Harry Potter fans, here’s how to make the most of Universal Studios Florida early admission
Universal Orlando Resort offers early park admission to all guests staying at on-site hotels. Admission is one hour before regular park opening and is usually limited to just one of the parks each day.
There are two theme parks at Universal Orlando – Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. Find out the early admission schedule on Universal’s website here.
If you will have early admission to Universal Studios Florida, here are some tips to make the most of your special hour.
If your early admission is to Universal’s Islands of Adventure, check out my special tips here.
Be there early
Know that the gates usually open about 15-20 minutes before the posted time. So if your early admission is at 8:00, you may actually be able to enter the park at 7:45 or before. Do you want to be first in line? If you arrive 45-60 minutes before the posted time you will probably be first on a turnstile or maybe even first at the park. Arrive just 30 minutes before opening and you’ll already find a crowd.
One note of warning ~ when you are first at the gates you will be there before the Universal employees line up at the turnstiles. Check out my park hacker tip in this post: Weather at Universal Orlando: 5 Cool Tips for the Heat and Rain for advice about where to line up to be sure someone will be there to take your ticket.
Wondering how to get your family moving so you can be first at the park? Listen to episode 19 of the Go Informed podcast to find out how to Master Your Theme Park Morning.
Travel light
No bags or backpacks are allowed on the Escape From Gringott’s ride in Diagon Alley. Free lockers are provided near the ride, but if you have a bag you’ll have to stop and drop it in a locker. For early admission, try to carry only what will fit in your (zippered) pockets so you can go straight from the gate onto the ride.
Goinformed.net park hacker tip: There are lockers just outside the entrance to Universal Studios Florida where you can stash stuff for later. As you head toward the turnstiles, take a right, walking in front of guest services, past the will-call kiosks, then left around the corner (you’ll see signs for restrooms). Pass the restrooms and turn left to the back of the building. The lockers are all-day rentals. Cost is $12 which includes unlimited open-and-close privileges.
Use Early Admission to See the Wizarding World
Here’s how we recommend you use Universal Studios Florida early admission hour to ride both Gringott’s in Universal Studios and Forbidden Journey in Islands of Adventure:
Get to the gate at Universal Studios at least 40 minutes before early admission scheduled opening.
At opening you will be guided to Diagon Alley, stay with the line, stopping at a locker if you need to. (Lockers for the Gringott’s ride are located to the right of the ride entrance, look for the mob).
Ride Gringott’s!
Read this post if you’re wondering whether the Gringott’s ride is too scary for your child.
Optional: Ride Gringott’s again through the singles line (door is just to the right of the main ride entrance door).
Then get in line for the Hogwart’s Express. Trains start running about 20 minutes before the other park opens. The sooner you get in line the more likely you’ll be on the first train, and into that park before it officially opens. If you ride Gringott’s twice as suggested above, you’ll probably get into Islands of Adventure right at park opening.
Go straight from the Hogwarts Express to the Forbidden Journey. If you want to get on right away, take the singles line here.
What can you expect when you enter Universal Studios Florida with the early admission crowd? Click here to watch video from our recent trip.
Go Informed Podcast
Episode 23 of the Go Informed podcast is your Universal Studios Florida early admission plan of attack. Listen now here or on your favorite podcast app, including iTunes and Spotify.
More Orlando Touring Tips From goinformed.net
Get all of goinformed.net’s theme park touring tips here.
33 Things to Know Before You Visit Universal Orlando
55 Things To Know Before You Visit Disney World
My recommended resources for planning your trip to Orlando
The Disney World hack that gets you first in line access to the Frozen ride
Click here to hear an audio tour of Universal Studios Florida on the Go Informed podcast.
Click here to hear an audio tour of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando.
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Hi. We are going soon and we are staying at Portofino. Both parks will,be open 1 hour early. Given that, can you advise me on how to take advantage of that? Thanks!
Having the option of early admission at both parks is a great problem to have, but it also means Universal expects a very busy day. Right now Universal Studios is the more popular park, probably because Diagon Alley is still pretty new. With that in mind, I’d say to go there first.
But if your top priority is to ride Forbidden Journey multiple times, you should use your early admission at Islands of Adventure. Either way you should be able to ride both Gringotts and Forbidden Journey within the first 90 minutes or so after early park opening.
If you’re lucky enough to have more than one morning at the parks you can do both 🙂
Definitely be sure to get up early for those days that both parks have early admission. You might be looking at capacity crowds by lunchtime. Good luck and have fun!
I asked my daughter (and touring partner), Luna, what advice she’d give. She pointed out that when both parks open at the same time the Hogwarts Express train should start running right away. This should make traveling between Diagon Alley & Hogsmeade a bit quicker than usual in that first hour.
Her thought is since you’re staying at Portofino you should go to Islands of Adventure first. This is farther from your hotel so you can do the walk when you’re fresh, go to Hogsmeade first, then hop the train to Diagon Alley to see that before it gets too crowded. She suggests making your way out of the park for a break at your hotel during lunch or early afternoon.
I checked my trusty copy of The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando http://amzn.to/1TQaos7 – and the author confirms that the train should start running at park opening. (Pick up a copy of this book if you can – it will really help with your touring strategies).
Thank you very much for your reply and helping us!
I do like the idea of walking farther early. Thank you!