PRO TIPS for Universal Orlando Resort | 2024

In this video I'll touring through Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida and Volcano Bay giving my best tips to maximise your next visit, including the best early park admission, Hagrids and Velocicoaster strategies.
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UNIVERSAL ORLANDO PARK TOURS
Universal Studios Florida: • Universal Studios Flor...
Islands of Adventure: • Universal Islands of A...
WALT DISNEY WORLD PARK TOURS:
Magic Kingdom: • Disney’s Magic Kingdom...
Epcot: • Epcot RIDES & ATTRACTI...
Disney's Hollywood Studios: • Disney's Hollywood Stu...
Disney's Animal Kingdom: • Disney's Animal Kingdo...
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - INTRO
0:31 - Port of Entry
1:27 - Marvel Super Hero Island
2:50 - Toon Lagoon
4:20 - Skull Island
4:54 - Jurassic Park
7:27 - Hogsmeade
12:28 - Lost Continent
13:07 - Seuss Landing
13:50 - Volcano Bay
16:12 - Minionland
17:34 - New York
19:28 - San Francisco
19:59 - Hollywood
20:47 - Dreamworks
21:01 - Springfield
21:32 - World Expo
22:19 - London/Diagon Alley
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Contact: [e-mail]

[@JeremyRhodes81]

Going to Disney and Universal for 14 day dream vaca. It's just 60 days away. I am absorbing EVERYTHING about the parks rn. Thanks!

[@marcbester6624]

I'm going 16 Aug for 2 weeks. Watched all of FrugalBrits's videos

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Hope you have the best time, thanks for watching! 😁😁

[@Jacknopan]

@@TheFrugalBritsame

[@jheloproductions7619]

Have a great trip, and watch dfb guide if you're planning on Disney too, good vibes my friend

[@Bubba12345]

Go to volosta coster at rope drop

[@elliegibsongames4778]

You are brilliant, love these videos. So slick and authentic and helpful. Thank you!

[@davidchapman3765]

My day just got better. keep up the amazing work I love your vids ❤

[@s1mpson44]

I’ve been sixteen times but I still watch these videos for tips & to get me in the mood, I’ve bumped into a couple of vloggers whilst there (Pugh two, themepark worldwide) love your vids too.

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Thank you! Still not seen Pugh Two yet in the parks, love their stuff.

[@ChelseaDisney04]

Thank you for this vid! I am trying to get back next year and great to refresh my memory and get some tips! 🎉❤

[@edvaira6891]

Very solid advice and easy to follow! Fun video, as always

[@CallumHull13]

Love these videos mate!😁

[@jkhegarty857]

Great video. Thank you for the information. Very useful tips!! 👌

[@JacksonJB123]

Your videos have carried the planning for my upcoming holiday, thank you very much!😊

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Very welcome, glad to they were useful 😁

[@JacksonJB123]

You have carried the planning for our upcoming holiday to universal. Your incredibly detailed videos have helped us very much. Thank you.

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Glad it was helpful, hope you have the best trip 😁👍

[@ericteneyck8691]

Another great video, well done!

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Thanks again! 😁

[@ch1cwiththeradtat]

going in 17 days i’m super excited !!

[@Seoulsearch616]

Happy Easter from the USA! Love your videos! 🙏🏼❤️🌹

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Likewise, thank you! 😁

[@ashernotheis76]

Happy Easter! ✝️

[@javierdeleongaitan8651]

As always, nice video!

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Thanks again! 😁

[@WaterBug46]

I really enjoy your vids and tips. AP local and I’ve found that water wicking socks are the ticket for dry and blister free park days. Alpaca fiber is the best I’ve found. No blisters and no wrinkled toes even during Orlando summer sauna rains. Pacas is the company I’ve used but there are more.

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Thanks for the tip! I will give that a try 👍😁

[@xoxpascalle]

We've been +10 times already but it's still a fun video to watch to build up excitement for our September trip 🤩

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Hope you enjoyed it! 😁

[@moni.l0425]

going in a month! truly can’t wait🎉

[@TheFrugalBrit]

😱😁

[@metallicnole4514]

If you can swing it, early park admission by staying at a universal hotel is where it's at. I personally also would prioritize velocicoaster over hagrid's during EPA. Velocicoaster is more likely to have downtime and slower dispatches since it's an intamin blitz coaster and those are notorious for breaking down. Hagrid's is also an intamin multilaunch, but it has better capacity and faster dispatches.

