Disclosure
Unlike Disney World, we bought park hopper tickets for Universal Studios, so technically we did all three parks the three days we were there.
We mainly got the park hoppers because we wanted to ride the Hogwarts Express, which travels between Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. In 2018, the one day we were there, the train was broken, and we missed our chance to ride it. We didn't want to miss it this time around, and we managed to ride it once going in each direction.
But to keep things simple, I'm going to focus on one park per post even though we did a little bit at each one each day we were there. A lot of it depended on the weather, as there was a parade and evening shows we did not want to miss.
Rides
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
My husband did this at rope drop as it's super popular; wait times can get up to 100 minutes. He said it was alright, but it wasn't one he had to do again.
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Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
When we went in 2018, this ride had a 30-minute wait, but this time around the wait time seemed to stay below 20 minutes. It's way too much motion for me, so I skipped it this time, but my husband rode it again.
Hogwarts Express - Hogsmeade Station
As I mentioned above, we missed the train in 2018, so we made sure to get in line in the morning. It was about a 20-minute wait. As disappointed as I was in 2018, to discover it was just a short train ride with a screen playing a video was even more disappointing. I feel it would have been a better experience had they done a regular train like the one at Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
In reality, it's just a shuttle, so if you're looking to travel between the two parks without walking, this is the way to do it. Unfortunately, wait times can get up to 45 minutes. At that point, it's quicker just to walk to the other park.
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The Cat in the Hat
This was a fun ride, and our child liked it. We ended up riding it twice. The wait times for this one tend to stay under 10 minutes. It reminded me of Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid, but with a little more motion, similiar to Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad.
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!
This ride can have long wait times, so we got on right when it opened at 9 AM. We only had to wait a couple of minutes. Only one track was running at the time, so we didn't get to pick a side. My child liked it, but as someone afraid of heights, I found it a bit unnerving. It's very similar to Disney's People Mover, but People Mover didn't trigger my anxiety as it's a walled-in ride. With the Sky Suess Trolley, you are outside for most of the ride.
Our child decided she wanted to ride it again with her dad, but unfortunately, it started raining shortly after she made that decision, and since it's an outdoor ride, it closed.
Caro-Seuss-el
This is just your typical carousel, but themed after fun Dr. Seuss creatures. It was another ride with a short wait time in the morning.
Shows
Triwizard Spirit Rally
We saw this in 2018 and only watched it again this time around because we needed to kill time. It's a very short, simple show featuring students from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and the Durmstrang Institute. Each group performs a dance, so it's not all that exciting.
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Hogwarts Always
We missed The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle in 2018, opting to watch the Mardi Gras parade instead. Now it's Hogwarts Always. We were worried we would miss this nighttime show again because of the weather. Luckily, the rain stopped around 8:40 PM, and they were able to do the show.
It's a projection show, like Magic Kingdom's Happily Ever After, but there aren't fireworks. I actually preferred Hogwarts Always because sometimes less is more. It was easier to watch and get the full experience.
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Activities
Camp Jurassic & Discovery Center
The Discovery Center was one of the few places open at early entry that was something my child and I could do, as we aren't thrill seekers. She had a lot of fun examining the dinosaur eggs. There was another activity where you could pretend to mix your DNA with a dinosaur, but she found that one kind of boring.
She played in Camp Jurassic on a different day. It's a fun play area with lots of places for kids to explore.
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If I Ran The Zoo
This is a fun play area in Seuss Landing. It even has a water play area where you can take off your shoes and splash around.
Characters
Blue the Velociraptor
The Meet & Greet for Blue can get long, so we made sure to get in line when it opened in the morning. We only had to wait about 20 minutes.
There are other characters in the park, but Blue was the only one that our child was interested in meeting.
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Food & Drinks
Three Broomsticks
My child and I split the Butterbeer™ Waffle for dinner. (It is in the dessert section if you're not going at breakfast). It was good, and definitely kid-approved, but it's not something I would go out of my way to get again.
My husband had the Shepherd's Pie and, while delicious, found the portion to be quite large.
Overall, the food was good, but we preferred the vibes of The Leaky Cauldron, so if you have to choose, I would skip the Three Broomsticks and go with The Leaky Cauldron in Universal Studios Florida.
In Summary
Highlights:
Hogwarts Always
The Cat in the Hat
Disappointments:
Hogwarts Express - Hogsmeade Station
Jurassic Park River Adventure
- Was closed during our visit, but is planned to reopen in November.
The Mystic Fountain
- Was closed during our visit, and unsure if they will bring it back. Everything online says it was "permanent," and if so, that would be a shame because that fountain was so much fun!
Very few rides open during early entry
- My husband wanted to ride Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, so my child and I planned on exploring the Dr. Seuss area but discovered nothing was open until the park opened for everyone else. We were worried we would have nothing to do, but luckily the Jurassic Park Discovery Center was open, so we were able to play around in there until the Dr. Seuss rides opened.
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