5-Day Universal Orlando Itinerary, With Halloween Horror Nights – A Universal Orlando Guide

This post may contain affiliate links from merchants including Amazon. Click for more information and disclosures.

Universal Orlando Resort is one of my favorite places to visit. As an Annual Passholder, I normally go there a few times a year.

However, there’s so much to see and do there, and sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming. As someone who visits pretty frequently, there’s still stuff even I haven’t done yet!

But that doesn’t mean that planning your next Universal Orlando vacation has to be stressful.

I’m going to show you my 5-Day Universal Orlando itinerary when I take my trips to the resort for Halloween Horror Nights, one of my favorite ways to celebrate Halloween.

I’ve used this itinerary or something similar to it for the last few years, and now I’m sharing it with you so you don’t feel overwhelmed the next time you visit!

I can even help you create an itinerary that’s even more personalized for you as your travel agent. Just follow the links on this page to get started with a free quote.

Day 1: Check-In, Then Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure

For this Universal Orlando itinerary, I’m going to assume that you have a flight that lands in the morning on day 1 of your trip. If you arrived the night before, go ahead and skip the afternoon section of this day – you’ll just start doing all that in the morning instead!

Morning

Fly into Orlando International Airport (MCO). I’d try to be there no later than 10 or 11 AM if possible.

Once you land at the MCO, you can either take a Lyft to your Universal Orlando Resort hotel or use the Universal Super Star Shuttle to get there.

When you do get to your hotel, it may be too early for you to check in. Check-in usually starts at 4 PM, but if you arrive and your room isn’t ready, fear not! 

Luckily, you’re able to leave your bags with luggage services, so leave everything there that you don’t plan on taking into the parks that day. You can pick it all back up when you return to the hotel that evening to take it to your room.

Afternoon

Once you’re checked in or you’ve left your bags at the luggage services counter, you can either decide to have lunch at one of the restaurants at your hotel, in the parks, or at CityWalk. Whichever you decide, I’d recommend grabbing a quick service meal, as you do want to get to the parks sooner rather than later.

Once you’ve eaten, head to (if you’re already there for lunch, begin to explore) Universal Studios Florida. I’d say try to be there around 1 or 2 PM to take advantage of this itinerary.

What I recommend doing is seeing things you won’t be able to do at Halloween Horror Nights on Day 2 of your trip. This includes the attractions in Minion Land (Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast), E.T. Adventure, The Simpsons Ride, and (if you feel like torturing yourself) Fast & Furious: Supercharged and Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon. 

Dreamworks Land will also be closed for Halloween Horror Nights, so if you have kids with you, this is the time to experience those attractions.

I definitely recommend seeing Universal Orlando’s Horror Make-Up Show on your trip – it’s my favorite show in all of Universal! You can do this today or on Day 2 before Halloween Horror Nights starts (more on that later).

Evening

The park may be closing at 5 PM if you’re visiting on a night when Halloween Horror Nights is occurring. Regardless, I’d say to try to aim for the back of the park around 4 PM. 

You can hit up The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley and explore to your heart’s content, but keep in mind that this area of the park will be open for Halloween Horror Nights. The real reason we’re here is to try and get to the Hogwarts Express in London to head over to Universal Islands of Adventure.

Expert Tip: If the line for the Hogwarts Express is too long, you can always walk out of Universal Studios Florida and walk next door to Islands of Adventure.

Remember that you need to have Park-to-Park tickets to ride the Hogwarts Express, so have those ready to show as you enter the line.

Once you take your magical train ride, you’ll be in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmede. At this point, you have a few hours in Islands of Adventure, so it’s up to you to do whatever you like until the park closes.

If you want to sleep in later on your trip and don’t really want to do early theme park entry, you can try to hit up Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, but keep in mind that the line will be longer than if you come here before the park opens in the morning.

It’s also a great time to try and catch a quick ride on VelociCoaster, especially once the sun sets. I also recommend night rides on The Incredible Hulk as well!

My favorite thing to eat in Islands of Adventure is the fish & chips from The Three Broomsticks, but I’d also recommend checking out the food at Fire Eater’s Grill and Green Eggs & Ham Cafe as well for a quick dinner.

Basically, look at this time in Islands of Adventure as your preview of your full day in this park later on in the trip. Hit up the things that are most important to you now while you know they’re open!

