Islands of Adventure Report: Hagrid’s Magical Morning
For this park report, we’re heading over to Universal Orlando Resort to do Islands of Adventure. Crowds have been picking up at Universal over the last couple of months, with the parks hitting capacity multiple weekends in October. In this photo report, we cover wait times and some of what we did throughout the day. Let’s start with Universal’s post-reopening successes.
I’ve been really impressed with the way Universal Orlando has handled its reopening. In many ways, their approach has been better–or at least preferable, in my view–to Walt Disney World’s. While still adopting the same health safety protocol, Universal opted not to require reservations and didn’t overcomplicate things. The proactive communications, clear policies, and the way Universal has demonstrated that they value their customers are all commendable.
Universal Orlando has also offered a variety of ticket, Annual Pass, and hotel deals that really make all the changes and cutbacks more palatable. And truly, not as much has changed at Universal, as the key on-site and AP perks among other offerings were never cut. Obviously, the style of Disney’s and Universal’s theme parks are very different, so it’s never an apples to apples comparison. Nevertheless, the value proposition remains strong at Universal Orlando right now, which makes it easier to recommend.
Consequently, we’re once again toying with the idea of covering Universal in greater depth. We’ve contemplated and discussed doing that many times. We’ve been Universal Annual Passholders to the parks in Florida, California, and Osaka and have a Guide to Universal Studios Hollywood and Guide to Universal Studios Japan in addition to our Universal Orlando Planning Guide. Obviously, we’re big fans of the Universal parks (and hotels).
Still, we’ve never gone all-in on more granular coverage. We could blame you for that, and a lack of interest among readers. 😉 That’s only partly true–it mostly comes down to a lack of time on our end. It’s impossible for us to cover everything. Meaning that if we spend more time at Universal, that’s less of our hard-hitting Disney journalism. To that end, we’re curious if you want to see more Universal coverage and, if so, what? (Park reports like this, itineraries, dining, hotels, etc.)
Selfishly, I’m hoping there’s some interest in this Islands of Adventure report and our upcoming Universal Studios Florida report. For one thing, I’ve really enjoyed our hotel stays thus far at Universal and “needing” to book the more expensive resorts “for the sake of research” is a great excuse for doing more.
Second, each visit to Universal Orlando is at least one ride on E.T. Adventure, which is right up there with Country Bear Jamboree on the list of potential UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Central Florida. With things on earth not going so hot, I’m ready to relocate to the Green Planet.
Now that the long-winded preface is out of the way, let’s get down to the brass tacks of this visit to Universal Orlando. Due to the drive, line at the parking booths, and getting into the park taking longer than expected, we didn’t enter Islands of Adventure right at rope drop.
So basically, Universal already shares something in common with Disney’s Hollywood Studios–taking longer than expected to enter–despite being about 30 minutes farther away from us. Once we did get into Islands of Adventure, we headed directly to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter…
The Universal Orlando app indicated that the wait time for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was already 90 minutes, but wait times boards in the park said 60 minutes, as did the Hagrid’s marquee.
Even if the wait time was trending upwards and it ended up being somewhere in between, we figured this was going to be about as good as it got. Wait time data suggests no drop-off over the course of the day.
The queue wrapped all around the Lost Continent, including into the theater that previously housed the Eighth Voyage of Sindbad stage show.
This whole area isn’t currently used for much of anything, so overflow queue for Hagrid’s seems like as good of a use as any. Plus, the venue could probably house a lot more of the extended queue if necessary on busier days, as we only entered the upper area of the amphitheater.
Regardless of whether the posted wait time was 60 or 90 minutes, the actual wait for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure ended up being much lower–only 35 minutes.
Given that this was Orlando’s second-biggest new attraction debut of last year (after Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance) and is the best themed roller coaster in Central Florida, I’d say that’s not too shabby. I won’t willingly wait 35+ minutes for much, but Hagrid’s is definitely one such attraction.
After wandering around the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for a bit, we figured it was time for lunch.
With crowds peaking in Hogsmeade and already a long line for Three Broomsticks, we thought it might be a good time to take the Hogwarts Express Train over to Universal Studios Florida. Posted wait time was 60 minutes; our actual wait was 25 minutes.
We’ll have a separate report on Universal Studios Florida very soon, but for now let’s fast-forward to late afternoon when we returned to Islands of Adventure.
Rather than doing a play by play of our afternoon, I’m just going to offer some photos and stray thoughts in the captions…
Universal Orlando is doing a great job with the socially-distanced selfie stations.
This one probably is not the best example as these costumes look like they’re knockoffs from the clearance aisle of Party City. Nevertheless, there are a variety of options with little to no wait…which is probably because no one wants to meet any of these characters. But still. Points for effort.
