The BEST Rope Drop Strategy for Universal Orlando

You’re heading to Universal Orlando soon? Epic, let’s make sure you have the best trip ever.

This is where I go when I rope-drop Universal!

Not everyone likes to rope drop when they’re on vacation, but for those travelers with shorter trips, or who just want to make the absolute most of each day of their vacation, it’s the way to go. We talk about rope-dropping a lot for Disney World here on AllEars, but what about rope-dropping Universal? Don’t worry, I’m here to help you out!

Currently, there are two parks that makeup Universal Orlando Resort (not counting their water park, Volcano Bay), but that’s soon to be three with Epic Universe opening in May 2025! Both of these parks have very different attractions, but your rope drop strategy must be strong for each of them if you want to avoid massively long lines for certain attractions.

If you have to choose between rope-dropping either park, I highly recommend choosing Islands of Adventure over Universal Studios because IOA has not one, but TWO rope-drop attractions that are 100% worth your time. Most notable is Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, and while it’s been open since June 2019, it’s still the most popular ride in the park.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

This incredible ride is totally worth a long wait, HOWEVER, these lines quickly get out of control, and we don’t think you should spend hours of your day waiting in line for one attraction. So if you’re rope dropping the park, this is the ride you want to run to, ESPECIALLY if you’re staying at a Universal Orlando hotel and have early entry!

However, if you’re not a big fan of the theming of this area of the park, or the type of ride isn’t appealing to you, I also recommend rope-dropping VelociCoaster! This is another amazing attraction that can get pretty long lines throughout the day, but not usually as long as Hagrid’s. It’s been open since June 2021 and is one of the smoothest coasters (so far) in all of Universal Orlando Resort.

For the best of both worlds, get in line for Hagrid’s as early as humanely possible (again, early entry rope drop is one of the best options here), then head over to Velocicoaster! If you were to do vice versa, you’d be facing a WAY longer line for Hagrid’s most likely, so I don’t totally recommend that.

Now, if you’re heading over to Universal Studios, I’ve got good news — while lines can certainly still get long, you won’t often find any line that’s as long as Hagrid’s or VelociCoaster’s over at the other park. However, if you are rope-dropping here, I recommend heading over to Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, as it’s one of the more popular attractions in the park. This is especially the case if you’re with a group that wouldn’t want to split up and do the single-rider option.

Now, this all will change when Epic Universe opens in a few months, because that park will have its own rope drop strategy, AND it’s possible we could see the existing two parks a little less crowded during the summer as more guests focus on experiencing the new park.