@@ThePughTwo Of course not. Helping each other out. I slip them thru, as I feel like it's good guest service, but I'm not sure if everyone does. Only people in Suess should be non EPA.
they opened velocicoaster that early? i’m going in september with early admission and was planning on hitting hagrid’s since i thought only hogsmeade is open
Another Butter Beer tip. In Hogsmeade, there is a butter beer cart just outside of Three Broomsticks. The line at both are usually pretty long. Just to the right is Hog's Head. The line there is usually no more than a few people. Many times there is no line at all. Grab a few butter beers and take the door in the back to the back patio. Usually nice and quiet back there.
Yeah it’s weird how the lines will be totally different! We went to a cart one time and we would guess it was a 39 minute wait for one side of it.. and like 3 people in the other line!
Going to Universal at the end of next week-- yall's reviews are clearly the best. Thanks for all you two put into this, your effort is seriously appreciated!
We haven’t been to Universal since 2002 so when we go the last of August first few days of September it will be like going for the first time. Love watching your videos and we have found them helpful.
Another thing to do during early park admission, use your magical interactive wand at all the wand spots around the Wizarding World. Once the park opens it gets busy and lines actually start forming to do this stuff. If you go during Early Admission, there often aren't lines and you can easily get photos without other people around. It's also more magical because if you have to stand in line, you've already seen what's going to happen. It's way cooler to just walk up to a spot and be surprised at what happens if there's not a line.
We agree! This would be a great time to take advantage of wand spots. The lines can get out of hand later in the day, and it gets hotter as the day goes on. Great suggestion, thank you!
@@ThePughTwo I did!! I am a little surprised to see how busy it looks, even with Early Park Admission. Last time we were there, Diagon Alley was like a ghost town at 8:00am. Gringotts was a walk on! I'm glad I watched because we are going to be there in 6 days and now I will be prepared for it to be busier than we are used to.
Love the information that you give in your videos! What day of the week and what date was this video made? Just trying to plan for my upcoming trip. :-)
We are coming next week to the parks with our 2 kids (monday-wednesday). Your videos have been SO helpful. I'm so excited to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I haven't been to Universal in 15 years. Lol
HP world is amazing, you’ll love it! The first time you see it is just so special. We’re so glad our videos have been helpful and we hope you have a great time in the parks!
I love your videos guys! So much solid and useful info! My wife and I will be there next week! Our first trip without kids in 4 years. We will finally get to be carefree kids ourselves. We haven’t been there in 9 years so there’s a lot to look forward to. If, by chance, we happen to run into you I’d like to buy you each your beverage of choice. Thanks for the great vids and info. Cheers!!!
That’s so sweet! If you see us, definitely come say hi! We hope you have fun getting to be kids again at the parks. That’s part of why we love Universal so much, it’s just such a happy place! Thanks for watching, we really appreciate your support!
We love early park admission! Don’t always make it right for the beginning, but head right for Diagon Alley and Gringotts when we get there. We’ve never been there when IOA had EPA, and it probably won’t happen in September either, but if we ever do, it will be right to WWHP! Then the Velocicoaster.
It’s hard to get up for the very beginning of it! Lol it’s funny how they switch back and forth from Studios to IOA for early park, but we hope you get the chance to ride Hagrid’s and the Velocicoaster on your next trip!
My exhusband's refill cup and mine both had a fun glitch. We never once reactivated them...and were able to use them for our entire stay. We just set them on the drink station and the date would be different every time for when the cups would expire. We got three full days out of it.
@@ThePughTwo I told him I just wanted to see if it would work the next day...and it did, every time. We were quite happy especially since we spent so much money on tickets, horror night tickets, and horror night fast pass.
Yeah we realized after the video that when we were there in March both parks had it as well! Thank you letting us know it happens in the summer months as well!
I am very excited to go there!! Do you have any tips for hairstyles? I cut my hair a few months ago and it is shoulder length and I don't know what to do with my hair to keep it from getting up (frizz) more than a low ponytail :(
Roller coasters and the Florida humidity do some damage on your hairstyle 😂 some of our in-park videos from December can attest to that, unfortunately. My go-to right now is either a hat or a bun because I know it’s gonna be messy! I think a French braid might work well, too, I’m just not that talented lol. Also, when it’s super hot I just want my hair off my neck, so that’s a plus as well.
I see that you guys have a backpack in this video. (I am guessing that you need room for your camera equipment?) But would you recommend using a fanny pack to avoid having to stop at the lockers for each ride ? I heard that there are only 2 rides where you can't have fanny packs--Hulk and Rip Roaring Rocket. What is your opinion?
We love a Fanny pack and before we had the channel, that’s all we carried! Make sure that it’s a three prong clip on the fanny pack! The only rides are Hulk, Rip Ride Rock-it, and Velocicoaster!
@@DiannJ Universal requires bags to have a 3 prong clip for them to be taken on certain rides. We assume because this type of clip is stronger and less likely to fair.
Anna - I feel your pain! I always end up in the longest line and my gun is always broken on shooting games, too! Hopefully, I will get a working one at MIB next week!
Haha! I just some how always choose wrong! We hope you have an incredible time at the parks! Come back and let us know how it was and let us know your high score!
You guys are the best! Love your videos! So glad you did this one because we are staying at hard rock for the first time later this year and I was super curious about how early admissions worked! Thanks for the info 😁
Thank you so much! We’re so glad our videos have been helpful! We love the Hard Rock, you’ll have so much fun staying there. Early park is definitely worth taking advantage of!
