Understanding Universal Orlando's Ticket Options ~

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Have you thought about taking a trip to Universal Orlando to see the Wizarding World but got overwhelmed by some of the lingo? Then this is definitely the blog post for you because we are going to break down Universal’s ticket options into easy to undertand bites.

The first thing you need to understand about Universal Orlando is that it’s actually made up of 3 different parks. You have Universal Studios where you will find blockbuster themed rides like Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Fast & Furious Supercharger, The Simpsons Ride and Harry Potter’s Wizarding World Diagon Alley. Then you have Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando’s second theme park where you will find attractions like Jurassic Park River Adventure, Caro-Seuss-el, The Incredible Hulk Coaster and Harry Potter’s Wizarding World Hogsmeade. And last but not least, Universal Orlando has an amazing water theme park called Volcano Bay where you will find the aqua coaster Krakatau, Maku Puihi raft rides and way more splashy fun!

This means that when you are looking at multiple day tickets, the first part of the ticket will say either “2 Park” or “3 Park”. If you not interested in checking out the water theme park, then you want your tickets to say 2 Park as these are only good at the theme parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. But if you want to see all three, then you want to make sure to choose the 3 Park tickets.

The next piece is all about the parks’ location. Unlike other places, the theme parks at Universal Orlando are side-by-side. The entrances to both Universal Studios and Island of Adventure are within walking distance of each other with only a strip of nature separating the sides of the theme parks. And then at the back of the parks, they are connected by the Hogwarts Express train which connects both sides of the Wizarding World and acts as your transportation from one theme park to the other. Then the water theme park, Volcano Bay, is across the highway from Islands of Adventure and is over by Universal’s Prime Value resorts.

This makes it very easy to park hop and check out parts of both theme parks in one day! Or you could hit up the water theme park in the morning before going to the Wizarding World for the afternoon. And this is where the Park-to-Park portion comes in. If you choose a ticket that says “Base Ticket”, then you will only have access to one of the parks per day. But if you go with the “Park-to-Park Ticket” option, then you can visit multiple parks in the same day. This Park-to-Park Ticket is also the only way you will be allowed to ride the Hogwarts Express, so if that is on your bucket list for your trip, make sure to upgrade your tickets to this option.

The last thing to note with Universal Orlando tickets is the differences between purchasing multiple day tickets and single day tickets. Many times families decide to add a day at Universal to their already planned Orlando vacation, so there are single day tickets available in both 1 Park Base Ticket form and in 2 Park Park-to-Park Ticket form. However, because Volcano Bay is not one of the main parks at Universal Orlando, access to it is only available with the purchase of a 3 Day Base Ticket or a 2 Day Park-to-Park Ticket. So if the water theme park is on your wishlist, this is something to keep in mind while you are planning your trip.

And as always, if you would like some help understanding the ins and outs of planning your dream Orlando vacation, I invite you to send me an email at [email protected]. I would be more than happy to help you make it the most magical vacation ever!