How to do Universal Studios in One Day

The Universal Orlando Resort is a sprawling, three-park complex located in central Florida. Although it can be a little overwhelming to visit, you can do Universal in one day. Let’s talk about how to visit multiple parks, what’s inside each and tips for maximizing your visit.

Universal Orlando has been hard at work expanding its footprint and now comprises three separate theme parks:

• Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

• Universal Studios Florida.

• Universal’s Volcano Bay. 

Universal Studios Florida opened in 1990 and is the oldest of the parks in the resort. It focuses on film and has a working studio inside, along with roller coasters, thrill rides and Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley.

Universal’s Islands of Adventure debuted in 1999 and relies heavily on larger rides such as The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Jurassic World VelociCoaster and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. It also features a section of the park dedicated to Hogsmeade from the Harry Potter films.

Universal’s Volcano Bay is a water park with theme park elements, including water slides and a water coaster. The newest park at Universal, it opened in 2017.

Most people who visit the Universal Orlando Resort are generally looking to visit the two main parks: Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. This is especially true for those looking to do Universal Studios in one day since the two are located next to each other.

If you have just one day at the Universal Orlando Resort, we have good news: Doing both parks in one day is possible. You’ll need to get up early and stay up late, but it can be done. Let’s go over some tips on how to make this happen.

Not everyone can visit Universal in one day, especially since you’ll need to opt for the more expensive park-to-park tickets. However, if you have just one day at Universal Orlando Resort, purchasing multi-park tickets is going to be essential.

Universal Studios gives its guests several benefits for staying in one of its branded hotels, including the ability to enter the theme parks up to one hour before they open. This can be key for those looking to get in as much fun as possible since the crowds will be minimal.

Universal Express Passes allow you to skip the regular queue at participating attractions. Unlike Lightning Lane access over at Walt Disney World, there’s no set lineup time required; you simply show up and join the Express Pass line.

This can save you a ton of time on a Universal Studios one-day itinerary. In fact, this is the single most helpful tool for visiting both parks in one day.

There are two types of Express Passes available:

• Universal Express: Skip the regular line one time per ride.

• Universal Express Unlimited: Skip the regular line an unlimited number of times.

Pricing varies based on demand and when you purchase the pass, but the standard Universal Express pass starts at $89.99 per day, while the Universal Express Unlimited pass starts at $99.99 per day.

Many theme parks offer single-rider lines for rides. This allows those willing to ride by themselves to use a separate queue for entrance. They’ll be allowed to sit in any remaining gaps on rides, thus reducing empty seats and allowing people to get on faster.

Not all of Universal’s attractions have a single-rider line, but many do, including:

• Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls.

• Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

• Jurassic Park River Adventure.

• Jurassic World VelociCoaster.

• Skull Island: Reign of Kong.

• The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.

• The Incredible Hulk Coaster.

• Fast and Furious — Supercharged.

• Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

• Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.

• Men in Black Alien Attack.

• Transformers: The Ride — 3D.

If you’re not looking to spend a lot of money and you’re wondering if you can still do Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in one day, the answer is: Yes, you can. You don’t need a Universal Express pass or a stay in one of its branded hotels.

Instead, you can visit during the low season to minimize your wait times. Tourism in Florida is highly seasonal. Take advantage by timing your vacation to coincide with low crowds during months such as September and January.

Is one day enough for Universal Studios Orlando? Yes, if you optimize your time.

Although there are three parks within the Universal Orlando Resort, most folks have their sights set on Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.

It’s possible to do both in a single day, whether you’re choosing to stay on-site, purchase a pass that’ll let you skip the line or simply visit when crowds are low.

(Top photo courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort)