Home to the world’s most iconic theme parks, Orlando Florida is also notorious for its extreme weather. Especially during the summer months, visitors to Orlando are likely to encounter very hot, humid weather and thunderstorms on a daily basis. Savvy travelers should have no problem coping with the heat and rain. Here are a few tips to prepare you for the hot weather at Universal Orlando.

Bring a poncho

Hot weather in Orlando equals afternoon thunderstorms, including torrential downpours. The good news is that these rain storms often only last a few minutes. The bad news is that you can get completely drenched just running from one attraction to the next. Be prepared and bring a poncho.

A few poncho tips:

Purchase Ahead and Buy in Bulk – Bring 2 ponchos for everyone in your group. This way you can have one drying in the hotel room and keep a fresh one in reserve. You can buy ponchos in multiples on Amazon for a lot less than you’ll pay in the park.

Get Ponchos That Come In Their Own Bag – and get some carabiners to attach them to the outside of your purse or backpack. This way you don’t have to put a wet poncho in your bag.

Carry a Small Towel – You can use it to wipe off your wet poncho when you go inside, or to wipe down the seat on the Jurassic Park ride.

Pay It Forward – If you don’t want to pack the ponchos back in your luggage for the trip home, give them to some arriving guests who don’t have any.

We like the Totes ponchos. They’re durable, have snaps up the side, and come in a mesh pouch.

Get out of the heat or rain in the middle of the day

Be at the park when the gates open in the morning – it’s the coolest time of day with the lowest crowds. Then take a break around lunchtime to get cool. I have a couple of suggestions about this.

If you’re in the parks, my recommended drop-in lunch spot is Circus McGurkus Café in Suess Landing at Islands of Adventure. This isn’t my favorite because of the food – it’s pretty much the standard mediocre Universal quick-service – but this is a big restaurant with fun Dr. Suess theming, it’s almost always nearly empty, and it’s nice and cool.

Or avoid the hot weather at Universal by escaping the parks at lunchtime

Mid-day is the least efficient time to be touring in the parks. The lines are the longest, it’s hot, and you’re probably a little tired and hungry. I think this is a great time to take a break and recharge. Head out of the parks for lunch, either over to CityWalk or even better, go to your hotel for a few hours. (You did stay onsite like I suggested in my 33 Things to Know Before You Visit Universal Orlando post, right?)

The Universal hotels have some fabulous restaurant options. We really like Kitchen at the Hard Rock (awesome burgers) or you can go over to Portofino Bay for pizza. Or get something to go and take it to your room – you can take your shoes off and rest in the nice cool air conditioning!

Stay in your room awhile, take a look at your favorite weather app to find out when the afternoon rain shower is coming. You may want to stay inside just a bit longer to avoid that shower or get back to the park so you can be happily on a ride when the rain hits. (An indoor ride that is!)

Booking.com

Catch a Ride on a Pedicab

Save your feet, get there faster, and catch a cool breeze when heading to or from the onsite hotels – for just a few dollars you can catch a ride on a pedicab. The pedicabs are usually waiting just outside of security on the paths to the hotels. They are almost always there from lunchtime through to the evening.

A pedicab ride is easily twice as fast as walking which saves you time, and, most importantly, your tired feet! The pedicabs don’t charge a set rate – the driver asks that you pay whatever you’d like. For two of us we usually pay about $6-$7, but if it’s really hot I’ll pay a little more.

Pedicabs are not always waiting at the hotels, so you may have to walk in that direction. But you could get lucky if someone recently was dropped off there and the rider is making a return trip with an empty cab.

Get a Wand Holster

I bet you’ve never seen this tip before. But wizarding robes are way too hot for summer weather at Universal. And you surely want to keep your wand handy to cast spells in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. The obvious solution: a wand holster.

You can either make your own wand holster or purchase one on Etsy. Luna’s holster in the photo here was purchased from Earsom Emporium  on Etsy and we love it. It held her wand tightly on her arm and she received tons of compliments from other guests and especially from park workers. Here’s the shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/EarsomEmporium

Go Informed Podcast

Episode 24 of the Go Informed podcast is my Orlando summer gear guide. Click here for more essential weather tips.

Episode 28 covers my Top 5 Orlando Summer Weather Tips. Click here to listen now.

Which turnstile to pick when you’re first at the gate at Universal Orlando

If you’re like us and you want to be first at the Universal park gate, this obscure geek tip is for you. One time we were literally the first people at the park gates. We chose a turnstile at random, first in line. But when it was time for the gates to open, there was no park employee to take our ticket!

When you arrive earlier than the park employees you’ve got to guess which turnstiles will be manned. If the weather’s going to be warm, take a look above the turnstiles. We have noticed that the park workers jockey to stand at the turnstiles that have fans directly overhead. They also seem to prefer working on the end. I can’t guarantee you’ll have someone there to take your ticket but this will definitely increase your chances.

