Universal Islands of Adventure

Three rides decide how your day goes. Plan around them and the rest falls into place.

• Jurassic World VelociCoaster (opened June 10, 2021) is a launched coaster with a 155-foot top hat over the lagoon. It is the ride most coaster fans come for, and it accepts Universal Express.
• Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (opened June 13, 2019) is a family-friendly story coaster with several launches, in the Hogsmeade woods. It is not on Universal's Express list, so it is the one ride where paying for Express does nothing for you. Ride it first thing or accept the wait.
• The Incredible Hulk Coaster launches uphill out of the station into a zero-g roll at a top speed of about 67 mph. It is on the Express list.

After those, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in Hogwarts castle and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man are the two best dark rides in the park. Flight of the Hippogriff is a short family coaster. Doctor Doom's Fearfall is a drop tower. In Toon Lagoon, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls and Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges soak you, which is welcome in September and less so in January. Popeye is scheduled to close from January 4 to February 2, 2027, and Forbidden Journey from February 8 to 19, 2027.

Families with young children are not short-changed. Seuss Landing has Caro-Seuss-el, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride, and all four are on the Express list. Storm Force Accelatron, a spinning teacup ride on Marvel Super Hero Island, is the other easy one. Hagrid's and Flight of the Hippogriff are the two coasters most children who meet the height rules can handle.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade is the Potter land in this park. It has Forbidden Journey, Hagrid's, Flight of the Hippogriff, an Ollivanders wand show, Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks. Butterbeer is sold from carts and counters across the village.

Hogsmeade station is the other end of the Hogwarts Express, which runs to King's Cross in Universal Studios Florida. You need a park-to-park ticket to board. On the September 2026 dates we checked, upgrading the 1-day ticket to park-to-park cost about $55 more for the same date. Our Harry Potter guide lays out the three Potter lands, including the Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe.

Early Park Admission matters most here. From August 1 to September 30, 2026, Universal listed Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, VelociCoaster, Hagrid's and Ollivanders as open in the early hour for hotel guests. On September 22, 2026 that hour started at 8 a.m. Universal had not published early-entry dates here beyond September 30 when we checked.

• Jurassic Park River Adventure: closed January 5 to November 19, 2026, per Universal's temporary closures list.
• The Lost Continent: Universal announced in May 2026 that the land would close in phases. Poseidon's Fury and the old Sindbad theater are being demolished, along with a shop and a counter-service stall. Mythos, the sit-down restaurant, stays open through the rest of 2026 and closes in 2027. Universal has not said what the new land will be. Reports that it involves Pokemon are speculation, since Universal has only confirmed a general Pokemon partnership.
• Thunder Falls Terrace in Jurassic Park closed permanently in July 2026. Universal says a new full-service restaurant will open in the Jurassic Park area in 2027.
• Skull Island: Reign of Kong: reopened September 18, 2026 after several weeks closed, but the life-size Kong animatronic in the finale is missing. Universal said it was damaged during routine maintenance and is being repaired. It gave no date for its return.

Rides can close at short notice for weather, especially the outdoor coasters during summer thunderstorms. Universal's app is the only reliable source on the day.

Universal Express lets you use a shorter queue once per participating ride. Express Unlimited lets you use it repeatedly. Starting prices on Universal's store on September 22, 2026, per person, plus tax, on the cheapest dates:

Those are floor prices. Expect more on busy dates. The math is simple: for a family of four, one day of single-use Express here costs at least $460 on top of tickets, and it does not cover Hagrid's. It pays off on crowded holiday weeks, when VelociCoaster, Forbidden Journey and Spider-Man can each run long. It rarely pays off on a quiet weekday in September, when rope drop plus Early Park Admission gets you most of the headliners before 10:30 a.m.

The cheaper route to free Express Unlimited is a room at one of Universal's select Signature Collection hotels, which include it for this park and Universal Studios Florida, but not for Epic Universe. Our Express verdict runs the numbers for different trip lengths, and the Express guide explains the products.

1. Arrive for opening, or for Early Park Admission if you are staying at a Universal hotel. Go straight to Hagrid's, since Express does not help there.
2. Walk the lagoon clockwise to VelociCoaster, then back through Hogsmeade for Forbidden Journey.
3. Late morning, cross to Marvel Super Hero Island for Hulk and Spider-Man while the crowds are still in the Potter land.
4. Eat lunch early, before noon, to beat the counter-service rush.
5. Afternoon: Toon Lagoon water rides if it is hot, Seuss Landing if you have small children.
6. Save a re-ride of VelociCoaster for the last hour, when standby waits often drop.

If you have a park-to-park ticket, take the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley mid-afternoon and finish at Gringotts. On a three-day trip, our Universal itinerary puts this park on day two, after Epic Universe.

Islands of Adventure shares the garages at 6000 Universal Boulevard with Universal Studios Florida and CityWalk. Regular parking was $35, tax included, on September 22, 2026. Prime was $50 to $60. Parking is free after 6 p.m. on nights without Halloween Horror Nights, which helps if you are only coming for an evening re-ride. The parking fees page has the full table.

The 1-day ticket is sold as "Universal Studios Florida OR Universal Islands of Adventure", so there is no separate price for this park. If you want Epic Universe too, look at the multi-day tickets on our Universal tickets page before buying days one at a time.

Universal Orlando Resort Park Tickets with Epic Universe

Only some options include Epic Universe. Non-refundable; parking ($35) extra. Volcano Bay closes Oct 26, 2026 for maintenance.

1 to 7 days

4.5★★★★★★★★★★(852 reviews)

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Universal Orlando Park-to-Park PROMO Tickets - USA / Canada Residents

US/Canada residents only; proof may be asked at voucher exchange. Dated, blockout dates apply, no changes once booked.

3 park days

4.2★★★★★★★★★★(236 reviews)

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