Oh that’s so exciting! They no longer require masks for vaccinated individuals, those who are unvaccinated are expected to wear them indoors. No one is asking for proof, but we saw a few masks on our last trip!
Very interesting! I'm looking in the app at park hours for July- the app is showing from July 5th to August 8th early park admission starts at 8am at both Universal studios AND Islands of Adventure! I thought it's normally one or the other! Wonder what it will be during our October trip..
We’re not surprised with as busy as the parks have been lately! We’re not exactly sure what determines which park has early admission, but we would assume it would be at Studios because of Halloween Horror Nights. Studios closes early to regular guests on nights HHN occurs, so it makes sense they would let guests in early to make up for it.
What are the top 3 most popular must do rides in each park with early park admission? *The ones that typically have the longest waits. I will have express passes also. Going for 3 days next month if that helps. Thanks again!
With early park admission, there are only a few rides open in each park. At studios, you’ll have access to Minions, Shrek, and Gringotts. At IOA, we’ve heard they’ve had the Velocicoaster open lately, but besides that it will just be the Harry Potter rides that are open. We hope this helps!
Did the price of your breakfast include the drink? I've seen in past videos that it IS included but things change so I'd like to double check before our upcoming trip in August.
Are the Seasonal Pass holders able to get Early Park Admission? I saw a sign indicating so, but I thought it was a benefit of the two most expensive annual passes. Thanks in advance for any input about that.
For a time they opened it up to all of the annual passes, but it’s returned just the top two. You also get early park if you’re staying at one of the on-site hotels!
Currently we just talk about Universal, but the goal is to include other theme parks in the future! Things have just been a little crazy the last year! Lol
Hi Anna & Tyler! Ok, I have been watching your videos for a couple of weeks now and I have to say that you two have a problem. You are Butter Beer-acholics! LOL. Just kidding, or am I. Anyway, you guys do create very helpful videos for those that are new or only visit the parks more than once every few years. Keep up the great work! Ken
Hi Ken, thank you so much! I think it’s fair to say we might have a butterbeer addiction, but it could be worse! 😂 thank you for watching, we’re so glad you’re enjoying our videos
That is what we have been told is the case for FAMILIES. We have never had to use this ourselves but multiple people have mentioned this in our comments!
It is all dependent on so many factors. It’s hard to say at this point. If things are back to normal and the parks continue to be busy, we could totally see that!
Love your videos! Is there a virtual queue to ride hagrid's on the weekends for early park admission? Also do you have any tips on getting to that side of the park quickly during early park admission?
As far as virtual queues go, there’s no real rhyme or reason to when they offer them. You just have to check the day of. For early park, we’ve heard they’ve been having people go to the left around the pond, so all the way through marvel island. There’s not really a “fastest” route when going that way. Also, for early park you won’t need a virtual queue. You can just go get in the standby line!
Hey guys! 😁 love your videos! I have question, how much do the ponchos cost at the parks ? Disney and universal, we are visiting from uk next year, and thought it would be nice to get them there, for when it rains lol
@@lyndsijolly1575 oh, thank you! That’s good to know! We always get the $1 ones at Walmart before we head down there. We haven’t had to use them in a while, though, so they just stay in our bags!
@@ThePughTwo awwww adorable!!! Mines pretty dingy because I use it at work so I’m getting a new one this week buuuut best believe it will be Ravenclaw themed. (I say this now but there will prob be some other epic themed one that I’ve never seen lol)
I would suggest that if you have express passes, it is still worth going to early park admission. However, don't ride the rides during that time. Save them for regular park hours when you can use your express passes (except for hagrids and velocicoaster if they are open, since they don't take express during regular hours anyway). Instead, while 90 percent of the people are rushing to the rides, do everything you can that DOES NOT accept express. This can include the butter beer lines, the interactive wand spots, the shops, and the ollivander's show. We visited in December 2019 and stayed at Hard Rock. First day for early park admission, we got in line for the Ollivander's show and had no wait, and there was only 1 other party in the show with us (this was pre-pandemic). Then afterward we got butter beers and did the interactive wand spots without bumping into anyone.
Thats a good idea and we actually do something similar from time to time! Butterbeer is almost always first when we enter haha! Sounds like an awesome day honestly. the one thing we always hate about the wand spots is how you have to force your way into them haha
It was shot in June when we were down there for the opening of the Velocicoaster! Definitely some big crowds during that time, so we thought it was a pretty good time to check out EPA!
I just found your channel. You guys are so cute. I’ve decided to take my grandkids and stay at Hard Rock for two nights. What is the best way to get there from the airport? Do they have a bus, or is it easier to rent a car or Uber? Thanks for all of your helpful information.
Oh thank you, that’s so sweet! Universal does offer an airport shuttle, if you’re interested in booking that you’ll have to call Universal. We usually take a an Uber or Lyft to the hotels, but if you’re getting in really early or really late, the ride shares can get pretty expensive. We hope you have a great trip with your grandkids!
Do you think it's still important to get there at 7:30am if you are there in end of September/early October? I have early admission from staying at Surfside but we're flying in from the west coast so we'll be dead tired haha
It really just depends! For one thing, the park hours change depending on the time of year and so do the crowd levels. If you want to be at the front of the line, then yes you’ll need to be there before the gaits open. If you just want to participate in early park, it doesn’t really matter that much!
Do you guys know if you go to the shops and purchase something and stay on property, will they deliver your items to your room or do you have to rent a locker so you dont have to carry your items around all day? Thank you.
