Universal Studios

If you follow my Instagram you know that I was in Orlando, FL a couple weeks ago having the time of my life! Some friends and I decided to head down to Florida for a fun summer adventure. We had planned to go for the long weekend of July 4th and the most important part of this was to go to Disneyland. However, what turned into a pleasant surprise was when we decided to go to Universal Studios! None of us had been and we really wanted to try something new. It was amazing because there was something there that we all wanted to do. Harry Potter World, Jurrasic Park, Krustyland, Transformers... there was just so many to choose from. So much that we actually didn't even get to all of it! We did also get there at noon on a Saturday and stood in long lines, but now we know for next time to plan the day a bit better. None the less, it was an amazing experience and I had a marvelous time!

If you're planning a trip to Orlando and visiting the parks is on your to-do list then here are some helpful tips! The first thing would be to know your budget. When you look online you see that a day pass to Universal Studios is $95. However, what you don't see is that there are actually two parts of Universal Studios. Two parks = two prices. The group I was with had to decide if we wanted to spend $95 for only one park or $180 for both. Harry Potter World is split up into the two parks so if you want to see all of it, you have to get the two park pass. Which is what we did and we loved every minute of it! Especially the Harry Potter World. If you're a Harry Potter fan, then this is a MUST to do in Orlando. This was probably my favorite part of the trip because I had never been there before and my ten-year-old self was so excited to be in this magical world! If you're a Harry Potter crazed fan like me, then get the two park pass because it was completely 100% worth it! The next thing was to plan your time wisely. When we decided to go it was noon on a Saturday and we didn't know that the park closed at like 11PM. Of course, it was last minute because we had other plans for that day but they fell through and that's when I suggested that we go to Universal Studios. If you know what time the park opens and closes be there at those times. If you want to get through both parks you definitely either have to break it up into two days or be there from the minute it opens to the minute it closes. Also, be cautious of the wait time for the lines. It was cool that each ride had a wait time above so we could see that some wait time was 45minutes to 1 hour. It just depends. Don't waste your time in the ride lines at first. Go explore. Go to the shops, the fun interactive parts of the park, and get good pictures while there is sunlight out. Once the sun starts to go down so does the wait time in the rides. We waited almost two hours in the Transformers ride and that was so not worth it. The ride was cute and fun, but it took time away from the rest of the park. Just plan accordingly and if you want to hit everything in one day the fast pass is also available! The next piece of advice would be to check the weather. If it's supposed to hail then maybe stay home but if there's a little drizzle, like it was the day we went, then just bring a rain coat! The rain made the Hogwarts part of Harry Potter look extra intense and very London-esque. Besides wearing the right clothes and what to bring (see other blog posts for this) just make sure you plan out your day to see everything that you want to see.

If you plan your trip accordingly (or not, like us) you will still have a super fun time! I loved how committed that everyone was to making sure your experience was phenomenal. For instance, when we were walking around Marvel, out of nowhere Spider-Man came running towards me. It was hilarious to just see Spider-Man running through the streets and everyone trying to catch him. I also loved the Hogwarts Express because it wasn't just a quick train ride to the next park but they and screens in the windows so it looked like you were passing through London. They also had on the outside of the door silhouettes of Harry, Hermione, and Ron just standing and talking. In each new part of the park, the employees were dressed to go with the theme. Transformers part was dressed in military outfits, Harry Potter employees were dressed as witches and wizards and so on. Every time you got off a ride the employees would clap and say "way to go" since you basically just saved Hogwarts from the dementors and getting the all-spark back from the Decepticons. The commitment from the staff really added to how special everything was. I also love how all the different cities felt so real. Like, it actually felt like I was in Hogwarts or that I was really in the Daily Bugle. Everything from the ride lines to the different part of the parks were so detailed! Universal Studios was my most favorite part of that trip and I loved it so much that I'm already planning my next trip back!