Complete Planning Guide to Universal Studios Orlando

Are you a “journey” person or a “destination” person? The destination that we’re discussing today is Universal Orlando Resort.

Let’s Get You HERE — Hogwarts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

And we’re hoping to make the journey to getting there easier for you (and hopefully a bit more fun)! From when to go, to where to stay, to how much to budget, and beyond (including some great tips!), we’re sharing a Complete Planning Guide to Universal Orlando Resort!

We go to Universal often, and we’ve tried the food, ridden the rides, stayed in the hotels — and learned all the tricks. Check out our video on a perfect day at Universal right here!

Now let’s get to planning your trip!

When To Go

First things first: What time of year is the best time — more specifically, the best time for YOU — to plan your Universal trip?

There are a few ways to approach this. If your schedule allows, you’ll best be able to maximize your time — and obviously avoid crowds — by visiting during a slower season. These are when school is typically in season in the United States; however, there are some caveats to be aware of including holiday weekends, so we break the entire year down for you here.

Beyond that, though, you may find one of the SUPER FUN seasonal events well worth planning your trip around. For instance, you can LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL for Mardi Gras at Universal!

An unforgettable classic Mardi Gras Parade is the centerpiece of the celebration (complete with countless beads flying through the air!). Live music concerts and street performers likewise set the scene. You can also try Cajun specialties and more yummy eats and drinks throughout Universal Studios available for extra purchase. This fun event typically runs from early February through mid-April.

Universal Studios is perhaps best known for Halloween Horror Nights, which kick off in September. This event runs through early November.

Universal Monsters Legends Collide at Halloween Horror Nights (2022)

Keep in mind that Halloween Horror Nights requires an extra ticket for entry, with prices starting at $79.99. Your entry includes access to 10 haunted houses, 5 scare zones, live entertainment, and attractions. There are also extra purchase options like specially themed food and merchandise.

That said, the parks are decked out for the season and offer extra Halloween fun (such as a Scarecrow Scavenger hunt throughout the parks!) even if you don’t plan to partake in Halloween Horror Nights.

Of course, the Orlando-area theme parks know how to do it up BIG for the Holiday Season, and Universal is absolutely no exception, thanks to special events including Grinchmas, Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s (IT’S AWESOME!), and Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s

Festivities typically run from early November and, of course, all through December.

When Is the Best Time of Year to Visit Universal Orlando?

Where to Stay

Okay! Once you’ve decided when you plan to visit Universal Orlando, you’re next step is figuring out accommodations. Universal Orlando Resort hotels offer perks to guests including free transportation around the Resort, early theme park admission, and even Universal Express Pass at select hotels.

There are seven hotels, each with their own unique theme, in four different tiers from which to choose: Premier hotels are the most costly, but also come with the most perks. Preferred hotels are slightly less expensive with fewer perks and amenities, followed by Prime Value and finally, Value hotels. (P.S. We’ll chat a bit more about costs in our Budget section below.)

Premier hotels include the Hard Rock Hotel (to channel your inner rock star!),
Loews Royal Pacific Resort (inspired by the South Seas), and the stunning Mediterranean-themed Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. These, by the way, are the hotels that come with free Express Unlimited passes!

The Preferred hotel is Loews Sapphire Fall Resort, and it’s themed after “paradise in the heart of the tropics.”

The Prime Value hotels (which are the second cheapest resort category) are the sleek and modern Aventura Hotel and Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, whimsically inspired by road trips of the 1950s and 60s.

Universal’s Endless Summer Resort features the two Value hotels: Surfside Inn and Suites AND Dockside Inn and Suites.

These are the newest of the Universal Orlando hotels! Surfside is smaller and features one pool, while Dockside is larger and features two pools, plus a food court.

Can you guess which Universal Orlando hotel is at the VERY TOP of the list? You might be surprised!

Ranking Every Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort from Best to Worst!

Which Park to Focus On

Oh, BOY! Now we’re REALLY getting to the good stuff: the Universal Orlando Resort theme parks! (See? Planning can be fun! 😉 ) Universal Orlando Resort is home to two major theme parks: Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. (These will be joined by Epic Universe in 2025.)

There is also Volcano Bay water park to consider as an additional option; however, for the purposes of deciding where you want to spend most of your time, we’re chatting here about Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

First, the good news: BOTH parks have major thrill rides (with the edge going to Islands of Adventure thanks to the Velocicoaster) as well as family-friendly attractions (with the edge here going to Universal Studios so your whole group can check out the brand new Minion Land). And BOTH parks feature their own section of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, with Diagon Alley in Universal Studios and Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure.

So it’s hard to go “wrong,” per se. But if you’re spending, say, three days at Universal Orlando, you may still want some guidance as to where to focus most of your time — especially if you purchase 1-Park Per Day tickets (as opposed to Park-to-Park tickets; just remember, Park-to-Park tickets are the ONLY kind that allow you to ride Hogwarts Express, which transports guests between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).

