With two theme parks, a water park, seven hotels, and a shopping/dining center, there’s a lot to do at Universal Orlando Resort. And with so many vacation days, your time spent at the resort is precious. We’ve already covered a few ways to get the most out of your stay by utilizing things like Universal Express Pass, but one of the best methods to maximize your time spent in the parks is by using Universal’s Early Park Admission.

Universal’s Early Park Admission allows select resort guests to enter one park (Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay) an hour before standard opening time. During this hour, eligible guests get access to some of the park’s most popular attractions, with little to no wait times. Open areas of the park mostly consist of the resort’s biggest draw, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem is usually open at Universal Studios Florida as well. While throughout most of the year Early Park Admission is limited to one park per day, Universal does extend the perk to multiple parks during busier times of the year like the holidays.

This perk is one of our favorite ways to get the most out of a Universal stay. The Wizarding World lands are still major draws for the resort, and not only can attraction times run high during the later hours, but the lands themselves can also get crowded fast. Taking advantage of Early Park Admission can allow you to explore Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade without long lines and allows you more freedom to discover many of the hidden treasures the lands have become known for.

Early Park Admission Attractions

Universal Studios Florida

• Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem
• Diagon Alley
• Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
• Hogwarts Express
• Ollivanders Wand Shop

Universal’s Islands of Adventure

• NEW! – Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
• Hogsmeade Village
• Flight of the Hippogriff
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
• Hogwarts Express
• Olivanders Wand Shop

Universal’s Volcano Bay

• Honu ika Moana
• Kala and Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides
• Krakatau Aqua Coaster
• Ko’okiri Body Plunge
• Ohya and Ohno Drop Slides

Early Park Admission is available to all Preferred and Premier Annual Passholders (with blackout dates). Visiting guests have two ways to be eligible for Early Park Admission. The first is to book a Universal Orlando Resort vacation package. This means that you purchase your hotel stay, park tickets, and any other add ons like dining plans together. These packages can be for one of the onsite hotels or one of a number of offsite hotels that have partnered with Universal to offer package accommodations. These hotels must be booked as part of a Universal vacation package with park tickets included to enjoy Early Park Admission though, and are not eligible when booked separately.

The second way to enjoy Early Park Admission is by staying at a Universal onsite hotel. All guests of any Universal hotel receive Early Park Admission for the length of their stay (including check-in and out dates), whether they’ve purchased a package or just booked a hotel stay.

To access Early Park Admission areas, guests will need to present either their hotel room key/park admission card or their Universal travel documents. These credentials will be checked by Universal Team Members at the turnstiles, as well as various checkpoints within the parks. Universal sometimes allows guests without Early Park Admission to enter during this time, but these guests are held at the checkpoints until public opening.

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