Yall's videos are my favorite videos as I plan for our 5 day trip in December! Does the app tell you what is open/what rides you are able to ride during early park admission?
We cant speak on this ourselves because we dont have children, however we will say we see a lot of children in that age range in the parks! This is definitely personal preference but like we said it is not uncommon!
Would you say it’s faster to just wait in line at IOA and head straight to velocicoaster or use EPA and take the hogwarts express into IOA and then head to velocicoaster?
We have been told by team members that the fastest way is to wait in line by IOA. They’ve said the first train doesn’t run until a few minutes after IOA opens.
It really just depends what you’re interested in! We always suggest that people make a list of priorities and get those done first. If you like roller coaster, Velocicoaster and Hagrid’s are a must! We hope you have an awesome time in the parks!!
The forecast says that a lot in the summer cause pop up showers are always likely! It’s really hot or miss to be honest. The good news is most of the time the rain is only for a short period of time!
@@ThePughTwo thank you!!! I just found your channel and enjoying all the useful tips to theme park. It is going to be first time to universal studio in 30 years since i was born. I just moved to usa and really excited
Interesting fact. We got a Cabana Bay package through Costco Travel and the way it lists early park access in the features section is "Early access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter". Seems like this is real "perk" the are putting out there.
Yeah so basically early park access is pretty much just at the Wizarding world. There are a few other attractions open, but the main ones are the Wizarding world!
@@ThePughTwo While I got y'alls attention. Thanks for all the great videos! We are Disney people with kids and have never taken them to USO or IOA. Out kiddos are into Harry Potter so we planned a trip but at first I was frustrated that I couldn't find helpful/entertaining information like is easily found on YT when it comes to WDW. Your channel was a big help in making us feel more prepared to try out a whole new theme park THIS SATURDAY. 👍👍👍
We have heard that if one person in your group has access to early park, then they’ll let your entire group in. We haven’t personally tried this, so we would suggest asking Universal via their text line just to make sure. But if you’re staying at an on-site hotel, your room key will get you in!
Hey guys! How was the line for Hagrid's during early park admission? I've been keeping an eye on virtual queues for the ride recently, but I haven't seen any pop up. Do you think it's feasible to ride it at least once during early park admission?
Early park was at Studios during our last trip, so we can’t really say! It’s definitely feasible to ride it first thing, though, and we would imagine with Velocicoaster the wait time would be shorter than usual!
I'm going in late August 2021. It appears only Studios is open all those days for EPA. Should I skip EPA and wait for IOA to open on normal hours to get a jump on Haggrids and VC? Seems like that might be the right play. Is there anyway to know what days Haggrids will start on Virtual Queue? I'm thinking go to IOA for normal open, right to VC and watch for Haggrids Virtual Line while I do VC. What do you recommend? I do also have express pass for both days. Thanks!
That is completely up to you really! We love doing EPA, but if you are wanting to make sure you get to ride VC and Hagrids as much as possible, then yeah, that is probably what we would do! Sometimes the people at the front desk will know about the Virtual Line situation at the hotels. We have been tipped off a few times by the front desk workers when checking in! Thanks for watching and hope this helps!
this helps so much! me and my family were planning to go this week, but my parents decided to wait another week due to the hurricane. other than that, the videos that you guys make are extremely useful!
@@eriktlahuetl2784 oh! Sorry I thought this was on an annual pass video! We’ve heard people say that if someone in your party has access to early park admission that they’ll let the entire party in. We’ve never tried this ourselves, so we would recommend using Universal’s new text line and asking if that’s the case. Regardless, based on our experience during our last trip, everyone could get into the parks, they just had a checkpoint later on that was being monitored.
I've found this super helpful. My oldest friend is planning a trip down to Universal in the near future, and since I am the gay friend approved by her husband, I am her designated Potterhead to accompany her down there. We're getting the Potter vacation package, with the early park admission, so this was just a great vid to know what to expect.
That’s so exciting! We are happy to hear it helped! We are Potterheads so we love early park! What all comes with that vacation package if you don’t mind us asking?
@@ThePughTwo The package comes with five nights hotel stay, park to park tickets, early park admission, two breakfasts at both the Leaky Cauldron and Three Broomsticks, a Potter themed photography session and a special keepsake box that comes with HP theme lanyards, ticket sleeves and luggage tags. It's just a very awesome little bundle. I've looked at dates, and it seems to run from about $900 for two people in the off season, and $1800 when the crowds are thicker. We're from Iowa, so we're planning a mid-winter stay most likely, so less crowds and lower prices.
@@robertgronewold3326 can I ask how did you get the potter vacation package ? Is it from their website or your travel agent I am planning to go there end of January thanks a lot
@@leilaarcena7134 Just go to Universal studio's website. There is a section with different travel packages to the parks, and the Harry Potter one is the second one down.
It changes which of the two theme parks has early park admission and sometimes, when it’s really busy, they’ll do early park at both. VB almost always has early park admission as well!
I've been reading and hearing about how bad their customer service is lately. That the employees seem miserable and not as helpful as usual and they're too short staffed with the amount of people flooding the parks every day currently. Have y'all had any of these experiences or does it seem like business as usual for you?
It seems like business as usual! The parks are definitely packed right now, so we could imagine the team members are a little stretched thin, but we’ve never had a bad experience with a team member. They’re always so nice and helpful. The only time we’ve experienced anything else is when a guests was not behaving appropriately. Although all of the COVID restrictions have been removed for guests, the same cannot be said for team members and we think these regulations may be what’s slowing down some things in the parks.
