Transportation to Horror Nights & Mummy

[Skewter04]

Just returned from Orlando, wanted to thank the board for all of the replies and help in regards to Horror Nights as I've never been to that event before. It wasn't really as scary as I thought it would be and to be honest, maybe I'm just more used to it but I like the local Six Flags Great America Fright Fest a little better...

This is the letter I just e-mailed to Universal Orlando's customer service in regards to the terrible time we had getting to and from the Horror Nights event...

Dear Customer Service:

Just returned from a trip to Universal Halloween Horror Nights Orlando.

My major issue has to do with transportation. I think you have to do a better of job of working with the community in regards to transportation to and from Universal. We were staying at the Hilton Grand Vacations hotel across from SeaWorld. Getting to Universal was fine for the Horror Nights event as we took the I4 Trolley. However, coming back at night was a nightmare.

As a property that is trying to compete with Disney, you really should team up with Seaworld and have some kind of shuttle that goes back and forth through the end of the Halloween event! I have also emailed the I4 Trolley people as to why they don't directly drop off at Universal. We had to get off at Wet and Wild and walk 4 blocks, which doesn't make any sense either.

I would appreciate a reply.

P.S. In regards to the Mummy ride, it is a great ride, but I think some padding needs to be added to the seat backs as we were slammed into the back of the seats and it really hurts your back.

 

[Skewter04]

Forgot to mention that the I4 (International Drive) Trolleys only run til 10:30, which makes no sense at all, especially on the weekend and when there is a special event like Horror Nights happening at Universal...

 

[damo]

I think a cab would have been a better choice.

 

[Skewter04]

I don't do cabs as I don't trust them.

 

[Metro West]

I think a cab would have been a better choice.

I agree and the bottom line is...guests are responsible for their own transportation to/from the parks.

I'm not understanding the comment about competing with Disney. Disney does not provide transportation for their customers if they are staying offsite and Universal is no different so I'm a little baffled.

 

[damo]

I agree and the bottom line is...guests are responsible for their own transportation to/from the parks.

I'm not understanding the comment about competing with Disney. Disney does not provide transportation for their customers if they are staying offsite and Universal is no different so I'm a little baffled.

And isn't the I RIDE trolley to promote the businesses along International Drive? Not sure that Universal has anything to do with the I RIDE trolley at all.

 

[Metro West]

And isn't the I ride trolley to promote the businesses along International Drive? Not sure that Universal has anything to do with the I ride trolley at all.

Yeah...the trolley is run by Orange County, the city of Orlando and businesses along I Drive. Universal has a big wig on the trolley's advisory board but that's about it. Let's also not forget that the trolley is public transportation and runs on schedules and time tables. I'm sure there is a reason they don't run after 10:30pm.

 

[Skewter04]

Wow, I didn't think I would get slammed on this one. I'm from Chicago and they do public transportation a whole lot better over here and don't shut it down after 10:30 p.m.

Please explain why you would stop running a tram when most of the restaurants on I-Drive are open til midnight or later? Maybe you guys can bring that up to their board of directors, because obviously their board doesn't go out after 10:30 p.m.

As for the Disney comment, Disney does run buses to and from their parks, Downtown Disney and the Ticket and Transportation Center where you can transfer to a city bus which we did to get back to SeaWorld.

Next time we will have to stay closer to Universal if we are going there. At least Busch Gardens provided their own shuttle to their park, and it's in Tampa! Universal should learn this lesson because the hotels do a terrible job with their own shuttles. Ours did not provide an evening shuttle to Universal for the Horror Nights event...

 

[damo]

Universal has 3 onsite hotels and they provide transportation for them.

There is an Orlando city bus that goes to the Universal parking garage.

Universal also has a free shuttle to and from SeaWorld. It just doesn't run after SeaWorld closes.


There are many excellent hotels on Major Blvd. that are within walking distance to Universal. You might want to consider one of them next time.

 

[Skewter04]

Well thanks for the info. I'll keep that in mind next time. It seems like you guys are locals so of course it's easier for you to get there and say that they are not responsible for transportation, they are not responsible but should learn from Disney which does a better job of it...

 

[damo]

Well thanks for the info. I'll keep that in mind next time. It seems like you guys are locals so of course it's easier for you to get there and say that they are not responsible for transportation, they are not responsible but should learn from Disney which does a better job of it...

