Should I do Universal or Island of Adventure first?

Overall we would always lean towards Islands of Adventure for early park admission. The main reason is this park is home to the newest Universal ride the VelociCoaster. As you can imagine this ride can have one of the longest wait times in the parks throughout the day.



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If you're not eligible for Express Pass and Early Park Admission, you have absolutely no chance at accomplishing everything in both parks. On most days, you'll be lucky to accomplish half of what Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure have to offer. We strongly recommend you do at least 2 days.

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Best Attractions at Universal Harry Potter Right off the bat, Islands of Adventure has an advantage because it has 4 rides instead of just 2. Plus, while I'd say the experience is better coming from Diagon Alley, you can ride The Hogwarts Express on either side.

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Winner: Universal Studios Universal Studios wins because there are more characters to meet all around the park. We love the two parks just about the same. If we had to choose the best park, Islands of Adventure might have the edge in terms of rides. Still, Universal Studios has the edge on most of the other factors.

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On most days, you'll be lucky to accomplish half of what Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure have to offer. We strongly recommend you do at least 2 days. If you are eligible for Express Pass and/or Early Park Admission, that probably means you're staying in an on-site Universal Orlando.

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As you can guess if Saturday and Monday tend to be the busiest, Tuesday tends to be the best day to visit Universal Studios Orlando. We also find Thursday to be one of the least busy days of the week at Universal Studios, with Sunday being a great weekend option.

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Everyone says go to diagon alley (studios side) first and get the whole “getting ready for hogwarts” experience. Gringotts gets extremely busy, so doing that early will save you a lot of time for the rest of your day.

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Can Universal Orlando Be Done in One Day? The simple answer is: Yes! it's toadally possible to fit Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure into one day. What makes park hopping easy at Universal Orlando is the fact that the two parks are right next to each other.

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And Islands of Adventure in Universal Orlando has the most Harry Potter rides, home to four rides. These four rides are Flight of the Hippogriff, The Hogwarts Express, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

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Not all guests are going to spend a full day at Islands of Adventure. We advise spending a full day at both of Universal Orlando's parks, though, and so this one-day plan is built with that in mind. Park operations and guest patterns change over time.

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For that reason, we recommend devoting a minimum of a full day to each Universal Orlando theme park, especially if this is your first visit. Three days is ideal, particularly with a park-to-park pass, as it will allow you to fully explore each park and revisit your favorite attractions.

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There are six different shows in Islands of Adventure, including the two live shows in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade.

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Guests can also travel between parks by walking from main gate to main gate via Universal CityWalk, but the Hogwarts Express is certainly more magical. Note: In order to visit both parks — and both lands within the Wizarding World — you'll need a two-park ticket (more on that below).

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Best Attractions at Universal Harry Potter Right off the bat, Islands of Adventure has an advantage because it has 4 rides instead of just 2. Plus, while I'd say the experience is better coming from Diagon Alley, you can ride The Hogwarts Express on either side.

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Hogwarts™ Castle Walk You can walk through Hogwarts™ castle without riding the ride attraction. Fully enjoy the world of Harry Potter™ including “Moving Portrait Corridor” and “The Portrait of the Fat Lady” like Harry Potter™ and his friends did! *Please ask crew members about the operation hours.

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And as you can imagine there are so many amazing things to do in each section, you should give yourself at least two days to experience everything the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has to offer.

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Islands of Adventure Arrival Tips: Arrive about 45 minutes prior to arrival if you have tickets, arrive 60 minutes prior if you need to purchase admission.

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Islands of Adventure has many more thrill rides, some of which are the best in the world. The ones at Universal Studios are worth checking out, but if you're a thrill seeker and can only visit one park, I'd go for Islands of Adventure.

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