20 Pro Tips for Universal Orlando
Today, we are sharing 20 pro tips for Universal Orlando. If you’re planning a vacation and looking for Universal Orlando tips or hacks, this post is for you!
Before we get started, let me introduce myself. My name is Amy, and I’m a Universal Travel Agent, a long-time Universal Annual Passholder, and a big Universal fan. Fun fact: I’ve stayed in every Universal hotel several times!
I have firsthand experience with the parks, hotels, rides, dining options, and more. If you’d like to book your Universal vacation with an expert, contact me for more information.
Do I need a rental car for a Universal vacation?
Unfortunately, we Muggles can’t fly on brooms or use flying cars, so when I travel to Universal, I like to rent a car. If you decide to rent a car in Orlando, I recommend renting one from Discount USA Car Rental.
Now, let’s get to the pro tips for Universal!
Pro tips for Universal Studios
Here are 20 pro tips for Universal Orlando, listed in no particular order.
1: The Diagon Alley Dragon
Diagon Alley Dragon goes off every 10 minutes. If you miss a picture, wait 10 minutes!
2: Wand Ceremony Tips at Universal
There are two showrooms, one in Diagon Alley and one at Hogsmeade, for the wand ceremony. If the lines are very long in Diagon Alley, it may be worth checking out Hogsmeade instead.
3: Another place to buy wands
There is a small shop, Wands by Gregorivtch, in Diagon Alley. The lines are often shorter and sell the same wands as Ollivander’s. If you don’t want to do a ceremony and Ollivander’s is very busy, you can try buying a wand here.
The large gift shops at the front of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure also sell a variety of wands.
4: Get a cheap Wizarding World Breakfast
This is one of the really good pro tips for Universal Orlando. Who doesn’t love a cheap breakfast? The $12.99 kids’ pancake breakfast with frozen butterbeer at Leaky Cauldron is a great option for an inexpensive breakfast. You can get this until 10 AM, and it’s very filling (even for adults.)
5: More Universal Orlando food hacks
Speaking of cheap food tips, let’s hop over to Islands of Adventure for a minute and go to Thunder Falls. We go here for lunch and order off the sides menu. It’s filling, pretty healthy for theme park food, tasty, and cheap!
6: Men in Black: Alient Attack Tips
At the end of the MIB Alien Attack ride, push the red button when it says to do it. You’ll get 100k extra points and impress everyone in your ride vehicle.
7: Another Pro-Tip for MIB Alien Attack
More pro tips for MIB are to shoot at smaller aliens, aliens that are higher off the ground, and hold your trigger down constantly. Most people push the trigger every time they shoot, but you’ll get more points if you hold it down the entire time.
Would you like an entire blog post on tips for this ride? Let me know in the comments!
8: Don’t buy the $5 bottled water
Free water is available at Starbucks, quick service locations, and the Coca-Cola refill stations. A collapsible cup is great for Universal. We have these collapsible water bottles from Amazon.
9: The quickest way to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure
All Universal Pros know the fastest way to the Wizarding World in Islands of Adventure is through Suess Landing and head behind Green Eggs and Ham. Turn right into Suess Landing instead of left into Marvel Island. Then, instead of following the main path, take the “shortcut” on the left side of Green Eggs and Ham.
10: A “Secret Area” in Hogsmeade
Once you get to Hogsmeade, there is a “secret” area between Honeydukes and the Hogs Head where you’ll rarely find anyone else.
11: The best place to buy Butterbeer
In Hogsmeade, the Hogs Head is the best place to buy butterbeer. You can buy it at the bar with no line or a short line, unlike the carts! Have you seen the lines for the Butterbeer carts?! Crazy!
12: Moaning Myrtle
This is a fun little insider tip that you might miss. You can hear Moaning Myrtle is in this restroom (below) in Hogsmeade.
13: The quickest way to the Velocicoaster
Going through the Discovery Center in Jurassic Park will get you to Velicicoater quicker. Just be aware that you’ll have to go down the stairs (although there’s also an elevator).
14. Bring a fanny pack/hip bag
Many rides, including Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure, allow guests to wear a 3-prong fanny pack on board. If you don’t need to carry much, this can be a great way to save time by not using the lockers. The only rides where these are not allowed are those where you have to go through metal detectors.
Families with younger children may not be able to take advantage of bringing so little into the parks, but adults or families with teens may be able to get away with only using a fanny pack.
Check out Amazon for some great prices on fanny pack/hip bags, but make sure to purchase one with 3-prongs. You can also check out our post the best bags for Universal Studios.
15: Early Park Admission
There are two ways to get early park admission, and you can do both together! Staying onsite at a Universal hotel will get you Early Park Admission, but booking with a travel agent will also get you into the parks early, even if you don’t stay at a Universal hotel!
Still, staying at a Universal hotel is worth it. Here are some Universal Hotel tips:
Which Universal Hotels have the water taxi?
16: The Hogwarts Express is a different experience each way
Of all the pro tips for Universal Orlando that we’re sharing, this is one of the most important! Make sure you ride the Hogwarts Express in both directions. A valid park-to-park ticket is required, so don’t buy single-park tickets, or you’ll miss out!
Oh, and by the way, don’t call it a “Park Hopper” ticket. This isn’t Disney! Everyone will know you’re a Universal noob if you call your ticket a park hopper!
17. An extra way to have some Minion Fun
One of Universal’s newest attractions, Minion Blast, is very interactive. Not only can you connect your blaster to your phone, but you can also score extra points with V6 tap points located around Minion Land.
So this is one of the pro tips for Universal Orlando attractions! This is a lot of non-ride fun for the whole family. We have a video on where to find these tap points: Villian-Con Minion Blast tap points.
18. Trading chocolate frog cards
Did you know you can collect cards inside the chocolate frog boxes? You can, and you can trade them, too!
Here are the cards that are currently available:
- Albus Dumbledore
- Godric Gryffindor
- Helga Hufflepuff
- Rowena Ravenclaw
- Salazar Slytherin
- Hengist of Woodcroft
- Gilderoy Lockhart
- Jocunda Sykes
- Devlin Whitehorn
- Bertie Bott
19. Take advantage of “single rider” lines
One of the best pro tips for Universal Orlando, especially if you’re visiting on a busy day without Express passes – single rider lines! If party members are ten years or older, you can take advantage of single-rider lines.
Yes, your party may be split up for the actual ride, but you can still wait together in the queue. This is one of the best Universal Orlando pro tips for busy days if you don’t have Express Passes.
Occasionally, you will even ride together, especially if you only have two people and the ride seats more than two, such as Kong or Transformers. However, this is not guaranteed, so ensure everyone in your party is okay with sitting separately.
20. You can get vegan/dairy-free butterbeer!
One of the most requested items was dairy-free Butterbeer for vegans or those with dairy allergies. It took years, but Universal finally offers this! So, if you live a vegan lifestyle or have a dairy allergy or intolerance, you can still enjoy some delicious Butterbeer – just ask for it!
More Universal Travel Tips:
I hope these pro tips for Universal Orlando helped you out. I have lots more Universal travel tips here on the blog. Check them out!
- 15 Genius Universal Studios Hacks for 2025
- 20 things to know before going to Universal Studios
- 20 Universal Orlando Mistakes to avoid
- 7 things to buy at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- Universal Orlando Planning Guide
About Florida Travel With Kids
Florida Travel with Kids was started by a family who loves to travel the state of Florida with kids! This site will help you explore the fun state of Florida and all of the kid-friendly activities you’ll find here.
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