Ashleigh & Andrew

There are 2 Theme Parks and 1 Water Park at Universal Orlando:

• Universal Studios
• Islands of Adventure
• Volcano Bay

It is recommended to purchase tickets online in advance, with the most cost efficient being the multi-day combo ticket packages.

In order to see all of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you have to purchase a 2-Park ticket as the attractions are spread over both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is located in two unique sections across Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.

Universal Studios is home to Diagon Alley - the location of the attractions Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts and the Kings Cross Express Station for the Hogwarts Express. 

The Hogwarts Express is both an attraction and a form of transportation to and from Hogsmeade Village at Islands of Adventure. Hogsmeade Village is home to the attractions Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and Flight of the Hippogriff. 

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey takes place in the Hogwarts Castle - where there is an option for 'Castle Tour Only' for those who do not wish to ride. On select nights, the castle is the host of the Dark Arts projection show with accompanying music from John Williams' legendary soundtrack.

During select nights in October, Universal Studios is host to Halloween Horror Nights - a ticketed event which houses elaborately-themed Haunted Houses, walk-through & interactive Scare Zones and various musical and miscellaneous entertainment performances. 

Previous Haunted Houses and themes have been based on TV shows and films such as Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, Halloween, Ghostbusters, Alien vs Predator, Beetlejuice, Nightmare on Elm Street, Carrie and more.

The event is targeted to adults and is full of 'jump scares'. 

You need a separate ticket from General Admission to the theme parks to attend. If you decide to purchase a ticket to Halloween Horror Nights but not General Admission to the theme parks, you will only be permitted to enter the park from 6.30pm. Select ride and attractions will also be operating throughout the evening.

The event is extremely popular with locals, so to minimise crowds, we would recommend visiting on a Wednesday or Thursday.

There are 5 theme parks and 2 water parks at Disney World:

• Magic Kingdom
• Epcot
• Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Disney's Animal Kingdom
• Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
• Blizzard Beach Water Park

There are lots of different types of tickets you can buy, from 1-Park, 1-Day Options to multi-day and multi-park hoppers. The ticket feature to visit multiple Disney theme parks in 1 day is called a 'Park Hopper'.

Browse Ticket Options.

Currently, to visit Disney World you have to buy a ticket in advance and 'reserve' a Park to visit using the Disney World website. You can generally park hop (visit another park - providing you have the 'Park Hopper' ticket option) after 2pm.

Please visit here to find out more information and to reserve a park.

Prior to Covid, Disney guests were able to reserve 'FastPass' - a way of cutting down wait times by being given a return time for select attractions.

FastPass has now changed to a paid-for and premium add-on - click here to find out more about Disney Genie + and Lightning Lane.

If you want to minimise crowds without paying for a premium service, we would recommend arriving at the Disney Park you wish to visit 30 minutes prior to Opening (or 45 minutes prior to Opening for Magic Kingdom), and then queueing up for a popular attraction - or one you wish to ride the most - first.

Galaxy's Edge is the name for 'Star Wars Land' at Disney World, located at Disney's Hollywood Studios. This is by far one of the most popular and crowded areas in the Disney World resort.

The signature attraction - and longest wait - will be for Rise of the Resistance. There are some paid ways to get through the line faster (see above) but this attraction can be 'the exception to the rule' of hitting it first thing in the morning. 

You will likely wait between 1 and 2 hours for the attraction and the wait time can be shorter than what is posted. Anything less than 2 hours would be a 'good time' to wait. This ride is generally considered to be one of the best in the world - so if you like rides or Star Wars, it is worth the wait!

The other attraction is Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run, a simulator ride which allows you to pilot the famous Millenium Falcon.

Oga's Cantina is a very popular bar to visit in Galaxy's Edge and generally requires reservations 60 days out from your visit - these can be made on the My Disney Experience app. If you don't see a reservation slot, keep checking back periodically as more do tend to open up.

You can discover other things to do in Galaxy's Edge here.

Epcot is split into two parts: Future World and World Showcase. Future World is home to attractions themed after a 70s & 80s vision of what the future would be like (!) and space travel.

Whereas World Showcase is home to 11 country pavilions representing the respective nations, and offering unique attractions, merchandise and restaurants.

A popular thing to do at Disney World is 'eat and drink around the world' which means hitting multiple countries and sampling their food and drinks. We are doing this on Sunday the 23rd of October, and will be outside the UK Pavilion Pub, the Rose and Crown between 5 and 6pm.

During select days in October, Epcot also hosts the Food & Wine Festival - where there are even more food & drink kiosks added throughout Future World & World Showcase. These kiosks will represent futuristic themes or represent regions or countries not ordinarily housed in World Showcase.

The event is very popular with locals and can attract a big drinking crowd - so it does make Epcot very busy. If crowds are not your thing, we would recommend giving Epcot a miss during October.

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a ticketed event that takes place on select nights in September and October.

This is the 'family-friendly' equivalent of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios - except instead of Haunted Houses, Disney puts on special shows and entertainment, trick-or-treat opportunities and lots of Meet N Greets with Disney villains and other 'rare' characters that you wouldn't otherwise meet during the daytime.

Costumes are encouraged to be worn!

The health and safety of our invited guests is extremely important to us. If you start to experience Covid symptoms, we would ask that you take a Covid test prior to attending the event. Protecting the health of all of our guests is our number 1 priority, so if you need any assistance locating a Covid-19 test centre - please follow the below & contact Ashleigh & Andrew with any questions.

If you are travelling from the UK or EU, we would highly recommend purchasing Lateral Flow tests from Randox for £11 (Click & Collect price) & bringing them with you to Florida. Covid testing can be considerably more expensive once you have travelled to the US.

Drive-Through Test Centres

If you are renting a car, we would highly recommend using a Walgreens for a Drive-Through test. It is cost-efficient (and often free!) compared to alternatives offered in the Orlando area as well as being very quick and easy.

For our UK guests, Rapid Antigen or Rapid NAAT is the equivalent of a Lateral Flow test.

Other Testing Centres

If you do not have access to a rental car:

• Covid Testing LLC at the Premium Outlets on International Drive. Antigen tests are around ~$75
• Advent Health by Centra Care - located close to one of the Disney World entrances. PCR Tests are over $175.

Paradise Cove at Lake Buena Vista Watersports is a 5-minute drive from Walt Disney World (Hotel Blvd Plaza Entrance) and a 20-minute drive from the Universal Orlando Resort.

Neighbouring hotels:

1. Blue Heron Beach Resort
2. Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
3. The Marriott Village
4. Holiday Inn Resort Lake Buena Vista
5. ...and countless more hotels and vacation homes in the popular areas of Lake Buena Vista, Kissimmee, Davenport and Celebration.

Please reach out to Andrew & Ashleigh if you have any questions on nearby hotels or areas to stay.