Universal Studios: Tips from a Novice, Turned Big Fan

I am not a Disney or Universal person. Let me just start there.

I also spend most of my life planning, organizing, coordinating… between real estate and three kids, I don’t want to do any of that on vacation. And this is not a “how to save money” guide. I probably overspent and I’m at peace with that. This is about ease. Convenience. Not thinking too hard.

We were supposed to go to Punta Cana in February. Direct flight from ILM, mostly paid in points, very “lay down and do nothing” energy. Then Avelo Airlines pulled out and we pivoted.

We did Great Wolf Lodge Concord for a few days (fully on points, which felt like a win), and then I handed the rest of the trip over to Fairy Tale Journeys by Christine for Universal Orlando Resort. She booked everything—resort, park passes, dining—and told me exactly what to download and where to be. She even mailed a whole folder with tips, tricks, and a height chart. Teddy at 42 inches could ride a lot, Coco at 48 inches could ride almost everything, and Daphne… rode everything. Multiple times.

We went that sweet spot between spring break and summer. Better weather, smaller crowds. I submitted educational leave for the girls so no one was stressed about school, and off we went.

We stayed at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort and I would do that again in a heartbeat. We were greeted with leis (Teddy wore his the entire trip and called it “the finishing touch” to every outfit), saw Hashtag the Panda and Gru, and immediately settled in. Staying on property just makes everything easier. Transportation handled. Early park access. No driving. No thinking.

We landed Sunday and kept it easy. Pool day. Lunch at Amatista. Music, games, hot tub, splash pad, full service—exactly what I want when I’m not trying to do anything. That night we took the boat to Universal CityWalk and had dinner at Bigfire. Truly so good. Mussels, salmon, ribeye—no notes. We caught fireworks and a drone show and called it.

Monday was Universal Epic Universe and here is my one non-negotiable: get the Express Pass. It is offensively expensive. It will also save your entire day. You can use it once per ride, so we were strategic—if a line was short and we thought we’d ride again, we waited and saved the pass.

Universal does something else very right: child swap. We’d all go through the line, and if Teddy or Coco didn’t want to ride, one of us would stay back, then switch—and the kids who rode got to go again. So Coco and Daphne basically lived their best double-ride life.

We traveled light. One shared water bottle, refilled throughout the day. No snacks, no bags slowing us down. Fanny packs only with sunscreen and for holding sunglasses and strapping on hats. Lockers and water stations are everywhere, and everything is designed to keep you moving.

We rode everything. More than once in some cases. Favorites at Epic were Donkey Kong, Stardust Racers, Monsters Unchained: Frankenstein, Hiccup's Wing Glider, and Battle at the Ministry. Mario… was not the star for us.

We did a quick lunch at Das Stakehouse in Dark Universe (order from your phone, solid for what it is), saw both shows—Le Cirque Arcanus and The Untrainable Dragon (pick the dragon if you have to choose)—and by the time we were soaked and freezing, we headed back to reset. Dinner that night at Vivo at CityWalk. Get the focaccia, mussels, sausage ragu. Trust me.

Tuesday we rested. Brunch at Amatista (huge spread), I snuck in a workout, Danny took the kids to CityWalk via the garden path, and we parked ourselves at the pool. Daphne won a hula hoop contest, Teddy won Hot Potato. These are the things. Before dinner, we did a Jurassic Park escape room at Universal CityWalk and it was so fun… and just scary enough. Teddy kept announcing he was going to “throw up an X” (apparently the official signal to exit the experience), which honestly made it even better. We did dinner at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and this was our one “we wouldn’t go back.” It’s fun to see, but the food didn’t match the hype.

Wednesday we did Universal Islands of Adventure first (early entry is everything), then Universal Studios Florida. Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure, VelociCoaster, Hulk, Spider-Man, Skull Island—all so good. Dr. Doom wasn’t that cool. We had lunch at Confisco Grille and it was good. In true fashion, we got mussels—they were just ok. Moroccan chicken and pad thai were great. We were lucky enough to catch some superheroes walking down Main Street and we got our photos with Storm and Wolverine.

Then over to Universal (22,000 steps this day) where we loved Race Through New York, Mummy, both Despicable Me and Minions attractions, ET (a classic), Men in Black (I got the high score!), and Transformers. We took pictures with the Sing! characters and kept it moving. We took pictures with Sing! characters, and somehow still had the energy to keep going.

We ended the trip the same way we started it—dinner at Vivo and back to the resort to reset.

I got teary leaving, which is not my usual move. But it was just really good. The kids' ages - 5.5, almost 8, and almost 13 felt like a perfect window for this kind of trip. I thought this would be a one-and-done. I’m not so sure anymore.

What I am sure about: end of April is the time to go, Express Passes are worth it, and staying on property makes the entire experience smoother.

Next time I might get lanyards. Maybe the kids carry their own fanny packs. But I’ll still choose ease over saving a few dollars every time.

That’s kind of the whole point.