2022
There was also a designated platform or stand separate from the Uber cabs and the personal cars for visitors.
There was a waiting area for the taxi and uber ride pickups but no security guard in place giving a free hand to the taxi drivers to behave in an unprofessional manner with visitors.
The parking lots are also interestingly named with themes like Jaws, Jurassic Park, King Kong and so on to make it easy to remember and locate the vehicles on return.
There are also escalators at every level change.
The security checks were limited and as a result I saw endless queues on a weekend in June 2023 when I visited here.
Subsequently there are miles of horizontal escalators or moving walkways to make it easy to cover the distance up to the entrance of the Universal Studios.
There were vending machines that sold snacks and drinks.
To ease walking the long distance the area is landscaped with interesting stuff and also there are huge advertisements indicating the food joints to expect once inside the studios.
This is the grand entrance of the Universal Studios, and the ticketing is still a faraway walk.
Tip: Arrive equipped with lots of water to drink especially in the sunny Orlando summer.
When viewed from the other side, I found that boating facility was available.
Here is the grand entrance to the ticketing area.
The queues here are endless and there is no shade anywhere in the premises of the Universal Studio except the shops and cafes.
The express pass counter wore a deserted look.
Same story with the Annual pass counter since most people prefer booking the tickets online before arriving or because the rates were too high.
When I enquired, I was told the combined pass for the entire studio was a steep USD 400 per person.
There is also a nice and peaceful waiting area with a fountain, but it was again not covered leaving visitors to suffer in the scorching heat of sunny Florida.
The entire area is nicely leveled, hurdle free and accessible for wheelchair bound people.
There are plenty of direction boards all over the place mostly pointing to shops, food joints and cafes and a few towards public utilities like restrooms and phone call kiosks.
There are many interesting public places like this Island Adventure tower and a dragon for visual entertainment.
There are several public exhibits, and some are only paid though it is not impossible to steal a view from the across the grills at beauties like this.
Besides these, there are plenty of other gift and souvenir shops whose store fronts are shared in a separate post.
Here are some of the items on sale in the official stores that include regular stuff like mugs, T-shirts, keychains, dolls, and sweatshirts.
I did not see any electric cart or trolley carts to move around.
So be prepared to walk back to the parking lot which is again dotted with interesting landscapes.
Accessibility Features
♿ Most places starting from the parking to the ticketing counters are accessible.
♿ Various exhibits in the public areas and most shops and cafes were accessible.
♿ Strollers are not available for rent.
♿ Mobility scooters are also not available for those with difficulty walking.
Where to Stay
I stayed at the La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham that was just across the street opposite the ICON Park.
Orlando Tourist Places
Hello dear friend @Tushar_Suradkar Ji,
Seriously felt sad that such a famous destination is not visitor friendly! - waiting areas without sun protection looks to be very rediculous, taxi stand without security guard? Really shocking.
As usual, your tips are really valuable and important.
Also the ♿ aspects are well covered - great.
Are the private vendors have reasonably priced curios? Or all are costly like the basic food items?
And of course, being Universal Studios, one cannot avoid it - I fully agree.
Thanks... Very useful for a person who is going to visit.
Regards
👍❤️🙏
Yes, you are correct @TravellerG
Regular food items are overpriced in the Universal Studios, like malls out here in India.
Whereas malls and public places in US have free drinking water and washrooms, I did not find any in the Universal Studios.
Just be prepared to purchase everything here.
Thank you for attention to the details in the post and an enthusiastic response 😊
नमस्कार,
छान दिसत आहे, दादा तू म्हणाल्याप्रमाणे तिथे तिथे खाण्यापिण्याची सोय नाही आहे, मग तर प्रवाश्यांना आपली सोय करूनच तिथे भेट द्यावी..
Yes, even by their own local currency, the food items are sold at premium prices, especially compared to that in the town.
Distances are also huge @ajitthite and galleries are spaced apart to accommodate the huge crowds. The weather does not helpful too.
In spite of that the exhibits are spectacular, and experience is amazing.