For more information about being first into the Universal Parks check out these posts:

Harry Potter fans, here’s how to make the most of Universal Studios Florida early admission

Get Early Admission to Diagon Alley and the Gringott’s Bank Ride

Episode 19 of the Go Informed podcast, Master Your Theme Park Morning, will help you get up ready to rock the rope drop.

Episode 23 of the Go Informed podcast is all about early admission at Universal Studios Florida.

Extreme Weather Tips

For tips on dealing with even more extreme weather, including so much rain that your shoes are soggy, hop over to my Theme Park Rainy Day Tips: Xtreme Edition post.

Orlando Weather Board on Pinterest

You can find all the resources mentioned in this post, including instructions to make your own wand holster, plus much more, on my Orlando Weather board on Pinterest. Click here to check it out.

Follow all my Pinterest boards at www.Pinterest.com/goinformednet

Chime In

We’d love to hear your tips for visiting Universal Orlando in extreme weather, please leave a comment and join the conversation.

More Theme Park Tips from goinformed.net

Click here to read all my Orlando theme park tips, including:

33 Things to Know Before You Visit Universal Orlando

55 Things To Know Before You Visit Disney World

Five Things You Should Do The Night Before to Help You Wake Up Early On Your Theme Park Vacation

This One Simple Tip Can Save Money on your Entire Universal Orlando Vacation

Click here to listen to the Go Informed podcast.

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The post Weather at Universal Orlando: 5 Cool Tips for the Heat and Rain appeared first on Go Informed.

I’m excited to share with you one of my favorite hacks from our last trip to Disney World. On days when EPCOT does not offer early extra magic hours, this tip will get you into the park early so you can be first in line for the Frozen Ever After ride. And did I mention there’s bacon?

You can also hear me discuss this amazing Disney World hack on episode 27 of the Go Informed podcast. Click here to listen now.

Frozen Fever

The Frozen Ever After ride debuted in Summer 2016 to huge fanfare and even huger lines. Located in the Norway pavilion at EPCOT theme park, wait times at this popular attraction are often more than 60 minutes, sometimes approaching two hours and beyond.

In my opinion, the Frozen ride is very well done and is worth the ride but I wouldn’t wait more than 30 minutes for it. If you have a hardcore Frozen fan in your group or you just want to check out the new ride, there is a way to skip the lines altogether.

The Dining Reservation That Brings You An Empty Frozen Queue

First, be aware: this hack really only works on a day that EPCOT opens at 9:00am or later and does NOT have early morning extra magic hours. (I will explain more below).

The key to the kingdom lies in an early breakfast reservation at Akershus Dining Hall in the Norway Pavilion at EPCOT . I mean early, like 8:00am if you can get it.

Yes, You Can Get Into the Disney World Parks Before Official Opening If You Have a Breakfast Reservation

A lot of people don’t realize it, but every Disney World park has at least one restaurant that serves breakfast before park opening. The restaurants start reservations at 8:00am regardless of park hours. So if the park doesn’t open until 9:00am, you could get in, eat breakfast, and be ready to rock before the rest of the crowd gets there.

The day we used this hack was a pretty typical EPCOT schedule. The park opened at 9:00am with no early extra magic hours, which means they probably let everyone into the park around 8:45am. We were able to score a reservation at Akershus at 8:20am. By 9:00 we had already eaten a delicious breakfast, taken selfies with Cinderella and Snow White, met Belle, and rode the Frozen ride.

Get There Early

Guests who have early breakfast reservations have a special line at the park gates. These guests are allowed into the park at least a few minutes before the first reservation. Even though our reservation wasn’t until 8:20am, we were allowed to go into the park when the gate was opened at about 7:50am. We could’ve wandered around until 8:20 – this is a wonderful time to get pictures – but we went straight to Akershus and checked in. Sure enough, we only waited about two minutes before our name was called. By just a few minutes after 8:00am we were seated and ready to eat.

At breakfast Akershus is a combination buffet/family-style restaurant. There is a buffet with pastries, fruit, and Norwegian smorgasbord, plus servers bring out a family-style platter of eggs, bacon, sausage, and a delicious potato dish. I let our server know that we wouldn’t be lingering, so she brought the check for me to settle right away.

Akershus is also a princess breakfast, where many of the Disney princesses come around to the tables for meet and greet. The price of breakfast is about $50 per adult, $30 for kids under 9 – so this is certainly throwing money at the Frozen problem. But we thought the food was really good, it was nice having a real breakfast before a day of touring, and there’s the added benefit of meeting the princesses. In my mind the ability to be the only ones in the park plus the nice breakfast made the cost of the meal worthwhile.

By arriving early for our reservation, we were able to enjoy our meal without feeling rushed and leave the restaurant by 8:40. Literally right next door is the line for the Frozen ride. Cast members were standing outside the doors to the attraction and there were a handful of guests in the line already. At about 8:45 the doors opened and we walked straight in through an empty queue, right on to the ride with no wait.

