7 EASY TIPS for the Universal Orlando Resort

With the new Epic Universe opening a LOT of people are wanting to head to Universal Orlando resort to see one of the first BRAND NEW theme parks to open in the US for a long time. I know I’m excited — but it’s VERY different than other parks, and there are some tips that can make your visit SO much better, so let’s talk about them.

Note: It’s Confusing

Honestly, this park and planning is confusing enough I always leave this to the experts at Get Away Today. I have used them since 1998 for all my theme park travel (including Disneyland and Disney World) — if you have ANY questions I think it’s so smart to call them. This post is sponsored by Get Away Today, but since I use them all the time myself (and encourage my IRL friends to use them too) it was a no brainer to partner with them.

They are great at doing some of the fancy math I’m doing in this post to see if you’re really saving money to do the things that you want. Huge fans of theirs! Their # is 1-855-GET-AWAY — and it always helps when you tell them you heard about them from PULLING CURLS. You can also try coupon code CURLS10 to see if you can get $10 off your vacation package, because we know every dollar counts!

A Few Epic Universe Tips (it’s different from the other parks)

Before we get started on the parks that are already open I want to share two things you’ll want to know about Epic Universe (which opens late May 2025):

1. You have to purchase a 3-day ticket in order to be able to go to Epic Universe, only one of those days can be used at Epic Universe (if you have an annual pass there are ways to purchase a 1-day pass to Epic Universe)
2. Currently, Express Pass is not offered at Epic Universe

We’re not sure when/if either of those two things will change. I’m sure it’s the fact that it’s a brand new park and they’re just trying to navigate it and their traffic flows as well as they can.

So, be aware of those, and keep an ear to the ground if things change as you get closer to YOUR vacation date.

Ok, onto the current tips:

Stay at a Resort That Included Unlimited Express Pass

The Express Pass allows you to go into a separate line that is prioritized to get on rides. I wouldn’t say “skip the line” but it’s pretty darn quick. It’s a HUGE perk if you hate waiting in lines. For us, it allows us to spend less days at the park, less days at expensive hotels eating expensive food. I’m a big fan of it.

But you can 100% do the park without it, but it is included in some hotel stays:

At the time of writing, these include:

• Hard Rock Hotel – I have stayed here, loved their pool and the hotel vibe. This is a 5-10 minute walk to the park
• Royal Pacific – I am staying here for a visit in early April, and very excited about it. It’s about a 10 minute walk to the park.
• Portofino – beautiful Italian themed hotel, about 20 minute walk or quick boat ride

A few things you need to know:

Those hotels I mentioned are “signature collection” hotels — but not ALL Signature collection hotels offer the Unlimited Express Pass with it. There are a couple more:

• Sapphire Falls – next door to Royal Pacific, similar vibe
• Helios – BRAND NEW hotel opening next year located INSIDE Epic Universe (but no express — there are questions as to if this will change, we’re not sure)

There are also other Universal hotels — but you have to be aware that they do NOT offer the Express Pass when you stay with them.

Ok, because I love to talk budget, let’s talk about if this is cheaper than just buying the express pass on it’s own:

At the time of writing a 2-day ticket starts at $146 (and goes up close to $200 depending on when you purchase). FYI, We’re looking at park to park tickets — we’ll talk more about why in a minute. This price is part of it whether you stay at one of the fancy hotels or not.

To add express pass you’re looking at $165-250/day. That is for the unlimited, you can save about $30 to make it not unlimited (meaning you only get to skip the line once/ride/day). Meaning you’d save:

• $330-460/day for a party of two
• $660-$1000/day for a party of four

The cheaper the express pass, the less likely the parks will be busy — so keep that in mind. It’s cheaper to do it on less-busy days, but will you NEED it as much? If rides have short wait times, your money might be better spent elsewhere.

Keep in mind you get the express pass on both your CHECK IN DAY and your CHECK OUT DAY. Meaning with every night you stay at the hotel, you can use 2 days of express pass (if you have park tickets for those days).

Ok, let’s look at the price savings between hotel rooms:

For one night at the Royal Pacific looks to be about $550 (this is during low-season, so keep that in mind on pricing — it varies depending on what dates you pick) for two people, it’s $675 for 4 people.

For one night at Sapphire Falls is $431 for 2, and $610 for 4. You’re saving between $120-60 staying there, but no unlimited pass.

OR, you could go even cheaper to the Fairfield that’s Near Universal for just $122 for two, and $146 for four. That’s a $330 savings/night for 2, and $529 for 4.

Now, this really only works well for parties of 4 or less. If you have a larger family things get very tricky, and the savings may not be the same if you move to a suite at these nicer hotels…

There ARE other perks to staying at a Universal hotel — so, that’s something else to keep in mind, we’ll talk more about that.

Get Park to Park Tickets

Now, in general I’m not a huge fan of park hopper tickets, however with Universal there is a ride you can NOT ride if you don’t have park-to-park tickets — The Hogwarts’s Express.