For that guidance, we suggest doing a comparison of all of the lands, attractions, and dining options in each park to determine where the majority of your must-dos are located. Fortunately, we’ve assembled ALL of that info for you in ONE SPOT RIGHT HERE (plus information on both sections of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley).

We hope this information assists you in deciding how to get the most of want you want from your Universal Orlando adventures!

Complete Guide to Universal Studios vs. Islands of Adventure

Where to Eat

See? I told you we’re talking about all the good stuff now… like FOOD!! 🙂

There are lots of well-themed restaurants with tasty food in the Universal theme parks. For Harry Potter fans, a meal at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade or the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley is a must. (Butterbeer is also a MUST at either park, naturally.)

And Universal Studios has the new Minion Cafe as well as a terrific Crepes kiosk.

That said, we highly recommend exploring your options outside of the parks as well. Universal CityWalk boasts some truly fantastic restaurants like The Cowfish and Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen.

Marshmallow Crisp Milkshake at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium

Resort hotels offer some great bites, too. (Personal favorites of mine include Strong Water Tavern at Sapphire Falls and the Bar 17 Bistro which is Aventura Hotel’s own rooftop bar).

Sunset Punch at Aventura Hotel’s Bar 17 Bistro

Obviously, where you eat is one of those things that comes down to preference of cuisine and atmosphere. The great thing is that just about every area of Universal Orlando Resort is quite easily accessible thanks to both close proximity and free Resort transportation.

Our recommendation? Peruse the menus in advance before your trip. You can do this on either the Universal Orlando website or the extremely handy (and free) Universal Orlando Resort app.

We’ve also got some of our favorite recommendations right here!

The Best Restaurants At Universal Orlando CityWalk

How Much to Budget

Oookay, I’ll admit we’re moving back into the territory of “less fun” when it comes to planning topics. But whenever you’re considering any vacation — and perhaps especially a theme park-centered vacation — it’s time to talk about how much you need to allow in your budget for your Universal Orlando trip. Let’s rip off the band aid and get to it:

Tickets

Universal Orlando theme park tickets are date-based, meaning the specific date or start date you choose will affect the final price you pay. That’s why you’ll see a range presented for ticket costs below. You can search the prices for specific dates on the Universal Orlando Resort website to narrow down your number.

You can choose a ticket option like One Park Per Day, and can extend that option by the amount of days you wish to visit. But remember: if riding the Hogwarts Express is a non-negotiable for your trip, then you MUST purchase a Park-to-Park ticket (which grants entrance into BOTH Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure on the same day).

For one adult, your ticket will cost:

One Park Per Day: $109-159
Park-to-Park (2 parks, 1 day): $164-214
Two parks, Two days: $108-148 per day
Two days, Park-to-Park: $276 ($138 per day) – $351 ($175 per day)

For one child (ages 3 to 9), your ticket will cost:

One Park Per Day: $104-154
Park-to-Park (2 parks, 1 day): $159-209
Two parks, Two days: $103-144 per day
Two days, Park-to-Park: $266 ($133 per day) – $341 ($170 per day)

Onsite Hotel at Universal Orlando

We dove into the topic of hotels above, noting tiers and themes for each one of Universal Orlando Resort’s seven hotel options. Again, Universal Orlando Resort offers four different hotel tiers — Value, Prime Value, Preferred, and Premier — to suit different budgets. Here, we’re looking at the starting prices for each hotel.

Endless Summer Resort offers two Value Hotels: Surfside Inn and Dockside Inn.

Here’s a look at starting rates for 2 guests in a room:

Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn & Suites: start at $96/night
Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn & Suites: start at $96/night

The Prime Value Resorts are Cabana Bay Beach Resort and Aventura Hotel.

Here’s a look at starting rates for 2 guests in a room:

Cabana Bay Beach Resort: starts at $140/night
Aventura Hotel: starts at $140/night

Universal Orlando’s Preferred Hotel is Loews Sapphire Falls Resort.

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort starts at $210 per night for 2 guests in a room.

The three Premier Hotels are Loews Royal Pacific Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel.

Here’s a look at starting rates for 2 guests in a room:

Loews Royal Pacific Hotel: starts at $325/night
Hard Rock Hotel: starts at $372/night
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel: starts at $388/night

Before we go into our next section, we want to remind you that guests of Universal Orlando’s Premier tier resorts (the Hard Rock Hotel, the Royal Pacific Resort, and the Portofino Bay Hotel) are given complimentary use of Express Pass lines as part of their stay.

Universal Express Pass

While this add-on is entirely optional, something you may want to consider is purchasing Universal Express Pass.

As Universal’s website explains, “When you add Universal Express access to your theme park admission, you get to skip the regular lines at most of your favorite rides and attractions. So you can fit way more fun into your day.”

Universal Orlando offers two variants of the Express Pass for their main theme parks, each of which is also variably priced based on seasonal crowd levels. The Universal Express pass allows guests to “skip the lines” one time per participating ride and ranges from $89.99 to $349.99 per person. There’s also the Universal Express Unlimited option, which ranges from $99.99 to $379.99 per person and allows unlimited skips of the line at participating rides.

