7 nights, 6 full days...too much???

[ten822]

Booked RP for 7 nights, I am worried there won't be enough to fill that many days. I am a WDW commando type person.
What do you think?

 

[Jaylin]

I would love to know the answer to this also? Are you planning on going anywhere else, like Sea World or Aquatica?

I was planning a 10 day trip, allotted 4 days for US/IOA, 1 day Sea World, 1 day Aquatica, 1 day Discovery Cove, that leaves 1 full free day. (Not counting the arrival & departure day.

I'm also in a Disney mind set, thinking this is the perfect amount of time for a Disney trip, but I just had someone tell me today, that US&IOA are nowhere as big as MK.

I guess pool time isn't a bad thing, right?

 

[ten822]

I would love to know the answer to this also? Are you planning on going anywhere else, like Sea World or Aquatica?

I was planning a 10 day trip, allotted 4 days for US/IOA, 1 day Sea World, 1 day Aquatica, 1 day Discovery Cove, that leaves 1 full free day. (Not counting the arrival & departure day.

I'm also in a Disney mind set, thinking this is the perfect amount of time for a Disney trip, but I just had someone tell me today, that US&IOA are nowhere as big as MK.

I guess pool time isn't a bad thing, right?

Only doing US/IOA this trip! Want to be more relaxed and not so "commando",
but, don't know if there's enough to do for that long.

 

[disney world dreamer]

yikes! yes i feel 6 full days in US/IOA is entirely too much.

the max i would do is 3 full days with a park to park ticket.

honestly i've found that it really only takes 2 full days one at each park to take it all in.

my most recent visit was in july 2014 and i've become less and less impressed over the years.
i got a 1 day park to park ticket and i was only there until mid afternoon.

i probably won't be going back for a while cuz i've found that the amount of things to do has really diminished over the years.

 

[clsteve]

Only doing US/IOA this trip! Want to be more relaxed and not so "commando",
but, don't know if there's enough to do for that long.

We just came back from six nights at RPH. It was incredibly relaxing and we had a blast. All of us could easily have done another night or 2.

We did the Parks early, relaxed and pool hopped in the afternoon, sometimes went back to the Parks in the evening, others we hit the mini-golf, or just had a relaxing dinner at CityWalk or one of the Resorts.

Never once got in a car or bus or tram - only the boats once or twice. Just nice strolls on the paths in a taken' it easy kinda way.

It was as fun and as laid back as we could have hoped for....

 

[CPanther95]

LOL.

We're going on a 6 Day/5 night trip this year instead of our usual 10 night trip (no kids this time) - and my concern is that we aren't going to have enough time.

It all depends what kind of vacation you like. If you can get yourself out of the Disney Commando mindset where it's always a race - and a challenge - to try and get a half decent value out of your vacation expense.... you get get far more out of a Universal vacation.

With FOTL access, you begin to view the parks as if they are built in your backyard to enjoy whenever - and as often - as you like. There's no "hurry up and wait" dynamic like there is at Disney where you bust hump to maximize your schedule only to accomplish half of what you can do at Universal and it takes twice the time. At Universal, leave the park, hit a restaurant at one of the resorts for lunch and/or a swim - no problem.

Those that are used to a Disney vacation need time to adjust to a different type of vacation before they can appreciate Universal for what is available. The food and hotels blow away Disney - and you have the luxury to enjoy them both thoroughly because your time isn't wasted running a gauntlet trying to squeeze 3 hours of actual fun in a 12 hour day at the parks. Instead you get 5 hours of fun in 6 hours of the park - and the other 6 hours are spent casually tripling up on your favorite rides, enjoying all the amenities of the resort, or sitting back with drinks at City Walk people watching.

In what world does having .... better food, better rides, better rooms, less crowds - and far less of your vacation wasted standing in line enjoying the wide variety of aromas coming from your fellow park guests ... equate to wanting to spend far less time there?

 

[bumbershoot]

Only doing US/IOA this trip! Want to be more relaxed and not so "commando",
but, don't know if there's enough to do for that long.

Well, if you want to be relaxed, you sure have gone about it the right way!

Maybe you can make a litlte list of other things in the area you might want to do, if your commando side takes over and you get things all done in a short time, don't want to reride, and then get bored exploring the resorts. (remember, they encourage pool hopping!)

That way you'll be covered IF the unthinkable happens.

Although the weather and our immune systems have NOT cooperated with our long stays (8 nights onsite last and this January), someday we'll have a long stay that involves lots of pool time (and not fully dressed under blankets pool time LOL) and NO shivering and coughing and sneezing hiding in the room.

