Did you know that there is a Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar that can help you choose the best time to go?
You know there’s nothing I love more than giving you all the best tips and tricks for planning out the best theme park day ever.
From what to ride, to what to eat, I love to cover it all so that you can have the most memorable theme park experience possible!
So today, I’m excited to share with you some tips and tricks to consider in phase one of planning your theme park visit: when to actually go!
2024 Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar
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Best Time to Go to Universal Studios Florida at a Glance:
- The best months to visit Universal Orlando Resort to avoid the crowds are: late-January and early-February
- Your best days to visit Universal Orlando Resort are: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
- Be sure to avoid all major holidays such as: Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day Weekend, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Eve
The Importance of Choosing the Best Day to Go to Universal Orlando Resort in 2024
As you already know, Universal Studios Orlando is no hidden secret. Plenty of families and individuals of all ages want to go and experience the fun for themselves.
But unfortunately…this can lead to long wait times, overcrowding, and an overall less enjoyable experience.
To avoid all that, today we’re going to discuss the Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar.
It’s a free, easy-to-use tool that will ensure you never have to wait longer than five minutes to get a Butterbeer ever again!
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What is a Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar, anyway?
If you’re not familiar with what a Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar is, don’t sweat it! I got you covered!
Basically, a this is a calendar that uses previous years’ data to predict theme park crowds ahead of time for different holidays, days of the week, times of year, etc.
Why? Because, with this knowledge, you can better plan your visit to go on days with less people…because less crowds equals more enjoyment, and oftentimes, cheaper prices too!
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How does the Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar work?
Just like a normal calendar, every Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar is designed differently.
However, they are essentially a calendar guiding you to see which exact days of the upcoming year will have heavy, light, or moderate attendance– so you can better plan your trip to be crowd-free.
And, since Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendars are packed with lots of helpful information, there’s no one way to use them…
… but I’ll try and break down my best suggestion of how to do it below.
Pretty simply, you can either glance at each month of the year, or go directly to the month you’re thinking of planning your Universal Studios Orlando trip.
Then, from there, you can read which days will have what type of crowding so you can figure out when’s the best time to go.
The calendars break down theme park attendance into three levels.
- Low is an ideal time to go with minimal crowds and 10 minute or less wait times (GREEN COLOR)
- Moderate means the crowds are pretty standard, with most rides having a 15 to 30 minute wait (YELLOW COLOR)
- Heavy means the park is quite full with wait times quite possibly reaching an hour or more (RED COLOR)
I understand that sometimes you have a busy schedule, which means you might only be able to go to Universal Orlando Resort during a high crowd time.
But, at the very least, this Orlando theme park crowd calendar can help you better prepare for what to expect so you know exactly what type of crowd level you’ll be walking into.
Are Universal Orlando Crowd Calendars 100% Accurate?
Unfortunately, I can’t guarantee that any Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar is 100% accurate, but I feel confident telling you that they’re pretty reliable!
The reason we are hesitant to say that they are 100% accurate is due to unforeseen circumstances.
For example, the 2024’s calendar is based on the attendance the parks saw in 2022 and 2023.
Of course, in those previous years, the parks did not experience unforeseen closures due to a global pandemic. They also then didn’t have to recover this loss by offering discounted tickets and deals to spike park attendance again.
What about visiting Universal Orlando in 2024 and 2025?
I’m positive that attendance rates will be accurately predicted for the very unpredictable year of 2024 and 2025?
But I do think that compiling park attendance rates from the most recent years, which considers things like national holidays and school closures, are a great predictor for park crowds.
Additionally, crowd calendars take into effect things you might not necessarily think to research such as local Orlando special events.
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For example, at the neighboring Disney theme parks, it might be marathon weekend, or the Epcot Food and Wine festival, meaning the crowds will be big at Universal Studios Orlando too.
But of course, all of this is too much for one person to keep track of. And that’s why Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendars are the best way to go when planning.
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Where can I find the Best Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar?
To be honest, it is super easy to find a crowd calendar for no charge at all. In fact, just hop onto Bing and type in “Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar.”
