It’s bigger, better — and more complicated than ever: Visiting Universal Orlando Resort

We heard the shrieks for Shrek long before we entered the recently opened DreamWorks Land at Universal Orlando Resort . The place was buzzing with little tots. The make-believe trolls — Dopp, Tiny, and the twins, Satin and Chenille — twirled, climbed, and dipped on the Trolls Trollercoaster; kids lined up to talk with Po on a digital screen, and to learn a few of his kung fu moves, and played in Shrek’s Swamp for Little Ogres. But it was the cottage in the swamp that was the big hit, home to our favorite green ogre, Shrek. The grouchy giant was showing his kind heart, meeting and posing with his pint-size and full-size adult fans. Later, Fiona and Donkey would show up.

The clever, disgusting old ogre has remarkable staying power, a beloved, offbeat character who continues to infiltrate pop culture. Ogres are like onions, they have layers. What are you doing in my swamp?

It had been a while since we visited Universal Orlando Resort, and we decided to check it out, prompted by the new Shrek immersive adventure land, and in anticipation of May 2025, when the resort will introduce its newest park, Universal Epic Universe , with five immersive worlds, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon-Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, and Celestial Park.

Which brings us to the first lesson we learned on our recent trip: plan ahead, way ahead. We were fortunate to visit midweek, off-peak, but experts advise planning at least six months in advance to get the best hotel rates and ticket deals, especially if you’re traveling during peak seasons. That means you should start now if you plan to visit the new park this summer. Thousands are already booking their vacations in anticipation of its opening. (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Ministry of Magic, need we say more?)

Stay at an on-site hotel

We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and it made all the difference in the world. It’s a fun place to stay, a California Mission-style property set on the man-made canal, within walking distance to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk.

Currently, it’s one of eight on-site hotels and one of four (Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Portofino, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, and Loews Royal Pacific Resort) in its Signature Collection, offering the most benefits and amenities. There will soon be 11, with the recent opening of Universal Stella Nova Resort (Jan. 21) and the upcoming Universal Terra Luna Resort (March 25) and Universal Helios Grand Hotel (May 22), a Signature Collection property.

It’s not cheap, but we think it’s well worth it. Average nightly rates at Hard Rock hover around $500 to $700 (and more during peak times) but the perks were impressive, including a free Universal Express Unlimited ride ticket allowing you to skip the regular lines as many times as you like at participating rides and attractions at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure . That’s a value starting at about $135 per person, per day, and climbing fast at peak times. You get four per room, and it’s good the day you check in and the day you check out. The Universal Express Unlimited pass is also a perk for guests staying at Loews Portofino Bay and Loews Royal Pacific Resort. It’s the ultimate free perk, and we’ve heard of people booking a ghost room, and staying somewhere else (Grandma’s house?), just to get the pass.

Another option is to purchase a Universal Express pass (starting at about $90 per person, per day, and climbing) that allows you to skip the line one time per participating ride at Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure. These are popular and can sell out, so book them well in advance.

Another perk of staying at an on-site hotel: We didn’t need to rent a car and pay for theme park parking; we walked or took the free water taxi and shuttles to the parks and around the resort. All on-site Universal properties offer free transportation and early park admission.

When we needed a break, we simply headed back to the hotel and grabbed lounge chairs and drinks at the pool or naps in the room. The pool, complete with a water slide, and DJ or live music, was a great place to hang. We skipped Universal Volcano Bay water park, originally on our plan (another savings), and happily spent more time at the other theme parks intermixed with needed breaks at the Hard Rock Hotel pool.

Have a plan, but don’t stick with it

This is one vacation you don’t want to leave to the last minute. Rooms, restaurant reservations, programs, special events, and even theme park passes sell out. The Grand Opening Day of Epic Universe scheduled for May 22 sold out in less than an hour. Buy your packages and nail down your lodging as soon as you can. Is dining with Spider-Man at the top of your list? Book it now.

Have the teens and adults in your group download the resort mobile app for maps, ride descriptions, park and restaurant opening and closing times, parade and show times, and ride wait times. Make a list of the must-see attractions and devise a plan. And then go with the flow.

Our plan was to get to the park early — one hour before the official opening time, and head to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Hogsmeade in Universal Islands of Adventure. The line to ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was already long (skip the line passes don’t work for this ride — one of the few) but we raced to the front of the line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Our plan was to stay longer in the Wizarding World, but instead we left for the Jurassic Park River Adventure. We got soaked on the water ride and did it again — and again (it was a hot day). It was not our plan, but we went for it. After, we split up — some heading to the VelociCoaster and the Reign of Kong on Skull Island, others to the colorful Toon Lagoon, a favorite with younger ones.

All didn’t go according to plan, but over the course of 2½ days, we visited two parks, got on most of the rides, saw a couple of shows, and relaxed around the pool. One night, we’d planned on heading back to the park for an evening show, but just couldn’t muster up the energy. That was OK: Pizza by the pool was fine, and we watched the fireworks from our room.