24.Your Epic Questions Answered, Volume 3: Rest Days, Refillables & First-Timer Strategy

What do you get when you mix spring break ticket strategy, a slightly mysterious refillable cup, and a first-timer heading into Epic Universe without Early Park Admission?

You get this episode of Unlocking Universal—Volume 3 in the listener-favorite “Your Epic Questions Answered” series!

I’m breaking down:

• Whether you really need a rest day during a weeklong Universal Orlando trip
• Why five park days might be more valuable than you think (and the surprising ticket upgrade math)
• The truth about reusing your HHN souvenir cups
• The best move when visiting Epic Universe without early entry
• A rapid-fire answer about Early Park Admission at all four parks

Have a Universal question of your own? Use the Fan Mail link at the top of the show notes—or email me directly at holli@unlockinguniversal.com. I’d love to feature you in a future episode!

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🌟 As a senior travel consultant and trainer with The Magic For Less Travel, a top U-Preferred agency, I specialize in Universal Orlando vacations—When you're ready to go from dreaming to doing, I'm here for you. My services are free, my excitement is contagious, and your countdown to Epic could start faster than a VelociCoaster launch.

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Let’s unlock your best Universal Orlando vacation together!

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Transcript

Five full days in Orlando can feel like forever or like sand slipping through your fingers. You'll swear there's time for everything to ride, to rest, to return. But then the clocks speed up. The crowds press in and suddenly you're choosing between more magic and a much needed moment to breathe.
Somewhere a family is weighing their fifth park day against napping in a cabana. Far away. A lonely souvenir cup hums with dormant power waiting to be brought back to life. And at Epic Universe, the gates hold fast until the moment they don't. And you'll have just one shot to slip past the horde and chase what you came for.
You've got questions. I've got answers and opinions. Let's unlock them.
 Welcome back to Unlocking Universal, your Key to all things Universal Orlando and beyond. Now here's your guide and unfair advantage, Holli.
 This is volume three, and the questions you sent in are so good. [00:01:00] Today. We're talking ticket strategy, what to do with your refillable cups, how to plan your first Epic Universe morning without Early Park Admission and more.
But first, I have some housekeeping to take care of. Atlanta, 96 40 if you are out there.
This one's for you. You texted me through the link at the top of my show notes saying you're headed to Epic Universe soon, have a few questions, and wondered if I would be open to answering them. Well, first of all, yes, I would absolutely be open to answering them.
That's exactly what I'm here for. But here's the thing, Buzzsprout is my podcast host. The ability to text is a feature called FanMail, and it feels like a real text, but it's one sided. On my end, I can't reply directly to you unless you include your questions in the message so I can answer them on the show or you include your email so I can respond right to you. Without those we're both SOL my friend. And unfortunately , your message didn't have either.
I have no way to help [00:02:00] you. So Atlanta 96 40, please send me an email, Holli, H-O-L-L-I, at unlocking universal.com or Holli at the magic for less.com, and I'll get back to you faster than you can say, "please don't let that be Ygor behind me again". And for everyone else, yes, you really can use the link at the top of the show notes to send me a question or even just say hi.
Just remember, if you wanna reply, make sure I've got a way to do that.
So let's dive into question number one. The first question today comes from Jamie who's planning a spring break trip next year with hubby and their two kiddos, ages nine and 13. They're staying six nights from a Friday to a Thursday, which gives them five full vacation days in between their travel days.
Jamie wants to do all four parks and is considering a split stay. Her question is this, " Should we go with a four day park ticket or a five day park ticket? Especially if we decide to take a rest day in the middle. [00:03:00] Okay. Jamie, first of all, I love your question and I love that you're already thinking about balancing fun and rest, because that's something a lot of people overlook.
Until things go sideways. I'm absolutely on board. This is exactly what I've recommended to my Disney guests for years. And since Orlando has truly grown into a full week destination,
I say the same thing here. It's not about Disney or Universal ,specifically. It's about the pace. You've got four incredible theme parks and five non-travel days. So yes, you can absolutely plan one of those days as a reset day. And if you're doing a split stay, that hotel change day is the perfect time to take it easy.
But here's the twist. I recommend you still go with the five day park ticket. And why flexibility. Let me explain.
In 2026, the ticket types are being renamed, and the one that I would recommend for you is called the Five Day Park to Park with Volcano Bay. This gives you access to all four parks over [00:04:00] any five calendar days, and you have eight days to use it.
Now, I looked up the price difference and it's only about $115 total to upgrade from a four day to a five day. That's for all four of you, not per person. That works out to 28 75 per person, and for that price, you give yourself the option of popping into a park on any one of those other days of your stay.
