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!
Went to Universal 3 days ago.
My first time ever and with a group of 9 total.
We fit in as much as humanly possible and still missed so much. I was so impressed with universal overall. Had the 2 Park ticket with express pass. I couldn’t imagine going without the express pass.
The lines were long but not for us. worth every penny. I cannot believe the Spider-Man rude is 20 years old…as we all agreed, other than Hagrids (which we unanimously agreed was the best ride ever and we are long time cedar point fans) Spider-Man was amazing and the second best ride we went on. Staff was helpful and friendly considering what they are dealing with. Couldn’t eat at any good restaurants…too long and we didn’t pre plan as we just didn’t know how the day would go. I found Disney to be boring when I went 8 years ago. I know much can change…but universal has my vote. We had a blast!
I’d definitely like to see Universal covered in more depth on this site. I enjoy DisneyTouristBlog’s because the trip reports and reviews have a strong narrative style and beautifully composed photography. I read it as a vicarious travel escape, a way to take a break and imagine I’m on vacation. Adding content that covers the more immersive parts of Universal would be a great extension.
Agree! I love reading your blog, love your writing style, perspective, and positive outlook! We are annual pass holders in Canada and have never been to Universal, but would love to read anything you choose to write about it.
adding another agree to this sentiment!
I went to Universal last month, after having to cancel earlier travel plans, because they offered quality discounts, unlike Disney. It was one of the greatest theme park trips I’ve had. Extremely light crowds meant very short wait times (the longest I had to wait for Hagrid’s was 25 minutes), open tables at every restaurant I went to, and plenty of free time to take in theming/atmosphere I had previously missed.
The fact that Universal has lost less than Disney has during Covid, and the fact that they are actually offering significant hotel and ticket discounts makes this, oddly, the perfect time to go. At least on week days that is. With this said, I think more Universal coverage is warranted, at least for the time being.
Yes. I am interested in more Universal blogs. We are a TX Disney family and DVC members. We wanted to check out Universal and booked our first trip in September since crowds looked low. We bought AP because the price made sense. It was really nice to go without having to pre-plan what we wanted to do and being able to go to both parks in a day is a big plus. We really enjoyed our time there (most of it was spend in HP) and will be going back in January.
I would love more Universal coverage! We did our first trip in August. It was wonderfully crowd free but all the resources I found basically said you don’t need a plan. I would disagree with that and when we go back next time I would do a lot differently. I’m am certain your guidance would be invaluable!
Tom, thanks as always for the amazing updates on Disney. However, I have been searching for a Universal Blog that would give me the same type of updates. I am an Annual Passholder for Universal even though I live in Connecticut. I usually visit two to three times a year so the “very affordable” annual pass for Universal made so much sense. I would absolutely love to see updates on Universal like you do for Disney. Your Disney reports are so helpful in planning my trips that I am sure your Universal reports would be even more helpful for me when I am planning my Universal trips. I do have to let you know that I agree with you about ET. I ride the ET Adventure twice a day every day I am in the park. But I also love my Figment!!! Thanks again and say safe to both you and Sara.
Love the Universal update and almost spit out my coffee when I read your comment about Party City costumes. Then again, good point about comics vs movies. We were there three years ago, and I was again blown away at the Spiderman ride even though it’s almost 20 years old. So good! Would love to get your analysis, rankings, and reviews on the food offerings at Universal.
I’d love to see Universal coverage mixed in. Honestly, there isn’t enough new stuff at Disney, so bringing in some Universal content could be fun and helpful. I’m not sure how to capture or express this best, but there did seem to be something missing from this trip report/post versus what you might do for Disney …. leaving it feeling just a bit flat, although still very helpful and something I was eager to read.
Tom, thanks for the report and yes, I’d be very interested in reading more content about Universal. I’ve never been there during the Christmas season and have a trip planned for early December. I’m not new to Univ. but I’d be curious to hear more about upcoming offerings, operational updates, and hotels. Also, just curious if you’ve tried out any new lenses recently and have any new reviews? I used to enjoy a lot of your photography related articles both here and over on TravelCaf.
Thank you for your Universal update. We’d definitely like to read more of them. We’ve been to Universal twice in the last ten years — we enjoyed the visit 10 years ago, but at the one 5 years ago, the crowds seemed a little more rough and rude than you get at Disney and we actually cut our visit short to head back to Disney. The exception to the bad crowd behavior was the two Harry Potter lands so I’m not sure if fandom has a positive affect on people. But your visits would be very helpful in letting us know if it’s time to give it another go.
