New Universal Orlando Two Day/Two Park Touring Plans

1. Secure your park admission at least the day before your visit, either online or at your hotel’s ticket sales desk.
2. Be waiting for the first bus or boat from your hotel, which should depart 120 minutes before the published public opening time. If you are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel it is quickest to walk via the path from the main pool.
3. Arrive at the front gates of Universal Studios Florida at least 110 minutes before the published public opening time, or 50 minutes before early entry begins.
4. Line up at the shortest available turnstile queue; ask a team member if you’re unsure which ones will be open.
5. Once admitted to the park, proceed straight past Despicable Me, showing your hotel room key card to the employees stationed there. You will be held near the Shrek attraction, then walked through World Expo to the queue outside Fear Factor Live. Be cautious while walking; barricades near Simpsons and MEN IN BLACK serve as “pinch points” and can be hard to see through the moving crowd until you are pushed up against them.
6. Enter London through the gateway outside Grimmauld Place, and approach the entrance to Diagon Alley, disguised as the Leicester Square subway station.
7. Once inside Diagon Alley, if Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is operating, get in line for the ride. You may be diverted to the right through Carkitt Market to avoid congesting the main thoroughfare; otherwise, make a beeline for the bank below the fire-breathing dragon.
8. By the time you exit Gringotts, Early Entry should be nearly over. Exit Diagon Alley towards King’s Cross Station, then cross through San Francisco towards the front of the park.
9. Get to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit just as the park is officially opening and be among the first to ride it.
10. Exit Rockit towards the central lagoon and ride Transformers.
11. Turn left out of Transformers to New York and ride Revenge of the Mummy.
12. After exiting the Mummy, walk back towards Diagon Alley and continue past it to ride MEN IN BLACK.
13. Head straight out of the MEN IN BLACK gift shop to The Simpsons Ride.
14. Exit Springfield to the left and continue towards the front of the park to Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem. This will be a long wait, but it isn’t much better minutes after opening, and won’t drop significantly until closing time.
15. Return to Springfield and have an early lunch at Fast Food Boulevard. If you prefer a sit-down meal, try Finnegan’s in New York.
16. Bear left out of Springfield into Kidzone, and experience The E.T. Adventure.
17. Exit E.T. to the left and continue clockwise around the lagoon to San Francisco in time for the next showing of Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Mash-Up. (Switch with the next step if showtime is imminent.)
18. See the nearby Disaster! before or after the Beetlejuice show, depending on the time.
19. Return to the London waterfront area and ride the Hogwarts Express train to Islands of Adventure. If using Lines, switch to Part 2 of this plan.
20. Head left from Hogsmeade Station through the Lost Continent, and explore Seuss Landing.
21. Ride the Seuss Trolley.
22. Ride the Caro-Seuss-el.
23. Ride One Fish Two Fish.
24. Ride The Cat in the Hat.
25. Cross through Port of Entry to Marvel Super Hero Island and ride Storm Force Accelatron.
26. Walk through Toon Lagoon on your way to Jurassic Park.
27. Explore Camp Jurassic and the Jurassic Park Discovery Center.
28. Return to Lost Continent in time for a late afternoon showing of the Sinbad Stunt Show (or feel free to skip it).
29. Spent some time chatting with the Mystic Fountain outside Sinbad stadium.
30. Enter Hogsmeade and ride the Dragon Challenge if you dare.
31. Have dinner at The Three Broomsticks.
32. After dinner, explore the shops and windows of Hogsmeade.
33. Ride Fight of the Hippogriff.
34. Following your flight, walk next door to Hogwarts Castle and brave the Forbidden Journey inside. If this is not your first ride on Forbidden Journey, use the single rider line. Alternatively, request a “castle tour” to experience the queue, then exit or ask to transfer to singles.
35. Enjoy the evening atmosphere in Hogsmeade, and explore the hidden details of the islands as you exit.