Once Islands of Adventure closes (or you’re too tired to go on any longer), head out of the park and either hang around CityWalk or head back to your hotel – you can even grab a quick snack to eat before you head to bed.

Day 2: Pool & Hotel Day, Then Halloween Horror Nights

Don’t worry about getting up too early today – in fact, you’ll be up pretty late for Halloween Horror Nights, so I recommend sleeping in!

Morning

Once you’re awake, it’s time for a late breakfast. We’re going to be staying at the hotel for the first half of the day, so grab a bite to eat there.

You can grab something at one of the quick-service locations, or if you’re staying at one of the Signature Collection hotels, grab a bite at the breakfast buffet or eat at a sit-down restaurant.

Regardless, take your time – this morning is all about relaxation. Once you’re done eating, it’s time to put on your suit and head to your hotel’s pool, where we’re going to be spending the next few hours!

Afternoon

Chill poolside and relax a bit in the Florida sunshine. If you’re craving an adult beverage, there should be a pool bar at your hotel; some hotels even let you place an order from your chair and have it brought to you!

I’d also recommend eating at the pool bar – the food at Universal pool bars is surprisingly good! But you can always dry off and eat inside at another restaurant or quick service location if you like.

Now, if you didn’t buy the Scream Early ticket (which I highly recommend) or have an Annual Pass, don’t head to the park until around 5:30 PM.

If you do have a Scream Early ticket or Annual Pass, I’d say to aim to be done with lunch and getting ready to head into Universal Studios Florida around 2 PM to try and get to the park around 3 PM. 

Once you’re in Universal Studios Florida, this is your chance to once again explore anything that won’t be open for Halloween Horror Nights that you didn’t get to experience the day before or get any rides done that you don’t want to worry about riding during Halloween Horror Nights, including Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers: The Ride-3D, Men In Black: Alien Attack, and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

This is one of the benefits of having a Scream Early ticket, along with this next recommendation: by 5 PM, get to the area of the park that has the haunted houses you’re going to want to do first. My recommendation is usually the New York area by Revenge of the Mummy since there are usually 3-4 houses there, but it could vary depending on which houses are a priority to you.

You’ll be able to begin lining up for the first house you want to do before anyone else with a regular Halloween Horror Nights ticket can. Yes, that means waiting in line for a bit, but trust me, it’s worth it to be able to knock out 1-3 houses before the park even opens.

Evening

Explore the horrors of Halloween Horror Nights. The event varies from year to year, but some things tend to stay the same, like Twisted Taters, at least one show, and a few rides being open.

Expert Tip: Work with me as your travel agent to come up with a specific itinerary just for Halloween Horror Nights, as the available houses, scare zones, shows, and attractions change from year to year. 

I HIGHLY recommend getting Express for Halloween Horror Nights to explore as much of the event as possible and avoid long waits. Be sure to take time to sit and have some food and drinks; because you wait in lines to walk through houses, there isn’t a lot of sitting that happens at Halloween Horror Nights.

Once you’ve thoroughly explored Halloween Horror Nights, head back to your hotel and crash into bed.

Day 3: Volcano Bay & Resort or CityWalk Dinner

You probably got back to your resort pretty late, so it’s up to you if you want to try and get to Volcano Bay for early entry. I usually pass, as Volcano Bay is usually a more relaxing day for me, especially after a long night at Halloween Horror Nights, but if you feel so inclined, go for it!

Morning

Grab a quick breakfast and head to Volcano Bay whenever you’re ready. Early entry is usually around 8 or 9 AM, but don’t feel like you necessarily need to be there right at park open.

The lines at Volcano Bay usually aren’t super long for most attractions, and the ones that do have longer lines should give you plenty of time to do if you get there by the late morning.

Afternoon

Enjoy the morning and afternoon exploring Volcano Bay, my favorite water park anywhere! 

I recommend the longboard pizzas for lunch and grabbing at least one cocktail to enjoy either at the bar overlooking the pool or to take and drink poolside. 

Expert Tip: If you have one of the plastic Volcano Bay souvenir cups, you get a discount on your drink and refills!

