Universal Studios Florida

If your last visit was before 2024, the map will surprise you. Here is what changed, with the dates Universal and the trade press gave.

• Woody Woodpecker's KidZone closed in January 2023. DreamWorks Land opened on June 14, 2024 in its place. The kiddie coaster was rethemed as Trolls Trollercoaster, Curious George's play area became Po's Kung Fu Training Camp, and the old Barney theater now runs DreamWorks Imagination Celebration. Shrek's Swamp for Little Ogres is a new play area.
• Shrek 4-D closed in January 2022. Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast opened in the building in 2023.
• Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit closed on August 18, 2025 and has been demolished. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, an Intamin launched coaster with a 170-foot vertical spike over the park entrance and the CityWalk lagoon, is scheduled for 2027. Universal has not given a month.
• Fast & Furious: Supercharged closed for good on August 16, 2026. Universal has not announced what will use the building. Since September 3, 2026 part of the San Francisco space holds a relocated passholder discount store. Universal's own Express page still listed Supercharged on September 22, 2026. It is closed.
• Animal Actors On Location!, an opening-year show, gives its final performance on November 2, 2026. Universal says only that the space is "making way for a future experience".
• Universal's Horror Make-Up Show has been closed since May 12, 2026 for a revamp, with a return listed as winter 2026. Finnegan's Bar & Grill has been closed since January 12, 2026, also with a winter 2026 return.

The net effect for fall 2026: this park has no large coaster. Revenge of the Mummy, an indoor launched coaster, is the biggest thrill left. If coasters are the point of your trip, spend the day at Islands of Adventure instead.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley sits behind a London street facade. The lead ride is Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, a coaster-dark ride hybrid inside the bank. It is gentler than it looks, and it accepts Universal Express. Around it are the shops, Ollivanders, the Knockturn Alley side street and the Leaky Cauldron. This is where most visitors drink their first Butterbeer.

King's Cross station, at the London end, is the boarding point for the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure. Universal is explicit: you need a park-to-park ticket to ride it, because it carries you into the other park.

On the dates we checked, the 1-day park-to-park ticket for both parks ran $180 to $210 before tax for September 22 to 30, 2026 and $195 to $235 in October. That is about $55 more than the 1-park ticket on the same date. Universal's 3- to 7-day park-to-park tickets include hopping between all three theme parks every day. For the full picture of which Potter lands are where, see our Harry Potter in Orlando guide.

With the big coasters gone, the park's strength is its indoor rides. In rough order of priority:

1. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. The reason most people come.
2. Revenge of the Mummy. An indoor launched coaster in the New York area, and now the park's biggest thrill.
3. Transformers: The Ride-3D and MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack. MIB is a shooting dark ride where you keep score.
4. The Simpsons Ride in Springfield, a motion simulator with a heavy dose of jokes.
5. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast in Minion Land. Both are family rides.
6. E.T. Adventure, an opening-day ride that still runs. Slow, odd, and loved by people who remember it.
7. Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Bourne Stuntacular, a live stunt show with screens.

Skip Kang & Kodos' Twirl 'n' Hurl unless you have small children. Families with children under about six will spend real time in DreamWorks Land, which is the park's best area for them since the KidZone rebuild.

Universal sells Universal Express (one shorter wait per participating ride) and Express Unlimited (as many as you like) on top of admission. Starting prices on Universal's store on September 22, 2026, per person, plus tax, on the cheapest dates:

Guests at select Signature Collection hotels get Express Unlimited free at this park and Islands of Adventure. Whether paying for it makes sense is a separate question, answered in our Express Pass verdict and explained in the Express Pass guide.

Early Park Admission is a Universal hotel benefit of up to an hour before opening. On September 22, 2026, Universal listed "No Upcoming Dates" for this park. Islands of Adventure and Epic Universe had early entry through September 30. That matters: without early entry here, Gringotts is best done right at 9 a.m. or in the last hour.

Fall evenings belong to Halloween Horror Nights, a separately ticketed event in this park on select nights. On September 22, 2026 the park closed to day guests at 6 p.m., an hour before Islands of Adventure.

Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and CityWalk share the parking garages at 6000 Universal Boulevard. Universal's parking page listed regular self-parking at $35, tax included, the same price prepaid or at the toll plaza. Prime parking was $50 to $60. Valet was $38 for up to two hours and $76 to $81 for longer before 6 p.m. Self-parking is free after 6 p.m. except on Halloween Horror Nights event nights and New Year's Eve. Our parking fees page compares this with Disney.

From the garage it is a walk of several minutes on moving walkways and through CityWalk to the entrance. If you are staying at a Universal hotel, you can skip the car entirely: depending on the hotel, you walk, take a shuttle or ride a water taxi. See the Universal area guide for where each hotel sits.

Most visitors should not give this park a full day on its own in fall 2026. The better plan is a park-to-park day with Islands of Adventure: Gringotts and the Mummy here in the morning, the Hogwarts Express across, and the afternoon on coasters there. On a three-day trip, the three-day Universal itinerary gives one day each to Epic Universe and to the two older parks together, with a third day to repeat favorites.

Universal's multi-day tickets are worth a look even for two days. On September 22, 2026 the 2-day ticket that covers one day at Epic Universe and one park-to-park day here and at Islands of Adventure started at $161.50 per day before tax. The full comparison is on our Universal tickets page.

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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Universal Orlando Resort: Halloween Horror Nights

Separate from day admission. Rain or shine, no refunds after the 24-hour window. Not recommended under 13. No costumes.

One night, 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.

4.3★★★★★★★★★★(77 reviews)

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Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

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