Which Universal Park is best to visit first?

It really doesn't matter which one you start at, honestly. I tend to feel like most people head to IOA first thing in the morning, because it is a straight shot from the parking garage. I would maybe just hop around both parks on both days, and play it by the crowds. There are great attractions at both parks.



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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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Theme Park 2. IOA is the second of the three Universal parks in Orlando, and it has a distinctly different feel from either USF or Volcano Bay. Whereas USF is oriented around classic movie franchises like Jurassic Park and Harry Potter, IOA is all about high-adrenaline rides and attractions.

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If you want to revolve the entire vacation around theme parks, then Universal Orlando is probably your best bet. However, if you consider visiting a theme park as only part of a larger itinerary, then Universal Studios Hollywood may be a better option.

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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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What You'll Need. First, you'll need to know that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter encompasses two parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure), so the first thing you'll need is a 2-park 1-day ticket. That will cost you around $164 per adult and $159 per child.

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We usually recommend at least a full day at each park, and maybe more depending on the time of year and a few other factors, but sometimes that's just not possible.

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We do believe that one day at Universal Orlando will be worth it for a lot of families! This is especially true if you are visiting Universal Orlando specifically to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, experience all of the Universal Orlando roller coasters, or the Jurassic Park rides.

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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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You'll need a Park-to-Park ticket to ride the Hogwarts™ Express and visit both lands of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™. The train travels between Hogsmeade™ in Universal's Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley™ in Universal Studios Florida.

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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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Q: Which Universal park is best for adults? A: We find Universal's Islands of Adventure to be the best Universal Studios park for adults. It simply has the most exciting roller coasters and newest attractions.

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Even on a low-crowd day, if you arrive at the parks at 10:00 am and have to leave by 3:00 pm, you're going to end up feeling like you hit a really busy day. That is why it's always best, regardless of what other factors are involved, to get there early and/or stay late.

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To make you think you must visit both parks to get the full Universal experience, they have broken The Wizarding World of Harry Potter up into both parks (extra well done, Universal). So you must buy tickets to both parks if you want to see Diagon Alley AND Hogsmeade. Which of course you do, because they are amazing!

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Here are the days we expect to have the lowest crowd levels at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2023:
  • Tuesdays through Thursdays for the second half of September and the second half of October.
  • Mondays through Thursdays in November (minus the week of Thanksgiving)
  • Mondays through Thursdays during the first half of December.


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That's how much time you should be spending in Magic Kingdom if your trip lasts a week or longer. Magic Kingdom is the only park at Walt Disney World that we believe requires two days to do everything without feeling rushed–you can do the other parks in one day each.

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The Most Crowded Time to Visit Universal Orlando
  • Jan. 1-8, Jan. 13-17.
  • Feb. 16-27.
  • March 11 - April 16*
  • Weekends in May.
  • June.
  • July.
  • The first half of August.
  • The week of Thanksgiving.


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It's incredibly convenient to travel on the Hogwarts Express between parks and it gives you way more flexibility if the weather throws a wrench in your itinerary. Either way though, you're going to need 2 days to see both areas of Harry Potter World.

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Plus, that one day would be extremely rushed, and it's better to have that extra day to take more things in. I found that two days was the perfect amount of time to see everything in the Wizarding World, explore other Universal lands, and go on plenty of rides.

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Yes there's definitely a difference. I would purchase a both park ticket. To have the whole Harry Potter World experience. It was indeed (well worth) the extra money.

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So, which Universal park is better for kids? As a general rule of thumb, we find that Universal Studios is the better choice as it has plenty of kid-friendly options when it comes to rides, shows, and character meet and greets!

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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Hollywood is great for a concise getaway, but ultimately, nothing beats Universal Orlando when it comes to the full magical experience. Those looking to enjoy the best of all the flavor, fun, and attractions will want to head to Orlando to find it.

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