I am 100% sure we'll have a terrific time. We don't like rushing, we are big re-riders, we LOVE the ambiance of Universal and I can literally go there and not ride a ride in a day and still have a good time, and we like exploring.

 

[clsteve]

LOL.

We're going on a 6 Day/5 night trip this year instead of our usual 10 night trip (no kids this time) - and my concern is that we aren't going to have enough time.

It all depends what kind of vacation you like. If you can get yourself out of the Disney Commando mindset where it's always a race - and a challenge - to try and get a half decent value out of your vacation expense.... you get get far more out of a Universal vacation.

With FOTL access, you begin to view the parks as if they are built in your backyard to enjoy whenever - and as often - as you like. There's no "hurry up and wait" dynamic like there is at Disney where you bust hump to maximize your schedule only to accomplish half of what you can do at Universal and it takes twice the time. At Universal, leave the park, hit a restaurant at one of the resorts for lunch and/or a swim - no problem.

Those that are used to a Disney vacation need time to adjust to a different type of vacation before they can appreciate Universal for what is available. The food and hotels blow away Disney - and you have the luxury to enjoy them both thoroughly because your time isn't wasted running a gauntlet trying to squeeze 3 hours of actual fun in a 12 hour day at the parks. Instead you get 5 hours of fun in 6 hours of the park - and the other 6 hours are spent casually tripling up on your favorite ride, enjoying all the amenities of the resort, or sitting back with drinks at City Walk people watching.

In what world does having .... better food, better rides, better rooms, less crowds - and far less of your vacation wasted standing in line enjoying the wide variety of aromas coming from your fellow park guests ... equate to wanting to spend far less time there?

Very well said.

And I think it's easy to forget that US alone has more E-Ticket rides than Epcot, DHS and AK combined. And how much more relaxing can it be than knowing you can ride when you want to ride - no schedule or touring plan necessary besides EE or later in the evening for EFG and FJ.

Toss in Blue Man Group, resort amenity sharing and pool hopping, etc., and just how much time you save not waiting for and riding transportation... good times to be had, without a doubt

 

[chrystie4141]

Hi, I will say that you will be challenged going that long to relax. I was just like you 5 years ago. It was me, my husband and then 3 year old son and we did Disney twice a year and I had a time and place for everything because I hate lines. Well I discovered IOA and US 3 years ago and since we have been 6 times and no more Disney for us at all. It is a different type of relaxing that will take a few days to get used to. The express pass is unlike anything I have ever had before, it is awesome. My now 8 year old would not go without it. You will have plenty of time, yes, but this being your first time you will love it. Sleep in (never did at Disney), then go to the park. Leave early and walk back (never did at Disney) and go to the great pools. Then go back in the afternoon (never did at Disney). Also, since the parks are side by side you can park hop very easily. If you decide you want more try The Blue Man Group (we loved it) or just going to CityWalk. What I love is I never touch a car or bus and am cut off from the world so to say. The hardest thing for me was to remember it is not Disney and not a race. You don't have to look at your watch to make sure you don't miss a fastpass time or run from one place to the next! Just relax and have fun!

 

[NCgirl71]

Hey CLSteve, will you be doing another trip report? I really enjoyed reading the one you did with your family last year. Btw, I'm a fellow Tarheels and have rode on the Ocracoke ferry several times. Outer banks are beautiful

 

[Bluer101]

We are there monthly and enjoy every minute. We do long stays once in a while and love every minute of it.

Just a few weeks ago we were planning Disney FL resident tickets. They have a great deal going on right now. After going back and fourth we decided not to Disney again. One , we don't like the running around and at the parks all day. So you guessed it, I called US and booked a few trips.

We do the parks in the morning for a few and back to the hotel for an afternoon of relaxing poolside. We swim, play, and eat lunch. It's great to do nothing and get waited on. What's really nice as the staff remembers you too.

But everyone is different and while some like a few days, one day, a week, or wished we had more time like never leave. In the end it is up to you to figure out.

RPR is our second home with PBH a close second.

 

[clsteve]

Hey CLSteve, will you be doing another trip report? I really enjoyed reading the one you did with your family last year. Btw, I'm a fellow Tarheels and have rode on the Ocracoke ferry several times. Outer banks are beautiful

I'll make you a deal - if you can finish my taxes, I'll go full 4-D on this TR....

But yes, the kids really want it. As soon as I can clean up the acctg., I'll jump right in.

