3 days at universal

[baillie]

is this good enough? we're going for about 8 days and i wanted 4 days for disney and i thought maybe i'd try universal this time around. Is three days going to cover it? or is that too much time?

 

[webray]

3 Days was always perfect for us. One day in each park and the third day to do City Walk, shopping and re do anything in the parks we really enjoyed.

 

[F-L-A]

Three days is good if you want to take your time, see everything that appeals to you and maybe redo a few things. Will you be staying on-site?

 

[baillie]

no we have booked a home at emerald island for next january. we've been to disney a few times and thought we'd see some other sights in orlando while we're there.

 

[gweny70]

I too am curious about Universal and how much time is needed and how much will the 12 yr old and 15 yr old enjoy? Is it a huge hit or just so so?

 

[calgarygary]

What type of rides do your 12 & 15 year old like? If they are fans of ToT, RR, EE, then they will love Universal and especially IOA. I would also suggest trying to stay onsite when doing Universal as the perks, especially front of the line, are well worth the cost.

 

[isla bonita]

We did US/IOA and I have to say it was great, food was good, rides were great for my guys, they love thrill rides and my daughter who did next to nothing (she has since graduated to SW's new kid Shamu coaster) had a great time. The parks are clean, well maintained, and we enjoyed it we were ages from 65-4. There is something for every one.

 

[horseshowmom]

It's my daughter's favorite park (she's 19) and has been for quite awhile. Her dad and I also really like it.

One comment regarding the OP's question. Be sure you aren't planning to do too much. We had actually planned to do the same thing you are when we were there the week before Christmas, but the more I thought about it the more I was afraid we would be overdoing it.

I had gotten a great deal on US/IOA tickets and wound up selling them on ebay. We hadn't been to WDW in quite awhile, and I was able to get a really good price on a 7 day ticket. We wound up only using 4 days at Disney and doing some other things the rest of the time (mini golf, shopping, etc.).

Of course, not everybody's family is like ours (DH 50, me 47, DD 19, and her BF 23), but if we had tried to go to a park everyday, we would have been worn out (even the younger folks thought so).

BTW, Universal has a great deal on tickets right now - $85 for a 7 day ticket (ticket is good for 7 days beginning with first day of use).

 

[gweny70]

I just saw that 7 day deal ticket. That price seems like a steal!! I wonder how long that deal will last?! Overdoing it is definitely one of the things we are worred about. We are planning on doing a couple days of Disney--including water parks--Universal, Sea World, and Discovery Cove. Of course we will be down there for 15 days (9 nights at CPR & the rest w/family) so we are going to break it up with some relax, unwind at the pool, do whatever days. Plus we would like to visit a beach down there. Soooo hopefully I haven't booked us with too much to do & can break it up enough that we don't get ourselves completely burnt out.

 

[horseshowmom]

I just saw that 7 day deal ticket. That price seems like a steal!! I wonder how long that deal will last?! Overdoing it is definitely one of the things we are worred about. We are planning on doing a couple days of Disney--including water parks--Universal, Sea World, and Discovery Cove. Of course we will be down there for 15 days (9 nights at CPR & the rest w/family) so we are going to break it up with some relax, unwind at the pool, do whatever days. Plus we would like to visit a beach down there. Soooo hopefully I haven't booked us with too much to do & can break it up enough that we don't get ourselves completely burnt out.

Staying so long will make a huge difference. We used to always stay for two weeks (years ago before DD got so much into the horses), but with all of these horses, it's just too hard to be gone more than a week (a week is hard enough).

We loved being able to stay that long. Since we rented a house, we would only go to a park every other day (with the day off to swim, rest, shop, or whatever).

There is a FlexTicket that has Universal, Sea World, and Wet 'N' Wild (plus another one with Busch Gardens), but right now, I think the $85 one is probably a better deal.

As far as how long they'll have the ticket, I don't know. It's been running for a few months now.

Have a great trip! (Discovery Cove should be wonderful! We're looking forward to trying it sometime.)

 

[writersblock42]

Three days will be plenty. My son (7) really loved Universal. Islands of Adventure can be done in a day or less and Universal takes about a full day. So three days will be probably just right to take your time.

 

[gweny70]

horseshowmom: Well-I JUST purchased the 7 day tickets for $85 + tax!! Can't beat that!! And if I had missed that deal I would be kicking myself later on I'm sure. I know we won't do a full 7 days of Universal but at least this way we have the option of going back maybe later at night and catching just a few rides on a "day off".

Our primary goal is to get down there to FL (we are leaving the day before my daughter's last day of school) and do Disney RIGHT AWAY & hopefully beat at least some of the crowds heading down for summer vacations. I know it's a long shot but worth a try...and I know the longer we are there the busier it will get so the goal was to do all the parks at beginning of trip and relax at end of trip butI have a very good feeling that we are going to need days in between park days to recooperate. oh well! That's the good thing about getting the 7 day Universal tix and 6 or 7 day Dis PH....we can just go in the mornings when they first open up and then later at night and hopefully escape some of the crowds and heat. That's the plan at least!!