Universal Orlando Two Day/Two Park Touring Plan for Early Entry Day 2

1. Arrive at the front gates of Islands of Adventure at least 75-90 minutes before the published public opening time, or 15-30 minutes before early entry begins.
2. Line up at the shortest available turnstile queue; ask a team member if you’re unsure which ones will be open.
3. Follow team members directions through Seuss Landing to Hogsmeade, and ride Forbidden Journey again.
4. Ride Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff again if you want.
5. Return to the front of the park before official park opening, and ride The Incredible Hulk roller-coaster.
6. Continue through Marvel Super Hero Island and experience The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
7. Backtrack to ride Doctor Doom’s Fearfall using the single rider entrance in the arcade.
8. Walk to Toon Lagoon and ride Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls.
9. Assuming you want to get even wetter, ride Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges.
10. Enter Jurassic Park and complete the soaking series with the River Adventure.
11. Cross the bridge to Lost Continent (or cut through Hogsmeade if it is closed) and see Poseidon’s Fury.
12. Eat lunch at Mythos (make reservations in advance at opentable.com).
13. After lunch ride the Hogwarts Express back to Universal Studios Florida, and switch to Part 2 of this day’s plan.
14. Check the scheduled times for the Blues Brothers Show, Animal Actors, and Horror Make-Up Shows. Try to arrange to see all three, with the last performance starting around 5 p.m.
15. Between the shows, see Twister, Shrek 4-D and Terminator 2.
16. Return to Diagon Alley and explore the shops and sights, starting with Olivanders Wand Shop, and wait for the show inside. The experience is virtually identical to the annex found in Hogsmeade, but there are three performance spaces so the line should moves at triple the pace; you should rarely wait more than 10 minutes for a show. After the show, purchase an interactive wand if you want to play with the magical effects hidden around the Wizarding World.
17. At a shop in Carkitt Market you can exchange your Muggle money for Wizarding bank notes, which may be spent throughout the resort. The interactive animatronic goblin in the queue makes this literally the world’s most entertaining and elaborate cash grab; the wait here is usually around 15 minutes.
18. Head down Horizont Alley to find the entry to Knockturn Alley. Explore the shop Borgin & Burkes, and the other dark corners concealed therein. Be sure to look at the map that came with your interactive wand under the blacklight in here to discover hidden messages.
19. Browse the other shops in Diagon Alley, starting with Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes, Magical Menagerie, and Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. There may be queues for most of the stores, but you should be able to enter Wiseacre’s Wizarding Supplies at any time, since it serves as the exit to Gringotts.
20. Be on the lookout for two live shows performing throughout the day. One is a musical appearance by magical jazz songstress Celestina Warbeck; the other is a reenactment of the “Three Brothers” fable from The Tales of Beedle the Bard (as seen in the seventh film), retold with Michael Curry-designed puppets. Showtimes are not posted, but the acts should alternate every half hour on the hour and half.
21. Have dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. Eat an early meal to avoid crowds, but even at peak times the line moves swiftly.
22. If you want ice cream for dessert, grab a scoop from Florean Fortescue’s. You may also want to try the elixir powders and gillywater sold in Carkitt Market, or the specialty beers and non-alcoholic cocktails at the Fountain of Fair Fortune and Hopping Pot.
23. If you want another ride on Gringotts, get in the single rider queue before it closes for the night. This may happen as early as 2 or 3 hours before park closing, depending on how long the standby queue is.
24. Once you’ve exhausted the entertainment in Diagon Alley, exit into London. Chat with the Knight Bus conductor and his shrunken heads on your way out of Diagon Alley. Also look for Kreacher in the window of 12 Grimmauld Place, and dial 62442 (MAGIC) in the red telephone booth.
25. Revisit any attractions outside Diagon Alley that you skipped earlier or wish to repeat.
26. Find a spot along the lagoon to watch the Cinematic Spectacular show five or ten minutes before the performances. Good vantage points can be found near London, Beetlejuice, Transformers, and in Central Park.