I live in Canada. You just really have to research when you are staying offsite. Before you go next time, come back on here and we'll try to help you pick the best hotel for your needs.

 

[Skewter04]

Thanks!

 

[Metro West]

Wow, I didn't think I would get slammed on this one. I'm from Chicago and they do public transportation a whole lot better over here and don't shut it down after 10:30 p.m.

Please explain why you would stop running a tram when most of the restaurants on I-Drive are open til midnight or later? Maybe you guys can bring that up to their board of directors, because obviously their board doesn't go out after 10:30 p.m.

As for the Disney comment, Disney does run buses to and from their parks, Downtown Disney and the Ticket and Transportation Center where you can transfer to a city bus which we did to get back to SeaWorld.

We aren't trying to slam you but your transportation complaints really have nothing to do with Universal or HHN. Your complaint is public transportation should run later into the night when there are options available to you. There are cabs all over the place after HHN closes but you said you don't trust cabs but that's not Universal's fault. Again...Universal and the trolley are not connected and are each run by a different organization. Maybe they will explain to your satisfaction why the trolley stops running at 10:30pm.

You're right...Disney does run buses to the TTC and DTD but those areas are onsite and we're talking offsite since you were offsite. I doubt seriously Disney would run a bus down 192 or I-Drive if that's where you are staying so Disney doesn't do it better...they're basically the same.

Again...the bottom line is...it's the public's responsibility to get to/from the parks if staying offsite...not Disney's and not Universal's.

 

[OrlandoUnited]

Just returned from Orlando, wanted to thank the board for all of the replies and help in regards to Horror Nights as I've never been to that event before. It wasn't really as scary as I thought it would be and to be honest, maybe I'm just more used to it but I like the local Six Flags Great America Fright Fest a little better...

This is the letter I just e-mailed to Universal Orlando's customer service in regards to the terrible time we had getting to and from the Horror Nights event...

Dear Customer Service:

Just returned from a trip to Universal Halloween Horror Nights Orlando.

My major issue has to do with transportation. I think you have to do a better of job of working with the community in regards to transportation to and from Universal. We were staying at the Hilton Grand Vacations hotel across from SeaWorld. Getting to Universal was fine for the Horror Nights event as we took the I4 Trolley. However, coming back at night was a nightmare.

As a property that is trying to compete with Disney, you really should team up with Seaworld and have some kind of shuttle that goes back and forth through the end of the Halloween event! I have also emailed the I4 Trolley people as to why they don't directly drop off at Universal. We had to get off at Wet and Wild and walk 4 blocks, which doesn't make any sense either.

I would appreciate a reply.

P.S. In regards to the Mummy ride, it is a great ride, but I think some padding needs to be added to the seat backs as we were slammed into the back of the seats and it really hurts your back.

Go complain about it on the Disboards.

 

[DCTooTall]

Something else I'll comment on is that I've Found that Public Transportation in Large metropolitan areas in the northern US (the northeast, Chicago, etc) is ENTIRELY different than what you'll find in the south.

Even more, Public transportation within any major city is different than what you'll find in smaller cities or more spread out areas just outside the city.


What i'm saying is that while it's not uncommon to find Mass Transit options up in northern major cities that run until 3-4am (if not 24hrs a day) that can get you from anywhere to anything you'd want to do within that city, As you move further South you'll start to see more spread out cities where in the Downtown areas you might still have decent transportion options until 1-2am, but outside of that central business district, You'll be hard pressed to find anything that is really convenient for transportation withing that outer area [often if he transportation exists, it's operated more as a feeder into the central business districts/downtown].

The Tourist section in central Florida, While often referred to as "Orlando", is actually more of the "Orlando Metro area". Because it's also very Tourist centric, it's much harder for a locally funded mass-transit system to budget or justify their funding to be as efficient as some people might be use too [including those from Europe]. The Local taxbase isn't going to be very enthusiastic with the perception that they are paying to move tourists around on routes that don't provide much benefit to their day-to-day transportation needs... And the Tourist travel patterns and needs would be much more seasonal and fluctuate so much that creating a self-funded viable stand-alone public transportation option would not be easy to do at a cost palatable for most tourists.

