Islands of Adventure Parking and Stuff

Hey, gang. We are going to WDW in September and my DD9 wants to take one day at IOA. We'll probably rent a car from WDW (unless someone has a better suggestion) and drive to Universal Orlando. We've never been there so I have very basic questions.

Where do we park? Is there just one parking lot for off-property guests? And does it service both of their parks?
About how much time should I allot for parking and getting to the park?
Would you consider IOA a half-day park? Or is there plenty to see?
Any lunchtime tips? (I would appreciate it!)

Thanks!

From our experience there is a main parking garage that is for both parks. Once you park there is a lot of walking involved before you even get to a park. You have to walk through City Walk to get to either of the parks.

The first time we did IOA we arrived at park opening and stayed till around 3 or 4ish. The second time we arrived at opening and were done with what we wanted to do around 2. On both visits we did everything WE wanted to do, but not everything in the park.

This last time we stayed on site and did both parks in one day. I wouldn't suggest doing both parks in one day for a newbie, and defintely not if you aren't staying onsite. The Express Pass we got with our room is the only reason we were able to get so much done in such a short amount of time.

I'd give yourself at least 30 minutes to park and then get inside the park. And give yourself at least another 30 minutes to drive from WDW to Universal. I want to say when we drove it took us around 15-20 minutes, but there can be lots of traffic and you want to give yourself enough time.

For lunch I'd suggest Three Broomsticks in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We've eaten here a few times and have never had a bad meal. They have a fantastic chicken and ribs combo that's plenty of food and much better than your typical theme park food. For something nicer we also enjoyed Bubba Gump Shrimp at City Walk. Lots of great seafood choices, and the food was great!

When we first went it was mainly to check out the Harry Potter section of the park. My kids loved it and it looks like it will be a permanent addition to most of our future WDW trips. I hope you guys enjoy it just as much as we did.

Read this for my restaurant reviews:

http://www.intercot.com/discussion/s...d.php?t=189389

Agreed with the offsite parking. Allow 30 mins from the time you park to the time you enter the theme park. You can pay a couple of $$ more to park a little closer. I would reccomend doing that. You will see the signs as you are driving up to the parking garage.

[QUOTE=
Where do we park? Is there just one parking lot for off-property guests? And does it service both of their parks?
About how much time should I allot for parking and getting to the park?
Would you consider IOA a half-day park? Or is there plenty to see?
Any lunchtime tips? (I would appreciate it!)
Thanks![/QUOTE]

Parking is all one, and yes, lots of walking. It is huge, so remember to note where you left the car!
Between leaving your WDW and walking into IOA, I would estimate an hour just to be safe. Could be less.
You could probably do IOA by dinnertime, and that's being liberal and taking your time. Unless you go on a weekend, which we try not to.

As for where to rent a car, there is Enterprise on site, but I got a VERY good deal with Budget, which is located in one of the hotels across from DTD. Last time I rented there, I got a small SUV for probably not a lot more than your average mid size car.

Depends on when you want to get there. We like to be parking the car by 8.15, so its like 20 minutes from the WDW area (though I drive like I stole it, which fits into the Orlando driving styles).

Parking, there is valet. I haven't had a chance to use it.

But, there is regular parking for 15, and premium for 20. I always do the 20, as its about as close as you can get.

There are those treadmill walkways to help bring you in.. Stand to the right, walk on the left of the moving pathway (like at the airports).

We did valet several years ago, and it was fantastic. I don't remember the cost, but it was wonderful not having to trek all the way back to the distant parking garage. We didn't do it on our last trip, and regretted it after a long day.

If you are just needing a car for that one day you might consider taking a Mears Shuttle instead. They drop you off at the front of the lot (you still have to walk through City Walk) and you don't have to pay to park.

I think you can easily spend a full day in IOA. If you only care about Harry Potter then it's a half day. I also recommend 3 Broomsticks for lunch. The food is really good and it's a fun atmosphere if you are a potter fan.

There are 2 huge parking garages that feed into one pathway to access both parks. Neither is closer so it doesn't matter which you park in. The one nice thing is that you are likely to be parked undercover instead of leaving your car in the blistering sun!

One thing I didn't see mentioned is that while both parks have separate ticket areas and turnstiles, the security checkpoint is where the paths from the two parking garages converge so everyone going to both parks uses the same security checkpoint. Thus there can be a HUGE bottleneck of people here.

When my wife and I last went almost 2 years ago, we got there shortly after opening and were done with what we wanted to see by about 3PM. Granted we were there one month after HP opened so we just strolled that area and didn't ride anything. We were able to walk on to Spider-man, JP, Cat in the Hat. In fact, I think the only thing we had to really wait in line for was Poseidon's Fury. Things have probably changed in the past 2 years, but back then, everybody was in line to get into the HP area, thus the rest of the park was pretty empty.

As mentioned, the long walk back to the parking lot after a long, hot day is really miserable. As a tip, if you have a smartphone or digital camera, take a picture of the nearest signpost of where your car is located. We were very glad we did that when we were leaving several hours later and trying to remember which level we were on.

I agree with Disneydoll, If you're just going to do 1 day at IOA, I would get the shuttle, you just ring up the day before and book it (through the front desk of your resort) and you can pick a time.
The coaches/shuttles are great and it costs around £20 pp return.

On return, you just ring mears and ask for a shuttle to take you back at a time (say ring at 5pm for a 6:15pm shuttle)

Echoing everyone else, I'd eat at the 3 broomsticks again!

The one parking area serves all areas. It is huge and a lot like crossing through a large airport, moving walkways and all. Remembering where you parked won't be that bad. The size of the place induces enough fear to prime your memory.

All three times I've gone to IOA/Universal for the day from Disney, I've simply used a taxi.

Between the parking fee and rental car total (fees, taxes, etc.) the taxi will only be a bit more expensive, but without the hassle of having to drive. And, you won't be on any sort of schedule. There are ample taxis lined up at the City Walk entrance to get you back to your hotel when you are ready to go home.

If you park, do the preferred parking. Gets you closer, which is nice at the end of the day. Its only a few dollars more.