Universal Orlando Theme Parks- What you need to know before your first visit

Universal Orlando Resort boasts 3 amazing theme parks- Universal Studios Orlando, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay (the water park).  Each park offers epic thrills and fun and we recommend spending time in each park.Universal Studios Orlando park was the original park here and features a number of attractions including the only remaining original attraction, E.T. Adventure Ride.  Many of the rides here are indoors and can be a great park to visit on a rainy day.  This park also boasts Diagon Alley from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which is one of the most impressive themed areas in any theme park around the world.Islands of Adventure is the park for the thrill seekers boasting epic roller coasters including The Incredible Hulk, Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure and the new Velocicoaster.  While this park does showcase Suess Landing, it might not be the best park for younger children as the majority of rides and attractions have a height restriction.  Guests can visit Hogsmeade from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter here.We strongly recommend Harry Potter fans purchase park to park tickets to experience the Hogwarts Express which takes guests between the two parks.Volcano Bay is the water park at Universal Orlando resort and offers a lazy river and some amazing water slides.  Guests here can even rent cabanas for private space and they are able to use virtual queues for rides and food with a device called the TapuTapu.  Even those who don't love to swim will find fun things to do here.  The park does close on select dates during the winter season and in poor weather conditions.Other important things to know when visiting Universal Orlando is that most rides and attractions have height restrictions, so if you are traveling with children, check their height ahead of time.  Also, many of the rides are in the dark and will have loud sounds which can be frightening for younger children.  This is a great park to visit with older children or teens, but may not be the best choice with your littles.Guests visiting the parks will need to use lockers to store their items during many of the rides.  For this reason, we encourage guests to stick with a smaller bag such as a fanny pack during their day in these parks.  The more intense rides means that it would not be safe for larger bags on the rides so plan accordingly.  Also, the lockers available to use during the rides are often small so a full size bag will not fit.  Locker rentals are available in the parks for a fee if you do need to bring items and store them.Those who stay at a Universal Orlando resort or purchase their tickets through Goofy Getaways receive early park admission as well which allows them to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and some select attractions in one of the theme parks before official park opening- meaning more time for adventure.Ready to learn more? Contact your Goofy Getaways travel planner today or email us at info@goofygetaways.com