Universal Orlando Resort | The Ultimate Guide on a Budget

When our kids suggested that we go to Universal Orlando Resort for spring break, we knew we had to make it work. Our daughter has always adored Harry Potter and our son’s interest in it was really starting to grow. While theme parks are expensive, we were determined to make it happen without breaking the bank. I’m so glad that we did as our entire family truly enjoyed this vacation.

How to take an unforgettable trip to Universal Studios on a budget

What is Universal Orlando Resort?

Universal Orlando Resort is made up of 2 theme parks (Islands of Adventure & Universal Studios), a water park (Volcano Bay), 8 official on-site hotels, and Universal Citywalk (shopping and restaurants).

Universal is pretty big. Not nearly as large as Disney World, but large enough and has plenty of activities to keep you entertained. Adding to their slew of activities, in 2023 they will be adding another theme park called Epic Universe! We can’t wait.

How to get to Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando Resort is located in Orlando, Florida which is almost in the direct center of Florida. Because Orlando is so large it’s pretty easy to get to whether you fly, drive, take a train, or bus.

How to save money on flights

• Be flexible with your dates (Skyscanner makes this easy).
• Use Skyscanner to find the best deals on flights & set up price alerts.
• Check prices at nearby airports.
• Sign up for airline e-mails to learn about their best offers and promo codes.
• Opt for a red-eye flight or a flight with stops.
• Consider getting a travel rewards credit card. Just be careful to not rack up debt or you will be counteracting the benefits of the card.

Save money by driving

• Driving can be the cheapest method of travel depending on how far away the destination is from you.
• You can explore more places along the way. This is not an option when flying.
• Pack your own food instead of eating out to save money.
• If you need to spend the night on the way to your destination, consider camping.
• Get a travel rewards credit card that allows you to earn extra points on gas. *Try to opt for a card without annual fees & do not leave a balance on your card at the end of the month.
• Consider using RVSHARE. If you are planning a vacation with multiple families this may be a cheaper option after splitting the cost.
• Driving eliminates the possible need for renting a car or taking Uber.

What is Universal Orlando’s Weather Like?

Not only can Florida’s temperature climb into the upper 90 degrees, but the humidity can also be unbearable. If humidity mixed with high heat isn’t your thing, I recommend visiting outside the months of June – September when the weather is more bearable.

*Beware of Orlando’s hurricane season. This takes place from June to late November. If planning a trip to Universal during this time be sure to keep your eye on the weather.

When to go to Universal Orlando Resort?

As with any theme park, Universal Orlando has its share of peak seasons. If you’re not one who enjoys pushing their way through crowds or waiting in very long lines, you may want to avoid Universal’s many peak seasons.

Best times to visit Universal Orlando

• January to early March
  During these months you will have fewer crowds, cooler temps, and lower humidity.
• End of August through December (weekdays)
  Stay away from the weeks that contain Holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year’s Eve). Avoid Fridays pertaining to Halloween Horror Nights in September & October.

Worst times to visit Universal Orlando

• Late March to mid-April (depending on when spring break is)
• June – beginning of August
  Not only are these months really busy, but they are also some of the hottest months in Florida.
• The week of Thanksgiving and the week of Christmas through the New Year.

Be sure to check out the crowd calendar before you head to Universal.

Where to stay at Universal Orlando?

Orlando, Florida has thousands of hotels, and deciding where to stay can be overwhelming. While Universal Orlando Resort only has 8 official hotels, they also partner with a lot of hotels. These official and partner hotels typically cost more than other Orlando hotels. The cost is higher because they come with perks that can be beneficial to your time at Universal. Not all of these hotels are budget-friendly but they do have some that are. That being said- Orlando has a lot of hotels that are very nice, affordable, and have great pool areas.

Should you stay onsite or offsite?

To determine whether you should stay onsite or offsite at Universal, you need to first determine what things are most important to you.

Ask yourself- Why am I going to Universal? What do I plan to accomplish? Do I want to ride all the rides? Explore every inch of Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Or do I want to just casually explore while I shop and eat amazing food?

Everybody has different goals in mind and for this reason, it isn’t as simple as telling someone to stay onsite or offsite.

Our goal was to explore Wizarding World of Harry Potter and to do so without massive crowds. For this reason, we chose to stay onsite so that we could utilize the free early park admission. Early park admission allowed us to get into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter an hour before thousands of other people. It was definitely worth it for us.

