SimplyGoofy
"You are not Mickey Mouse... you are a rat!"
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2011
Seeing your update, I realized I never responded to your question! Your original plan of starting with Islands of Adventure should work out just fine as it seems like Universal Studios is the early entry park for resort guests for the month of November. You can find the early entry information here. It looks like IOA has a 9:00am opening for the next few weeks, so I'll stick with my original suggestion of leaving Disney no later than 7:30am to get to IOA in plenty of time. If you're early enough, you can stop at Citywalk and grab some breakfast that you can eat while you wait in line at IOA.
I'm sure you've already researched this, but do remember that many of the thrill rides at Universal/IOA require that you put items in lockers before riding. This includes the Harry Potter headliners, Hulk, and Rip Ride Rockit. It doesn't appear that Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure requires the lockers, so that should help you. The free lockers are now pretty small, but you can get a larger one for a fee. Just make sure you press lightly with your finger at the locker rental station (the same advice for the entry for each park - their scanners don't like a smushed fingerprint!) and make sure you remember your locker number. I found them very easy to use but it is an extra step before you can ride a few attractions.
I'd also HIGHLY recommend downloading the Universal Studios app in order to get a virtual spot in line for Jimmy Fallon's Race Through New York (and it seems you can do the same for Hagrid's if the line is super long). You need the virtual spot in line that you sign up for on the app in order to ride Race Through New York. The ride seems to get somewhat mixed reviews, but my husband and I both loved it and it's fun to see all the memorabilia.
If you have any extra time before you go, please feel free to read about my experiences at Universal back in 2015 and 2017. Both experiences can be found in my 2015 TR called "Aren't Gradations Grand?!" (link in signature).
Have fun with your packing!
I'm sure you've already researched this, but do remember that many of the thrill rides at Universal/IOA require that you put items in lockers before riding. This includes the Harry Potter headliners, Hulk, and Rip Ride Rockit. It doesn't appear that Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure requires the lockers, so that should help you. The free lockers are now pretty small, but you can get a larger one for a fee. Just make sure you press lightly with your finger at the locker rental station (the same advice for the entry for each park - their scanners don't like a smushed fingerprint!) and make sure you remember your locker number. I found them very easy to use but it is an extra step before you can ride a few attractions.
I'd also HIGHLY recommend downloading the Universal Studios app in order to get a virtual spot in line for Jimmy Fallon's Race Through New York (and it seems you can do the same for Hagrid's if the line is super long). You need the virtual spot in line that you sign up for on the app in order to ride Race Through New York. The ride seems to get somewhat mixed reviews, but my husband and I both loved it and it's fun to see all the memorabilia.
If you have any extra time before you go, please feel free to read about my experiences at Universal back in 2015 and 2017. Both experiences can be found in my 2015 TR called "Aren't Gradations Grand?!" (link in signature).
Have fun with your packing!