Whether it be your travel days or your middle of the week break day. So think about it. Let's say you take a rest day, mid trip, you can sleep in lounge by the pool, maybe hit up CityWalk, but then in the evening, you still may wanna catch CInesational or Hogwarts Always right with that five day ticket. No problem.
Same goes for your arrival or departure day.
If your flight times line up, or if you're driving, you have even more control. You could easily squeeze in a few hours of park time , and that fifth day gives you that freedom with a minimal cost.
Oh, and here's where it gets even better. Universal is rolling out a new ticket in 2026 called the All Parks Unlimited [00:05:00] Ticket. This one lets you access and hop between any of the four parks on every single day of your trip for up to 14 consecutive days. Ready for the wild part, though? This upgrade from the five day ticket to the All Parks Unlimited ticket.
It's only $16 more per person. That means for under $45 more per person, total. You could go from four park days to accessing every single day of your trip, including your arrival day, departure day, your rest day if you feel like popping in. All the days.
So, yeah, I would still recommend taking that break day to recharge, especially if it falls on your move day.
But I also recommend the extra park day ticket at least. Because for that price, you are buying freedom, flexibility, and options.
And just because you're not in the parks on your break day doesn't mean there's nothing to do, but lay by the pool. Universal has tons of options for a chill, but still fun day.
The obvious one, of course, is that pool day. You can hang out at your current pool or depending on [00:06:00] what hotel you're at, you can even pool hop to another resort. For example, the North Campus hotels all share this perk. Endless Summer guests can use either Dockside or Surfside pools.
And the same goes for Stella Nova and Terra Luna. They can share each other's pools. Helio Grand. They don't share with anyone though, and I heard they run with scissors.
Wanna plus it up a little bit more? Consider a cabana rental. You could make it a real vacation within a vacation kind of day. You could catch a movie at CityWalk. The CInemark there is huge. It has those floofy, comfy recliner seats . That's the technical term.
You could check out the Great Movie Escape. I've done the Jurassic World one. It was so much fun.. I'm pretty sure I could totally be talked into doing the Back to the Future one. Hit me up if you want to go.
There's the Hollywood Drive-in mini golf, right as you enter CityWalk. Of course, CityWalk itself shopping, dining, dancing, karaoke, live music some nights. And one you may not think of is Hard Rock Cafe. Now, this is not to be confused with [00:07:00] Hard Rock Hotel, it has a large venue called Hard Rock Live there.
They host all kinds of performers, comedians, musicians, cover bands, you name it. Oh my gosh. Ask me about the time. Brian and I showed up for a very long awaited, highly anticipated Dirty Honey concert. We were so stinkin' and excited. Such an amazing band. They are everything good about eighties rock! Well, anyway, we get there.
There's no concert. It had to be postponed and Brian missed the fricking email, but they rescheduled and they rocked the heck out of the place. Even if Wolfgang Van Halen bailed. Whew. I may still be a little bitter. That's fun.
And hey, if you're feeling bold, you can even head up to CityWalk's second level to Hart and Huntington Tattoo Parlor, and get you some fresh ink. Walk-ins are welcome, though you can schedule them. Now, I'm gonna say this is the most unique souvenir one can get.
You can tell me if I'm wrong, but just don't blame me if you end up with a Pinterest board [00:08:00] full of tattoo ideas and no plan where to start. I will figure it out eventually.
 Question number two. This one came in anonymously and I think I might know why. It reads: "This might be a dumb question, but I love my refillable cup that I got last year at Halloween Horror Nights. Can I bring it back and use it again this year?" Well, first of all, it's not a dumb question, and honestly it's one that a lot of people have.
If it's a Coca-Cola Freestyle Souvenir Cup, yes, you can bring it back and reactivate it for another day, or night, as the case may be. As long as the chip in the bottom is still functional. Just don't microwave it or run it through the dishwasher 42,000 times.
So now it's warped like my Horror Comes Home cup. Or you might be outta luck. Hand washing is best.
Now if it's a blinky cup. The ones that come with the Horror Nights cocktails and glow and flash in the dark, that one's a no. These are event specific and can't be reused in later years.
They're fun, [00:09:00] but they're a one season wonder.
No refills in 2025 for 2024's cup.
Now for anyone listening who's kind of sitting there like, 'Uh, wait. There's multiple types of refillable cups at Universal? Yeah. There are actually four different refillable programs across Universal Orlando Resort. Three of them are for beverages and one's for popcorn, and each one plays by its own rules.
But don't worry, I'm gonna be unlocking all of that in a future episode so you'll know exactly which cups or buckets are right for you.
Moving on to question number three. This one comes from Mandy who says that the next time her family's in Orlando, they'll be staying with relatives and it's also their first visit to Epic Universe.
And that means they won't have Early Park Admission.
Her question, should they still head straight back to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter when the park opens? My answer, yes. But not in the way you might think.
First, let's talk timing. Even without Early Park Admission, you're gonna [00:10:00] wanna arrive at least an hour and a half before the official park opening time.
