What Do You Do When Universal Orlando Reaches Capacity? Here's What You Need to Know.

If you’ve been to the theme parks in the past few weeks, then you know that they are BUSY!

Hogsmeade Crowds during Spring Break

It’s Spring Break season right now, and we’ve seen Disney World and Universal Orlando parks hitting capacity several days recently. While Disney World has the Disney Park Pass reservation system, Universal’s parks are operating on something like a first-come-first-serve basis. So, what happens if you show up and they’re already full? We’ve got the answer!

On our recent visit to Universal Orlando, we happened to be at the parks when Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure hit capacity. When we went to hop between parks, we encountered quite the line of guests!

Guests waiting to get inside Universal Orlando.

If you show up to the parks and encounter this situation, what do you do? The first thing that you need to know is that there is still a select group of guests who are guaranteed entry — even in this scenario. Those people are:

Guests re-entering the parks on the same day, including those hopping from one park to another.
Guests staying at a Universal Orlando Resort Hotel.
Guests who have one-day park tickets for that specific date.
Guests who have purchased Universal Express Pass for that specific date.

Look at all those people!

If you are not in one of these categories, then you will be directed to the standby line. This includes people like Annual Passholders, guests with multi-day tickets, and guests with non-dated tickets.

Make sure to get there early if you want to avoid this!

If Universal Orlando hits their absolute top limit for capacity, then no guests would be let inside the parks at all (even if they’re in one of the categories mentioned above). The good news is that this hasn’t yet happened at the two theme parks since reopening. However, that situation has come up previously at Universal’s water park, Volcano Bay.

The line was a lot longer than it seemed at first glance!

So what should you do? We absolutely recommend arriving at the parks as early as possible. This will increase your odds of getting in the parks without having to wait in this line and it will likely allow you the chance to enjoy some rides before the wait times hit their peak.

Guests being directed to the standby line.

However, if you happen to show up later and have to wait to get into the parks, don’t stress. Wait patiently for your turn and remember that yelling at the Team Members will not help get you inside faster. We’ve unfortunately seen several guests treat the employees poorly while waiting in this queue, so keep in mind that the capacity limits are not their fault.

Be nice to the Team Members, they work hard!

If you’re traveling to Universal Orlando during a busy season, be prepared to deal with large crowds and have realistic expectations about wait times (Universal Express Pass may be a good purchase!). If you’re planning a trip soon, stay tuned to AllEars for the latest news and updates from the parks to help you have a successful vacation!