A 1st timers guide to everything Universal...help please

[RunnerMommyof4]

We are planning our 1st trip to Universal in July 2016. We have 4 kiddos under 12 and will have at the time of travel. We are staying in a house because knowing our family we need separate spaces or cool down rooms We have never done Universal or Florida for that matter so please let me know everything we need to know about heading to Universal in 2016! Restaurants, parks, hours, advice, etc! We will have our own transportation as well.

 

[EvilQueenLiz]

2016? A lot can change in the parks by then (I'm looking at you Kong). I suggest you read the Unofficial Guide: http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Gu...ds=unofficial+guide+to+walt+disney+world+2015 which has excellent info about Universal (Just flip past the Disney stuff). I pinned some links to Universal things here: http://pinterest.com/liz07410/orlando/

 

[nextidiot]

I agree. The Unofficial Guide is a great start. Don't bother with the "Beyond Disney" because the sections that pertain to Universal and Sea World are also included in the WDW book, so it's like getting the WDW info for free.

 

[damo]

I would read all the stickies on the Universal boards and start following regularly. Read some trip reports and just start paying attention to these boards. There is a ton of current information that is shared continually.

 

[schumigirl]

I would read all the stickies on the Universal boards and start following regularly. Read some trip reports and just start paying attention to these boards. There is a ton of current information that is shared continually.

Excellent advice as always.

There is so much information on these boards alone. Stickies are vital for restaurant info and we have a lot more trip reports than we used to have, and some from people who have never been to Universal before too.

www.universalorlando.com is packed with information too. A lot of people don`t think to look there first, but it has the park lay out for you to see and get an idea of what things your family would like to see and do. Links to hotel info and more.

June 2016 is a bit of way off. Universal really doesn`t require a whole lot of planning, but it`s till nice to have an idea of things you can do as a family together.

 

[DPCummerbund]

As others have mentioned, a lot will probably change between now and then, especially the info you're looking for (park hours, restaurants, etc.).

Aside from the stickies, I would also check out the general pages for Universal here on the DIS: http://universal.wdwinfo.com/. Orlando Informer is another great site filled with very useful and up-to-date info and photos: http://orlandoinformer.com/page/articles.html/_/universal/center/