• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Guide to Walt Disney World
    • Guide to The Magic Kingdom for Beginners
    • Guide to Epcot For Beginners
    • Guide to Animal Kingdom for Beginners
    • Guide to Hollywood Studios For Beginners
    • Walt Disney World Useful Information
    • Guide to Disney Springs
    • Disney World Tips
      • Guide to FastPass+ at Walt Disney World
      • Avoiding Crowds at Walt Disney World
      • Walt Disney World Mistakes to Avoid in 2022
      • How To Find Characters at Walt Disney World
      • How to Beat the Orlando Weather
      • Guide to Visiting Walt Disney World with Disabilities
      • Disney World Survival Guide
      • A World of Fabulous Fascinating Facts
      • Guide to Walt Disney World Transport
    • Disney World Resorts for Beginners
    • Guide to Walt Disney World Dining
      • Guide to Walt Disney World Character Meals
      • Guide to the Disney Dining Plan
      • Visiting Walt Disney World with Food Allergies & Intolerances
  • Cruise
    • Top Cruise Articles
    • Disney Wonder
    • Jewel of the Seas
    • Allure of the Seas
    • Oasis of the Seas
    • Independence of the Seas
    • Harmony of the Seas
    • Crown Princess
  • Disney World News
  • Universal Orlando
  • Contact Us

Modern Life is Good

Disney World, Universal Orlando, Cruise & Family Travel

You are here: Home / Travel / Orlando / Orlando Live 2019 / Universal Orlando Day 1 Orlando Live 2019

Universal Orlando Day 1 Orlando Live 2019

July 27, 2019 by @Modlifeisgood Leave a Comment

We are in Universal Orlando staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, having spent the last 13 days at Walt Disney World. Our day started late, having decided to have a lie in following the exertions of our final day at Walt Disney World. Once up we decided to visit Universal Studios Florida.

Hard Rock Hotel Universal Orlando Resort
Hard Rock Hotel Universal Orlando Day 1

As we are staying at Hard Rock, we have an included Universal Express Pass as part of our package. This pass allows priority access to all attractions at both parks except the new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. These passes are not cheap and can cost as much as $180 a day plus tax. Guests staying at Portofino Bay, Hard Rock & Royal Pacific Resorts get a free complimentary Express Pass, and often this works out cheaper than purchasing a pass.

Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida Universal Orlando Day 1

We have mixed views here at Modern Life is Good on whether Express Pass represents good value for money. I prefer the free Walt Disney World FastPass system, but Express Pass does allow you to ride more attractions but at a significantly increased cost.

Homer Simpson at Universal Studios
Look, it’s Homer Simpson!

The number of Express Passes available is a closely guarded Universal Orlando Secret. However, on busy days, they do run out. I have noticed in recent years the lines at Express Pass seem to be getting longer and I suspect they are selling more of them. Although they offer a reduced wait, they are not a front of the line pass. Universal aim to ensure your wait is never longer than 15 minutes, but this is not always achieved including today when we had a lengthy wait at Escape from Gringotts.

Velma at Universal Orlando
Look, it’s Velma! I still can’t work out what she was doing in the shop

The park didn’t seem to be as busy as last summer, and we did manage to complete quite a few attractions.

Men in Black patrolling Universal Orlando
It’s the Men in Black

Despite the late start, we did have a mid-afternoon/early evening break to visit the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium for dinner.

Meeting a Robot at the Chocolate Emporium

The food was excellent, and despite mixed-reports, they can adapt a lot of the menu for guests on gluten-free diets. The actual menu on the restaurant website only states one gluten-free dish, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, but this isn’t correct.

Gluten-free food at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium
Who would think gluten-free food could look like this?

After dinner, we returned to the Hard Rock Hotel for early evening drinks. We are staying in the Rock Royalty area of the hotel, and every evening between 5 and 7 there are complimentary beverages.

The Rock Royalty Lounge at the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando
The Rock Royalty Lounge at the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando

We will discuss the Rock Royalty Lounge further in one of our upcoming posts, but I suspect evening drinks will become a daily event.

A glass of wine in Rock Royalty
A glass of wine in Rock Royalty

Tomorrow we are off to Islands of Adventure to see how long the wait is for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. You can catch up with all our Orlando Live Blogs for 2019 by clicking the link.

Filed Under: Blog, Orlando, Orlando Live 2019, Travel, Universal Orlando Resort Tagged With: Universal Orlando Resort

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search Modern Life Is Good

Who are Modern Life is Good?

Welcome to Modern Life is Good we are a Family Travel site specialising in Walt Disney World Planning, Universal Orlando, Orlando Attractions & Cruising.

We are family of 4 based in the United Kingdom who have become Orlando Fanatics and Enthusiastic Cruisers. We hope this website will help you plan the perfect Family Vacation.

Our blog is updated regularly with handy family travel tips, guides & reviews. We also bring you all the latest Walt Disney World Updates & Disney World Rumours in our monthly Disney World News.

Follow Us

Subscribe to Modern Life is Good

Loading

Footer

All About Us

  • About Me
  • Contact Us
  • Terms & Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Share

Blogger
Delicious
Digg
Email
Facebook
Facebook messenger
Google
Hacker News
Line
LinkedIn
Mix
Odnoklassniki
PDF
Pinterest
Pocket
Print
Reddit
Renren
Short link
SMS
Skype
Telegram
Tumblr
Twitter
VKontakte
wechat
Weibo
WhatsApp
Xing
Yahoo! Mail
Powered by WP Socializer

Copy short link

Copy link
Powered by WP Socializer