Universal Orlando Two Day/Two Park Touring Plan for General Admission Day 2

1. Arrive at the front gates of Islands of Adventure at least 30-45 minutes before the published public opening time.
2. Line up at the shortest available turnstile queue; ask a team member if you’re unsure which ones will be open.
3. Follow team members directions through Port of Entry to the left, and ride The Incredible Hulk roller-coaster.
4. Continue through Marvel Super Hero Island and experience The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
5. Backtrack to ride Doctor Doom’s Fearfall using the single rider entrance in the arcade.
6. Walk to Toon Lagoon and ride Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls.
7. Assuming you want to get even wetter, ride Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges.
8. Enter Jurassic Park and complete the soaking series with the River Adventure.
9. Ride Forbidden Journey again, using the single rider line.
10. Ride Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff again if you want.
11. Cross the bridge to Lost Continent (or cut through Hogsmeade if it is closed) and see Poseidon’s Fury.
12. Eat lunch at Mythos (make reservations in advance at opentable.com).
13. After lunch ride the Hogwarts Express back to Universal Studios Florida, and switch to Part 2 of this day’s plan.
14. Check the scheduled times for the Blues Brothers Show, Animal Actors, and Horror Make-Up Shows. Try to arrange to see all three, with the last performance starting around 5 p.m.
15. Between the shows, see Twister, Shrek 4-D and Terminator 2.
16. Return to Diagon Alley and explore the shops and sights, starting with Olivanders Wand Shop, and wait for the show inside. The experience is virtually identical to the annex found in Hogsmeade, but there are three performance spaces so the line should moves at triple the pace; you should rarely wait more than 10 minutes for a show. After the show, purchase an interactive wand if you want to play with the magical effects hidden around the Wizarding World.
17. At a shop in Carkitt Market you can exchange your Muggle money for Wizarding bank notes, which may be spent throughout the resort. The interactive animatronic goblin in the queue makes this literally the world’s most entertaining and elaborate cash grab; the wait here is usually around 15 minutes.
18. Head down Horizont Alley to find the entry to Knockturn Alley. Explore the shop Borgin & Burkes, and the other dark corners concealed therein. Be sure to look at the map that came with your interactive wand under the blacklight in here to discover hidden messages.
19. Browse the other shops in Diagon Alley, starting with Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes, Magical Menagerie, and Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. There may be queues for most of the stores, but you should be able to enter Wiseacre’s Wizarding Supplies at any time, since it serves as the exit to Gringotts.
20. Be on the lookout for two live shows performing throughout the day. One is a musical appearance by magical jazz songstress Celestina Warbeck; the other is a reenactment of the “Three Brothers” fable from The Tales of Beedle the Bard (as seen in the seventh film), retold with Michael Curry-designed puppets. Showtimes are not posted, but the acts should alternate every half hour on the hour and half.
21. Have dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. Eat an early meal to avoid crowds, but even at peak times the line moves swiftly.
22. If you want ice cream for dessert, grab a scoop from Florean Fortescue’s. You may also want to try the elixir powders and gillywater sold in Carkitt Market, or the specialty beers and non-alcoholic cocktails at the Fountain of Fair Fortune and Hopping Pot.
23. Get in line for Gringotts before the doors close for the night. This may happen as early as 2 or 3 hours before park closing, depending on how long the standby queue is.
24. Once you’ve exhausted the entertainment in Diagon Alley, exit into London. Chat with the Knight Bus conductor and his shrunken heads on your way out of Diagon Alley. Also look for Kreacher in the window of 12 Grimmauld Place, and dial 62442 (MAGIC) in the red telephone booth.
25. Revisit any attractions outside Diagon Alley that you skipped earlier or wish to repeat.
26. Find a spot along the lagoon to watch the Cinematic Spectacular show five or ten minutes before the performances. Good vantage points can be found near London, Beetlejuice, Transformers, and in Central Park.