We stayed at Cabana Bay Beach Resort and loved it!

Pros of staying onsite at Universal

• Early Park Admission (select areas of the park only)
  This lets you into the parks an hour before they open. This is especially great for anything in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
• Shuttle Service
  Free transportation to and from Universal’s Theme Parks, Waterpark, and the City Walk. Many of the hotels will offer a shuttle service to and from the airport (some hotels may charge for this service).
• Express Pass
  Some of the pricier hotels offer free express passes! Express passes can be a game-changer.
• Priority Seating at some Restaurants
  This is a feature of some more expensive hotels
• Free Delivery of Purchases
  They will deliver merchandise that was purchased throughout Universal to your hotel for free.

Cons of staying onsite at Universal

• It is more expensive
• Some of the hotels don’t have free breakfast (We love free breakfast as it saves us money)

Pros of staying offsite at Universal

• Cheaper hotel rates
• Shuttle Service
  Some offsite hotels offer free shuttle service to and from universal.
• Free Breakfast
  Some hotels offer free breakfast which can save a lot of money

Cons of staying offsite at Universal

• No early admission!
  This is a big deal if you are looking to get into Universal Orlando’s top attractions without waiting in line all day. Although, you can always buy express passes for an additional $70 – $90 per person per park!

Parking & Shuttle service at Universal Orlando

Parking at hotels- Many hotels especially onsite will charge you a parking fee. 4 days at Cabana Bay cost us $90! If you are traveling by car, check to see if your hotel charges for parking and read the fees.

Parking at the parks– $26 per day (car), and $32 per day (RV or Bus)

Universal’s shuttle service from the park to the hotel & vise versa– We loved this service. The wait times were short, and there weren’t many stops picking up other people. Sometimes the busses were really crowded but the drive was pretty short so it wasn’t a big deal.

We only rode the shuttle bus but they also have a water taxi. It only takes you to select hotels though. However, even if you are not staying at any of those hotels it might still be a fun ride for your little kids. If you have the extra time, I’d look into it. After all, it’s FREE!

What are the 3 Universal Orlando parks?

Universal Orlando is made up of 2 theme parks (Universal Orlando & Islands of Adventure) and a water park (Volcano Bay).

Islands of Adventure

Islands of Adventure was voted the #1 amusement park in the world (2015-2019) by TripAdvisor. I can definitely see why. They may not have the most rides but the rides that they do have are top-notch.

Islands of Adventure Rides & Avg. Wait Times

	Low	High
RIDES	Wait Time	Wait Time
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (best done as soon as the gates to the park open)	70	180
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (do this first thing in the morning)	20	120
Flight of the Hippogriff	10	90
The Incredible Hulk Coaster	15	90
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man	20	70
Skull Island Reign of Kong	20	70
Jurassic Park River Adventure	20	70
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolly Train Ride	30	60
Pteranodon Flyers	20	60
Hogwarts Express (you must have a park hopper ticket to ride)	10	50
Dudley Do-Rights Ripsaw Falls	10	50
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges	10	50
The Cat in the Hat	10	50
Poseidon’s Fury	10	50
Dr. Doom’s Fearfall (often had short wait times in the evening)	5	45
Caro-Seuss-el	5	30
Storm Force Acceleration	5	25
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish	5	25
Bolded Rides- Ride these rides early to save on wait time

We did not ride all of the rides at this park. We have older kids and they didn’t care to ride the rides in Seuss Landing, the water rides, and a few others.

Of the rides that we did ride, our favorites were The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Dr. Doom’s Fearfall (we loved riding this at night), The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, Harry Potter, and the Forbidden Journey, and Hogwarts Express (We rode this as many times as we could fit in).
*Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was not open when we were there (insert sad face here).

Raptor Encounter-
This was hands down one of our favorite things that we did at Universal. We didn’t plan on doing it, as a matter of fact, we didn’t even know what it was. We were about to head out of the park to take our afternoon break when my daughter asked if we could do it. Of course, we said yes, even though there was a line. If you get a chance, do the Raptor Encounter. Of course, if you have littles that are scared of large, moving dinosaurs, you may want to opt-out.
*FYI- We handed the workers mine and my husband’s phones. They took video with one and pictures with the other. If you only have one device, I highly recommend asking them to take a video instead of pictures.