Which park do you prefer for early park admission?
IOA since you can get on velocicoaster and hagrids quick
@@AverageMfDoomEnjoyer that is nice about IOA! We don’t love the mad rush to get in those lines, though.
EPA entry is only JP side in IOA now. If you come to Suess, we have to make you go all the way back the other way.
@@samanthaedmonds3219 this is SO informative! Do you care if we share this piece of information on our feed?
@@ThePughTwo Of course not. Helping each other out. I slip them thru, as I feel like it's good guest service, but I'm not sure if everyone does. Only people in Suess should be non EPA.
I love Island Of Adventure for early park admission because, I love the Hagrid roll a coaster.
Hagrid’s is great! It definitely feels like a mad dash to it, though!
Discounts on NBC gills
I highly recommend, we got to ride velocicoaster twice even before normal park opening!!
Thats amazing! We love early park!
What they do that 🥰 I thought it opened at 9
@@milanrielle lol so am I I’m going on Tuesday
they opened velocicoaster that early? i’m going in september with early admission and was planning on hitting hagrid’s since i thought only hogsmeade is open
Anna stirring the heck outta that butterbeer in this video😮
It’s the rules!! Lol
Another Butter Beer tip. In Hogsmeade, there is a butter beer cart just outside of Three Broomsticks. The line at both are usually pretty long. Just to the right is Hog's Head. The line there is usually no more than a few people. Many times there is no line at all. Grab a few butter beers and take the door in the back to the back patio. Usually nice and quiet back there.
Yeah it’s weird how the lines will be totally different! We went to a cart one time and we would guess it was a 39 minute wait for one side of it.. and like 3 people in the other line!
Going to Universal at the end of next week-- yall's reviews are clearly the best. Thanks for all you two put into this, your effort is seriously appreciated!
Thank you so much! We really love hearing that our videos have been helpful. We hope you have an awesome time in the parks!
Life heck: Get to the park at 6:30 the gates open at 7. I was the one that woke up at 3am to get there at 4 on grand opening day for velocicoaster.
Haha that’s impressive! We’re definitely not morning people, so we don’t do that very often!
I have never done early park admission but I love both parks and they are awesome
It’s fun, but you have to be willing to get up early! We agree about the parks, though, they’re the best!
@@ThePughTwo Nice 🙂 I am not really an early riser but get excited about the theme parks then yeah I would get up early lol
@@Julia-re3xq lol we feel your pain! We want to be there all the hours that we can!
We haven’t been to Universal since 2002 so when we go the last of August first few days of September it will be like going for the first time. Love watching your videos and we have found them helpful.
We’re so glad to hear that! We hope you have an awesome time at the parks, so much has changed in almost 20 years!
Another thing to do during early park admission, use your magical interactive wand at all the wand spots around the Wizarding World. Once the park opens it gets busy and lines actually start forming to do this stuff. If you go during Early Admission, there often aren't lines and you can easily get photos without other people around. It's also more magical because if you have to stand in line, you've already seen what's going to happen. It's way cooler to just walk up to a spot and be surprised at what happens if there's not a line.
We agree! This would be a great time to take advantage of wand spots. The lines can get out of hand later in the day, and it gets hotter as the day goes on. Great suggestion, thank you!
The Hopping Pot is my favorite spot to people watch in the mornings! 😅
We love people watching at the parks, too! The hopping pot is the best.
I don't think I've ever gotten here before the video was available!! Reminder set. I'll be back!
Hope you made it back!
@@ThePughTwo I did!! I am a little surprised to see how busy it looks, even with Early Park Admission. Last time we were there, Diagon Alley was like a ghost town at 8:00am. Gringotts was a walk on! I'm glad I watched because we are going to be there in 6 days and now I will be prepared for it to be busier than we are used to.
Thank you so much for making this!! God bless!
Thank you for watching! We are happy you enjoyed it!
Love the information that you give in your videos! What day of the week and what date was this video made? Just trying to plan for my upcoming trip. :-)
This video was Friday June 10th if we remember correctly!
We are coming next week to the parks with our 2 kids (monday-wednesday). Your videos have been SO helpful. I'm so excited to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I haven't been to Universal in 15 years. Lol
HP world is amazing, you’ll love it! The first time you see it is just so special. We’re so glad our videos have been helpful and we hope you have a great time in the parks!
I love your videos guys! So much solid and useful info! My wife and I will be there next week! Our first trip without kids in 4 years. We will finally get to be carefree kids ourselves. We haven’t been there in 9 years so there’s a lot to look forward to. If, by chance, we happen to run into you I’d like to buy you each your beverage of choice. Thanks for the great vids and info. Cheers!!!
That’s so sweet! If you see us, definitely come say hi! We hope you have fun getting to be kids again at the parks. That’s part of why we love Universal so much, it’s just such a happy place! Thanks for watching, we really appreciate your support!
I didnt want the video to end! I was watching it thinking “man it’s only 9:30 am, we have a whole day at the parks in front of us, let’s go!” 😂
Haha we felt the same way filming it! This one was a lot of fun, we don’t usually get up in time for early park 😂😂 it was so nice!
Are the souvenirs inside the parks any cheap, it would be nice to have a video on the souvenirs shops in the parks!
Thats a good idea. Typically they aren’t what we would consider cheap, but there are some more affordable souvenirs in the parks!
Thanks for your helpful vids!!
Thank you for watching them! Glad you are enjoying them!
