Is Universal worth it if you've never see or read Harry Potter?

[Stitch & Smudge]

Yes, despite losing the duelling dragons coaster they still have The Hulk and Rip Ride Rock’it which are both very good. Popeye and Blutos is a water ride similar to Kali River Rapids but bigger and wetter (and better). Dudley Dorights is another water ride which has no comparison in Disney. Jurassic Park river raft ride is similar to Splash without the singing, a larger boat and a bigger drop. Dr Doom is a reverse ToT but not as good. Spider-Man and Transformers are basically the same ride as one another but with different theming, a kind of cross between a coaster and film. Not brilliant but not bad. As for HP even if you’re not a fan both rides are worth doing and the train between the parks is amazing. I wasn’t impressed with the Kong ride, although I found the queue impressive. Fast and Furious is the same kind of ride and doesn’t have good reviews. At your boys age the coasters that they do have left (still hurting over dragon challenge) are more grown up than Disney’s so I’d say if you’re not doing Disney then yes, if you are doing Disney then it depends on how much you are willing to shell out. The other spanner I could throw in the works would be to suggest Busch and Seaworld as Mako could be just about the most thrilling ride in Orlando.(and the tickets are cheaper too)

[Melanie2604]

14 days is a very long time for Universal - 4 days is more than enough. It's great but nowhere near on the scale of Disney.

[Moorlandman]

Universal has higher height limits for rides - you may find your 9yr old will be too small for some rides

[xcited]

Not a Harry potter fan hadn't seen any of the film's or read the books) but was amazed at the theming. Forbidden journey is a fantastic ride. Have since managed 2.5 of the film's but can't get into them. The rest of the parks have plenty for everyone and definitely worth a visit.

[kylali]

HP is only a small part of universal and IOA. There is so much more there to do and see there.

[joanne42]

Never read the books or watched the films unlike the rest of family,but love it would recommend to anyone,it’s like another world so well done,I’d go as far as saying I enjoy it more than them

[rafjen]

3-4 days is perfect for universal- As others have said the rides are good even if you don't like Harry Potter, but I'd watch at least the first film so you can appreciate the theming more. As well as the Harry Potter land we love The Mummy, Spiderman, Men in Black, Hulk, Jurassic Park and Rapids ( we ride these several times each). Lots of others we really enjoy Minions, Simpsons, Kong, Ripsaw, Transformers, We even had a great time on the smaller rides, One Fish, Two fish trying to avoid the water sprays. Spiderman is nearly everyones favourite here. We wouldn't go to Florida without visiting.

[Fraser789]

When I first saw the Harry Potter areas I had only seen the first few films and I still really enjoyed it. Realistically you only need to see the first film to appreciate these areas though.

Harry Potter is only a small part of the parks there is still so much more to see I love it at Universal.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by GaryxG

So is HP a big part of the parks if we don't do it, or will we still enjoy HP if we do it?

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HP is not a big part of the Universal parks, no. We visited Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure long before Harry Potter came along and enjoyed the parks back then. There's plenty of other things to see and do - Marvel Island, Jurassic Park, Dr Seuss, Simpsons, Men In Black, etc.

However, I think you'll still enjoy the HP rides and attractions even if you haven't seen the films or read the books. They are great rides.

BTW, I wouldn't spend 14 days at Universal. Three or four days, yes. Five days maybe. Six days at a push. But not 14.

[Melanie2604]

Depending on when you're going, it may well be cheaper to buy one annual pass, then use the discount to buy multi day tickets for the rest of your family. They have different levels of pass that include parking, discounts on hotels and restaurants.