The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle-
We contemplated seeing this. Mostly because the area around the castle is so congested. But our kids really wanted to see it, so at the last minute, we made our way back to the castle. It was, as we expected, extremely congested. However, everyone packed in tightly and made do. And even though we were in the back row, had some heads in our way, and had to hold our 10-year-old son so he could see, it was magical. We are so thankful that we chose to see it and highly recommend you see it too. I don’t think that it is necessary to claim dibs on a spot early on unless you really want to be up close.

Hogwarts Express–
One of the reasons that we went to Universal Orlando was because of the Harry Potter stuff. My kids love Harry Potter. Due to their fondness of HP, we opted for the park hopper tickets so that we could ride Hogwarts Express. We didn’t know if it would be worth the extra expense, but it was. It was a very magical train ride and it left all of us mesmerized. However, if you and your kids are not huge Harry Potter fans, I’d skip the park hopper tickets and save yourself money.

Address: 6000 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819
Phone Number: 1- 407-224-4233
Hours: 9 am-7 pm

Universal Studios

Universal Studios Rides & Avg. Wait Times

	Avg. Low	High
RIDES	WAIT TIME	WAIT TIME
Harry Potter & the Escape from Gringotts	20	120
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem	5	100
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit	10	90
Transformers The Ride 3-D	20	90
Revenge of the Mummy	10	90
The Simpsons Ride	15	75
Men in Black Alien Attack	10	70
Fast and Furious Supercharged (virtual line)	10	60
Hogwarts Express (You will need a park hopper ticket to ride this)	10	60
E.T. Adventure	10	50
Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster	10	45
Shrek 4-D	10	45
Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon (virtual line)	5	25
Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl	5	25
Bolded Rides- Ride these rides early to save on wait time

Our favorite rides at Universal Studios were The Simpsons (this ride might make you sick), Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Harry Potter & the Escape from Gringotts, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Universal Orlando’s Cinematic Celebration-
This is Universal Orlando’s nighttime show. This show does not disappoint. It’s unique and fun. Think Bellagio Fountains (Las Vegas) meets the movies. Basically, the fountains dance around and video clips play on the dancing water. Sometimes the images can be a little hard to see, but this was a rather rare occurrence and will not stop us from checking out the show again. The Cinematic Celebration takes place in the lagoon and has plenty of room for people to gather around. We got there just when it started and still had a decent view of the show.

Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras Parade-
When we were looking for a good spot to watch the Mardi Gras Parade, we noticed Shrek 4-D had no line. The parade wasn’t supposed to start for another 10 minutes, so we literally saw Shrek 4-D, walked out of the building and caught the Mardi Gras parade in front of the Shrek 4-D building. While we didn’t have a front-row view, the parade was a lot of fun. They threw out a ton of beads (We got plenty from the back row), played fun music, and had large, beautiful floats that lit up.
*Universal offers a special viewing area just for kids! It is located in front of the Brown Derby Hat Shop. This area is accessible 1 hour before the parade starts.

Address: 6000 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819
Phone Number: 1-407-363-8000
Hours: 9 am- 7 pm

Volcano Bay

My daughter got sick on the day we were supposed to go to Volcano Bay. So she and I opted to rest at the hotel while my husband and son went to Volcano Bay. Of course, my husband didn’t take any pictures. But that’s ok. They had fun and that’s all that matters.

Rides-

Krakatau Aqua Coaster-
This is a must-do! It was my husband and son’s favorite ride at Volcano Bay. The wait time was 100+ minutes making the virtual line very handy.

Tonga of Taniwha & Raki of Taniwha Tubes-
These water slides have a double tube which was nice for my son as he could ride with his dad. He is a little fearful of water slides so the fact that he got on was impressive.

Waturi Beach (beach & wave pool)
Kopiko Wai Winding River (lazy river)
ika Moana of the Honu ika Moana
Ko’okiri Body Plunge
Kala & Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides
TeAwa The Fearless River (the not so lazy river)
Punga Racers
Tot Tiki Reef
Puka Uli Lagoon
The Reef
Ohyah of Ohyah & Ohno Drop Slides
Honu of the Honu ika Moana
Puihi of Maku Puihi Round Raft Rides
Runamukka Reef
Maku of the Maku Puihi Round Raft Rides

TapuTapu-
Volcano Bay loans out wristbands called TapuTapu. These wristbands are free to use and are required to ride the rides. These are not your typical wristbands. TapuTapu allows you to use virtual lines, pay, take pictures at the picture stations, activate interactive surprises, and open rental lockers.