We love early park admission! Don’t always make it right for the beginning, but head right for Diagon Alley and Gringotts when we get there. We’ve never been there when IOA had EPA, and it probably won’t happen in September either, but if we ever do, it will be right to WWHP! Then the Velocicoaster.
It’s hard to get up for the very beginning of it! Lol it’s funny how they switch back and forth from Studios to IOA for early park, but we hope you get the chance to ride Hagrid’s and the Velocicoaster on your next trip!
My exhusband's refill cup and mine both had a fun glitch. We never once reactivated them...and were able to use them for our entire stay. We just set them on the drink station and the date would be different every time for when the cups would expire. We got three full days out of it.
That is incredible! We have had it happen where they were activated for an additional day before, but never for an entire vacation! That’s fortunate!
@@ThePughTwo I told him I just wanted to see if it would work the next day...and it did, every time. We were quite happy especially since we spent so much money on tickets, horror night tickets, and horror night fast pass.
@@ResidentEvilBiohazard that’s such a cool story! You get lucky sometimes!
When I was down there 6/28 both parks was open for early park admission
Yeah we realized after the video that when we were there in March both parks had it as well! Thank you letting us know it happens in the summer months as well!
I am very excited to go there!! Do you have any tips for hairstyles? I cut my hair a few months ago and it is shoulder length and I don't know what to do with my hair to keep it from getting up (frizz) more than a low ponytail :(
Roller coasters and the Florida humidity do some damage on your hairstyle 😂 some of our in-park videos from December can attest to that, unfortunately. My go-to right now is either a hat or a bun because I know it’s gonna be messy! I think a French braid might work well, too, I’m just not that talented lol. Also, when it’s super hot I just want my hair off my neck, so that’s a plus as well.
@@ThePughTwo thank you!!
I see that you guys have a backpack in this video. (I am guessing that you need room for your camera equipment?) But would you recommend using a fanny pack to avoid having to stop at the lockers for each ride ? I heard that there are only 2 rides where you can't have fanny packs--Hulk and Rip Roaring Rocket. What is your opinion?
We love a Fanny pack and before we had the channel, that’s all we carried! Make sure that it’s a three prong clip on the fanny pack! The only rides are Hulk, Rip Ride Rock-it, and Velocicoaster!
@@ThePughTwo Why are you recommending a 3 prong clip on the fanny pack?
@@DiannJ Universal requires bags to have a 3 prong clip for them to be taken on certain rides. We assume because this type of clip is stronger and less likely to fair.
@@ThePughTwo Wow! That is a major tip ! Great to know!
your backpack video was helpful, thanks for that one, too
Thank you guys so much for the awesome videos! They are really helpful for my planning :) hope that you two stay cool out there!
We’re so glad you’ve found them helpful! We hope you manage to stay cool, too!
Anna - I feel your pain! I always end up in the longest line and my gun is always broken on shooting games, too! Hopefully, I will get a working one at MIB next week!
Haha! I just some how always choose wrong! We hope you have an incredible time at the parks! Come back and let us know how it was and let us know your high score!
You guys are the best! Love your videos! So glad you did this one because we are staying at hard rock for the first time later this year and I was super curious about how early admissions worked! Thanks for the info 😁
Thank you so much! We’re so glad our videos have been helpful! We love the Hard Rock, you’ll have so much fun staying there. Early park is definitely worth taking advantage of!
Hi 👋 love your videos, my family are heading to universal in 2022 from Ireland, i notice the 😷 mask aren’t necessary anymore in universal?
Oh that’s so exciting! They no longer require masks for vaccinated individuals, those who are unvaccinated are expected to wear them indoors. No one is asking for proof, but we saw a few masks on our last trip!
Very interesting! I'm looking in the app at park hours for July- the app is showing from July 5th to August 8th early park admission starts at 8am at both Universal studios AND Islands of Adventure! I thought it's normally one or the other! Wonder what it will be during our October trip..
We’re not surprised with as busy as the parks have been lately! We’re not exactly sure what determines which park has early admission, but we would assume it would be at Studios because of Halloween Horror Nights. Studios closes early to regular guests on nights HHN occurs, so it makes sense they would let guests in early to make up for it.
I was there, wish I had seen you guys, had so much fun!
We’re so glad to hear that you had a great time! If you ever see us, make sure to say hello!
What are the top 3 most popular must do rides in each park with early park admission? *The ones that typically have the longest waits. I will have express passes also. Going for 3 days next month if that helps. Thanks again!
With early park admission, there are only a few rides open in each park. At studios, you’ll have access to Minions, Shrek, and Gringotts. At IOA, we’ve heard they’ve had the Velocicoaster open lately, but besides that it will just be the Harry Potter rides that are open. We hope this helps!
Great video guys. Thank you. 👍🏾
Hey Cisco! Thank you for watching!
Did the price of your breakfast include the drink? I've seen in past videos that it IS included but things change so I'd like to double check before our upcoming trip in August.
It was included in the price of the breakfast!
Holy cow 😧 glad I’m not going until September it’s crazy busy.
The summer months are always crazy! September is definitely a less busy time to visit!
Great job, very informative!!
Thank you for watching Mike!
Are the Seasonal Pass holders able to get Early Park Admission? I saw a sign indicating so, but I thought it was a benefit of the two most expensive annual passes. Thanks in advance for any input about that.
For a time they opened it up to all of the annual passes, but it’s returned just the top two. You also get early park if you’re staying at one of the on-site hotels!
Hey, do you guys do reviews on other theme parks or just universal ?
