12 or More Rookie Mistakes When Visiting Universal Orlando Resorts

Rick's Top 6 Party Time Excellent! Actually, we're putting 12 items on today's list. Hey everybody, Rick here. Behind me, Universal Orlando. And here are 12 rookie mistakes people make when visiting Universal. And after watching this video, you should know how to avoid these 12 mistakes. The first mistake rookies make when visiting Universal is not getting into the park at opening or earlier than that. If you get into the park at opening or earlier, you're going to beat some of the crowds, you will have lower wait times for rides and attractions, and you'll have a better chance of beating the heat and the rain. And what I mean by getting into the park before opening, if you stay on property at a Universal Orlando Resort Hotel, you can have access to the park up to one hour ahead of regular daytime guests. So talking about beating the crowds, that is the way to go. Don't make that rookie mistake. Get in here as soon as you can. And when you do get into the park, do not, I repeat, do not walk around with one of those paper maps. You're just going to look like a tourist. What you want to do is download the Universal app from the App Store. That will help you with wait times. It'll show you all the attractions, all the wait times. It'll help you to know where you are in the park, because there is a map on that. And also, like, what food is near you, so you can mobile order, and all types of good features on that app. Just don't walk around with a paper map. Another common mistake by rookie visitors to Universal is trying to figure out the park when they get here, instead of ahead of time. I myself have made this mistake at other theme parks, going for the first time, not doing any research, not watching any YouTube videos. I went there, didn't know what to do, didn't know what I wanted to do, because I didn't know the park ahead of time. And the best way to know the Universal parks ahead of time, for you guys, would be to watch my videos. I'm going to leave links to a few videos that I think will be the most helpful for you guys when visiting the Universal Orlando theme parks. So don't make that mistake. Know before you go. Here's a rookie mistake. Not utilizing the single rider lines they have here at Universal. And that is especially true for visitors who are more accustomed to visiting Disney theme parks, as Disney theme parks do not utilize very many single rider lines at all. However, here at Universal, a lot of the attractions have single rider lines. That can cut down on your wait time. And I already know what many of you are thinking with this tip. You're thinking, but I want to enjoy the ride with my family. So here's what I say to that. Here's my advice. Yes, enjoy the ride for the first time as a family. But if you're going to do re-rides, then you can switch over to the single rider line. Unless, of course, you are coming here as a single, all by yourself. Then hit up those single rider lines right off the bat. With the single rider lines, your parties will be split but your wait time should be less. Now, my rule of thumb is kind of half the wait. If the wait time is listed for standby at 60 minutes, I would expect a 30 minute wait for single riders. Unless you're talking about the Velocicoaster, in that case I say the single rider line rarely works. But for the rest of the attractions here, utilize that single rider line. And here is a huge rookie mistake. Not knowing the entrance into Diagon Alley. This my friends, is the entrance to Diagon Alley. I have seen many a rookie walking by here with their paper maps trying to figure out how to get into Diagon Alley. So let me help you out right now. There is King's Cross Station. Pan this way. The London Facade. The Knight Bus. So in between the Knight Bus and King's Cross Station, look for these brick walls and walk through them into Diagon Alley and you won't look like a rookie. But wait, I have another rookie mistake inside of Diagon Alley. And that would be not knowing the entrance to Nocturne Alley. After you walk through the brick wall to get into Diagon Alley, you'll see Weasley's on your right. On your left will be the Leaky Cauldron. And just past the Leaky Cauldron, there's this little opening right here. This is your entrance into Nocturne Alley. See? Right there is the Leaky Cauldron. Right next to it, Nocturne Alley. And right above that, it's getting ready to go off. We have the dragon. We'll pause for a moment. Gotta give the dragon its due. Come on, girl. Give us a good one. Here it comes. Talking about Nocturne Alley. As I was saying, right through there. The Dark Wizards know about this. But Muggles, not so much. Now I'm going to admit something. But you cannot make fun of me. The first year, the first year that I visited Diagon Alley, I did not know Nocturne Alley was right there. And now, one more shot. Not to keep you from looking like a rookie, but to keep you from looking like a first year Rick. Leaky Cauldron. Best quality potions. And then the entrance to Nocturne Alley. So here is something, no lie, that just happened. But it segues so nicely into the next rookie mistake. I was helping a family. They were holding a map right there in front of Diagon