Thank you for covering Universal! Please bring us more! As an avid Disney fan that is primarily why I read your blog. But I’m also a huge fan of Universal, and would love some in depth info.
Thanks Tom!
We would be there in a heartbeat if we were allowed to drive from Calgary Canada, but alas… and air travel doesn’t suit us right now. We typically visit Orlando a couple times per year and are really missing it. We have always been 100% Disney on-site, but we have been talking about staying off site and doing Universal and Disney next trip now our girls are a little older, so we are certainly interested in hearing more about Universal!
Thanks for always being so positive and fun
I enjoyed the update on Universal. We try to go there every time we go to Disney. Universal is a bit more adult. They have fun rides and I too love ET. I remember it from when I was a kid. If someone has never tried Universal, I say they need this blog. It helps them to understand and see that this park too is worth a stop. You will never regret going here.
I’m definitely interested in Universal trip reports, so thanks Tom! We’re out-of-state WDW APs, and a few years ago we decided to add Universal APs too. Now we take at least one day out of our trips to say hey to Botanicus and the gang. It’s been especially handy since the Disney parks reopened without parkhopping – we can go to Universal in the morning, stay until around 1:00 or 2:00, and then go to Epcot for the evening.
Great article and definitely interested in hearing more about Universal. Only disappointment is that your “hard hitting” Disney journalism link isn’t Cats of Disney: The Kingdom’s Kitty Keepers. 🙂 I will say I know almost nothing about Universal except for what IP’s it has, and don’t really know what it is like to be there versus the immersive Disney experience. While I still have youngish children, our last Disney trip was planned so far in advance I felt like I had to regulate the magic and keep everyone on track to make sure we could get everything in, and it wasn’t as much fun as our earlier spur of the moment trips. Universal may be a good compromise, as they are obsessed with Jurassic Park and E.T. Plus, just solely from reading this blog, it seems like hotel prices are not completely ridiculous.
I don’t know how young is “youngish,” but there are some pretty tall height requirements at both universal parks. There’s also not much in the way of open play areas. They’re closest to Hollywood studios in terms of set up and ride intensity. If your kids are younger than about 3rd grade, you will probably want to check heights and look at whether they would enjoy the higher intensity levels.
I’m going to the Orlando Informer meetup in December, and I would love to hear what you think about the “themes” of the lands at Universal Studios, because I always really enjoy reading what you say about atmosphere at Disney.
For the first time ever, my (adult) daughter and I are coming to Orlando and visiting Universal. We are 1000% Disney, and have been since she was 6. However, with the limitations and cancelations at Disney right now, we cannot justify a $2k week for half of the experience. Enter Universal. Since we have never been, and the price is about half, we’ve decided to give it a whirl. I feel as though there will be other people that choose this opportunity to try out something other than the mouse as well.
All that being said, I would love to hear more about Universal, and maybe some beginners information for those of us who are stepping out for the first time.
Thanks so much for all you do, I find your reviews and information extremely helpful.
More Universal coverage similar to the WDW status during covid articles you’ve been doing would be SO helpful! Also a Christmas article since it seems like a lot of their programming will still be going on or the holidays. We just got annual passes to UO because we found the 15 months for 12 too good to refuse, but social media makes it sound like it’s been more crowded and less masked than WDW with much longer waits, so we’ve also been hesitant to make use of those passes. Your positive experience is encouraging.
Tom – Suggestion
If enough interest you might want to update your “mission statement” of your blog to include Universal to limit push back from Disney only fans. And to solve your problem of covering both – might be add to staff
We were there yesterday and were disappointed. We went earlier in the pandemic and had a great time and felt very safe. Yesterday was not the case. The lines to get in and from the parking lot were triple wrapping and there were no social distant stickers in that area so everyone was way too close together. We went to Islands first because of Passholder Early Entry and were there by 9am. By the time we got through the lines and made it over to Hagrids, the line was 150 minutes and Forbidden Journey was 95. No advantage to getting up early for early entry. The lines to get seated at Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron were so long, we ended up not eating there. I will be waiting until things are a lot better regarding COVID before going back. It was so stressful it wasn’t fun.