Currently we just talk about Universal, but the goal is to include other theme parks in the future! Things have just been a little crazy the last year! Lol
Hi Anna & Tyler! Ok, I have been watching your videos for a couple of weeks now and I have to say that you two have a problem. You are Butter Beer-acholics! LOL. Just kidding, or am I. Anyway, you guys do create very helpful videos for those that are new or only visit the parks more than once every few years. Keep up the great work! Ken
Hi Ken, thank you so much! I think it’s fair to say we might have a butterbeer addiction, but it could be worse! 😂 thank you for watching, we’re so glad you’re enjoying our videos
Very nice seen video of you first time from-india
Thank you so much for watching!
Hi, so to get in the rides for early park admission only one annual holder needs to have the preferred pass?
That is what we have been told is the case for FAMILIES. We have never had to use this ourselves but multiple people have mentioned this in our comments!
Thank you guys you are a great team.
Too bad we won't have a early admission.
But we are hoping for the best. 😎
Thank you!! Early park is nice, but it’s not a must. We hope you have a great trip!
So in upcoming March (Spring Break) .... will both parks have EPA?
It is all dependent on so many factors. It’s hard to say at this point. If things are back to normal and the parks continue to be busy, we could totally see that!
During EAP would there be time to get quick breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron before hitting the ride or is it recommended to go directly to the ride?
Absolutely! You can get in and out really quickly during early park!!
Would we need the express pass if going Sunday Monday? Love you guys!!
Thank you!!
It really just depends on personal preference! The express passes are always going to save you time, but they’re never a necessity!
I love your videos. I was able to book an amazing package thanks to your tips. I greatly appreciate it. Thank You.
Aww! Thank you so much! That makes us so happy to hear! We hope you have an amazing time!
Love your videos! Is there a virtual queue to ride hagrid's on the weekends for early park admission? Also do you have any tips on getting to that side of the park quickly during early park admission?
As far as virtual queues go, there’s no real rhyme or reason to when they offer them. You just have to check the day of. For early park, we’ve heard they’ve been having people go to the left around the pond, so all the way through marvel island. There’s not really a “fastest” route when going that way. Also, for early park you won’t need a virtual queue. You can just go get in the standby line!
@@ThePughTwo Awesome! Thank you so much! Keep up the great content! :)
@@haroldtran8654 we’re always happy to help!
Is there a line at early entrance just for express pass holders?
There is not, unfortunately!
Hey guys! 😁 love your videos! I have question, how much do the ponchos cost at the parks ? Disney and universal, we are visiting from uk next year, and thought it would be nice to get them there, for when it rains lol
We think they’re somewhere in the $5-8 range. We bring our own, so we’re not entirely sure but that’s what we seem to remember!
@@ThePughTwo Thankyou 😁 you both are awesome 😁😎
@@sarah.k3340 Thank you so much! If you ever have questions, please feel free to reach out!
Just saw them there in the last week 10 for children's and 12 for adults. I ordered a family multipack on Amazon before we went :)
@@lyndsijolly1575 oh, thank you! That’s good to know! We always get the $1 ones at Walmart before we head down there. We haven’t had to use them in a while, though, so they just stay in our bags!
Tyler I love your lanyard!! (It’s the same one I got last time lol) Team Ravenclaw!!
Lol thank you! That’s one of the first lanyards he got when we visited the parks together! Still going strong!
@@ThePughTwo awwww adorable!!! Mines pretty dingy because I use it at work so I’m getting a new one this week buuuut best believe it will be Ravenclaw themed. (I say this now but there will prob be some other epic themed one that I’ve never seen lol)
I just love you guys
Oh my gosh you’re too sweet! ❤️❤️❤️ thank you so much for your support, we appreciate it!
I would suggest that if you have express passes, it is still worth going to early park admission. However, don't ride the rides during that time. Save them for regular park hours when you can use your express passes (except for hagrids and velocicoaster if they are open, since they don't take express during regular hours anyway).
Instead, while 90 percent of the people are rushing to the rides, do everything you can that DOES NOT accept express. This can include the butter beer lines, the interactive wand spots, the shops, and the ollivander's show.
We visited in December 2019 and stayed at Hard Rock. First day for early park admission, we got in line for the Ollivander's show and had no wait, and there was only 1 other party in the show with us (this was pre-pandemic). Then afterward we got butter beers and did the interactive wand spots without bumping into anyone.
Thats a good idea and we actually do something similar from time to time! Butterbeer is almost always first when we enter haha! Sounds like an awesome day honestly. the one thing we always hate about the wand spots is how you have to force your way into them haha
Maybe I missed it in the video, but did you mention on what month/day you went? That could be very useful information
It was shot in June when we were down there for the opening of the Velocicoaster! Definitely some big crowds during that time, so we thought it was a pretty good time to check out EPA!
I just found your channel. You guys are so cute. I’ve decided to take my grandkids and stay at Hard Rock for two nights. What is the best way to get there from the airport? Do they have a bus, or is it easier to rent a car or Uber? Thanks for all of your helpful information.
Oh thank you, that’s so sweet! Universal does offer an airport shuttle, if you’re interested in booking that you’ll have to call Universal. We usually take a an Uber or Lyft to the hotels, but if you’re getting in really early or really late, the ride shares can get pretty expensive. We hope you have a great trip with your grandkids!