I know that sounds extreme, but you have to trust me. This is one of those situations where earlier is better. So if you arrive at least an hour and a half before the park opening, you're gonna get through security and into the holding area. Like just past the Chronos. You'll be inside Celestial Park and you'll be held there.
From there, if you look to the left, that crowd is going for Super Nintendo World and Dark Universe, or if you look to the right, those are folks that wanna go to Isle of Berk or Wizarding World of Harry Potter. You are headed to Ministry of Magic, so stay to the right. Stake out a spot near the front of that side and enjoy the music and the anticipation. If you brought a coffee or some breakfast to go, this is a great time to enjoy it.
Now, here's where my advice might surprise you, even though you're headed into the Wizarding World. I'd skip Battle at the Ministry. It's going to be swamped with Early Park Admission. Yes. Instead, head straight to Le Cirque [00:11:00] Arcanus. The first show usually starts 45 minutes after park open.
And it's incredible. Live performers, puppetry, music, special effects. And I'm telling you now, go in blind. Avoid spoilers like the plague.
Do not watch any videos. Just let it wash over you and blow your mind in real time. I promise you won't regret it, and you only get one chance to watch it for the first time. While you're at it, grab a Butterbeer and sip while you wait in the queue. Once you're inside a little ways, you'll head into the pre-show areas.
There are two, and they're more like holding pens. They're not like a tight queue, so don't stress about being the first in line there. And I swear to you when I say this, there's not a bad seat in the house.
You know, though, I'm sitting here thinking about this and I'm torn a little bit and I have to be transparent and share it. Because I know myself, I can't help thinking I may just make a little detour on my way to the Wizarding [00:12:00] World in this situation. Here's what I'm tempted to do.
When the gates open, I may hustle straight over to Isle of Berk to see what the posted wait time is for a Hiccups Wing Glider. If it's 45 minutes or less, I'm probably jumping in that line. The caveat is that you have to go there to check, and Berk is expansive, so it's a bit of a haul.
But the app may not display true wait times right at opening and by saying 'may not', i'm being generous. With so much movement and influx of people, it's really hard to be accurate in that small timeframe. So you're flying blind at first. And while I'm at it, I'm absolutely swinging by to check the line for meeting Toothless. Am I taking a chance of just wasting time to only end up skipping both of those for now? Yeah, sure. But it's a calculated risk. And if I have to hit the second show of Le Cirque Arcanus, so be it.
Because seriously, it is a mathematical impossibility to not have an exceptional day if you begin it with a dragon [00:13:00] hug. The thing about the queue to meet Toothless is that it is almost completely exposed and Florida is going to Florida. Scorching sunshine, pop-up showers. And while this meet and greet runs all day, Team Members will cut the line , well before park close to ensure that they aren't stuck there until 3:00 AM. I know it's so selfish.
So if you see a decent weight jump on it.
Here's the bottom line though. Arrive early, like super early. Know your priorities, but be flexible and watch the weather. Check the app and set some wait time alert notifications. So you can be ready to pivot. Who knows, maybe the theme park gods will be smiling in your favor and Battle At the Ministry will be a walk on that day.
But even if not, you've got some amazing options to start your day strong, even without Early Park Admission.
Our final question of the day comes from Todd, and it's a quick one. But definitely one that a lot of people are wondering. He asks, " Is Early Park Admission available to all four parks at [00:14:00] Universal Orlando?"
And the answer is yes. With an asterisk. Universal Orlando offers Early Park Admission or EPA to all four parks: Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay, and Epic Universe. And this is for onsite guests and guests with certain tickets or passes . However, between Islands of Adventure and the Studios. EPA can change depending on the season, events, and expected crowds. We can bet on Islands hosting it because of Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Especially now that it accepts Express. And not only does Hagrid's now accept Express, it accepts it during EPA.
This is a really big change and it makes getting there even more important than it was before this change. If the Studios is also hosting EPA that morning, this is gonna help that line. But the best thing you can do is check the Universal Orlando app close to your travel dates, and check it often [00:15:00] because it's subject to change.
You wanna see which parks are offering EPA, what time EPA begins, and which attractions are going to be included that day. Early Park Admission is a huge perk and it can make a really big difference in your day.
That's it for volume three of Your Epic Questions Answered. If you've got a Universal question of your own, tap the link at the top of the show notes.
Or you can email me if it's more time sensitive. And hey, if you found this helpful, I would love for you to follow the show, maybe share it with a friend, or leave a rating and review. It helps so much. I'll be back soon. Until then, stay cool. Stay hydrated and don't forget to tip your wand hand.
Yeah, I entertain myself. See you soon.
Thanks for hanging out with us. Now, get out here and go do something nice for someone.