• How to use TapuTapu virtual lines
  1) Tap your wristband to the virtual line kiosk at the attraction you’d like to ride.
  2) Play at Volcano Bay until your wristband vibrates and alerts you that its time to return to the ride.
• How to use TapTu pay
  1) Go to The Official Universal Orlando Resort App to set up your account.
  2) Link and assign the ticket numbers and names for each member of your party.
  3) Add your credit card and set your security pin.
  4) Simply tap your wristband instead of swiping your credit card when necessary at Volcano Bay.

Tips
-Consider getting a locker towards the back of the park where it’s less crowded.
-Bring your own towels.
-Bring sunblock
-Set up your TapTu account before going to Volcano Bay if you plan on using your TapuTapu to pay. Using TapTu pay will prevent you from having to go to your locker multiple times to grab your wallet.
-Consider setting up spending limits for each person in your party if using TapTu pay.

Address: 6000 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819
Phone number: 1-407-363-8000
Hours: 10 am- 5 pm

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter spans across both Universal Orlando theme parks. To see both parts of Wizarding World of Harry Potter you will need either a park hopper ticket or 2 tickets (one for each park). The park hopper tickets will allow you to easily hop between Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley by taking a short but magical ride on Hogwarts Express.
*If you get park hopper tickets, ride the train to Diagon Ally and Hogsmeade. They each offer a different experience.
You can find Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure & Diagon Alley in Universal Studios. Both lands are impressive and lack no detail.

While both Wizarding World of Harry Potter lands were impressive, Diagon Alley was our favorite. You cannot see any other areas of the park from Diagon Alley which left us feeling completely immersed in the world.

Hogsmeade- Islands of Adventure

Hogsmeade is a snow-covered, brick village that sits at the foot of Hogwarts Castle.

Rides-
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Flight of the Hippogriff
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Hogwarts Express
*You can only ride Hogwarts Express with a park hopper ticket.

Entertainment-
Nighttime Lights at Hogwart’s Castle

This was spectacular! The area is small and gets congested.

Owl Post-
This is a cute little store featuring owls and stationary. You can also mail letters with a special Hogsmeade postmark.

Ollivanders-
*See more on Ollivanders in the Diagon Alley section.

Frog Choir-
This is exactly as it sounds, a frog choir. It was neat to see. We caught part of it as we were walking around casting spells.

Triwizard Spirit Rally-
This is a contest between the largest wizarding schools in Europe: Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Durmstrang Institute, and the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. It is entertaining an entertaining show.

Butterbeer-
Butterbeer is available at both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Be sure to try frozen and regular butterbeer. We are a house divided. Half of us love frozen while the other half loves regular butterbeer.

Diagon Alley- Universal Studios

Diagon Alley is a hidden alley at Universal Studios Florida. In order to get to Diagon Alley, you must walk behind a brick wall. The other side of that brick wall is where all the magic happens.

Rides-
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

This ride gets busy fast. We used early admission to ride this ride first and only waited about 20 minutes. Our second early admission day was used for Ollivanders. We were the 3rd group to see the show, paid for our wands and by the time we got out of Ollivanders the line for this ride was already at 100 minutes!

Hogwarts Express
*You must have park hopper tickets to ride.

Entertainment-
Ollivanders (There’s one in Hogsmeade too!)
First and foremost Ollivanders is a wand shop. Here you will find towering walls filled with all sorts of spell casting wands.

Ollivanders also has a quick show where one lucky guest (sometimes a pair of siblings) gets chosen to have their wand pick them.

Tips for getting chosen for Ollivanders show-
*Stand out! Everybody, I mean EVERYBODY dresses in HP Robes. Wear colors that will stand out, dress siblings alike (so they know they are siblings). The room is dark, so I’d avoid dark colors.
*If your celebrating something make it known. It was our daughter’s birthday so we bought her an obnoxious birthday headband. (She was chosen!)
*Push your kids to the front so they can be seen. Don’t be obnoxious about it though. The adults in our group were pretty considerate and happily slid out of the way so that the kids could move forward.