Do you think it's still important to get there at 7:30am if you are there in end of September/early October? I have early admission from staying at Surfside but we're flying in from the west coast so we'll be dead tired haha
It really just depends! For one thing, the park hours change depending on the time of year and so do the crowd levels. If you want to be at the front of the line, then yes you’ll need to be there before the gaits open. If you just want to participate in early park, it doesn’t really matter that much!
Be there as early as you can. We went last week and 30 minutes before park open put as into CityWalk to get into IOA.
@@craigkinne3415 that’s crazy!
@@craigkinne3415 oh man, that's rough. Peak summer crowds are different then the slow season in October though 😉
Thank you for this information.
Absolutely, we’re so glad it was helpful!
Do you guys know if you go to the shops and purchase something and stay on property, will they deliver your items to your room or do you have to rent a locker so you dont have to carry your items around all day? Thank you.
If you are staying long enough, they will send the item(s) to your room for you!
Express passes don’t work on any rides before regular opening time? Also, can we wear small fanny pack on all rides?
We have a video covering what rides you can take certain things on! There are a few rides you can not take a fanny pack on!
Are those wait times typically cut in half with express pass?
So during early park admission, the express line isnt open for attractions!
Great video 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you!!
Yall's videos are my favorite videos as I plan for our 5 day trip in December! Does the app tell you what is open/what rides you are able to ride during early park admission?
We believe the wait times show on the app, and the ones that aren’t open say “closed” and what time they open!
@@ThePughTwo Awesome! Thank you!
@@Kisha_Tech Of course!
First time heading to universal next week do you think it’s worth it to take a 4-5 yr old?
We cant speak on this ourselves because we dont have children, however we will say we see a lot of children in that age range in the parks! This is definitely personal preference but like we said it is not uncommon!
@@ThePughTwo thank you, been watching your videos for the last week!! We are heading down the first of next month
@@badasskombucha2193 thank you so much! That’s exciting! Let us know how it goes!
I definitely will!!
Would you say it’s faster to just wait in line at IOA and head straight to velocicoaster or use EPA and take the hogwarts express into IOA and then head to velocicoaster?
We have been told by team members that the fastest way is to wait in line by IOA. They’ve said the first train doesn’t run until a few minutes after IOA opens.
My family and I are currently here in Orlando for vacation! What should we NOT miss? Any thoughts? LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!
It really just depends what you’re interested in! We always suggest that people make a list of priorities and get those done first. If you like roller coaster, Velocicoaster and Hagrid’s are a must! We hope you have an awesome time in the parks!!
AWESOME! Thanks for the suggestions!
Is it always raining? I will be going there next week for my first time and forecast show that it will be raining all day the whole week
The forecast says that a lot in the summer cause pop up showers are always likely! It’s really hot or miss to be honest. The good news is most of the time the rain is only for a short period of time!
@@ThePughTwo thank you!!! I just found your channel and enjoying all the useful tips to theme park. It is going to be first time to universal studio in 30 years since i was born. I just moved to usa and really excited
@@jimjj8446 we are excited for you! That’s awesome! Welcome to the US! If you ever have any questions please let us know!
Planning a trip , bought tickets . Do you need a special ticket or pay more for early park entrance? Or can you get in early with a normal ticket ?
To get into early park admission you either have to have a room key from one of the on-site hotels or the premier or preferred annual pass.
@@ThePughTwo okay great Thankyou for the information. Cant wait to visit august 28th . Have our express unlimited ready
@@isaacrodgers6588 woohoo! That’s awesome! Have a great time!
Technically speaking early admission is for the WWOHP , if any other rides are open on the way there it is a bonus!!
Thats where most people tend to be!
Interesting fact. We got a Cabana Bay package through Costco Travel and the way it lists early park access in the features section is "Early access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter". Seems like this is real "perk" the are putting out there.
Yeah so basically early park access is pretty much just at the Wizarding world. There are a few other attractions open, but the main ones are the Wizarding world!
@@ThePughTwo While I got y'alls attention. Thanks for all the great videos! We are Disney people with kids and have never taken them to USO or IOA. Out kiddos are into Harry Potter so we planned a trip but at first I was frustrated that I couldn't find helpful/entertaining information like is easily found on YT when it comes to WDW. Your channel was a big help in making us feel more prepared to try out a whole new theme park THIS SATURDAY. 👍👍👍
Are the shops in diagon alley open during HHN?
We would say most of them stay open, but of course there are a few exceptions. Leaky Cauldron won't be open for instance. Hope this helps!
@@ThePughTwo thank you!
I have the preferred pass and my bf has the seasonal pass… does that mean he won’t be able to go on rides with me for early park admission?
We have heard that if one person in your group has access to early park, then they’ll let your entire group in. We haven’t personally tried this, so we would suggest asking Universal via their text line just to make sure. But if you’re staying at an on-site hotel, your room key will get you in!
Hey guys! How was the line for Hagrid's during early park admission? I've been keeping an eye on virtual queues for the ride recently, but I haven't seen any pop up. Do you think it's feasible to ride it at least once during early park admission?
Early park was at Studios during our last trip, so we can’t really say! It’s definitely feasible to ride it first thing, though, and we would imagine with Velocicoaster the wait time would be shorter than usual!
I'm going in late August 2021. It appears only Studios is open all those days for EPA. Should I skip EPA and wait for IOA to open on normal hours to get a jump on Haggrids and VC? Seems like that might be the right play. Is there anyway to know what days Haggrids will start on Virtual Queue? I'm thinking go to IOA for normal open, right to VC and watch for Haggrids Virtual Line while I do VC. What do you recommend? I do also have express pass for both days. Thanks!