Volcano Bay to me is all about relaxation and keeping cool, so don’t stress out too much when you’re here. Enjoy swimming, riding the slides like Krakatau Aqua Coaster and ika Moana of the Honu ika Moana, and enjoying the Kopiko Wai Winding River lazy river and TeAwa the Fearless River, a more aggressive type of lazy river that isn’t very lazy – one of my favorites!

Evening

Around 4 or 5 PM, head out of Volcano Bay and either change clothes there or head back to the hotel to change for dinner. We’re going to keep it chill and grab dinner at the hotel or CityWalk tonight. You could even order room service or head down to the pool to lounge and grab dinner poolside as well!

After dinner, you can either explore CityWalk or your resort a little more or head back to the room or pool to chill. Again, the theme for today is relaxation, so keep doing that until it’s time for bed.

And be sure to get plenty of rest – you’ll be getting to Islands of Adventure bright and early in the morning!

Day 4: Islands of Adventure

If you’ve already ridden Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and Jurassic World VelociCoaster and don’t feel the need to ride them again or don’t mind waiting in their longer lines, you don’t need to do early entry today. Otherwise, we’re getting up early to explore Universal Islands of Adventure!

Morning

If you’re doing early entry, aim to be at the park half an hour before early entry starts. This means if you’re taking bus transportation, be waiting for the buses an hour before early entry starts. For example, if early entry starts at 8 AM, try to be waiting for the buses at your hotel at 7 AM to get to the park.

Yes, that means an early day, especially if you’re grabbing breakfast (which I highly recommend doing, even if it’s just a quick Starbucks sandwich). But getting a chance to ride these rides without the longer lines is worth it.

As soon as early entry begins, head to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Chances are, waiting for this will take up most of the early entry time. If it doesn’t, head over to VelociCoaster to get a ride in before the lines get longer.

Rest of the Day

Spend the rest of the day exploring Islands of Adventure, including any rides you didn’t experience two days ago! Then head back to your hotel to get another good night’s sleep – you have an EPIC day tomorrow!

Day 5: Universal Epic Universe

I highly recommend doing early entry for Epic Universe – it’s Universal’s newest theme park, so it’ll be busy. As with the day before, be waiting for your bus at the hotel one hour before early entry starts for Epic Universe to get there plenty of time before the gates open.

Morning

Head straight to Super Nintendo World. You’ll want to knock out the rides in this area first, especially Mine-Cart Madness (which doesn’t use Express) and Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, as those tend to get pretty long lines.

Once you’ve explored Super Nintendo World, leave and head over to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic. We’re going to hop on Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, which also doesn’t take Express. After that ride, you can try to catch the show in this world, Le Cirque Aracnus, before heading out.

Expert Tip: If you don’t mind riding with strangers and not picking your seat, Single Rider could be your friend at this park, especially on Mine-Cart Madness, which tends to get pretty long lines.

Afternoon

Walk past Stardust Racers and take a ride on it if you love thrill rides – it’s my favorite ride in the park!

Then head to How To Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk next. Ride Dragon Racer’s Rally (another ride that doesn’t take Express, but don’t wait too long for this – it’s too short and not worth it) and Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, which is a great family coaster. Try to see The Untrainable Dragon while you’re here as well.

I’d recommend grabbing lunch here, as the food is pretty good at both Mead Hall and Hooligan’s Grog & Gruel, which features the famous mac and cheese cones, which are fantastic.

Once you’re done here, you can head through Celestial Park, exploring this as you wish, before heading into Dark Universe. Hit up Curse of the Werewolf and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.

Evening

Grab some dinner and take the time to relax. I’ve had the chance to eat at the Atlantic restaurant, and if you don’t mind a fancier sit-down meal, I highly recommend it. The food is great, but expensive. However, the restaurant and its surroundings are beautiful.

Spend the rest of the evening doing things you didn’t get to do, re-riding your favorite rides, or exploring your favorite worlds at nighttime. Dark Universe at night is something special, and definitely a vibe at night.

There’s also a nightly fountain show in front of Helios Grand Hotel that you can catch before heading out for the night.

Head back to your hotel and catch some sleep before you check out the next morning by 11 AM!

Where to Stay at Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando Resort has gotten pretty big and has numerous resort hotel options. I’ve stayed at nearly all of them, and while I’d stay at all of them again, here are some of my recommendations.