Interactive Wands & Casting Spells-
Ollivanders offers both interactive and non-interactive wands. If you purchase an interactive wand, you can walk around the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and cast real spells. The spells can make it rain, turn on lights, make a skeleton dance and so much more. While the interactive wands are expensive ($50 each), it was worth it. If it’s something your kids are interested in, you may want to consider purchasing 1 interactive wand and have your kids take turns.

Casting spells can be tricky. We had a very hard time with it at first. Then we noticed workers standing by some of the spell casting areas and got help. The workers were so helpful. So if you are like us and can’t figure it out keep your eyes peeled for the workers.

Knight Bus-
Just before Diagon Alley is a purple triple-decker bus. While you can’t go on the bus, you can talk to the interactive shrunken head. You guys, this head is hilarious! It only takes a few minutes- so do it, you won’t regret it.

Gringotts Money Exchange-
Here you can trade in US currency for Gringotts banknotes. The banknotes can be used for any purchases in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. If you don’t use all your banknotes you can change it back to US currency.

Knockturn Alley-
This is a very dark ally featuring shops, dancing skeletons, skulls, spiders, and more not-so-happy stuff. It’s unique and shouldn’t be missed unless you have littles who might get frightened.
*If you have an interactive wand, there are some very cool spells to cast in Knockturn Alley.

How many days do you need at Universal Orlando Resort

Most people will only need 1 day per park. 2 or 3 days in total depending on whether or not you want to visit Volcano Bay.

We were planning on only spending 2 days at Universal and skipping Volcano Bay. Our plans changed when we found the deal buy 2 days get 2 free. It was nice having extra days but its not necessary.

How much does it cost to go to Universal Orlando?

As with any theme park, Universal is expensive. Tickets for Islands of Adventure & Universal Studios are $115/DAY, Volcano Bay tickets cost $80/DAY. Children’s tickets are $5 less.

Our family of 4 went to Universal Resort for 4 days it cost us $2,481! This total doesn’t account for any extra expenses like food or shopping. See the breakdown below.

Cabana Bay stay with Universal tickets w/park hopper- $2,391
Cabana Bay parking fee- $90

We could have saved money by not opting for the park hopper passes and staying off-site, but we did save money on our tickets by partaking in the deal buy 2 days get 2 free.

Please keep in mind that while this post is current, our cost breakdown is from a few years ago. Ticket and hotel prices have since gone up in price.

*Did you know that if you purchase a Universal package, you can make payments?

How to get discounted Universal tickets

• Florida residents
  Receive special discounts on tickets & season passes. Just show your valid driver’s license when you enter the park.
• Military members
  Receive discounted multi-day tickets. They can be purchased at select military bases or at the front gate with a valid military I.D.
• AAA members
  Save on tickets and select purchases in the parks.
• Costco
  Check the theme park section of your local store and also keep an eye on their website for deals.
• Reward Points
  Check your rewards credit card to see if there is a way to use your points towards Universal tickets. If not you may want to consider opening another rewards card that allows you to apply your points.
• Check the Deals page on Universal’s website
  This is exactly how we got our buy 2 get 2 deal. We simply kept checking out Universal’s deal page on their website. Deals change frequently, so check back often.
• Undercover Tourist
  Check out their page to see what deals and discounts they have on Universal tickets. They currently have a deal – buy 3 days get 2 free!

Cost-saving tips

• Drive instead of Fly
  If you don’t live too far away, driving can save you a lot of money.
• Bring your own food
  Eating out for every meal can cost a lot. I suggest bringing or buying food from a grocery store. Many hotels have small refrigerators & microwaves in the room. Cabana Bay didn’t have its own microwave, but it did have one in the dining hall that you can use. If a hotel doesn’t have a fridge in the room, it may benefit you to buy a cheap cooler and fill it with ice as opposed to eating out.
  *Pick 1 or 2 restaurants to eat at so that you don’t get bored of the food that you brought. If you are foodies you may want to consider looking into Universal’s dining plans.
• Buy a lanyard beforehand
  Believe it or not, Universal actually gives out paper tickets. I imagine it wouldn’t be difficult to lose or ruin them accidentally. When we checked in to the hotel they suggested that we buy lanyards to hold the tickets. They cost about $14 each! That’s $56 that we didn’t expect. You can find them on Amazon for about $9 for 2. Make sure that the lanyard has a resealable pouch. That will ensure that your tickets stay dry.
• Take advantage of shuttle service
  Parking costs money. Avoid paying to park at the theme parks by using the shuttle service. On-site hotels & many off-site hotels offer this for free.
• Set a budget for extra spending/souvenirs
  We allow our kids $25 each to pick out a special souvenir. If they want something more expensive, they pay the difference. Setting a budget beforehand helps you to keep your spending on track so that you don’t get home and feel like your drowning in debt. Frivolous purchases can add up fast, especially on vacation. Make sure what your buying isn’t going to sit on your credit card.
• Buy a Harry Potter Robe beforehand
  Harry Potter robes at Universal cost $100. These robes are amazing quality and come with a secret pocket for your wand. However, for one-time use, that’s expensive. Cheaper Harry Potter robes