Disney has their system which is entirely funded by Disney to move guests around the MASSIVE Disney resort and property. They Justify it mostly by the idea that if they move the guests around, it makes it less likely the tourists will rent a car and then be tempted to spend more of their vacation Dollar off-site.

The Local Public Transit system does have a couple stops on the Disney property, but it's primary purpose/clientele are actually locals who use it to get to work on Disney Property.... not for tourist transportation.

Universal funds and provides transportation between it's onsite hotels and the parks. Again, the Local Public Transit system has a stop.... for the same purpose, to provide employees a way to work.

the I-Drive trolley is a simple system designed to help move guests up and down the I-Drive corridor as there are a LOT of tourist focused businesses up and down that road. Traffic can also be a mess. It's funded in large part by the Businesses up and down International Drive with the understanding that with the traffic and choas that appears on the road that tourists are more likely to explore the stores and entertainment options if then can park once and just walk down the road knowing the trolley is available to bring them back to their car at some point. [it also helps with the traffic by not making people constantly move their car back and forth between shopping centers/etc]. If it doesn't run later, it's likely because the businesses who fund it realized that the smaller number of people utilizing the system that late no longer justify the cost to keep it running. Traffic would be starting to die down as well by then making it easier to just move your car.

The Busch Gardens Shuttle? Well Busch Gardens is located in Tampa...and is owned/run by the same people who own Sea World. With most of the Tourist Dollars being in the 'Orlando' market, It makes sense for them to provide a way to make it easier to get some of those tourist dollars. Not only does it allow a way for those who are uncomfortable with the idea of driving an hour to Tampa, or don't have a car, to get to their park to spend money..... It also helps drive the multi-park tickets for those buying tickets to both Sea World and Busch Gardens.


Offsite hotels have several advantages to onsite locations (both at Disney and Universal).... the primary one often being of course price. They also tend to have a MAJOR Drawback, the primary one being the Ease of Transportation. There are options available such as cabs, towncars, or shared shuttles, But often people will decide to just rent a car because the cost can be negligible (and they can sometimes still end up cheaper with offsite+car vs. onsite).... Public Transportation is often the least desireable transport option. Cabs and Shared Shuttles tend to fall in the middle-ground of costs/convenience.



(FWIW.... not a local, but someone who has spend a lot of time in Central Florida, Always stays offsite... and ALWAYS rents a car)

 

[DOOM1001]

I agree that you should have done more research before your stay.Universal has the three onsite hotels which are close enough to either walk to the parks or take their boat transportation.Next time my suggestions would be to stay onsite,stay at the hotels across Kirkman rd which are close enough to walk to,rent a car or gain some trust in taking cabs,they don't bite.The example someone said of Disney running buses to and from hotels on 192 or south of I-4 on 535 in Lake Buena vista is a good one,they don't do it,why would Universal?As far public transportation in Orlando goes,you're comparing it to Chicago,a much bigger major city.Even in my area of Miami in the weekends 6-7pm is the latest you'll see a bus on the weekends.

 

[Planogirl]

How can Universal do anything about municipal transportation? I don't get this complaint at all.

 

[Rip]

How can Universal do anything about municipal transportation? I don't get this complaint at all.

Yeah, I was a bit confused myself. No one is going to provide transportation to and from offsite hotels or resorts. The only place Disney provides transportation to/from is the airport, and that's strictly so that you will remain onsite and spend 100% of your dollars there while visiting.

 

[macraven]

Sorry the transportation issue happened to you.


I have done great America fright fest for years and feel opposite than you do on the comparison.

HHN is totally a bigger, more elaborate and more detailed than GA fright fest.

GA is small scale and geared to families and littles for a Halloween event.
No comparison.

Nothing hardcore about It. If some one is looking for a more intense experience,HHNis the one to do.


There is no local transportation to Gurnee, Il for doing great America.
Driving is the only way to get there.
Even the locals have to drive there.

In Orlando, there are different options. To getting around in the metro area.

 

[Skewter04]

I appreciate all of your comments, thanks for taking the time to write them. I guess if you were in my situation last week with getting ridiculous quotes from drivers for $50 to go from a Seaworld hotel to the airport you would be happy to take the public transportation there.

I don't agree with the comment that those buses are just for "workers." If that's the case then no on else but workers should ride public transportation anywhere. Its a free country, you can take the bus or drive, you know?