Alley. So I explained to them, go through the brick wall. But then they asked, well, how do we get on the train? And I explained to them, yes, you can take Hogwarts Express if you have a park to park ticket. A rookie mistake is not knowing you have to have a park to park ticket to ride Hogwarts Express. This is where you scan that park to park ticket or that annual pass that gets you over to Hogsmeade on the Hogwarts Express. Talk about mistakes! I'm just kidding. What do you say we do a little lightning round of rookie mistakes? Starting with not drinking enough water. But you do not have to buy water. That can be expensive. They cost between like $3.50 to $5 for a bottle of water. If you go up to any station that has like, they sell like fountain sodas, there's always a water button. You can ask for a courtesy cup of water or I have another way for you to get free water. You guys need to carry one of these around with you. You know what this is? A collapsible cup. Collapses down pretty flat. And then it pops up like so. You can get these on Amazon. I will leave a link to it. But what can you do once you own these? Well, you can go to the Coke Freestyle stations and get yourself free water. There are tons of Coke Freestyle stations around the park. Some just sitting out in the open. Some inside restaurants such as Louie's. Well, the soda you may have to pay for. But the water is free. So you take your little collapsible cup, go to the Freestyle station, get yourself some water, and stay hydrated. This is Florida. It's very hot and humid. You must stay hydrated. But don't buy that water. Get it for free either with courtesy cups or at Freestyle locations. Rookie mistake. Dressing for fashion, not comfort. I know those wet shoes, they make your legs look good. But they are not made to be walking around a theme park all day long. So don't make that rookie mistake. Do not dress for fashion. Dress for comfort. Here's a rookie mistake. Not just for Universal, but for all theme parks. Coming in, expecting the parks not to be crowded. And not expecting the food to be pricey. These are theme parks. A lot of people want to come here and have a good time. So even during the quote unquote slow seasons, at times, can still get pretty crowded. And then the food. You're just going to pay more when you're inside a theme park for any type of hamburger, hot dog, soda, chips, anything. You're going to pay more than what you would outside in the real world. Not buying your tickets ahead of time, but buying them at the box office when you get here, that's a rookie mistake. You're already going to be waiting in lines a lot during the day. Don't add another line to your day. Order those tickets online. That way you can print them out at the house, or better yet, have the tickets sent to your phone. But please, I hate to see people waiting in line to buy tickets, knowing they're just going to come into the park and wait in more lines. Here's a rookie mistake very specific to Universal Studios, and that's not knowing they have free backstage tours at some of the attractions. For example, Jimmy Falun and the Race Through New York has a backstage tour, a free backstage tour. Now I'm not going to go into details about all the tours. We have done a specific video on that. So everything you need to know about the free backstage tours at Universal, it's in that video. I will leave a link to it in the description box. Here's a rookie mistake when it comes to the whole state of Florida, and that's not knowing it actually rains in the Sunshine State. That's right, I think calling ourselves the Sunshine State was made up by some marketing team. In the summer, you can expect afternoon rainstorms, but luckily they just kind of come through, they pass, and then they're gone. So you will have to deal with the weather and the rain, but most likely, not for too long. Unless a front comes down and it rains all day. Typically, it's just, you know, 30 minutes to an hour of afternoon rain in the summer times. But it does rain in the Sunshine State. And here is our last rookie mistake when visiting Universal. This might be number 13. We might have gone one over. Not just 12, but 13 rookie mistakes. Here's the last one, and that is not packing a small bag or fanny pack. I see some visitors with those large backpacks, like they're in the army or something. Those are not going to fit into the free lockers. If you wear like a small mini backpack, like a lounge fly, or you just have a fanny pack, those will fit in the free Universal Studios lockers. And if you need to know more about those lockers, I did a video all about lockers. I'll leave a link to it. But a rookie mistake would be packing a large bag instead of a small bag or fanny pack. And those, my friends, are 12 or more rookie mistakes people make when visiting Universal Studios Florida. Now that you've heard them, don't you make them. And as always, don't miss the magic. Don't miss the fun. See you next time. But wait! As I was walking to my car, I saw one more rookie mistake when visiting Universal Orlando. And that would be wearing a Disney shirt to Universal. Don't do that. That is a mistake. But you know what you can do? Wear a Marvel superhero t-shirt. That works at Universal and Disney.