“Knockoffs from Party City” might be an apt way to describe the aesthetic of Marvel Super Hero Island to anyone only familiar with the movies, and not the comics.
However, one undeniably top-tier component of the land is the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, which is one of the best theme park attractions in the world. It honestly shocks me that Imagineering chose Spider-Man as the character for a DCA attraction because it’ll inevitably invite comparisons to this twenty year old attraction–and I doubt most objective assessments will be favorable towards Disney.
Universal does this thing where it oscillates between flavor of the month IP and characters no one born this century has ever heard of. Maybe Walt Disney World does the exact same thing and I’m just too close to the subject to have a clear view.
Or, maybe I’m still bitter that Universal removed all but one of my childhood favorites. To add insult to injury, Universal then had the nerve to replace the new cult classic Disaster with Fast & Furious Supercharged. That abomination was literally one of the worst theme park attractions/segments of all-time years before it even began construction in Florida.
Speaking of childhood favorites, let’s turn to the park’s King Kong attraction. While this blog (rightfully) sings the praises of E.T. Adventure, my all-time favorite Universal Studios Florida attraction is Kongfrontation. As a child, this was a top 5 of Orlando for me–not in the same league as Journey Into Imagination, but close.
Skull Island: Reign of Kong is no Kongfrontation. However, it is better than the similar segment during the Universal Studios Hollywood tram tour, so there’s that. Skull Island: Reign of Kong’s end scene is undeniably impressive, and offers a brief shot of nostalgia. The queue is also normally a highlight, but not as much right now.
Jurassic Park is also a really solid land, and one that is improving with age.
The Raptor Encounter is fun, bringing some of the magic from the Discovery Center into a standalone experience.
I’m also really looking forward to Jurassic World VelociCoaster, which Universal recently announced opens in Summer 2021.
The track layout looks tremendous, as does the rockwork and thematic elements. It also looks like VelociCoaster won’t introduce the same type of clutter to the land as the Flying Dinosaur. If it’s even half as good as that (very different) roller coaster, VelociCoaster will be a top-tier addition to the Jurassic Park/World land.
Ultimately, it was a really fun day at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. A long day, but we got a ton accomplished and the visit had great flow (thanks to park hopping) that we haven’t experienced recently at Walt Disney World. This “great flow” may not be readily apparent here since this Islands of Adventure park report is clunky and disjointed.
In my defense, it’s not easy to write something like this since I don’t know really know where to begin. Do I assume most people reading this have no experience with Universal, and start from square one with a bunch of background that would be absent from our comparable Walt Disney World park reports? Or do I assume the primary audience is Universal fans who have said knowledge, and simply leave those who don’t behind in the dust? In retrospect, it would seem I’ve chosen a “worst of both worlds” approach that makes a range of assumptions and confuses or alienates everyone. Perhaps we’ll find our footing in the Universal Studios Florida park report. Or perhaps not, and this will end up being a very short series of interest to no one. We shall see!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you visited Islands of Adventure in the last couple of months? Did you rope drop Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure? Stay until park closing? What was your experience with crowds and wait times? If you’ve visited both Disney and Universal post-reopening, which do you think is doing better? Do you have any questions about the current modified Universal experience? Will you be attempting to visit Central Florida this holiday season, or are you waiting until 2021 or beyond? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I would so appreciate some Universal content. Perhaps Universal-light, as Disney is always the main event. However, Universal tips, tricks, and resort & restaurant reviews would be a welcome addition!
Yes, please. More on Universal.
This is perfect timing for me that you covered Universal. We just got back from Disney and I am thinking of going just for the weekend to universal. Arriving Friday night, universal Saturday and leaving Sunday. Based on your recent experience, is it possible to do both parks in one day on a Saturday? I planned on getting an express pass and staying on site to get to go in the park one hour early.
Please review UO Portofino and Hard Rock club level, walking distance to get into parks, and City Works (or whatever the name is of their version of Disney Springs?). Touring guides for a park a day would be great, too. We’re coming in February, 2021, and have no idea what we’re doing, but the prices on APs and rooms were a great excuse to test the waters. Thanks for the updates and behind-the-scenes intel on all things Disney, too. Very much appreciated!
As you said, apples to oranges. I love Universal, but I can’t do upside down coasters so no loops. So appreciate Disney more there. LOVE Portofino Bay Hotel. Have stayed there 3-4 times over the years and always a grand experience. Love that I really don’t need a car because water taxis are great–not like Disney buses! And in a pinch, you can walk to Universal Studios. City Walk has much to be desired however. Disney Springs wins hands down.
They need to get rid of Lost Continent–what a waste of space–just increase HP which, we all know is the draw at Universal. Need better dining as well. Leaky Cauldron is wonderful. Mama Dellas at Portofino is excellent. Can’t really think of anything else that stands out.
