Insights on visiting Universal during a DVC Stay?

[cbonewjersey]

We'll be at BLT 1BR for a week in August and we want to take a few (2) days to go to Universal Studios. It is no small undertaking, from transport, to tickets to "express pass", and I'm trying to sort out a sober, realistic plan.

Has anyone tried this and if so are there any key points to plan for? Did you do days in a row or did you break it up between dis parks? Which park should a newbie do first? US or IOA?

My plan is to get "free tickets" with AMEX and HHonors points, and buy express pass (US fast pass... sort of), which is still $26/day/person, but you have to nail down what day you are going when you buy the pass.

I was going to opt for a taxi each way, as with 4 people, the shuttle bus is no cheaper and less flexible.

Any insights would be wonderful. Thanks.

 

[DMKEDM]

Thanks for starting this thread! For over a year now I've been "planning" (ha ha) to head over to check out Harry Potter during one of our (frequent) trips to WDW...but added to the extreme difficulty I feel in leaving Disney at all for any reason once I'm there is the utter lack of knowledge about how to go about doing it...

I'm so used to knowing where I'm going, how to get there, etc. at WDW that the "unknown" in going to Universal has been, so far, overwhelming enough to keep me from going!

Looking forward to reading tips and hints on how to do a day w/Harry Potter on a WDW vacation!

Thanks...

 

[juncker]

We did Universal for one day when we stayed at SSR last month. My kids had to see Harry Potter. What a disaster! I'll tell you what we did. It's going to be a bit different, as we had a car.

We had read the Harry Potter threads about the long/crazy lines. I thought that we were ready, but was I wrong. We had driven from Michigan down to Orlando, so luckily we had our own car. We made it to Universal IOA prior to opening. We didn't have tickets, so we had to wait in line. This took some time. We just bought 5 one day/one park tickets (over $400). Luckily we were early enough to not delay us. When we got into the park they routed everyone to the left, the long way to the Wizarding World. The problem was that all of the Universal guests were let in 1 hour earlier and were routed the short way. We made it into the Wizarding World just in time for them to cut off any new people. It was crazy! Shoulder to shoulder people. All of the Universal guests were allowed in before us. We immediately got into the Forbidden Journey line. About 90 minutes later, we actually rode it. The ride was great, and that was the only thing we enjoyed about the day. We rode Flight of the Hippogriff and the Double Dragon roller coaster. Both had long lines. Line for Olivanders was huge.

Wizarding world was so bad, we left the area to explore the rest of the park. After over an hour to ride Spiderman, it was lunchtime. We ate at Emerils, which was pretty good. Our family decided to skip going back to IOA and just went back to the pool to relax. Best choice of the day.

I'm sure that the Wizarding World will be much better when all the hype dies down.

If you're still keen on visiting Universal, you should check out the Studios. When we walked in, everyone headed for IOA. We didn't go there, but the Studios must have been empty. If I had to go back to IOA I might not do early in the morning, but try late in the day instead.

As for the ride, you might want to look into renting a car at the airport. We researched and got a good deal through a work discount back in October and found one for about $100 for the entire week. Might be worth checking into.

By the way, we had no problems with lines at the Disney parks. Ended up spending 6 days there and got on all the tough rides at park opening. Didn't have more than a 20 minute line (Haunted Mansion) all week. I'm sold on Disney.

Good luck with what you decide.

 

[disneygal922'sboy]

Definitely interested in what ideas are offered. Have been thinking about this for our next trip!

 

[DVCconvert]

Insights on visiting Universal during a DVC Stay?

Yes. Turn off the GPS function of your smartphones....ya wouldn't want Mickey finding out where you've been!

 

[amypetecar]

A few suggestions:

It sounds like if you have the Universal Express, lines shouldn't be much of a factor.

Also, if you schedule your Universal trip for the last 2 days of your trip, check into renting a car from the Alamo car care center. You could rent the car for only 2 days (probably cheaper than 4 cab trips) and you can drop the car off at the airport, thus avoiding taking Magical Express back to the airport on your last day. That way you save money and time.

