Universal Studios Florida opened in 1990, focusing on the entertainment industry - particularly movies and television. Their unofficial motto is "ride the movies," creating various attractions and live shows that allow visitors to experience the movies interactively - relying heavily on 3-D and 4-D technology. With 8.2 million visitors in 2014, it ranked as the 11th most visited theme park in the world that year. Although they've taken advantage of creating attractions that highlight films and shows produced by their own parent company, they have also purchased the rights to popular characters from rival studios who do not run theme parks.
Location: Universal Studios, Florida is located just east of where I-4 meets Highway 259 (a toll road) at 6300 Hollywood Way in Orlando, Florida.
Cost: A one-day park hopper pass is $155/adult; $150.00/child (3-9). 2-4 day tickets run in the low $200. A 2-3 day park hopper pass is the best deal.
Time: The park usually opens at 8:00 or 9:00 am. Closing time varies from day to day, so check the schedule ahead of time. One day should be sufficient to see most of the attractions you want to see (in this park) unless the park is really busy.
Description: The biggest attraction at Universal Studios Florida is Diagon Alley (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter).There is really only one ride in Diagon Alley - Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (my favorite attraction in the park). There are also plenty of other things to see in Diagon Alley: the Knight Bus, 13 Grimwald Place, Gringotts Money Exchange, Live performances of the Tales of Beedle the Bard or Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees, the fire-breathing dragon atop Gringotts, Hagrid's motorbike, and of course King's Cross Station (where you can board the Hogwart's Express to Hogsmeade in Universal's Islands of Adventure). There are also numerous shops to explore in both Diagon Alley and Nocturn Alley (modeled after the ones from the popular book series): Ollivanders Wand Shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Flourish and Blott's, Madam Malkins, Borgin and Burkes, Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, and the Leaky Cauldron restaurant. If you purchase an interactive wand, you can perform various "magic tricks" at key points scattered throughout the area - such as activating a drinking fountain, flushing a toilet, or levitating a suit of armor. Don't forget to try butter beer (non-alcoholic, tastes like butterscotch) or pumpkin juice (tastes like pumpkin pie).
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| Madam Malkins |
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| The Knight Bus |
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| Exchanging muggle money at Gringotts |
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| Gringotts Bank |
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| Tales of Beedle the Bard |
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| Shrek |
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Things You Should Know: - You need to buy a parkhopper pass in order to ride the Hogwarts Express since it is the main way to travel between parks. Make sure you look through the mirror as you approach platform 9 3/4 to see the optical illusion of people going through the brick wall.
- If you use one of the restrooms in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, you will hear Moaning Myrtle talking in the background.
- The interactive wands are expensive, so if you don't feel the need to do the "spells" yourselves, you can almost get the same effect by watching others do them.
- If you go into the telephone booth by King's Cross Station and dial the word MAGIC, you are connected to the Ministry of Magic and can listen to their recording.
- If you stand outside Sirius Black's home and look up at the second floor window, Creature (the house elf) will periodically peer out the curtains.
- Diagon Alley was packed whereas much of the rest of the park was less crowded. If you get there early, you might want to hit Diagon Alley right away before the crowds swell.
- Universal's Superstar Parade takes place in the afternoon. Univeral's Cinematic Spectacular water show takes place in the lagoon at closing time.
Nearby: City Walk, Universal Islands of Adventure, Disney World, the Citrus Bowl, Gator Land
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