A few weeks ago, I had a spontaneous idea to take a last-minute solo trip to Universal Orlando Resort. I have a Universal Military Freedom Pass (highly recommend if you’re eligible—it saves hundreds!) that expires in December and I already visited earlier this year but wanted to take advantage one more time.

Plus, I’ve never visited the theme parks around the holidays and wanted to see all the festive decorations! On a whim, I booked a same-day, roundtrip flight from North Carolina to Florida and started planning my 1-day Universal Studios itinerary. Here’s how I pulled it off:

3am – time to wake up! I live about an hour from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport and had to hit the road around 3:30 to get there in time for my 6:30 flight.

5am – arrive at RDU. Since I was only parking there for about 15 hours, I splurged on Premier ($32/day) which was super convenient. The walk from my parking spot to security only took a couple of minutes. I grabbed a water and a Clif bar to hold me over so I could head straight to Universal after landing.

6:30am – wheels up, time to catch some ZZZ’s.

8:15am – we arrived early in Orlando (which never happens, I’m usually delayed!) and I immediately grabbed an Uber to the park.

8:50am – arrive at Universal, head straight to Velocicoaster in Islands of Adventure. Most people opt for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, but I prefer Velocicoaster and wanted to hit it first thing. I walked through Seuss Landing to get there, and the Christmas decorations were adorable!

I ended up waiting in the Velocicoaster line for about 45 minutes which was 100% worth it. It’s my favorite ride in Universal and I forgot how much fun it is. There’s no better way to start the day!

10:15am – get in line for Hagrid’s. This was my longest wait of the day at around 90 minutes. Hagrid’s is a really fun ride with some unexpected drops, backwards movements, and accelerations. I wouldn’t wait more than 90 minutes for it (sometimes, the lines are 120+ minutes), but it’s definitely worth a ride at least once.

12pm – lunch at the Three Broomsticks. I could have saved time grabbing a quicker bite to eat elsewhere, but it was nice to give my feet a rest while enjoying my meal of fish and chips and a Hog’s Head Brew (an amber ale). Some of the ride wait times also dropped a bit while I was eating, so it ended up working out that my lunch break took around an hour.

1pm – hop over to Universal Studios. You can take the Hogwarts Express from one park to the next, but it was faster to walk. I headed for Revenge of the Mummy and used the single rider lane, so I was in and out within 30 minutes. Revenge of the Mummy is a fun, nostalgic ride I remember from my first trip to Universal as a kid 10+ years ago!

1:50pm – head to Diagon Alley. I grabbed a butterbeer at The Fountain of Fair Fortune and made my way to Escape from Gringott’s. This ride also had a lane for single riders, so I only had to wait for about 30 minutes.

3pm – visit Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes and pick up some treats at Sugarplum’s Sweet Shop. I got a bag of mixed candy for myself and a ginger newt cookie and pumpkin pasty to bring home for my husband. I had a bite of the ginger cookie and it was delicious—my husband said the pasty was pretty good but “he’s had better.” (They’re really easy to make at home and much better fresh, when the dough is crispy and the filling is warm.)

3:05pm – walk by Shrek’s Swamp. Seeing this area made my heart so happy, I just wish it had a dedicated ride! The theming for the meet-and-greet area looked amazing as I passed through on my way back to Islands of Adventure.

3:30pm – get in line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. I took the single rider lane and pretty much walked right on!

3:45pm – ride Velocicoaster again. When I got in line, the wait was around 75 minutes. However, they opened the single rider lane about 30 minutes into my wait. I switched over and ended up getting on the ride after roughly another 20 minutes.

4:45pm – back to Hogsmeade for a second cup of butterbeer—I couldn’t resist! I got a pretzel to balance the sweetness and it was the perfect snack to end my day at Universal.

5:30pm – Uber back to Orlando International Airport. I had plenty of time to grab a margarita and some food at Bahama Breeze before my 9pm flight. Delta upgraded me to first class which was amazing—although I just slept the entire way back! I ended up getting home at midnight and passing out.

Since I’d already been to Universal Orlando Resort earlier this year, I had a pretty good lay of the land and knew exactly what I wanted to do while there. There are some other fun rides worth checking out (like The Incredible Hulk Coaster and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit), but Velocicoaster and Hagrid’s are definitely my top choices.

I’m so glad I took this fun little solo trip and got to see the theme parks decorated for the holidays. I’ll definitely be back next year once the Epic Universe opens!