Which is why they always recommend to get a park to park ticket.

Also, these Universal parks (unlike Disney World) are close enough for you to easily travel between the two. You an either take the Hogwarts’s Express, or you can walk around the front.

This is one of those tips it’s good to know when you plan your trip!

Take Advantage of Early Entry

Hotel guests from the Universal Hotels do get an hour of early entry before others are able to enter the park.

Again, you can do this on your day INTO the parks and the day you check out.

Note: The parks that allow early entry really varies — you’ll want to check their site for more info.

Ok, those are some basic ones to get to do more each day — but here are a few tips I think might help you out in your actual operations inside the park

Less for Kids

It’s important to know that there is less to do at the Universal parks for younger kids than there might be at Disney World. I’m talking about under about age anyone under about 8-10 (depending on how scared kids are of dark rides, etc).

That isn’t to say that if you have a younger child (and older siblings) that they can’t find anything there to enjoy. A few areas to consider with younger kids:

• Camp Jurassic — an awesome dinosaur-themed areas for kids.
• Jurassic Park Discovery Center — more about dinosaurs — also has the Pteranodon Flyers that is for younger kids (could be problematic if they have an issue with heights)
• Dr Seuss Area — I think you could spend a good amount of time here with smaller kids. Lots to see and do for them!
• Toon Lagoon has some fun water play areas for kids
• Amazing Adventures of Spiderman — this is a great “test” ride to see how kids do on a dark ride. It’s not very scary and doesn’t involve any coaster-type moves. You do have to be 40″ to be able to ride with an adult on it.
• The Minion area has a lot of stuff for smaller kids
• ET Adventure — this is a great “test” tide — you need to be at least 34″. While this is a “suspended” ride kids may think they’re higher up than they are. Might be good to watch a video of it ahead of time to think if your kid is good for this.
• If you get a park to park ticket, the Hogwarts train can be fun. There are some “scarier” parts with some death eaters, but it’s just on a screen and they could sit on your lap if necessary. There is no height restriction.
• Men in Black is a fun shooting ride (similar to Buzz Lightyear). It is dark and they are aliens, and it does have a 42″ height requirement
• Trollercoaster is a basic “beginning” coaster with a height requirement of 36″ to ride with another adult
• The DreamWorks area has a few fun things for kids to enjoy including Minion stuff, Trolls, Kung Fu Panda, Shrek and other movies kids might love.

There is also Volcano Bay — I honestly haven’t been there. I’ve heard great things — that it’s a GREAT water park, but being from Arizona we water park frequently here…

Don’t Miss the Borne Show

Ok, I never was told this — we went to this show because we were hot and tired, and were really WOW’d by it. Universal really knows how to do shows (huge fan of the Water World show in LA).

I’d just recommend going to it! It will also give your tired feet a nice amount of time to rest. The theater is huge too — seats a LOT of people (meaning you don’t have to line up super early to get in).

Take Bonine

If you have any bit of motion sickness let me just encourage you to take Bonine. I’ve also used these ear patches before too.

I don’t find Bonine to make me sleepy, it’s chewable and i just keep a vat of it in my park bag. 🙂

If you have ANY motion sickness — Universal with it’s 3-D glasses and movement-based screen rides will escalate it quickly. So, take the Bonine. At LEAST bring some with you (it works pretty quickly in my experience).

Diagon Ally can be tricky:

Ok, this was a fun one, but also we were super confused — let me explain.

You know if you’ve read the Harry Potter books that Diagon Ally is hidden in London, and the people have no idea it’s even there. The same is true at Universal Studios Florida.

When you ask employees they will say “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you might want to look down there” and we were still lost.

Go down past Fast and the Furious, and then you’ll go past Kings Cross Station and then on your left you’ll see some red brick — this is where you walk through to go to Diagon Ally. When the park is busy this isn’t an issue — you’ll see lots of people walking in there, but if you’re there early entry (like us) it can be both fun and confusing to know about this little secret.

Don’t forget to find Nocturne Alley once you’re in there — it’s a fun hidden treat as well.

Bonus: How to Plan Your Trip

Now that you have the tips I hope you’re excited for your upcoming trip. Because there are SO many variables I love to talk with Get Away Today, tell them what’s most important to me and see what they can recommend for me.

For instance, for my upcoming trip to Epic Universe later in the year, I’m going with an adult son — and saving money, but still having the express pass is a priority for us. So, I told them that, and they’re coming up with some options for me.

We love Universal Orlando — it’s one of our favorite theme parks for our family. Do you have other questions, hopefully me, or Get Away Today can answer some of your questions. You can call them at: 1-855-GET-AWAY (they may ask you to just leave a message for an Orlando trip and they will call you back).

When I booked ours, they told us the earlier we book the better, because if a better price is offered they will price-match it quickly. Especially with Epic Universe things may well be crazy — so booking early seems smart. We’re going to book our soon for a trip in about 11 months.

Be sure to my Q&A About Universal Orlando! for more great tips!