Looking for Advice

[hbprod]

Hello all,

I apologize in advance for the length of this post but we are seeking advice for our trip next week. My family will be staying at RPR from 5/27 - 5/29. While we are more familiar with the flow over at WDW, we are still very green at Universal. Our first trip
to UOR as a family was last September after my daughter finally reached 48" and we've been itching to return ever since. At that time, USF was the early park each day.

I'm not so sure the plans we followed were ideal based on what I've read here over the last few weeks.

Day 1 (USF)
Escape from Gringotts
Despicable Me
Transformers
Shrek
Revenge of the Mummy
E.T. Adventure
Curious George Playground
Fievel's Playground
Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster
Kang & Kodos Twirl 'n' Hurl
The Simpsons Ride
Men in Black Alien Attack
Escape from Gringotts ?
Ollivander's Wand Shop
Interactive Wands and Spell Casting
Sights and Sounds of Diagon Alley
The Hogwarts Express
Univeral's Cinematic Spectactular


Day 2 (IOA)
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
Harry Potter and the Forbdden Journey
Amazing Adventures of Spider Man
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls
Popey And Bluto Bilge-Rat Barges
Jurassic Park River Adventure
Camp Jurassic
High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
Storm Force Accelatron
Pteranodon Flyers
Flight of the Hippogriff
Hogsmeade area
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
The Hogwarts Express
Diagon Alley


Can you critique these and/or offer a better alternative? Also, can someone help me understand the 'unofficial early entry' at USF when IOA offers early entry? I have seen a suggestion by Seth to knock out Despicable Me before park opens if possible. How does
that work exactly? Do we enter IOA during EPA and proceed immediately to the Hogwarts Express queue in order to get over to USF as soon as possible? In that situation, is IOA only open from the rear of the park during that time (i.e., from Hogwarts Express) or
are the front park gates open to all guests as well?

Just trying to make sure we have a solid game plan during what should be a busy time.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Hey, welcome to the site!

Seth is on this site and he'll find this soon, but to quickly answer one of your questions, the unofficial opening for USF is usually half an hour before 'official' opening (if the park opens at 9am it will unofficially open at 830am). DM and Diagon are usually the only attractions open at this point. I say ride DM FIRST before anything in Diagon. DM has low capacity and is the first thing nearly all guests see when entering the park.

:wave:

 

[UniversalCityFL]

Looks like you have a solid itinerary there. My only suggestion would be to group the IOA water rides at the end of the day so you don't end up walking around sopping wet for the remainder of the day (unless you don't care).

While its good to have a game plan, don't stress yourself out trying to stick to schedule. Remember to have fun and allow room for the spontaneous.

 

[hbprod]

Thank you for the input! When USF unofficially opens approximately 30 minutes early, is it only open to guests coming to the park via the Hogwarts Express?