Because this purchase is completely optional, we won’t be including it in our trip total below. But we want to give you access to the Express Pass information in case it’s something you’d like to factor into your budget.

Is the Universal Orlando Express Pass Worth It? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Dining

Food can be a fun expense and also an… umm… expensive expense. 😉 Though guests can bring their own small snacks and baby food, if needed, into the parks, the bulk of your dining will likely be at onsite restaurants.

For a family of four, we recommend planning for at least $60 for a quick service type meal (such as the new Minion Cafe in Universal Studios or the Three Broomsticks in Islands of Adventure), and around $100 for a sit-down meal (such as The Cowfish or Finnegan’s Bar & Grill). Of course, you don’t have to opt for a sit-down meal everyday, but these meals can provide an extra bonus of more time to relax in some air-conditioning for a spell.

These budgeting recommendations above are based on pricing for adults and children (ages 3 to 9), factoring in, on average, about $20.00 per adult per meal, and about $15.00 per child, per meal (assuming you’ll eat a bit more frequently at quick service restaurants than sit-down style).

Souvenirs

Don’t forget to bring a little extra dough for an Interactive Wand to make some of your own magic in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter… or for whatever souvenir that might catch your eye!

Ollivander’s in Diagon Alley and an Interactive Wand

A decent guideline for souvenirs is about $100 – $125 per person in general.

Transportation

Obviously, this category will differ widely for everyone depending on where you’re coming from and also how you prefer to get around Universal. But we’ll provide guidelines here for a few specific transportation scenarios.

Complementary shuttles (and even boats to select locations) are available for transportation within Universal Resort, including from the hotels to the theme parks.

Universal’s SuperStar Shuttle provides transportation between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and the Universal Orlando Resort hotels. Fees do apply, so be sure to call 800-823-4733 prior to arrival for info about fees and/or to book your shuttle.

If you’re driving yourself, parking at your Resort hotel costs between $15-$30 per night (depending on the hotel).

Miscellaneous

We think it’s a good idea to budget about an extra $250 for miscellaneous expenses such as tipping, taxes, fees, unexpected snacks or rideshare needs.

How Much is the Total?

We dove into the nuts-and-bolts of this topic previously with a mock booking for a family of four, and you can explore further in-depth here, if you wish.

Our traveling group was comprised of four adults (which can be four full-on grown-ups or two adults with two kids above age 10 or above). They chose Park-to-Park tickets for two days, which comes to $1,104 plus tax (at starting rates), and stayed at a Prime Value Resort, Cabana Bay, for 4 nights at starting rates with 4 guests occupying the room (allowing for some time to, say, relax by the pool for a day or explore Universal CityWalk). Here it is in bullets:

• Cabana Bay Beach Resort 4 night stay = $860 plus tax
• 2 days Park-to-Park for four adults = $1,104 plus tax
• Meals for four days = $800
• Extra spending money = $500

This brings the total cost for one family of four staying four nights at Cabana Bay Beach Resort and visiting the parks to $3264.00 at starting rates. Higher rates (factoring some behind-the-scene math factoring in seasonal pricing for tickets and hotel) bring the total closer to roughly $3880.00.

Add in that $250 for miscellaneous expenses, and Express Pass for 2 days for everyone at $739.92, and it brings the total to $4870. (We have not included any transportation costs in this scenario.)

How Much Does a Trip to Universal Orlando Cost?

Specific Universal Rules

While every major theme park has its own set of rules and policies, there are a few that we’d like to provide a heads-up for with regards to Universal Orlando so you can be better prepared for your trip.

For instance, when it comes to Universal’s Park Bag policy, it definitely helps to be in the know before you go so you can decide in advance what you’d like to bring with you to the park (as well as what size of bag you plan to keep everything in).

First, Universal states that “all bags, backpacks, purses, packages and items are subject to X-ray and/or additional inspection prior to entering CityWalk or the Theme Park(s).” And guests can’t bring backpacks or suitcases with wheels into the parks.

That said, Universal doesn’t let guests bring large items like backpacks, camera bags, or purses onto SEVERAL attractions. (This is why we recommend brining as little as possible to the Universal theme parks.) And, in fact, The Incredible Hulk, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, and Jurassic World VelociCoaster have a “no loose items” policy, meaning you must put everything (including cell phones) in a locker. In these instances, it’s incredibly helpful to have a lanyard in which to keep your park ticket (which opens your locker once the ride is complete).

Guests do have access to single-use lockers at these attractions to store these items. The standard lockers are pretty small, but they are free while you ride! If you need a larger locker, they are available for an additional fee of $2.00.

Another rule to be aware of is that there is no filming permitted on attractions. It’s always great to know any park policies and tips in advance so you don’t run into any unpleasant surprises or incidental fees. To that end, we have a whole bunch of tips for your Universal Orlando Resort visit HERE!