 

[macraven]

Booked RP for 7 nights, I am worried there won't be enough to fill that many days. I am a WDW commando type person.
What do you think?

treat it as a vacation and take your time to relax, no need to go commando at the darkside.

i already booked my stay at rpr and will be there in october for 13 days for my solo trip.
and that is after i leave the motherland portion of my trip.



i relax on my vacations, no rushing for anything.
i break up my days for the parks and city walk and never run out of things to do.
this is the one time each year i have a real vacation where i have no responsibilities and just relax and do what i want to do.

some days i sleep in, others i might make it a water ride day.
do the water rides in the park, return to the hotel, change and lounge in one of the chairs by the pool.
i'll park hop and evenually get every ride, show, store done.
for the nights i will hit hhn, i won't be in the parks until the afternoon.

you don't have to plan every minute of your day.
it's great to have down time to just do nothing but relax.
read a book by the pool, explore the other hotels and their pools, etc.

city walk closes at 2:00 am.
restaurants open late, some have live entertainment, water taxis close down at 2:00/2:15 am..........
do the parks in the morning, pool in the late afternoon, take a break and then head to city walk at night to eat.
or dine at rph, jakes is open late and never had a bad meal there.

you'll return back home not needing a vacation to recover from your vacation.

 

[mellyf]

Double post!

 

[mellyf]

We just got back from 4 days staying on-site at RPR. We've been going to Disney every other year or so for about 18 years. After the first day at Universal (and being used to the Disney commando-style of touring), I was kind of wondering if we were going to have enough to do for all four days. By the third day, I was wishing that we could stay longer than four days. We always started out at rope drop at IoA. We both loved both of the HP areas. We usually did rides in the morning, then ate lunch somewhere in Citywalk, and then headed back to RP for some down time. Late afternoon/evenings, we walked back over for a few rides and dinner. We loved it. Unless we win a trip from the Disney Flip-Side sweepstakes, the next time we go to central Florida, it will be back to Universal.

 

[johnvree]

We are doing five nights, staying at the Portofino. We plan on doing just US and IOA (no Sea World or Wet-n-Wild).

You definitely do not need six days to do Universal. But we don't need five either. For us, it's about relaxing and enjoying the down time. We are staying at a nice hotel with a great pool and lots of restaurants. We want to enjoy that.

At WDW, it's hard to do the extra days because the hotels and tickets are so expensive. At Universal, after four days, you just get an annual pass and the ticket cost becomes immaterial in relation to how long you stay. And the hotels are still pretty reasonable compared to the WDW deluxes.

 

[schumigirl]

It won't be too long.

You will have plenty of time to do the parks at a relaxing pace and will get to see and appreciate things that folks who commando their way through the parks will miss.

Universal has added SO much in the last few years they really are different parks to a few years ago. It certainly isn't diminishing it's attractions and still more to come which is excellent for the future.

We stay for 18 nights solely at RPR........we don't spend all day every day in the parks as we like to get around Orlando and Florida too. But we do spend a lot of time in them and we never get bored, but we are prolific re-riders. We refuse to plan anything on our trip so it suits us down to the ground to visit the parks every day when we feel like it, having EP makes that even easier......chill at our hotel when we feel like it, all adds to the perfect vacation for us.

We have no desire to go to any other parks particularly Disney, so we literally just do Universal parks. Include shopping, maybe a beach visit and definitely pool time and chilling around the resort and 18 nights is not enough for us......we are never ready to come home.

The 3 deluxe hotels are all beautiful and can spend some time going around them, whether to use their pools or eat in some of the very good restaurants they all have.

I hope you enjoy a less commando style trip, I'm sure you will though

 

[HM]

I think it would be too long for me.
Even with four nights and three days, we still get a lot of downtime at the pool during the day. No commando touring for us either.

BTW, US/IOA are my new Orlando love. We got APs for US/IOA in December and plan to have a couple trips this year. I've done Disney so much that I need a break.

 

[pixeegrl]

We usually stay about 6 nights and enjoy being able to tour leisurely. We don't have to get up for EE every morning. We can go back to the hotel and swim, go offsite, enjoy a sit down dinner or lunch without worrying about cutting into park time. We love it! It's a vacation...nothing worse than coming home and needing a vacation after your vacation turns into go go go!

 

[FLVacationGirl]

I just got back from my first Universal trip (stayed at the RPR) and think 6 days will be perfect! This will give you enough time to enjoy everything at the parks and really enjoy RPR and pool hop if you want to.

We did 3 nights and 2.5 park days and although the express passes were completely amazing we still hustled. Would love to redo it at a more relaxed pace. I want to go back to RPR and the parks right now!!!