[@Jacknopan]

Yes

[@supersanic1254]

We stay on property, and we honestly skip early park admission most, if not all days. Instead, we use that time to take advantage of empty breakfast buffets at the resorts, you can knock out most of the CityWalk attractions, or just do anything else other than follow the sheep. If you only go to the park once, sure, do EPA. If you want to do Hagrid's, just get in line at the end of the day when lines tend to be shorter.

[@mmcnab802]

This will be my family's first time down there. We are going in the middle of October, would you still recommend buying the express pass?

[@metallicnole4514]

@@mmcnab802 It depends if you're going on a weekday or weekend since weekends are more crowded. Velocicoaster and hagid's consistently have long wait times and express pass does not work on hagrid's. Also in october, the universal studios park closes at 5 for HHN.

[@mmcnab802]

@metallicnole4514 it would be 2 weekdays. Yeah I saw that about the times, but thank goodness we are 18 yrs old and older so we can get alot done plus no kiddie rides. LOL I'm just trying to justify $800 extra for express passes/day.

[@Qualitygamer10]

I have been wanting to go to universal for a while and this will help I’m going next month thanks

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Very welcome, hope you have the best trip 😁👍

[@Qualitygamer10]

@@TheFrugalBrit thanks so much your so nice

[@cuprashoe]

Off to Universal with the family in 21 days, absolutely can't wait. We've got the 14 day pass so going to spend a couple of days in each

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Hope you enjoy it!!! 😁

[@katepalmer5630]

We are planning our first trip next year. Plan is to get the 14 day universal 3 park tickets so we can come and go as we please over that time period but also visit other places like discovery cove, seaworld etc. Planning to stay for 11 nights in total at cabana bay so that we can hopefully have some chilled pool time as well as fast pace parks 🤗

[@johntoscano5874]

Just awaiting our new arrival so won’t be able to go until next year now. Been three years in a row and it’s genuinely the best place on earth!!

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Congrats on the new arrival! The parks will be even more exciting after the wait 😁

[@yodaddy9362]

Going in June. First time ever. Me and my 2 boys I can't wait

[@Sunny-xc9kv]

I’ll be there with my 2 boys in June also! Can’t wait!!

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Hope you have the best time 😁👍

[@yodaddy9362]

@@TheFrugalBrit thanks bro

[@emzca13]

Love your content! When is the quietest time of the year to go? My partner and I are planning to go and want to avoid crowds. Planning to go 2 weeks and do as many parks!

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Thank you! Late Jan/early Feb is probably the quietest time. Late August/early September can also be good if you don’t mind the weather 👍😁 Might be worth having a look at a crowd calendar online.

[@nickpavlidis5735]

I think the king ride should get a makeover from tv screen to robotics. They gave a lot of large tv screens rides that can affect people with epilepsy. I wonder which rides you don’t need to put your bags in lockers.

[@bradleydavisson]

I think dropping the 3d will be a net gain on kong. I'm a glasses wearer and never felt the "goggles" fit well, plus your peripheral gets nerfed like crazy wearing those things.

[@paularcher5776]

Can I ask if the Hogwarts night shows are currently running? We go at start of July and hope to see it at least once. Many thanks.

[@daxhausentraveller8488]

FB . 😊 Another slick and informative vid . 😎

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Thanks Dax 👍😁

[@caz7960]

Hi. How do you book these restaurants & how far in advance can they be booked please? I’m in the U.K. thanks

[@cookingwithhistory6694]

We will be in Universal for two weeks at the beginning of May. It's the first time we have gone in May. We normally go in late January and early February. I'm nervous about the heat.

[@levixdyer]

Floridian here, you will bake. It is HOT HOT in May. Drink a ton of water and get one of their reusable cups, you can fill it up at multiple locations yourself for free throughout the park at any coca cola station if you don't bring your own to the park.

[@fox156]

Are there two people talking in these videos or just one? Its very unique.

[@TD.Playz.7]

I have already been but in 2027 bc I loved it that much

[@NachoCheddaryCheese]

Going in 9 days😀

[@steveshideler1333]

11 for me. Hopefully going after spring break is over helps with wait times.

[@TheFrugalBrit]

😁😁😁

[@weaseljavelin9443]

My name is Craig Dennis i watch your new videos all the time and i in joy all of your videos all the time and i wish you a happy Easter👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Thank you Craig, nice to hear from you 😁

[@Danygroon]

You mentioned you can wait for front row? how does that work? does it work on every ride? waiting a few more mins for front row sounds really cool

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Yeah I think all the coasters allow you to join a separate longer queue for the front row.