How to plan your days at Universal Resort

Selecting your rides

First and foremost you need to take a look at every ride Universal has to offer. Then determine what rides are a top priority at each park. Once you have determined that, download The Official Universal Orlando Resort App. This, my friend will be your best friend. This app has everything you’ll need to navigate Universal. It allows you to create a favorites list, stay in the know with the app push notifications, order meals on the go, you can use it as your wallet, and best of all it allows you to see ride wait times. Learning what the average wait times are for your top rides is crucial. So download this app and start watching wait times for the rides throughout the day. You’d be surprised what bigger rides have a shorter wait time in the late afternoon & evenings.

*Watch wait times for a week or 2 before your vacation.

A typical day at Universal Orlando

1. Arrive just before the park opens.
   *We arrived at the parks before the gates opened. This allowed us to get the best use of our early admission time as it cut down the amount of time we had to wait to get into the park.
2. Head to the busiest ride towards the back of the park and ride those first.
   *Most people start from the front of the park and work their way back. By the time they get to the big rides/ attractions in the back of the park the wait times are long.
   *If you are planning on exploring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Ollivander’s, or riding any of those rides, this is the time to do that. This entire area becomes congested very fast.
3. Continue riding rides on your list until the wait times become too long.
   *The longest we waited was 30 minutes and that was for the Incredible Hulk Coaster.
4. When the wait times become too long, head back to your hotel to eat lunch, swim, or nap. Use this time to do whatever your heart desires, but be sure to keep watching the ride times on your app.
5. When the ride times have died down, head back to the park and ride any ride that has a tolerable wait time or that you missed.
   
   Repeat these steps for the duration of your trip!

Tips

• Wear comfortable shoes
• Wear comfortable clothes that are weather appropriate.
  If going in the summer, I highly recommend wearing lightweight, moisture-wicking clothes. Women’s, Men’s, Kid’s
• Bring a smaller backpack
  Universal requires you to place your items in a locker for the big thrill rides. They offer a small locker for free for the duration of the ride. Of course, you may pay to rent a larger locker, but why spend the money if you don’t need to? The free lockers are approx. 9.5” wide x 11.5” high x 17” deep. We used this hydration backpack and took out the bladder. We typically carried 1 water bottle (that we shared and refilled at refill stations), sunscreen, and a few snacks in it. It worked very well.
• Child Swap
  Take advantage of child swap especially if you have little kids who can’t ride certain rides. Basically it works like this- Mom, Dad, Sister & baby wait in the line together for the ride. Once at the front of the line Dad and baby wait in the designated area until Mom and Sister finish the ride. When they are done. Mom and Sister wait with the baby while dad rides the ride. Once he is finished, everyone exits together. If you do decide to use Child Swap, let the attendant at the very beginning of the ride know beforehand. Each ride handles child swap differently. Some rides have separate waiting rooms, some have you stand off to the side, while other rides have you enter a different line altogether.
• FREE WIFI
  If you don’t have an unlimited data plan, take advantage of Universal’s FREE WIFI. This comes in handy when using their app to check ride wait times.
• Early Park Admission
  Universal frequently changes what rides and attractions open early for early park admission, make sure that you check the website frequently.

Universal Orlando Resort was a lot of fun. It requires a lot of planning and the cost can add up quite fast. If you are on a budget, make sure you plan carefully. Feel free to ask us any questions you may have.

Pin for later: Ultimate Guide to Universal Orlando Resort on a Budget