Top Tips > Universal Orlando
Below are some top tips to help you make the most out of your holiday to Universal Studios and Universal's Islands of Adventure in Florida
Arrive early for best parking and also to ride popular rides when crowds are lightest.
Buy Preferred Parking. Parking for Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida is in multilevel garages connected to the park entrances by a long covered walkway. Even with moving sidewalks, the walk is long with kids: it's well worth paying a few extra dollars to park in the nearest parking zone.
Bring Drinks. As you leave your car, make sure your daypack contains plenty of liquids. Drinks can be expensive in the park. Universal Orlando Resort offers you the choice of buying a novelty flask for around $15, when presented with your receipt at one of the beverage vendors you can claim free re-fills throughout the day.
Bring waterproofing. Many rides at Islands of Adventure will soak you! Bring some cheap plastic ponchos, and a watertight container for your money and tickets. A big garbage bag is handy for keeping daypacks and camcorders dry on wet rides.
Use lockers. You'll find many lockers in the Islands of Adventure park, for good reason: riders on the x-treme rides aren't permitted to carry any sort of bag at all, and you'll need to tuck your stuff in a locker before you ride. Lockers are free for 75 minutes, and then cost $2 for half an hour.
Ride the most popular rides early in the day. The queues can build up quickly!
Know that wait times estimates are on the high side. Outside every ride in Islands of Adventure is a sign announcing the estimated waiting time. Even when the sign says 20 minutes, you can usually walk straight on to the ride
Look out for the signboards that track waiting times. Scattered throughout the park are a number of signboards that announce the waiting times for the most popular rides. If you see that a ride you want to go on, has a waiting time of 10 minutes, change direction and go for it.
Use the baby swap. At every ride in the Islands of Adventure park and Universal Studios, parents can take turns watching their small child while the other parent (and maybe older kids) ride.
