First Universal Trip. Quick question :)

[Gottalovedisney]

So my husband and I will be traveling to Universal 8/16/15 for 7 nights. It's just the two of us and this will be the first time we've been to Universal. We've done Disney as a family tons of times but wanted something different for our first alone trip! I realize it's a long trip for our first time but we want to have plenty of time to just sit by a pool and relax. We're also renting a car and plan on visiting my parents about an hour away for a day. My question is do you feel we'll need the express pass or will we be able to see and ride everything with a 3 day park to park pass? Also since we'll have the car what else do you recommend we see/do offsite? We'll also be celebrating our 30th Anniversary (to give you an idea on our ages lol) and a milestone birthday for me! Thanks in advance!

 

[Bishoparc]

I can say I highly recommend you get there at "rope drop" just like you would WDW especially since it's summer and hit the major attractions first (roller coasters, Harry Potter, Spiderman, etc.) We bought AP's to Universal last year because they were so cheap for Florida residents but we haven't used them very much quite honestly. It's the cheaper park and smaller so it usually feels a lot more packed than WDW. We did a summer day last year in both Universal parks and ended up doing the express pass one day because the lines were all over an hour for just about everything (and we aren't roller coaster people and still needed it.) Also towards park closing is a slower time but I would decide the attractions you want to see most and head there just as soon as they open.

If you're staying at one of Universal's "deluxe" hotels, you get free express pass.

 

[Queen of Oakville]

I just posted some trip comments on this board (it might be on page 2) - look for my pink crown on page 1,2,3 until you find it.

7 days is a long time to spend at Universal, so we spread it out, with just a few hours at the park each day, and lots of pool/relax time.

 

[damo]

Where are you staying? You say you have 3 day tickets but are staying at Universal for 7 days.

 

[jjas]

I would suggest a day at the Kennedy space center. It's about an hour drive. We enjoyed it very much. We are about to celebrate our 25th so we should be close in age.

 

[Gottalovedisney]

Right now we're booked at Cabana Bay. I haven't purchased park tickets yet since I wasn't sure if we'd really need the express pass since we'll be there so long. If the express pass is a "no brainer" then I'd likely upgrade to Royal Pacific and get the 3 park unlimited pass.

 

[Gottalovedisney]

I'm thinking my husband would love the Kennedy Space Center! Can you make a whole day of it?

 

[mrsabbott]

I'm not sure about October.. when we went last year for Spring Break, we were able to ride everything we wanted within a reasonable wait time. Although, Diagon Alley wasn't open yet. On a few of the coasters, Hubs did single rider lines and they were walk on. With it just being the two of you, that is certainly an option you can use! We went from open to close for 2 days (mid-week) and got to do just about everything on our must see/do list. I think the only issue is the HHN. I am not sure if that is an extra cost or not.

We are hoping to get there next February and are also looking into Cabana Bay and the 3 park unlimited passes! The unlimited tickets allow you access whenever you want and being in close proximity you can reasonably come and go as you wish! Sounds like a relaxing option to me!

 

[Bishoparc]

Right now we're booked at Cabana Bay. I haven't purchased park tickets yet since I wasn't sure if we'd really need the express pass since we'll be there so long. If the express pass is a "no brainer" then I'd likely upgrade to Royal Pacific and get the 3 park unlimited pass.

If you're going in August and have the finances to upgrade to a "deluxe" resort, I'd highly suggest it for the express pass or maybe split the stay between 2 resorts. I've heard Cabana Cay is super nice and a very cool resort.

 

[mrsabbott]

If you're going in August and have the finances to upgrade to a "deluxe" resort, I'd highly suggest it for the express pass or maybe split the stay between 2 resorts. I've heard Cabana Cay is super nice and a very cool resort.

I swear I read that you were going in October.. not quite sure where my brain is at!

On that note, I would definitely consider upgrading and getting the express pass if you can afford it!

 

[kopperdoodle]

You can use the "Stay more, save more" offer for Royal Pacific for seven nights. I believe it is a 35% discount! This would give you the front of the line and early entry benefit! Also, I would get the annual pass (which costs the same as the 4 day pass...it has block out days, but I believe your dates are fine.) My teen daughter and I did this. It was very relaxing at the resort, and we went to the parks at our leisure for seven days! Very relaxing!

 

[chefmb]

I just plugged in your dates (8/16 for 7 nights) on Cheaptickets.com with the 20% deal they are running now (GLOBETROT) and the total for the Royal Pacific Resort is $1031.03. I don't know what you are paying now for Cabana, but RPR would give you the express pass. You can still pool hop between all resorts. My first trip is coming up next month--I booked through Cheaptickets and it's very easy to cancel if needed. I've cancelled and rebooked twice when I got a better rate/discount.

 

[chefmb]

Oh--I recommend you look into Discovery Cove, which will get you admission to Sea World as well. That would be a good 2 days of activities.

 

[macraven]

I'm not sure about October.. when we went last year for Spring Break, we were able to ride everything we wanted within a reasonable wait time. Although, Diagon Alley wasn't open yet. On a few of the coasters, Hubs did single rider lines and they were walk on.

I think the only issue is the HHN. I am not sure if that is an extra cost or not.

We are hoping to get there next February and are also looking into Cabana Bay and the 3 park unlimited passes! The unlimited tickets allow you access whenever you want and being in close proximity you can reasonably come and go as you wish! Sounds like a relaxing option to me!

hhn is not free.
it is a hard ticket event for the admission and express passes.

 

[jjas]

I'm thinking my husband would love the Kennedy Space Center! Can you make a whole day of it?

For sure. I would check out their website. I found lots of good information there. We took one of the tours. You got on a bus and they took you out to a few of the launch sites, the Vehicle Assembly building and another building that had one of the early rockets they used. There is also the building that holds the Space Shuttle which is amazing. There is a ton to look at and to see. There are also places where you can get things to eat. There is an admission price that gets you in and then the tour was a separate price. We really enjoyed it and thought it was worth every penny. We were probably there from 10:30 or so until about 4 - the tour probably took 2 hours. We could have used more time as there were some movies and things that we didn't have time for.