Universal Orlando Resort Reviews

We brought our 4-year-old who has serious life-threatening allergies to dairy and peanuts. We did everything right: submitted medical paperwork, completed the pre-arrival call, and packed backup food just in case. They promised restaurants could work with us. Once we got there, no dining spot had allergy menus or ingredient lists available. We talked to seven different chefs and every single one said they couldn't promise a safe meal. One couldn't even boil pasta in a clean pot. We felt betrayed and lost. Our child couldn't participate, and we had to figure it out on our own. As someone who breastfeeds, I also looked everywhere for a clean, private spot and found nothing. The app had no information, and staff offered zero help. This went beyond disappointment and felt like discrimination. We won't return until Universal makes real changes for families with severe allergies and nursing parents.

The place was packed wall-to-wall with people who seemed completely checked out about helping guests. Maintenance issues were obvious everywhere. After spending a week at Disney and then two days here, I came away pretty frustrated. Both parks had such intense crowds that moving around felt nearly impossible, let alone doing anything fun. The Harry Potter sections were basically unreachable. Even with express passes, we were looking at minimum 30-minute waits on every ride. There weren't enough spots to take a break and sit. Everything pushed you toward mobile ordering which made grabbing food a hassle, and the food lines themselves were enormous. When you did get food, the quality was disappointing. The rides themselves got repetitive after a while, basically the same story on a different screen with different characters. We actually left early because it was so unpleasant. Disney was equally crowded but at least it felt worth it. I haven't been back in over a decade and now I remember why. We should've just spent those extra days at Disney.

Way too expensive and poorly managed overall. Rides constantly break down which tanks the whole experience. I really regret not just sticking with Disney parks instead of wasting my money here.

Our three-night stay at the Adventura Resort was honestly the worst experience we've had. If you're planning to hit the theme parks, save yourself and book literally anywhere else, even if other hotels are mediocre at least you won't be shocked. The staff treated us terribly. Yes, customers bring all kinds of issues, but if you're not ready to handle them properly, you shouldn't be operating a Universal resort. The Universal brand carries real expectations and they failed to deliver. On our first night, noise from the elevators kept us up the whole time. We asked to switch rooms and the front desk lady was incredibly rude about it. She just said bluntly that we'd have to haul everything down by 11 a.m., then wait until 4 p.m. check-in. Are they seriously expecting us to leave our belongings unguarded for hours or just forfeit a thousand-dollar day at the parks? On another night we came back at midnight after a full day and discovered housekeeping hadn't even touched our room. I'd give them zero stars if I could.

It's disappointing that Universal charges $12 or more per day just to reactivate the reusable drink bottle they sell you for $18 when you first get it. We visited for Memorial Day weekend with an annual pass from late May into early June when it was hitting the high 90s, and here's the kicker: there was zero ice at any of the refill stations. This same problem happened at all three parks. For what visitors pay for those bottles, Universal should do better.

We barely used our 14-day passes and that tells you everything. Parking and getting into the park went smooth enough, and that's honestly the only good thing I have to say. Once inside, things fell apart fast. The three of us had multi-park passes and tried to add them to our phones after being warned that losing the paper tickets meant buying new ones. My ticket got assigned to my wife when I tried to add her, and my daughter's didn't show up in the app at all. We gave up and ended up buying themed lanyards at $26 each just to protect the physical tickets. We arrived right when gates opened but rides already had 100-minute waits. Express passes cost $349 per person and even with those, we faced 30 to 40 minute lines. Guest services had over 20 people waiting with no movement for half an hour, so we skipped that. The park was absolutely packed making it tough to navigate anywhere. Harry Potter areas were slammed. Merchandise stalls and vendors were everywhere trying to squeeze money out of you, with prices that made no sense.

I've been multiple times and honestly, I'm surprised by all the harsh reviews about wait times. Yes, it gets crowded and certain rides have long lines, but that's just how big theme parks work, especially on popular attractions. That's not something specific to Universal. On our last visit in late October 2023, my son and I stayed at a Universal hotel which gave us early entry, though no express passes. Even with our own late start, we only showed up 30 minutes early but still managed to hit all the main Harry Potter experiences that morning: Forbidden Journey, Gringotts, Hagrid's motorcycle ride, Flight of the Hippogriff, and the Hogwarts Express. The theming across the parks is fantastic whether you're exploring the Wizarding World, Jurassic Park, or the detailed street areas. Sure, I've seen massive queues later in the day and during special events, but that's typical and I just hit popular attractions first thing. The unlimited refill cups are a solid perk too, and honestly Disney should copy that idea. My son and I both had a blast.

The Margaritaville location served up cold, pricey food that we had to send back. Even when they brought it out again, it was still cold. The wait was ridiculously long for what we got. Then the server created drama over the tip, pushing for nearly $30 despite the slow pace, cold meals, and rude attitude. Definitely steer clear of this spot.

Expensive and left us disappointed. We had only one day available so we splurged on a two-park ticket to focus on Harry Potter, which felt overpriced for what it offered. The line for Hagrid's Magical Creatures turned out to be our biggest letdown. It was cramped, incredibly loud, and stretched forever. We waited over an hour and a half just to be told about a slight delay. That message kept repeating before they finally admitted to an extended delay. After abandoning that queue, we grabbed fast passes to try later, but the same issue popped up after another 30-minute wait. By the time we could have gotten on, the park was closing. Universal offered us fast passes for a future trip, which didn't help since we couldn't come back. The whole day fell short of the magical experience we were promised.

The park itself was fantastic on July 4th, but getting out was absolute chaos. After the fireworks finished, the parking lot turned into a nightmare pretty quick. Frustration and anger rippled through the crowd. We sat trapped in traffic for almost 45 minutes without moving an inch. There was constant honking and yelling from angry drivers. The whole situation felt tense enough that you worried someone might start fighting. Some folks tried reaching out through the communication stations but found the staff unhelpful and rude, even hanging up on people. When I tried calling guest services myself, nobody answered. For what we paid for parking, you'd think at least one staff member would be outside helping manage things, but nobody showed up. Universal clearly knew this would happen after the fireworks and should have had a plan in place. The fact that they didn't only to ignore the problem as it unfolded and then shut down communication channels is inexcusable. Theme parks should care about their guests' safety and satisfaction. This failure fell short on both counts.