Jurassic Park ride used to be loads of fun because, years ago, you did not get soaked. Now it’s as bad as Popeye’s ride and Kali River Rapids. Tip: if you are staying on-site, wear a swim suit under some old clothes and wear flip flops. Have a waterproofed bag with towels and cover ups. Go on those water rides as often as you like and then go in restroom and remove soaking clothes, dry off a bit and put on coverup. Leave park and go to Hard Rock pool restaurant for lunch. That’s what we did and it was a smart move.
We don’t go as often to Universal because there isn’t as much change in offerings or variety as there is at Disney. Less entertainment as well. Shopping, except for HP, is blah. If they could make those changes, I think they’d see an increase in attendance although that may not be so great for those of us who enjoy Universal. Of course staying on-site and enjoying the separate line to many rides is a godsend. Just don’t make eye contact with those waiting in those super long lines!
I am constantly amazed by people who are surprised that water rides get wet, lol!
Yes! I’d like to see you cover Universal more often. For the last 5-6 years, about every third trip to Orlando is a Universal (only) trip. They are really giving Disney some serious competition in themeing and resort hotels. One area I’d like to see you cover is table service restaurants. They have a way to go to catch up to WDW from what I’ve experienced.
I also vote for upping the Universal content! It doesn’t have to/need to be as granular as the Disney content but I am still interesting in how they are running things and what is going on in their corner of Orlando.
It’s interesting but not surprising to me that Universal’s adjustments are being better received. A lot of the things missing at Disney were never a huge part of the Universal experience (as Tom said, no one was lining up to meet most of those characters pre-COVID anyway). I also think Disney World has done itself a disservice over the last decade plus by becoming something that encourages so much preplanning. Universal was always kind of a show up and have fun experience, so they aren’t dealing with having to retrain their audience to be flexible and do without perks/systems they’ve spent a lot of time learning how to maximize.
I’d love to see more Universal coverage including staying onsite versus offsite value and restaurant reviews. I agree with reading your “Publix reviews” – everything you write is so entertaining – it’s literally what I do in my spare time (and when I’m supposed to be working!)
I’d love more Universal content! As a local, I love Universal and even though I haven’t been a passholder in a few years, I did take advantage of this year’s Florida resident deal and have enjoyed the time we’ve spent there (despite missing HHN).
Moor pls
Hey I am actually driving 9 hours tomorrow to do Universal this weekend! I have been reading about the virtual ques that are random for some rides at Universal. Did you experience any of those ? Also were they running the 2 haunted houses? We are hoping to be able to do those with virtual ques. Thanks for any tips we LOVE UNIVERSAL!! This is our second time going.
We just returned a few days ago. The virtual queues were mostly on the weekends except Jimmy Fallon which was available daily. They were running the 2 haunted houses but no virtual queues. You could use Express passes for them but honestly they usually only had a 5-10 minute wait for each. The Posted wait times for most rides were long on the weekends but usually took less time, however if you have Express passes you can basically walk right on!
Yes! Please continue to add more coverage for Universal. For those of us from out-of-state, when we come to Orlando, we like to take a day or two off from Disney and head over to Universal. And we of course enjoy this information, but we also really need the information. I’m from Maryland and my last Disney trip (January 2020), would have been so much better if I had known about your outstanding Disney Tourist Blog. I had not been to Disney for several years and so much had changed. It was a frustrating trip, trying to get on a ride, see a show, or even have lunch. Disney was seriously overcrowded and understaffed. So please keep these terrific posts coming. Even though we may not be going to Disney or Universal, anytime soon, we will be back. Plus the Disney Tourist Blog is not only so cheering, but often has newsworthy items and notes national trends well before the news networks even have a clue! Thank you Tom. You are a bright light in the 2020 darkness.
We just got back from our Universal vacation a few days ago as a birthday present for our 11 year old who got her Letter from Hogwarts! Coming from out of town and being a Disney family, we didn’t know what to expect. They did a great job with masks, distancing, and sanitizing on all the rides. The kids got a kick out of one of the Hogwarts “professors” handing out “dragon snot” for sanitizer! We stayed at Royal Pacific so we could get the Universal Express passes and it was worth every penny! They also take your temperature every morning and give you a color band so you don’t have to keep getting checked. We experienced larger crowds since we went over Columbus week but were able to ride the rides multiple times with the Express passes. Hagrid’s supposedly only has a virtual queue on the weekends right now so we used that on the weekend and then rope dropped it the other days. The wait at rope drop was posted at 45-60 minutes but took a lot less time. Our only complaint would be that dining took forever. The lines for quick service were really long and we couldn’t submit our mobile order until we sat down. Other than that, we had a fabulous time! We were impressed that they are still keeping the park hopping and Express passes and it’s working well there. Our take away from the whole trip is to always do Universal with Express passes! We are definitely still a Disney family, and are looking forward to going back next year, but would love to continue hearing from you about both Disney and Universal!
