

This trip to Universal Orlando was sort of sudden. The original plan was for hubby to go to Toronto and run marathon with his friend. When we were just thinking through our plan, hubby suddenly said hey let's go to Harry Potter World in Florida. And I was like...yeah..why didn't I think about it. I am the Harry Potter fans. I have been thinking about it even when we still live in California. There is a Universal Studios down in Southern California. But one of my friends who have been to both California and Florida told me that the Florida one is bigger. So we decided to save that trip for Florida.

There's so many blogs out there giving tips on how to plan a trip to Universal Studios. That's how I did my research. I will only put out a few tips here which I found important.

Park to Park Ticket
Wizarding World of Harry Potter is spread between 2 parks - Universal Studios Florida and Island of Adventure. Diagon Alley and Gringotts Bank at Universal Studios Florida and Hogsmeade and Hogswart Castle at Island of Adventure. Then there's Hogswart Express to connect between those two. So to make sure you have the full experience of Wizarding World of HP and be able to ride on Hogswart Express you need park to park ticket.

Hogswart Express is a fun ride and I found it more entertaining than those thrilling rides. Make sure to take it both ways from either side because it is a different experience.

Look For Promotional Deals
If you like one stop shopping then definitely stop by Universal Orlando. There's always promotional deals going on depends on which time of the year. And I found out here that Florida residents do get discounts. So make sure to check on that if you live in Florida.

We got a pay 2 days and get 3 days free deal from that site. We didn't really need all 5 days since there's only two of us both adults. So for the hotel we only going to stay 3 nights. That already felt plenty.

Stay At The Universal Resort Hotel
Universal Studios has a few resort hotel within the area. Staying at the resort hotel gives you privilege of early entrance among other benefits. Just keep in mind that early entrance is only applicable to Universal Studios Florida.

Out of the resort hotel selections, we chose Universal Cabana Bay due to the price. The hotel provides shuttle to and from the park. We also purchased airport pick up service so we didn't have to rent a car at all. And we had all those reservations through Universal Orlando website.

Having a shuttle to drop us off was so convenient and less complicated parking fees and arrangement. I believe it required less walking too. And the shuttle bus runs pretty late so don't worry if you spend time to enjoy Universal Citywalk till later at night.

Avoid Long School Holiday
If at all possible. I know this is almost impossible for families with school age children. I know friends that took their children out of school a bit earlier to beat the crowd. Not that I'm endorsing. No judging either.

We planned our 4 day 3 night trip to span from Tuesday to Friday. Friday noticeably busier than other days. Towards end of the day before closing seem to be less quiet. In fact on our first day there we went in at 5:30 and managed to take Hogswart Express with almost no wait. Then we continued to Gringotts Bank and got on Escape From Gringotts ride also with very little wait.

At the same time also check their website to see which rides would be closed for maintenance.
https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/plan-your-visit/hours-information/park-hours#universals-islands-of-adventure

Single Rider and Child Swap
Some rides offer Single Rider lane which shares the same lane as Express Pass. Single Rider gets to the front of the line pretty fast and will be placed to fill in space where groups have been seated. If you don't mind getting on the rides separately from your group then Single Rider it's for you.

Child Swap is another service provided to parents with children. Everyone get in the line then one parent stays with the children and the other gets on the ride. After the ride, the parents swap and the one who hasn't got on the ride will get on it without having to line up separately.

Express Pass
If your budget allows, Express Pass allows you to get to the front of the line faster. Express Pass has separate lane which is usually shorter. But it's quite costly. Fortunately you don't have to purchase ahead of time. You could always purchase on the day.

If you do want to splurge a bit on the hotel, try Loews Royal Pacific Resort and you'll get Express Pass every day for the duration of your stay. That's $129/person per day. Do your calculation, it may actually worth staying there.