Mike and I visited Universal Orlando in November 2014 for four days. Universal Orlando actually consists of two separate theme parks–Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. You need either a park-to-park pass or a single park pass to enter these portions of Universal Orlando. We opted for the single park passes for the first three days and the park-to-park passes for the final day. Hogwarts Express is the only ride that requires a park-to-park pass, and we thought it was worth the extra cost, at least for one day. If you are visiting Universal for only a couple of days, you may want to spend the extra money so that you can ride all of your favorite rides. But since we had four whole days, we had plenty of time to explore each of the parks, making the single park passes a better value.

We opted to stay in a Universal hotel so that we could get into the parks an hour earlier in the morning. I could see this being a huge benefit if you visit during peak times, as the lines would be much longer. But we actually found the wait times to be very short, varying between 5 and 35 minutes typically. I think the only wait longer was for either the Rock It roller coaster or the Hulk roller coaster, and it would have only been about 45 minutes. For the most part, the waits were quite entertaining, as they include props and videos that make you really feel like you’re on location.

The other major benefit of the Universal resorts is the free transportation to the Universal parks. It was really nice to be dropped off at the entrance to the park, and not have to worry about parking or finding our way around. We stayed at Cabana Bay, so the buses were very easy to spot, and there were waiting areas for the buses, and we never waited more than about 5 minutes for a bus to pick us up. I also thought that the faux wood-paneled buses also fit right in with the resort’s theme.

The Cabana Bay Beach Resort has a really funky fun atmosphere that is carried throughout the resort. From the neon lighted sign advertising ‘Color TV’ and ‘Cold Air’, to the hotel room decor, the resort captures the essence of 50s-60s era travel. Think Mad Men with a lot of fun and funk, and you’ll be able to picture it. The pool, lazy river, fire pits, and bowling alley provide entertainment for the whole family. And the bars have some really tasty cocktails with clever names, like The Pink Cadillac, for the adults. I heard a couple of people say that Cabana Bay seemed like a family hotel, and it definitely is, but I also thought that it was a lot of fun for grown-ups too.

The weather in Orlando was in 70s and mostly sunny for our entire trip. Make sure you bring comfortable shoes, and a couple of different styles so that you can alternate, as you’ll do a ton of walking. Shorts, capris, t-shirts, and tank tops are appropriate in the parks, and what most people wore. You have to remove hats on several rides, so take that into consideration. If you have backpacks or purses, you’ll also have to remove these for many rides. I just had a small cross-body bag, which was small enough to keep in some of the rides, and easily fit into the free lockers as well.

We had a bit of rain (more like a light mist) one day, and rain is apparently rather common, so ponchos may be a good idea to pack. They’d be beneficial on the water rides too.We didn’t take ponchos, so on the day we did the water rides (which we strategically left all for one day), we just wore things that wouldn’t be uncomfortable wet. Mike wore a workout shirt that wicks away moisture and some beach/board shorts that dry quickly and flip-flops. I wore workout shorts and a tank top over my swimsuit with my water shoes. Because we’d planned to get wet, the water rides were that much more fun. Some people who were just wearing street clothes (and in particular jeans) looked a little bit miserable after they’d gotten soaked.

Check out Universal Orlando Part Two where I talk about the three parts of the park, the rides, and the can’t miss attractions, and Part Three where I talk specifically about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.