As we got off the ride the crowds from the front of the park arrived and started filling up the queue. So if you do this trick, be sure to be outside in the Frozen queue no later than 8:45. Once the park gates are open the line will quickly stretch to 60 minutes or more. And please read my warning below!

Watch the Parks Schedule for Opening Hours Changes

This is super-important! This hack really only works if you can get into the park way before everyone else. It is very common for Disney to change park hours, sometimes announcing just days in advance if a park is going to open earlier or stay open later.

If you have an 8:00am breakfast reservation and Disney changes the park hours to open at 8:00am or before (8:00am extra magic hours count too), you will have no advantage over the rest of the crowd. In fact, you will now be at a disadvantage because you’ll be having breakfast while everyone else is on the rides.

Be sure to watch those park hours and cancel or change your dining reservation if you need to. Be aware that Disney will charge a fee to you if you cancel advanced dining reservations less than 24 hours ahead – so be vigilant.

Here’s What To Do If You Want More Time to Meet the Princesses at Akershus and Also Want to Be First on the Frozen Ride

A twist on this hack, if you can’t get a reservation in the 8:00am hour, or if you’d like to have a more leisurely breakfast and spend time with the princesses – make your reservation for around 9:00am. The family next to us in the Frozen line did this exact thing. Their reservation was for 9:15am. As breakfast guests, they entered the park early through the breakfast reservation line, went to the restaurant, checked-in and told the hostess they would be ready for breakfast after riding Frozen. Since they were in the park early they were first on the ride, and back at the restaurant in minutes.

A Few Other Disney World Breakfast Reservation Tips

These tips are for any guest who has breakfast reservations in any of the Disney World parks before official park opening time. You can hear more of my tips for making dining reservations on episode 12 of the Go Informed podcast.

On episode 29 of the Go Informed podcast, I share a fabulous tool that can help you snag a hard-to-get Disney World dining reservation.

How to Get Your Family Ready for an Early Breakfast Reservation at Disney World

Episode 19 of the Go Informed podcast is all about how to get your family up and moving for an early theme park day. Get my advice for how to Master Your Theme Park Morning here.

Early Morning Transportation at Disney World

Disney buses from the resort hotels start running about one hour before each park’s opening time, or one hour before the earliest breakfast reservation, whichever is earliest. So if you have an 8:00am breakfast reservation in EPCOT there should be a bus at your hotel at about 7:00am.

I always recommend leaving your hotel room one hour before park opening or your reservation. This gives plenty of time in case you miss a bus and there is absolutely no down-side to arriving at the park gates earlier than planned.

If you’re wondering how to get your family moving that early in the morning, here’s a link to my travel tricks for getting up early at Disney World.

Also, the monorail does not always run this early, in spite of what a cast member may tell you. It’s best to rely on the buses if time is of the essence especially if you’re traveling well before park opening. If you miss the bus or need to get there more quickly, Uber is another highly efficient way to get around at Disney World.

Where To Go For Your Early Morning Disney World Breakfast Reservation When You Get To The Park

If you arrive well before park opening, odds are you will spot an obvious line of early birds waiting to get in for breakfast. (The regular early guests will be spread out at the turnstiles so they can be first in line). Look for a sign that says something like ‘guests with breakfast and tour reservations’, or just ask a cast member.

Be sure you have an idea of where to go once you’re in the park. The place will be empty and you’ll probably be on your own to find the restaurant. Akershus is far from EPCOT’s main gate, in the World Showcase area of the park. The last thing you want to do is get lost and lose your place in line. Grab a park map on the way in, or use the My Disney Experience app to navigate. A good guide book can also help you get oriented even before you leave home.

How to Get an Early Morning Reservation

Disney allows guests to make dining reservations up to 180 days before their trip. If you can plan this far ahead, I imagine you’ll have the best shot at scoring an 8:00am reservation. For the rest of us, try to book the reservation as soon as you know which day you’d like to be in that park.

Get tips for making your Disney World dining reservations on this episode of the Go Informed podcast.

You can book your dining reservation through the My Disney Experience app or website. When you’re looking for an early time like 8:00, I find it’s best to search for that time rather than just “breakfast”. It seems like the app gives more options when you put in a specific time.

If nothing is available when you first look, keep checking back. I was able to get our 8:20am time just a couple of weeks before our trip. And of course, keep an eye on that park schedule!

Go Informed Passholders get exclusive access to our private Facebook group and bonus content. Click to learn more!

More Disney World Tips on the Go Informed Podcast

Listen to my in-depth conversation about this hack on the Go Informed podcast, episode 27.

Click here for all my Orlando Theme Park Advice, including:

55 Things To Know Before You Visit Disney World

Why you should wake up for early extra magic hours

My favorite books, websites, and podcasts for planning an Orlando theme park vacation

The 33 things you should know before you visit Universal Orlando

Disney World weather tips

This post may contain affiliate links.

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The post Beat the Crowds and Skip the Line at Disney World’s Frozen Ever After Ride appeared first on Go Informed.