Tips to Maximize Your Time at Universal Orlando. 

In the past year, the Universal Orlando theme park has been growing in popularity. This is great news. However, a growth in popularity means a growth in crowd levels. With high crowds, that means less opportunity to do everything you want to do in one day. Many years ago, when I first purchased my annual pass, I was able to do the entire two parks in one day. Now, with the average crowd levels, I find it hard to enjoy the entire park in a single day. Then I found some tips and tricks that helped me explore most, if not all, of the park by the end of the day. If you are planning a trip to Universal Orlando and worried about not having enough time to do everything, here are some tips to maximize your time at Universal Orlando. 

Before we start! You want to make sure to purchase your Universal Orlando tickets in advance online to avoid waiting in line. Buy your tickets here.

Pick the right time to visit 

The first and most important thing you want to do to maximize your time at Universal Orlando is to pick the right time to visit. Though I always say there is never a bad time to visit Universal Orlando, some times are better than others. Most likely if you are in a time where your company or school gives you a break, everyone else is too. If you think it is a good idea to travel during a holiday, likely everyone else does too. Think about this before you travel to a theme park.

Most major theme parks, especially Universal Orlando see large and unbearable crowds during those times. These times are during summer break, winter break, winter holidays, and long weekends such as Labor Day and Memorial Day. It is best to avoid these peak vacation times and visit during the low and medium times instead. The week before summer vacation, the week after Thanksgiving, and the week after school resumes are the best times to visit. In September, January, and February, after schools resume, you are unlikely to see these unbearable crowds. Any time in between these dates you’ll find medium crowds, which isn’t that bad either. 

If you want to know more about the best time to visit Universal Orlando? I go in depth in Best Time to Visit Universal Orlando in 2024.

Stay on property

Next, to maximize your time at Universal Orlando, you’ll want to stay on property. Unlike certain other theme parks I won’t name, staying on Universal Orlando property has a long list of benefits. Not only is proximity to the park a big reason to stay, but Universal hotels also offer early park admission. Every universal hotel allows you to enter the park 30 minutes before the park officially opens. You and maybe a few hundred guests will have the entire park to yourself before the crowds of regular people fill it in. This will give you the opportunity to get in line for your most important ride, take pictures without large crowds, and be able to get more in before the end of the day. Along with the benefit of early park admission, 3 of the Universal hotels offer free express passes. These hotels are:

Loews Portofino Bay

Loews Royal Pacific Resort 

Hard Rock Hotel

At these 3 premier hotels, you will receive both early park admission, close proximity to the park, bus transportation, and express passes. It is one of the greatest ways to maximize your time at Universal Orlando. 

Buy express passes

One of the next best tips to maximize your time at Universal Orlando is to buy express passes. If you are not staying at a hotel that offers express passes, you can still make use of them. Located at guest services and several stands throughout the park, you’ll be able to purchase express passes for yourself and your family. The prices for express passes range from $89.99 to around $349. The cost of these passes varies based on the time you visit. During crowded seasons and holidays, you’ll likely find the costs on the higher end of the scale. However, on most days for most of the year, you’ll find it on the lower end. 

There are two types of express passes. The first allows you to skip the line once per ride on every ride at the park. The second, express pass unlimited, allows you to skip the line multiple times on every ride in the park. To maximize your time, I recommend just the basic express pass, this way you can save time by skipping the line, and then be able to move on to the next quickly. 

Click here for the best deal on Universal Orlando Express passes.

Use single rider line

Though an express pass is the best way to save time waiting in line, there is another way to maximize your time at Universal and avoid long lines. This way is to use the single rider line. One of the reasons Universal Orlando is the best theme park is because of the many single-rider lines. You will find single-rider lines and almost every attraction throughout the park. The single-rider line is a separate lane in the ride queue. It allows you to get to the front of the line quicker than the rest of the main line. The only catch is, you have to be willing to ride the ride by yourself. 

The single rider line separates your party and fills you in where there is an odd number of riders in the mail line. Though you might not be able to ride with your friends and family members and won’t have ride pictures with them, you’ll cut your wait time by more than half. Most of the time if the main wait time is 1 hour, the single rider line will be 15 to 20 minutes. This is a great way to make the most of your time. Having to ride by yourself is a small drawback to the big benefit of using the single rider line and will save you hours of waiting in lines. 

Hit the big rides first thing in the morning 

The last way to maximize your time at Universal Orlando is to hit the big rides first. Unfortunately, certain rides have extremely long waits regardless of express, single rider, or the time of year you visit. Rides like Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts can have wait times more than 120 minutes. This wait time estimate starts within the first hour of the park opening and stays that way until late closing. If you arrive too late and think you can ride Hargrid’s later for a shorter wait time, I regret to inform you that it won’t happen. 

You can sit and stare at the app and wait time board all day long, I promise you, it won’t change. The best thing you can do is speed walk straight to the ride as soon as the park opens. That way, you have the best chance of riding the ride without wasting time having to wait 2 to 3 hours for it. This goes for any ride. Make a priority list of the rides most important to you and their usual wait times. Then head straight to that as soon as you enter the park. If you are following these tips, this should be first thing in the morning, as soon as the park opens.

Have fun

Altogether, Universal Orlando is a great park with so much to do. Though you may feel like you can’t do it all, it is entirely possible. Do not worry about hitting every ride or watching every show. Once you follow the basic tips I have provided, you will have the time to do most of everything you want to do. Focus on the time you get there, where you stay, and your game plan and you’ll easily be able to maximize your time at Universal Orlando. Most importantly with this guide, you will be able to have fun! 

If you need help deciding when the best time to visit Universal Orlando is, visit the best time to visit Universal Orlando in 2024

If you’ve done it all and have some down time, why not explore the rest of the city? Check out Things to do in Orlando.