 

[cbonewjersey]

Let's hope we get more insights, but what I do have so far for you is that

a) HP is better at the end of the day rather than early
b) taxi vs. shuttle depends on # of people, plus flexibility
c) the express pass option is costly and it's controversial whether or
not it's worth it - you cannot use EP for the main HP rides.
d) most people think the EP system, while costly does work overall better than FP at DW, especially in terms of standby lines.
e) single rider lines at HP and big coasters are a major advantage

I think I would start at US and spend the first day there to get acclimated, then the next day take on the more extreme and crowded IOA where HP is.

There's also a cool thing about souvenir mugs - $0.85 refills all day long throughout the US parks, but I'm puzzled how people carry them around.
Further, there seems to be a problem with carrying bags/packs at US, especially WWOHP but I'm not sure why. Lots of talk about lockers. Let's hope we get more input.

 

[bumbershoot]

You want to spend 2 days at Universal. There are 4 people, and you plan to buy the lower end Express Pass. $26x4peoplex2days.

Have you priced out getting a room at Royal Pacific for one night for the 4 of you? That room for ONE night would get you Express Pass Plus (the better version) for TWO days, and you would get Early Entry into WWoHP for both days (assuming you checked in early enough for the first day).

The purchased Express Pass gets you onto the rides that participate ONE time per day that you buy the pass. The version you get with an onsite stay gets you onto participating rides as many times as you wish to go.

And since Early Entry to WWoHP gets you ahead of everyone offsite, you are at a distinct advantage for Forbidden Journey, which doesn't participate in Express Pass, either version.


In December, our first WDW or Universal trip ever, we stayed at Uni during the middle of our trip. The tiny room, compared to the OKW 2 bedroom we'd been in, and even the 1 bedroom we'd been in, was painful. And then when we went back to WDW, their FP, compared to Express Pass Plus, was painful!

Our trip this September, we're doing the Universal stay at the END of our trip. And we're staying at Portofino Bay, where the rooms are a little bit bigger, LOL. And we won't be tortured by fast pass after having as-close-to-FOTL-access-as-I've-ever-gotten at Universal.

 

[Mtnman44]

Having done this several times, here is what I suggest you do. Everyone is different so your mileage may vary. My way may not be the cheapest but I think it is the best way (within reason of course).

1) Book at least two nights at the Royal Pacific Resort (onsite hotel). Usually we do this on Fri and Sat to save DVC points.

2) If you don't have a car, rent at one of the onsite rental locations in WDW early in the morning, then drive over to the Resort.

3) Check in and get your resort IDs (unlimited fast passes). Enjoy a leisurely stroll or boat ride over to Islands of Adventure.

4) Enjoy a relaxing, lower stress theme park experience for the next 3 days! Note: HP will be crowded during much of the day. Use your days to hit HP at various stratigic times to avoid the worst crowds.

 

[Crystal_27]

We did this for our Christmas trip (December 18-January 1, so during super peak times). We had 14 nights booked at BLT, but decided to also book a night at a Universal hotel (Royal Pacific) so we could take avantage of their front of the line access for one day. We also spent a day at Universal prior to our overnight stay to scope out the place (so, we had 2 days total planned at Universal). I will have to say that it was a complete waste of money to stay at the Universal hotel. Even with 2 parks, we got everything done that we wanted to get done in the day that we went prior to our stay, including Harry Potter, and including riding all of the headliners at both parks (and, again, this was peak time *and* this was the day that we didn't have front of the line access). We went in at rope drop, went to Harry Potter and rode those couple of rides, then went exploring through the rest of the parks. We were done by 3. Now, we did some commando touring, but, again, we didn't miss anything. I found people at Universal to be a lot more laid back in terms of how they tour (I guess Disney has prepared me well - LOL) but it was a lot of fun, and Universal really knocked it out of the park with Harry Potter. With the bad rap that Universal gets compared to Disney, I was very pleasantly surprised that it was so awesome! I'm sure you're going to have a great time!