Good morning,
Interesting read. As far as a response to your question, I like Islands of Adventure but find myself gravitating more to Disney blogs. What I would be interested in, is the Harry Potter part of both Islands of Adventure and Universal. I guess the kid in me is more interested in the “magical” aspect when I get away from it all than the “theme park” feeling. How to do the Harry Potter part of those parks in a day would be nice.
Definitely would like more Universal content, especially reviews of Universal resorts. I just booked a 4-night stay to Universal at Royal Pacific in late January 2021 and am super excited. It will be my kids first time there and as big Harry Potter fans, they can’t wait. As I live in Illinois, I have only been able to see how the parks have adapted to the pandemic from afar. While both Disney and Universal seem to be taking the safety of the guests seriously, Universal’s discounts are way more attractive, especially to someone not living in the “southern states” that benefit from Disney’s room-only discount. With the Buy 2 Get 3 day offer, my 4-night stay allows for unlimited access to both parks for the duration of our stay at $60 per person per day for my family of four!! Disney would be about $100 per person and you can’t park hop! Also, Universal’s entertainment is not as robust as Disney’s so it feels like I am not “losing” as much by visiting during the pandemic.
We originally planned a slightly longer trip that would include a couple of nights at Disney and go to Hollywood Studios but that would dilute my savings at Universal and the risk of Rise of the Resistance breaking down or missing the virtual queue was too much. Also, the lines at HS look terrible right now (but thanks Tom for all the tips to avoid those crowds!).
All this to say that Universal has more to offer for the money now and 2021 (new raptor coaster opening this summer) than Disney in my opinion.
I know this is the “Disney” tourist blog, but I’m always down for more Universal coverage, especially with more background information and the like.
In the past, I haven’t minded you skipping UOR coverage mainly because, compared to WDW, UOR is incredibly easy. The sheer amount of planning required for WDW for those of us who only go once every 3-5 years is daunting. During the 15 months I planned our 8 day visit, I am embarrassed to say I cried more than once. But I’ve never once cried planning UOR. In fact, I’ve done extremely little planning on our multiple UOR trips. We stay at one of the Premier hotels, and yeah it costs more, but we can stay 2 nights and do literally everything in the Parks with no planning. We just get in line and have fun. Given what I’ve seen with DHS, maybe your readership will be more ready to learn about the “Dark side.” If you decide to do more coverage, I’d love to see stuff on the restaurants in the hotels and some of the out-of-park activities at the hotels.
“I’d love to see stuff on the restaurants in the hotels and some of the out-of-park activities at the hotels.”
Thanks for the feedback–I’ll keep that in mind!
I’d love to read more about Universal! Any and all tips including on the hotels (the comment on Marvel made me laugh- my son was nonplused with Marvel land two years ago being so used to the films )
Resort coverage would definitely be one priority, if only because I really want to stay at the Premier Hotels and needing to review them is a great excuse for doing that!
One thing that’s for certain is you can’t go wrong with a little self deprecation.
I’d definitely be interested in Universal Coverage. Their prices seem way more reasonable as an out of towner who likes staying at the onsite resorts. We had thought about doing a Universal trip as the kids got older.
Your writing makes me laugh, which is much needed these days. You could probably do a trip report about a Publix adventure and I’d read it.
Selfishly I’d prefer more Disney coverage in the next 41 days or so because the consistent voice you offer is the best resource to try and figure out what the park experience is actually like right now, and we have some decisions to make.
“You could probably do a trip report about a Publix adventure and I’d read it.”
If I shared my last misadventure at Publix, you’d all certainly be laughing *at* me. Had to get my flu shot and I absolutely hate needles.
On the plus side, I was rewarded for my bravery with a chicken tender Pub Sub afterwards, so at least there would be a happy ending.
I would love to see more Universal content! We relocated to Orlando this summer and assumed/hoped we would buy Disney APs. Not being able to, we decided to try out Universal for the first time and bought APs there. The contrast between the two parks and how they have handled COVID has been astounding, and we have been very pleasantly surprised by Universal’s approach and treatment of APs. We had fairly low expectations going in as Disney fans but have found the theming at IOA to be well done for the most part and arguably we enjoy a lot of Universal rides like Hagrids and Spider-Man more than our Disney favorites. Now that we are recent Universal converts, I’d love to see the same type of coverage, ride analysis, history, restaurant recommendations, news about upcoming changes or the new Epic Universe from you guys!
Thanks for the feedback–and welcome to Orlando!