What to Do at Universal Studios

Updated based on a new visit Oct. 5, 2018.

Having done Disney World multiple times (and written about it), we decided to change things up this summer and took the kids to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure instead. As with just about all things in life, we learn through trial and error. I thought I’d offer some advice to those that follow in our footsteps so you can get the most out of the park(s) without making some of the same mistakes we made.

Your first decision will be which of the two parks to choose or to splurge on both. We chose to do both but that’s not cheap. If you don’t want to pay for both, I’d suggest sticking with Universal Studios if your kids are under 10 or going with Islands of Adventure if they’re over that age. If they’re big Harry Potter fans, you have a dilemma. The folks that run these parks aren’t dumb. The Potter rides are split between the two parks and the Hogwarts Express train (very cool) is only available to those that pay for both. This is what sold us on buying the two-park ticket. My seven-year-old is a Harry Potter fanatic. I wasn’t going to get away with skipping any of his favorite stuff.

Your other ticketing decisions will be related to their Universal Express options. Like Disney’s FastPass, you can pay extra to get much shorter lines for most of the rides. As much as I dislike paying even more for tickets than the current $179 one-day multi-park pass price, I highly encourage you to buy the Express option. There’s just no way to ride all of the rides in 10+ hours without it. The lines aren’t quite as bad as Disney World, but they’re still brutal. We've visited on both a weekend and a weekday and we still had to skip a couple rides even with Express both times exploring the 200+ acres of parks. What I don’t recommend is the Unlimited Express. Unlimited allows you to skip ahead in the lines as many times as you like per ride. This sounds good, but if you want to ride the majority of the rides, you just won’t have time to take advantage of this perk. If you’re set on riding as many of the attractions as possible, it’s cheaper to just purchase the one-time Express option.

One other thing to note is that both of these parks offer a fantastic option for parents of children that are two small or too scared to ride on some rides that their parents or siblings want to enjoy. Child Swap allows one parent to sit in a waiting room with their child near the front of each line while the other parent/children ride. Then the riding parent can swap with the waiting parent afterward without the waiting parent having to stand in line again. We took advantage of this on our first trip when our youngest was only four years old on a few of the bigger rides and considered it a huge benefit.

Now, what to wear and bring with you. If you go during summer break or really any time before Halloween, it’s going to be hot in Orlando. REALLY hot. Bring sunscreen, wear light-colored clothes, the skimpier the better, and wear a hat. Sunglasses are a good idea too. None of those tips are all that unique, but one that might be is to also consider bringing a change of clothes in a small bag. Two of Islands of Adventure’s best rides, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls and Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges will absolutely soak you. I’m not just talking wet. I’m talking clothes sopping wet from hat to socks. Walking around like that is miserable and the $5 People Dryers don’t really do squat. Save your money on those and just bring something to change into.  Traipsing around for miles in squishy socks is a bummer. You might also consider bringing along some snacks and water in that bag. Like all parks, those things are really expensive inside.

Ok, you’ve packed the proper gear, gotten through security, emptied your wallet at the ticket counter, and you’re finally inside the gates. Now what? I can’t speak to the shows. We skipped them all. Remember, we still didn’t manage to ride all the rides in 10 hours. Plan your time wisely! Here's my advice on what to ride and what to skip:

Universal Studios to Ride:

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

Revenge of the Mummy
Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Simpsons Ride

Hogwarts Express

Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster
Kang & Todos' Twirl 'n' Hurl

Universal Studios to Skip:
Transformers: The Ride-3D
Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem
Men in Black: Alien Attack
Shrek 4-D
Fast & Furious: Supercharged
E.T. Adventure

Islands of Adventure to Ride:

The Incredible Hulk Coaster
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Dragon Challenge - now closed 

Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges
Flight of the Hippogriff
Doctor Doom’s Fearfall

Jurassic Park River Adventure
Pteranodon Flyers (children only)

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man

Skull Island: Reign of Kong

Islands of Adventure to Skip:
Storm Force Accelatron
The Cat in the Hat
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Caro-Seuss-el

We really enjoyed both our visits and I’m betting we’ll be back for a third trip sometime in the next few years. If you've been there recently or decide to visit soon, I hope you'll post a comment telling me what your favorite rides were!