My Overall Favorite Resort Hotel: Portofino Bay Hotel

My Second Favorite Resort Hotel: Sapphire Falls Resort Hotel

Favorite Budget Resort Hotel: Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Favorite Budget Resort Near Epic Universe: Stella Nova Resort

There are so many options to pick from, and as I said before, none of them are bad. Work with me as your travel agent when planning your trip to Universal Orlando to figure out what’s going to be best for you and your budget!

Where to Eat at Universal Orlando Resort

I’ve been to Universal Orlando so many times in the last few years, and I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to food at this resort. That being said, here are some of my recommendations:

Universal Studios Florida: Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour – Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley, TODAY Cafe – Hollywood, Richter’s Burger Co – San Francisco, Illumination’s Minion Cafe – Minion Land

Islands of Adventure: Fire Eater’s Grill – The Lost Continent, Mythos Restaurant – The Lost Continent, Green Eggs and Ham Cafe – Seuss Landing, Three Broomsticks – Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmede

Volcano Bay: Dancing Dragon’s Boat Bar – Wave Village, Whakawaiwai Eats – River Village

Epic Universe: Atlantic – Celestial Park, Bar Zenith – Celestial Park, Bar Moonshine – Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic, The Burning Blade Tavern – Dark Universe, Das Stakehaus- Dark Universe, Hooligan’s Grog & Gruel – How To Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk, Mead Hall – How To Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk

CityWalk: Pat O’Brien’s, Voodoo Doughnut, Bigfire

Portofino Bay Hotel: Sal’s Market Deli, Mama Della’s Ristorante

Sapphire Falls Resort Hotel: Strong Water Tavern

Aventura Hotel: Bar 17 Bistro

Stella Nova Resort: Cosmos Cafe and Market

Navigating the Universal Orlando Resort

Because the resort is so large, it includes free transportation to/from the theme parks, CityWalk, and the resort hotels.

Water taxis are available from some resorts, and are my personal favorite way to travel. They include security at your hotel, so you don’t have to worry about going through security at the entrance to CityWalk with everyone else – you get dropped off from your boat in the middle of CityWalk!

Some resorts are even close enough that you can walk to the theme parks and even Volcano Bay! And of course, there’s bus transportation as well.

If you’re staying at Epic Universe, the only way to get there is by bus unless you stay at Stella Nova, in which case you can also walk.

Read more about the transportation options at Universal Orlando Resort.

What to Pack and What NOT to Forget

No trip to Universal is complete without some essential items. Here are some that I swear by:

Comfortable Walking Shoes: You’re going to be walking A LOT on this trip, so make sure you have shoes that provide enough support for your feet as you walk around and wait in lines.

Cross-Body Bag or Small Bag: If you have too much stuff to carry in your pockets, consider a small bag to carry with you. Just remember that you’ll need to put it in the lockers for some rides.

Sunglasses: The sun in Florida means it gets pretty bright. Don’t get a headache from straining your eyes – bring sunglasses!

Sunscreen: Don’t let the Florida sun make you miserable. You know what’s more miserable? Skin cancer. Remember to wear sunscreen.

Phone Charger: Bring a portable cord and charging block or, even better, one that attaches magnetically and charges your phone!

Motion Sickness Medicine: Some of the rides at Universal can cause motion sickness, so it’s better to bring something like Dramamine to take if you’re prone to it.

Heartburn Medicine: If you’re like me, heartburn can be an annoying symptom of theme park food. Prevent it by taking some heartburn medicine throughout your trip.

And of course, don’t forget to have your tickets and room key with you as you visit throughout the resort, especially if you’re doing early entry or using Express Pass. If you’re staying at a hotel that comes with Universal Express Unlimited, you’ll need to use your room key at least once!

Ready to Travel to Universal Without Stress?

Planning a vacation isn’t always easy, but for you, it can be!

By working with me as your travel advisor, I want you to tell me everything you want from your ideal Universal Orlando vacation. Then I’ll go ahead and plan and book it for you, so all you need to do is get there!

You’ll even get personalized itineraries and guides on how to make sure your trip is the best and tailored for you, so you can explore as much of the resort as possible with your timing and budget considerations.

If you’re tired of getting stressed out while planning vacations and then feeling stressed figuring out what to do once you’re there, request a free quote and learn how relaxing it can be to travel!