That is completely up to you really! We love doing EPA, but if you are wanting to make sure you get to ride VC and Hagrids as much as possible, then yeah, that is probably what we would do! Sometimes the people at the front desk will know about the Virtual Line situation at the hotels. We have been tipped off a few times by the front desk workers when checking in! Thanks for watching and hope this helps!
this helps so much! me and my family were planning to go this week, but my parents decided to wait another week due to the hurricane. other than that, the videos that you guys make are extremely useful!
Thank you so much! We are glad you all are finding them helpful and we hope you have an amazing time!
I'm pretty sure both parks have early admission hours at the same time. At least in the summer.
We think so, too! We just didn’t wanna say something wrong when we were filming this lol. We’re pretty sure it was at both when we visited in March!
Bring your own personal straw for the butter beer experience, because paper straw ruins it.
Sometimes we get paper, sometimes we get plastic. It’s so weird! The paper makes it so hard to stir the frozen one together.
Will metal straws get in through the gates?
If a friend has a premier pass can he get other friends access to who don’t have a pass
He can get discounts on single day tickets for his friends, but you cannot get into the park for free.
@@ThePughTwo how does early admission work with that
@@eriktlahuetl2784 oh! Sorry I thought this was on an annual pass video! We’ve heard people say that if someone in your party has access to early park admission that they’ll let the entire party in. We’ve never tried this ourselves, so we would recommend using Universal’s new text line and asking if that’s the case. Regardless, based on our experience during our last trip, everyone could get into the parks, they just had a checkpoint later on that was being monitored.
I've found this super helpful. My oldest friend is planning a trip down to Universal in the near future, and since I am the gay friend approved by her husband, I am her designated Potterhead to accompany her down there. We're getting the Potter vacation package, with the early park admission, so this was just a great vid to know what to expect.
That’s so exciting! We are happy to hear it helped! We are Potterheads so we love early park! What all comes with that vacation package if you don’t mind us asking?
@@ThePughTwo The package comes with five nights hotel stay, park to park tickets, early park admission, two breakfasts at both the Leaky Cauldron and Three Broomsticks, a Potter themed photography session and a special keepsake box that comes with HP theme lanyards, ticket sleeves and luggage tags. It's just a very awesome little bundle. I've looked at dates, and it seems to run from about $900 for two people in the off season, and $1800 when the crowds are thicker. We're from Iowa, so we're planning a mid-winter stay most likely, so less crowds and lower prices.
@@robertgronewold3326 That sounds awesome! We are very intrigued at this point! You’ll have to let us know what you think!
@@robertgronewold3326 can I ask how did you get the potter vacation package ? Is it from their website or your travel agent I am planning to go there end of January thanks a lot
@@leilaarcena7134 Just go to Universal studio's website. There is a section with different travel packages to the parks, and the Harry Potter one is the second one down.
Have you considered going on single rider lane to shorten the wait? 😄
We have never used single rider lines!
@@ThePughTwo I’ve done the Harry Potter ride on single rider lane…in and out in less than 15 minutes (including the locker time). Worth a try!
It’s open at both parks now right!!?
We think so!
@@ThePughTwo thanks for the response. Love the channel
@@kuestersteffen absolutely, we really appreciate your support!
Does early park admission work for all the parks at Universal Orlando? Or is just one park open at a time for early morning?
It changes which of the two theme parks has early park admission and sometimes, when it’s really busy, they’ll do early park at both. VB almost always has early park admission as well!
Was a drink included with your breakfast in this video? Or was that extra?
It was! The breakfast meals come with one of the specialty drinks included!
@@ThePughTwo Could you get Butter Beer as your drink?
@@DiannJ yes you can!
Hi we will visit the park during May, 2022. Do you think the park will be crowded?
It depends what part of May, but it shouldn’t be nearly as bad as spring break!
Is this Hollywood or Orlando?
Orlando!
1 min left yayyyyyy
Hope you enjoyed it!
Often Mummy and sometimes Transformers will open early as well.
We’ve never been there when they’ve done that, but that would be awesome! It probably happens when the parks are super busy.
I've been reading and hearing about how bad their customer service is lately. That the employees seem miserable and not as helpful as usual and they're too short staffed with the amount of people flooding the parks every day currently. Have y'all had any of these experiences or does it seem like business as usual for you?
It seems like business as usual! The parks are definitely packed right now, so we could imagine the team members are a little stretched thin, but we’ve never had a bad experience with a team member. They’re always so nice and helpful. The only time we’ve experienced anything else is when a guests was not behaving appropriately. Although all of the COVID restrictions have been removed for guests, the same cannot be said for team members and we think these regulations may be what’s slowing down some things in the parks.
Why would someone waste early park admission to get butter beer? Use that time for a ride or three.
To each their own!
Are u losing weight? Looking goooooooooood 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Lol! Been on a weight loss journey for a long time! Thank you!
@@ThePughTwo Hoy se notó mucho el resultado. Keep the good (and hard) work!!! 😃💞
@@AdolfoCoronadoDYC1980 thank you so much!
IOA
Are you requesting a video of the same thing in IOA?
@@ThePughTwo Yes, please
@@lsulsuroman7249 We would love to do that! We will try in October!
Second first!
Lol!
Third First
Lol what sound goes with third first?
@@ThePughTwo Tic, Tap Tic, Tap, I'm a computer keyboard
@@fuzzynaylors9022 LOL
First!!!
You win!
@@ThePughTwo YAY!!!!!!!!!!