 

[gretchen265]

We had a totally different experience than the first one mentioned... My son HAD to go see HP, so the 7 of us (including 3 under 5) went for the day. We picked up a taxi at OKW for about $30 one way for the group(which was much cheaper than the shuttle). When we got there (around park opening), they let us go the the right towards HP, and we were in line for 5 min for all of the HP rides (minus the big roller coaster- the kids weren't tall enough). From there, we just started touring around. We walked on Spiderman with no line. We saw shows, we loved it!! I wouldn't do it every trip, but I will definitely go again. It could have alot to do with the time of year, we were there in Nov. but that was the day HP was opening at the theater there. As a side note, there was a HUGE line for the wand shop, but we just skipped it... I really enjoyed trying something different. While I love Mickey, I had missed the adventure of the first time riding a new ride!

 

[gkrykewy]

This is a timely discussion for us, as we're heading over to IOA for one day during our AKV stay in a couple of weeks.

We will not have a car, and have decided on a taxi for transportation - it seems easiest. I know a lot of people recommend a 1 day car rental, but when you add on the parking costs at Universal, this no longer sounds like much of a savings vs. taxi (and with a lot more hassle to boot).

We bought 1-day 1-park passes. Still debating on the express passes, which are $24 or $25/day on the day we plan to go.

 

[cbonewjersey]

Thank you all so much for the ideas. Here's where I am at this point. Yes the money issue says book a night at a US hotel, but it is just so counterintuitive when I have the whole week booked at BLT (1 BR = heaven!!), plus I still have to get there to check in, along with my ADHD 7 year old. These kids (7 & 10) are hard to get up in the morning so rope drop is going to be tough, therefore, it's hard to imagine riding rides more than once because we want to do as much as possible so I'm not put off by the 1/ride express pass. IT seems like a good insurance policy for our first venture at this.

The taxi is a sure thing cost-wise vs. renting a car, and it's the least aggravation.

It does sound like HP depends on if you can "go to the right" when we enter....if not leave it to end of day. I've seen many entries about them "not letting you go to the right" if you're not staying on property. That's just wrong, but we'll live with it.

Does anyone know what the big deal is on HP rides with backpacks or fannypacks?? I've seen some posts about having to put them in lockers to ride FJ.

Also if you get park to park tix, how do you go from US to IOA??

 

[Inkmahm]

You want to spend 2 days at Universal. There are 4 people, and you plan to buy the lower end Express Pass. $26x4peoplex2days.

Have you priced out getting a room at Royal Pacific for one night for the 4 of you? That room for ONE night would get you Express Pass Plus (the better version) for TWO days, and you would get Early Entry into WWoHP for both days (assuming you checked in early enough for the first day).

The purchased Express Pass gets you onto the rides that participate ONE time per day that you buy the pass. The version you get with an onsite stay gets you onto participating rides as many times as you wish to go.

And since Early Entry to WWoHP gets you ahead of everyone offsite, you are at a distinct advantage for Forbidden Journey, which doesn't participate in Express Pass, either version.


In December, our first WDW or Universal trip ever, we stayed at Uni during the middle of our trip. The tiny room, compared to the OKW 2 bedroom we'd been in, and even the 1 bedroom we'd been in, was painful. And then when we went back to WDW, their FP, compared to Express Pass Plus, was painful!

Our trip this September, we're doing the Universal stay at the END of our trip. And we're staying at Portofino Bay, where the rooms are a little bit bigger, LOL. And we won't be tortured by fast pass after having as-close-to-FOTL-access-as-I've-ever-gotten at Universal.

We stayed at the Royal Pacific for two nights at the end of our March annual Disney trip. We wanted to see Harry Potter. Had 3 day passes and decided to skip the 3rd day and go back to Epcot instead. We liked Harry Potter but they pretty much can keep the rest of Universal. If we didn't have the hour head start on everyone else because we were staying on property, Harry Potter would have been a nightmare. Very crowded no matter what time of day you go.

