Security/Bag check walking from Portofino Bay/Hard Rock

I think I read something about this on a thread posted a few years ago, but just want to confirm. If I’m walking from Portofino Bay (using the HRH parking lot shortcut) to IOA, I will use a special security gate near the entrance to UO, that is just for onsite hotel walkers?

TouringPlans predicts 7am early entry for my March 29th IOA day, which is the start of the week before Easter (Easter is on April 4th this year), so it’s gonna be crazy busy from what I’ve gathered. If that 7am EPA holds true, I was planning on being at the IOA turnstiles at 6am-ish. Does anyone know what time that special security gate for hotel walkers, opens in the morning?

1 Like

No clue but if your 1st your 1st… but I’m curious

1 Like
  1. Yes there’s an entrance right before the Universal Studios Florida gate. You can see it on Google Maps.

  2. Probably not, I still think they’ll have 8am early entry. When you get closer to your trip check the crowd calendar and Universal Orlando park hours site to see accurate times. CityWalk opens usually an hour to 90 minutes prior to park open, so reach out on Twitter first.

2 Likes

The lines from the parking garages to city walk opened about an hour before early entry. And the day we walked from Cabana Bay thru the Royal Pacific one it was opened a little under an hour early (we were there probably about 50-55 min before early entry). So at the very least it probably opens an hour before early entry.

1 Like

That’s great, thanks everyone for the insights. Hopefully we’ll be early enough to have a super short wait on Hagrid’s (if it’s not a Virtual Queue)

1 Like

Since it also provides access to Citywalk, it would in theory have to open by the time Citywalk does.

1 Like

Daughter and i did great getting there about 50-55 min before early entry. We were off hagrids within 12 or 13 min with plenty of time to hightail it to hulk and still have early entry time. And we went on a Sat with a crowd level of 10.

2 Likes