I can't imagine having to leave behind horses for 2 weeks! It will be hard enough just leaving our beloved puppy, Riley. Horses are on awhole other level of care and upkeep! Glad to hear that 2 weeks is a good amount of time for this trip. It's our first 2 week vacation ever and I was starting to worry that maybe it was a little too long. I know you ask--how is that possible?!?! LOL. but now I'm thinking 2 weeks will be JUST RIGHT!! Hopefully Discovery cove will work out---it all depends on funds. The other parks are a definite but time will tell (and amount of $$ saved) if we are able to actually do Discovery Cove. I have to keep reminding my beloved DD of that everytime she wants to go snowboarding, or to the movies, or a new pair or something she doesn't Need.

 

[Nicole786]

Depending on the time of year, universal can be done in 2 days. However, with the exception of certain areas (Suess Landing) its main audience is teens/adults.

I've been a couple of times and it's a blast! Islands of Adventure is a definite must see for anybody!

for some pics check out my sig below and click on "flickr"

 

[horseshowmom]

horseshowmom: Well-I JUST purchased the 7 day tickets for $85 + tax!! Can't beat that!! And if I had missed that deal I would be kicking myself later on I'm sure. I know we won't do a full 7 days of Universal but at least this way we have the option of going back maybe later at night and catching just a few rides on a "day off".

Our primary goal is to get down there to FL (we are leaving the day before my daughter's last day of school) and do Disney RIGHT AWAY & hopefully beat at least some of the crowds heading down for summer vacations. I know it's a long shot but worth a try...and I know the longer we are there the busier it will get so the goal was to do all the parks at beginning of trip and relax at end of trip butI have a very good feeling that we are going to need days in between park days to recooperate. oh well! That's the good thing about getting the 7 day Universal tix and 6 or 7 day Dis PH....we can just go in the mornings when they first open up and then later at night and hopefully escape some of the crowds and heat. That's the plan at least!!

I can't imagine having to leave behind horses for 2 weeks! It will be hard enough just leaving our beloved puppy, Riley. Horses are on awhole other level of care and upkeep! Glad to hear that 2 weeks is a good amount of time for this trip. It's our first 2 week vacation ever and I was starting to worry that maybe it was a little too long. I know you ask--how is that possible?!?! LOL. but now I'm thinking 2 weeks will be JUST RIGHT!! Hopefully Discovery cove will work out---it all depends on funds. The other parks are a definite but time will tell (and amount of $$ saved) if we are able to actually do Discovery Cove. I have to keep reminding my beloved DD of that everytime she wants to go snowboarding, or to the movies, or a new pair or something she doesn't Need.

I may go ahead and buy them myself pretty soon. I'm not positive when we'll be back, but it should be sometime this year. My understanding is that there isn't an expiration date if something happens, and we don't make it in '07.

We had a FlexTicket a few years ago and did what you're talking about. We went mornings and left around noon or 1 p.m. when it started to get crowded. We also went back at night for some stuff a couple of times. We loved the flexibility.

Along with the horses, we have lots of dogs and cats too. When we went to Destin for 5 days last summer, I wound up spending about $350 between the kennel and the young man who cared for our horses. The young man is a bargain though. His dad is our farrier, and his uncle is our vet, so if anything's wrong, he can get the right help really fast!

$$$ - That's why we haven't made it to Discovery Cove yet!

One other thing you might consider - have you checked into Tourguide Mike (advertised on these boards)? I've been to Disney many, many times. We used to go every year and sometimes more than once a year (before the horses took over ).

When I was planning our trip the week before Christmas, I decided to give him a try and was very impressed. It costs less than $20. I kind of hated to spend that, but then I considered what the cost of the trip was (Disney tickets in particular) and decided that that was pretty small if it helped. By following his advice, the longest we stood in line was about 10 minutes.
Mostly it was 5 - 10 minutes and we had a lot of walk-ons. We saw some pretty big crowds, but with his help we managed to not be affected by them.

Either way, have a great trip!

 

[gweny70]

horseshowmom: horses, dogs, & cats!! You aren't kidding--that is A LOT to not only find care for but also to pay for!! And here I was thinking just one dog and 1 cat were a lot!! Fortunately they are definitely all worth it!

I briefly saw something about Tourguide Mike but didn't really know what it was all about...or mainly IF IT WAS WORTH IT?? After your comments I'm definitely curious now. Is it a book? Or does he email you with suggestions?? I'm pretty much prepared for lots of long lines since we are going in June (which I STILL can't believe were doing) but if there's a way to cut down the lines SIGN ME UP! I know about fast pass and going early when parks open and late at night--but does he give more info then the basics that we already know?

 

[Mainebound]

We did US/IOA and I have to say it was great, food was good, rides were great for my guys, they love thrill rides and my daughter who did next to nothing (she has since graduated to SW's new kid Shamu coaster) had a great time. The parks are clean, well maintained, and we enjoyed it we were ages from 65-4. There is something for every one.

We totally agree.

We love the Universal parks. Very different in feel from WDW, but excellent nonetheless.

 

[yankeepenny]

we are staying at dolphin, and doing sea world 1 day, 2 at universal and 1 at cypress gardens.
then 1 at Ak. we really liked that place.