We may go to Universal again someday. Maybe in 10 or so years.

 

[Fellowship9798]

Don't let the naysayers get you down. The Universal parks are certainly worth visiting as an supplement to WDW. I wouldn't trade a trip to WDW for a trip only to Universal, but my family finds that taking a couple of days out of the Disney bubble (even still staying at a DVC resort) to visit Universal or Sea World is great and a nice bit of variety.

Next trip we may try venturing over to Busch Gardens as I haven't been there in about 20 years.

 

[montrealdisneylovers]

Real interesting thread!! We just bought our first DVC contracts and due to the time it took to get our points in the system, all that was left in December at BLT with a theme park view was a 2 bedroom. We decided to cut off one day from Disney (to save points) and booked the Hard Rock Cafe to do Harry Potter.

After reading this thread, I am really happy we chose to do it this way and am excited to have early entry to be able to ``go to the right`` get the rides done and head over to BLT!!! Our 2 bedroom will feel really spacious for the 4 of us after our HRC hotel room!!

 

[Inkmahm]

It does sound like HP depends on if you can "go to the right" when we enter....if not leave it to end of day. I've seen many entries about them "not letting you go to the right" if you're not staying on property. That's just wrong, but we'll live with it.

Does anyone know what the big deal is on HP rides with backpacks or fannypacks?? I've seen some posts about having to put them in lockers to ride FJ.

Also if you get park to park tix, how do you go from US to IOA??

On many rides at Universal you have to take time to put your backpacks, fanny packs, purses, etc into lockers before you can ride. It is a royal P.I.T.A. There's a line to get TO the lockers and then a line to get your stuff from the lockers. At least the lockers are free for a short period of time.

To get from one park to another, you leave the park and walk around the City Walk area to get to the second park. They are not that far apart.

 

[Mtnman44]

Yea, sometimes the lockers look like a huge PITA. We have always had someone in our party on stroller duty, so we haven't had to deal with lockers yet.

Important to note that while HP is always crowded (due to popularity but also its very limited space), the rest of IOA and US is usually much less crowded than what you find at say, Magic Kingdom. The unlimited fast pass only makes it that much better!

One note on getting back and forth: You don't have to walk all the way around citywalk. You can take a much quicker direct shot strait accross (in front of Hard Rock Cafe).

While everyone is different, I just want to emphasize, don't let some of the negative comments talk you out of trying Universal. You have to decide for yourself. While we love Disney, our family has the most relaxing fun while at the US resort. The combination of the hotel proximity, stress free fast passes, and lots of fun and unquie rides makes it great for us. Harry Potter is great but most of the day it is just too dang crowded. Also, the shopping and food there is ridiculously priced, even by theme park standards. However it is a wonderful immersion into a themed environment.

On many rides at Universal you have to take time to put your backpacks, fanny packs, purses, etc into lockers before you can ride. It is a royal P.I.T.A. There's a line to get TO the lockers and then a line to get your stuff from the lockers. At least the lockers are free for a short period of time.

To get from one park to another, you leave the park and walk around the City Walk area to get to the second park. They are not that far apart.

 

[mopee3]

Important to note that while HP is always crowded (due to popularity but also its very limited space), the rest of IOA and US is usually much less crowded than what you find at say, Magic Kingdom. The unlimited fast pass only makes it that much better!

The unlimited fast pass?? What is this? It looks like the Universal ExpressSM Plus Pass is not unlimited, in fact it can only be used once a day on each ride.

Unless you are talking about the Disney Fast Pass?

Wait I found what you were talking about.


2-Day Park to Park VIP Ticket

The 2-Day Park to Park VIP Ticket entitles one (1) guest admission and unlimited Universal ExpressSM Access

Right??

Moe

 

[Kathymford]

I have also read some other posts that say Tues/Weds are better for the Potter areas as far as crowds go, since most people tend to end their WDW trips with a trip to US.