[@peanutsarehairy]

Watched a bunch of your videos thanks, we wrote this plan out, do you think it looks OK? Flying this September Wednesday 25th - Flying (Arriving at 17:15) Thursday 26th - Epcot (Possibly Shops) Friday 27th - Islands of Adventure Saturday 28th - Animal Kingdom Sunday 29th - Magic Kingdom Monday 30th - Universal Volcano Bay Tuesday 1st - Hollywood Studios (Possibly Shops) Wednesday 2nd - Universal Studios Thursday 3rd - Blizzard Beach Friday 4th - ? Kids Choose Saturday 5th - Typhoon Lagoon Sunday 6th - Universal Studios\Islands of Adventure Monday 7th - Discovery Cove Tuesday 8th - Shop Day then Fly home

[@woooooooo9061]

I would do discovery cove somewhere in the middle, as it’s a good sort of rest day. I would dedicate at least 1 entire day at Hollywood studios and Epcot. And maybe a half day each at both. So I’d drop a water park day. Also, only one of Disneys water parks are usually open at a time, the other will be going through maintenance. And maybe do 1 full day of shopping, that’s also a rest day, maybe finish the day at Mk or Epcot. Discovery cove is amazing! Have a great time.

[@tyke23vids]

Would all this same advice apply if you have express passes, or can you pretty much choose whatever order you want at that point while still avoiding long waits?

[@skyliner6785]

Book a night in a Premier universal hotel and get express pass early before general admission and the next day as well could save you over $1000 if you are 3 or more people.well worth it didn't wait longer than 30 minutes at its buissiest.they keep your cases at reception till your rooms ready.also hard rock hotel has its own security entrance took 30 seconds.hope this helps someone

[@pyrometheus2]

Are these tips generally for the busy season? I'll be going first week of December which seems to be one of the least busy parts of the year. Not sure what to expect crowd wise.

[@TheFrugalBrit]

You’re right these tips are more for spring break crowds.

[@CallumHull13]

I went in the first week of December last year expecting it to be quiet as well and it was really busy with school trips. We found the second week was a massive drop off in crowd levels. Been quite a few times now and the start/middle of September and middle of October was the least busy for both Universal and Disney in my experience

[@miranimal]

Would it be smart to go on some of the popular rides at the end of the day during HHN season?

[@TheFrugalBrit]

You mean at Islands? The issue is Universal studios closes early on those days, so lots of guests migrate over to Islands. The parks are pretty quiet in September though so strategy not that important.

[@robertgray1756]

Best way to negotiate Universal is to have a 14 days 3 parks fully flexible ticket. Bought from Floridatix or similar site that sells to the British.

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Agreed 😁

[@Hoop_23]

That seems insanely expensive, does one really need even 4 days to do everything?

[@robertgray1756]

@@Hoop_23 Nope...best value way to do it. I.e 9 days inside 3 parks...gets plenty of time to explore fully etc...and works out at about £40-£45 per entry. Plus allows rest time outside the parks. I think each park one day entry is approx' £100.

[@zactacon]

Hey I’m going in end of join for 9 nights to universal. Our group is 2 adults over 50 and a teenage boy, and it’s all of our first times in Florida. Do you think it’s a good idea to go to Disney during our trip? We aren’t sure whether we should and what park to go to if we do.

[@robertgray1756]

Universal is more exciting than Disney. Very difficult to choose which park to visit out of the 4 Disney parks if only going there for one day. I think it comes down to either D'H' Studios or Magic Kingdom. I would check the two parks out on their website plus if the day you are going to Disney is the day the Fantasmic show is on.....then choose D'H' Studios. But bare in mind that Fantasmic show is approx' 25 minutes and only shown at approx' 8.30pm.

[@cathinieto39]

Hi, if you go to Disney for 1 day with 2 adults and a teen, Epcot or Hollywood Studios would be your best choice. Have a great trip!

[@TheFrugalBrit]

No correct answer really. The Disney parks are amazing, but it’ll likely be poor value paying for both tickets during those 9 days. Really depends on the budget 👍

[@somerandom3553]

Is the begining of June extremely busy? June 8-15? Is it a necesatity to buy fast pass to have a good experience during this time?

[@craigrankin5321]

Im.also going those dates , i think we are just getting 1 day tickets for both universal and magic kingdom , more money for other activities besises theme parks

[@mrbiblyboo4034]

same here! i also don’t want to buy fast passes

[@craigrankin5321]

I just learmed that because we are uk the website gives us uk passes where as if u install a von and set it to america you are able to buy daily tickets for disney , now once we are over there id imagine we would be able to buy like that for universal too. Try it see if u get a different screen google univeral stuidos us site once ur connextee to vpni was 714 dollars fpr 1 day magic kingdom for 3 adukts 1 child

[@craigrankin5321]

Vpn**

[@ColeSeddo]

Im going to universal from the uk for a week and the other theme parks but in universal we have early access as we have a hotel booking for a week so is it worth going for hagrids on early rode time ?

