Universal orlandoresort
august 2023

To do everything in our itinerary at Universal Studios park (especially during August) three things were essential…..

We Stayed at a Universal Resort
This was our first family trip to Universal Orlando Resorts since May of 2021. To maximize our short time, we spent three nights total on Universal property, two at Universal’s Aventura Hotel and one at Loews Royal Pacific. We were able to use boat transportation or walk to the resorts, allowing us to arrive earlier.

We Used Express Pass
By changing to a Premier resort for one night, we were able to take advantage of the Unlimited Express Pass for two of our three days in the parks.

We Had a 3-Day Park-to-Park Ticket
With the Wizarding World of Harry Potter experiences divided between Universal Studios park (Diagon Alley) and Islands of Adventure Park (Hogsmeade), we spent our time jumping between them with our Park to Park ticket (required to ride the Hogwarts Express). Additionally, summer thunderstorms can often alter/close experiences, so being able to change plans easily is a must.

Day 1

On our first day without Express Pass, we concentrated on experiences and less on rides. Park guests staying onsite are able to take advantage of an early opening, nearly always now at Islands of Adventure in Hogsmeade (the Jurassic World Velocicoaster was also sometimes open during early entry). They opened the main gate to all guests around 7:50am, and with a resort key card we could proceed to Hogsmeade at 8am while non-resort guests were corralled on the walkway until the official 9am opening.

After the extra time in Hogsmeade, we hopped on the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley.

10:30am- Ollivanders Wand Experience in Diagon Alley

We hopped in line for the Ollivanders Experience and waited 15 minutes. Alice was asked to star in the show (one of the 30 guests is selected each time) and allow a wand to choose her. Without giving too much away, she performed a series of tasks for the small group, and was told she matched with a unicorn hair and yew wand. As we left, we were told by a wizard attendant that we could purchase the interactive wand at the store counter (I can imagine this being a disappointment for children thinking they received it during the show). Even though we already had 2 wands – replicas of Hermione’s and Luna Lovegood’s (it’s shaped like a pitcher plant!), I felt like it was hard to turn down the souvenir that matched such a memorable experience.
11:00am- Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron

We chose to dine at both quick service restaurants during “off hours” to avoid the rushes. Guests are encouraged now to place mobile orders on the App before or after being seated by an attendant. We arrived at Leaky Cauldron at 11am, just after the exclusive breakfast reservations for the guests who opted for the Harry Potter Package had ended.
11:30am- Trolls Character Meet & Greet
11:45am- Jurassic Park Tribute Store

Sadly this experience closes in October 2023, but hopefully some of the photo experiences will move to another section of the park.
12:00pm- The Bourne Stuntacular Show

We spent the rest of the day in Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay, and at Aventura Resort.

Day 2

On our second day we arrived to Islands of Adventure at 8:40am (after checking into Loews Royal Pacific Resort to get our Express Pass) and were on the first Hogwarts Express from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley, allowing us to quickly ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (no wait with the Unlimited Express Pass) and still see the normally crowded section without as many guests.

9:15am- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
9:45am- Men Black (no wait)
10:00am-The Simpsons Ride (5 minutes EXPass)
10:20am- Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl (no wait) & Springfield Exploration
10:30am- ET: The Extra Terrestrial Ride (10 minute wait EXPass; standby was 35 minutes)

E.T. must be having a cultural resurgence… the line was almost always over 35 minutes. There was a new feature at the end of the ride, so it was worth a revisit.

Most of the section around the ride is under construction, and I was a little heartbroken to see Fievel’s Playland (one of the few areas for young children in this park) actively being dismantled after its permanent closure.
10:45am-Transformers: The Ride 3D (10-minute wait EXPass; standby was 40 minutes)
11:00am Rip It Rocket Roller Coaster (10 minute wait EXPass; standby would have been 40 minutes)
11:30am Hollywood Horror Makeup Show. This was our first time seeing the show, which felt like part stand up comedy and part a history of film lesson.
12:15pm: Fast & Furious Supercharged
12:45pm: Hogwarts Express back to Islands of Adventure (This was our second ride of the day)
1pm-7pm-Islands of Adventure & Rain Break at the Royal Pacific Resort

After two additional hours in Islands of Adventure, the summer storms rolled in and we took a break in our Royal Pacific Resort room. We returned to Islands of Adventure for dinner, then took Hogwarts Express for the third time that day back to Universal Studios, primarily to experience Diagon Alley after nightfall.
7:45pm- Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast
8:15pm-9:00pm- Diagon Alley

Day 3

Our last day was all about knocking out what we hadn’t done before our late afternoon return flight. We arrived at the Universal Studios entrance 15 minutes before opening and were some of the first guests to enter the park at the 9am opening.