Harry Potter and Universal Studios – Orlando Vacation Sep 25

The new Harry Potter attraction is drawing fresh faces to the Orlando area! Called ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter‘, this attraction draws both young children and adults of all ages.

The Universal Orlando Resort is actually divided into three main sections. Visitors enter through one central parking lot which leads into the free City Walk area with restaurants, bars and entertainment. From there, tourist can choose to enter one of the two paid attraction areas.

The original section is called Universal Studios. But the newer section, Islands of Adventure (10 yrs old) includes Harry Potter world. Once you get that basic scheme established in your mind, it is much easier to understand all the options.

Tickets

The easiest and cheapest way to buy tickets for Universal is online! Once you get to the park you can avoid one line and save money too! There are many ticket options. In general terms, the more days you intend to visit the the cheaper the tickets are per day.

You also need to decide whether you want to visit one or both parks in one day. The tickets are cheaper if you stick to one park in one day, called ‘one park access’ tickets. If you want to be able to visit both parks in one day then you’ll want the more expensive ‘park-to-park access’ tickets. Unless you have a lot of stamina or you just ‘have to’ try specific rides which are located in different parks, the ‘one park access’ tickets is usually the best idea.

If you are only staying one day then you must decide whether you want to see one park or both. For two day trips, the 2 day ‘one park access’ ticket is a natural choice.

On Site Hotels

To make park access easier and more fun you may want to consider staying at one of the three on-site hotels. Picking the Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel or the Hard Rock Hotel automatically gives you ‘Universal Express’ ’skip the lines’ access at no extra cost. You also get entrance into the parks one hour earlier than non-hotel guests.

To get into the park from you hotel you can use the shuttle bus or use the water taxi. We suggest the bus in the morning and then a more leisurely ride back to your hotel with the water taxis. Also, rather than carrying your souvenirs all over the park with you, you can use your room key to buy souvenirs in the shops and have them sent to your room.

You can also book other ‘partner’ hotels from the Universal website which includes free scheduled transportation to the park plus discounts at some of the City Walk or theme park bars and restaurants.

Food

If you go hungry it is your own fault!

In the Islands of Adventure park your fine dining options are the Mythos Restaurant and the Confisco Grille. Casual Dining choices include Circus McGurkus Cafe, Cafe 4, Captain America Diner, Comic Strip Cafe and Thunder Falls Terrace. For quick food try the Burger Digs, Croissant Moon Baker, Blondies, the Watering Hole and Hop on Pop Ice Cream.

In the Universal Studios park fine dining includes Lombards Seafood Grille as well as Finnegan’s Bar and Grill. Casual Dining options are Richter’s Burger, Mel’s Drive-In, Classic Monsters Cafe, Louie’s Italian and the International Food & Film festival. Quick service items can also be gotten from Beverly Hills Boulangerie, Schwab’s Pharmacy, Kid Zone Pizza Company, Midway Grill, Starbuck’s and Ben and Jerry’s.

For City Walk dining you can easily walk around and pick from the Coconut Club, Bob Marley, Pat O’Brien’s, the groove, Latin Quarter, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, CityWalk’s Rising Star, Emeril’s Restaurant, Pastamore, NBA City, Hard Rock Cafe, Hard Rock Live and the NASCAR Sports Grille.

From personal experience, I can say that Lombards Seafood is a welcome respite while touring the park and that Bubba Gump’s is a relaxing spot after the park has closed for the day.

Plus, for more fun check out these great Orlando area tour ideas.

Air, Helicopter & Balloon Tours Air Tour over Orlando’s Theme Parks, Fireworks Air Tour Over Orlando’s Theme Parks, Fireworks Helicopter Tour over Disney’s Epcot Center, Orlando Helicopter Tour from International Drive Area, Orlando Helicopter Tour from Walt Disney World Resort Area, Orlando Sunrise Hot-Air Balloon Ride, Sunset Air Tour over Orlando,

Day Trips & Excursions Clearwater Beach Day Trip from Orlando, Clearwater Beach Day Trip from Orlando with Deep Sea Fishing, Clearwater Beach Day Trip from Orlando with Pirate Cruise, Clearwater Beach Day Trip from Orlando with Sea Screamer Boat Ride, Kennedy Space Center – Ultimate Space Experience, Kennedy Space Center and Everglades Airboat Safari, Kennedy Space Center Day Trip with Transport from Orlando, Miami Day Trip and Florida Everglades Airboat Ride,

Family Friendly Eco-Safari at Forever Florida,

Food, Wine & Nightlife Disney Character Breakfast at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, Disney Character Dinner at Chef Mickey’s Restaurant, Gospel Brunch and Orlando City Tour, Orlando Kids Eat Free Card, Sleuth’s Mystery Dinner Show Orlando, VIP Dinner at Planet Hollywood Orlando at Downtown Disney,

Outdoor Activities 2-Hour Horseback Riding Adventure at Forever Florida, Florida Airboat Adventure, Florida Airboat Adventure at Night, Gatorland Nights Shining Tour, Gatorland Ticket with Transport, Race Car Drive-Along Kings Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway Orlando, Race Car Drive-Along Rookie Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway Orlando, Race Car Ride-Along Program at Walt Disney World Speedway Orlando, Richard Petty Drive-Along Experience of a Lifetime at Walt Disney World Speedway Orlando, Swim with Manatees at Crystal River plus Everglades Airboat Adventure, Zipline Safari at Forever Florida,