You can also simply just search “Orlando Theme Parks Crowd Calendar” on this site if you’re looking to visit more than just Universal Studios Orlando.
I love these Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendars because they’re simple to read and offers the whole year at a quick glance.
It also extends to all of Disney’s and SeaWorld’s parks, so you can find all your theme park planning tips in one place!
How to Use ThemeParkHipster’s Orlando Theme Park Crowd Calendar
To read ThemeParkHipster’s Orlando Crowd Calendar, simply find the month you’re looking to travel in along the top row.
And right underneath, they even include the ticket prices to expect that month – another great factor to consider when planning your next ThemeParkHipster visit!
Next, once you’ve located the month you desire, simply scroll downwards to locate the day(s) of the month that you’re looking to visit, which are listed along the furthest column to the left.
Finally, use the easy-to-read key to understand that day’s crowd level. A red dot indicates large crowds, a yellow dot indicates moderate crowds, and a green dot indicates low crowds (aka: the best days to go!)
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Holidays at Universal Orlando Resort
And also keep in mind that national holidays at Universal Studios typically lend themselves to large crowds.
My final favorite part about our Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar? Click on any image to get the details on all Orlando theme park hours and special events.
Basically, I promise that this calendar really is the only guide you need when planning your next Orlando theme park hopping vacation!
So, what are you waiting for? Start planning before the rest of the crowds do!
Ways to Choose the Best Time to Visit Universal Studios Orlando
Okay, so I already told you all about the best Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar and how to use it.
But what about ‘what are the best times to visit Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure in general?’
Keep reading below for our favorite tips and tricks to find out!
What day of the week is the least crowded at Universal Studios Orlando?
Tuesdays or Wednesdays are typically the best days to hit up Universal Studios Orlando. This is because the weekends usually bring a lot of local visitors.
Additionally, Thursdays and Fridays typically see out of town visitors who might arrive in Orlando on a Saturday, and then take the next few days to go to Disney’s parks before visiting Orlando Studios at the end of the week.
Although, to be honest, the time of year you go is a much better indicator of crowds than just the day of the week in general.
What is the best month to go to Universal Studios?
The best time to visit Universal Studios Orlando, or any Orlando theme park for that matter, is mid to late January and early February.
With early January comes the New Year crowds, and with mid-February comes Valentine’s Day outings.
But typically, if you can arrange to go between January 7 and February 8, (after winter school breaks end), you’ll miss most seasonal crowds and resort price spikes.
What is the cheapest time to go to Universal Studios Orlando?
When we talk about the cheapest time to go to Universal Studios Florida, I’m mostly referring to the resort room prices, since ticket prices do not fluctuate by season or time of year at the time of writing this post.
However, with that being said, note that prices will be higher during the Holiday season (i.e. December 20 – January 5) and special events (i.e. Halloween Horror Nights or any Harry Potter World related special events).
In general, you’ll find the lowest Universal Studios Orlando pricing in January after the holiday season has passed and most families are saving up their pennies, recovering from their gift and vacation expenses from the last few weeks.
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My Final Thoughts on the Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar
I truly hoped this helped you not only better understand the Universal Studios Orlando Crowd Calendar, but also help you overall in planning your next ThemeParkHipster amusement park hopping extravaganza!
As a general rule, before planning any theme park visit, check out the Park Prodigy crowd calendar to make sure you’re going at the least busy, and therefore more inexpensive, time of year.
I’m sure that this little bit of extra planning will make your visit more fun and memorable!
So, whether you’re a solo theme park flyer for the food, the rides, or the Instagrammable moments, we welcome you to our ThemeParkHipster community and hope to see you again soon for more exclusive theme park tips and tricks!
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
Gina is a former Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line Cast Member who enjoys reliving the magic by writing helpful tips and tricks for future guests!
Check out more about her Disney adventures and writing endeavors here on ThemeParkHipster or Florida Hipster!
UP NEXT: What to Pack for Your Universal Orlando Vacation
(Original Article Date: September 29, 2020/Updated by Editor on January 8, 2024)