[@TheFrugalBrit]

I think it depends on how long you have in the park. It's a good strategy if you want to have the most productive day in terms of getting on rides, but it's not the nicest start to the day IMO. My wife disagrees though lol.

[@ColeSeddo]

@@TheFrugalBrit yes ive got a week in there but obviously two or 3 days in volcano bay but i think its worth a try and see how it goes

[@paulcampbell9459]

I was there last week and we did an early entry one day - at 0730 the queue time was 110 mins. I kid u not. Realistically you'd need to be in the queue before 7am to get decent wait time. We ignored hagrid ride that morning and did velocicoaster twice in about 25 mins as queue time was around 10 mins. Did manage to get 60 min wait on hagrid a day or two later on the afternoon.

[@ColeSeddo]

@@paulcampbell9459 wow okay thanks luckily when im there idk why but early admission is an hour insted of 30 minutes so maybe thats good

[@user-nt7rl8zy2c]

Do they still do the night light show and fireworks? Xx thank you 😊x

[@TheFrugalBrit]

They’re still working on the replacement for the cinematic celebration show, hopefully have something by the end of the year. They still do the night show on hogwarts castle in islands of adventure though 👍

[@user-nt7rl8zy2c]

@@TheFrugalBrit ah we are coming in a few weeks, I didn’t know there was the cinematic celebration but I did see about hogwats but I thought that was off as well, would love to them them. Thanks so much for the tips as well, hugely appreciated x

[@BreakBeatPaul]

My partner and I went a couple of weeks ago, during spring break, we stayed in one of the hotels that offered free express passes. Unfortunately on most of the rides the express que was basically the same length as the regular que. Those days they charged $250 for the passes and we still qued 90% of the time. I know genie plus at Disney is a hassle but at least you’re on the ride within 10 mins.

[@AutismThespian1993]

Actually, I would have gone during the off season. First week of December is a must because it’s the week after thanksgiving so it will be less crowded .

[@jessgeere9732]

Do you happen to have this as a spreadsheet?

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Not really, were you wanting a written list of advice for each ride etc?

[@joshwalshoakesy583]

Will the 1st week of may be busy?

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Almost certainly not 👍

[@GentlemanofLight]

The best time to visit is just after new years but before spring break. Then May is a good time but before summer break starts and schools let out!

[@bentleyhart7056]

What about the second week of May 11-14th

[@Jacknopan]

First w vid

[@TheFrugalBrit]

👏

[@Jacknopan]

@@TheFrugalBrit 😮

[@mintytiger8545]

Unfortunately the characters at the port of entry are no longer there from what I’ve heard 😭

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Yeah I’m hoping they bring them back for the summer.

[@FocoNoRoteiro.Oficial]

Algum brasileiro aqui? haha Me inspirei demais nesse cara pra criar meu canal. Se puderem conferir, eu vou agradecer demais!! Thank you so much for the videos, man!

[@martinburns-bolger9571]

I cannot think of anything worse than paying out so much to visit these places and spend most of the time queuing. Really putting me off

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Tbh, this video is tailored for visiting during the busiest times of the year. If you go in September it’s a different experience 😁

[@coltonbaca9485]

One month away

[@TheFrugalBrit]

😱😱

[@ryanmaxie6995]

You sound like a poet

[@TheFrugalBrit]

Yeah I’ve developed an annoying performance voice which I don’t know how to turn off lol

[@izzyr3231]

the fewer 3D glasses required rides the better - sincerely, a glasses wearer who can't see shit with two pairs of glasses on

[@bridgetsmiththerapies4401]

This! I can't see 3d unless I tilt my head and look sideways. So the effect is lost on me! Plus my ears aren't big enough to hold two pairs of glasses 🤓

[@EdnoShe-ch8my]

Es. Tbanug. But it's t si

[@supersanic1254]

Port of Entry characters are no longer there lmao

[@TheFrugalBrit]

They went away during the pandemic, but they’re back now, unless I missed something in the last few months.

[@supersanic1254]

​@@TheFrugalBrit Yeah, they have been removed permanently. Their removal has been covered by many local vloggers.

[@TheFrugalBrit]

@supersanic1254 thank you, how recent?

[@supersanic1254]

​@@TheFrugalBritI believe they left at the end of January

[@TheFrugalBrit]

@@supersanic1254 good to know thanks!