A few Newbie questions

[jlnten17]

My husband and I have been once but it was years ago. We want to bring our kids (ages 8 and 5) down for a long weekend. We would take advantage of the buy 2 get 2 ticket although we would only be able to use 3 days. We are WDW veterans and I loved our July COVID trip to WDW but wouldn't recommend it for a first time visit. That said-

Is it worth a first time visit to Universal in October based on what is open now?

Would it be worth it and doable in 3 days (without park to park)?

Is that too much time? Should we opt for one day park to park instead? (Our kids are both over 40" and our 8 year old is 48" and a daredevil but the 5 year old is very hesitant on big rides or scary characters)

Is it worth it to stay at Royal Pacific for the Express Pass? (our other options would be staying at a value Universal resort for a decent savings $ or using our DVC points to stay at Disney for the greatest savings $$$)

 

[macraven]

Don’t know what happened to my reply to you went?

week end brings In more guests
It’s a time of decent weather and locals so come

you said you wanted to go in October for three day weekend
It you are going for Columbus Day period, many local could be there which can make crowds and line waits

check the October calendar for the hours
It may have change for park hours

 

[LSUfan4444]

"Worth it" is really impossible to answer for anyone else. Will this trip exhaust your vacation budget for the remainder of the year or eat into Christmas shopping? Is it just an expensive weekend that really won't impact anything else? To say if something is worth it you'd have to know what it really costs...not just the dollar amount but the impact.

That being said, if your expectations are realistic there's really no reason you shouldn't be able to go and have a really good time. Obviously, your best strategy will be to arrive as early as possible. If you end up getting the express pass it makes the early arrival not as important BUT if you stay at a Universal resort and don't get the EP, plan to use the early admission for universal for sure to use it to your advantage.

If Royal Pacific is too expensive and you know you won't arrive early, maybe DVC is the way to go.

Just don't stay at a Disney resort, not expect any traffic on a holiday weekend, arrive at 10am with no express pass and then be disappointed because wait times were long, parking was a pain, it was hot and there was a ride or two that you didn't get to experience.

 

[jlnten17]

"Worth it" is really impossible to answer for anyone else. Will this trip exhaust your vacation budget for the remainder of the year or eat into Christmas shopping? Is it just an expensive weekend that really won't impact anything else? To say if something is worth it you'd have to know what it really costs...not just the dollar amount but the impact.

That being said, if your expectations are realistic there's really no reason you shouldn't be able to go and have a really good time. Obviously, your best strategy will be to arrive as early as possible. If you end up getting the express pass it makes the early arrival not as important BUT if you stay at a Universal resort and don't get the EP, plan to use the early admission for universal for sure to use it to your advantage.

If Royal Pacific is too expensive and you know you won't arrive early, maybe DVC is the way to go.

Just don't stay at a Disney resort, not expect any traffic on a holiday weekend, arrive at 10am with no express pass and then be disappointed because wait times were long, parking was a pain, it was hot and there was a ride or two that you didn't get to experience.

Thank you for your reply. For us worth it is more loss of time/loss of opportunity to go elsewhere (eg back to Disney or to a closer park like SDC) than the actual expense which is why we almost always pay for things like express pass and upgraded hotels anywhere we go. My husband especially has very little time off work so I’m more interested in how much is open and what a person can get done in a couple of days during current crowd levels. The one and only time we went (before kids) we stayed at Portofino during spring break weekend and had almost no waits using the EP combined with arriving early.

 

[andieb0602]

It's not going to be a "full" experience but I think it would be a fun one for you guys. I would definitely consider staying at RPR for the EP because weekends have become busy and you can't beat the convenience factor of the location. I wouldn't do one-day park-to-park. Three days would allow you a full day in each park and then you could pick your favorite and do it again. Just keep in mind, if you have a Potter fan, that you can't ride the Hogwarts Express without a park-to-park ticket.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

I think the trip is still worth it if you are comfortable with travel.

Based on your description of your kids' ages / comfort levels, I would definitely go with a park to park pass for the whole trip. One of my boys is roller coaster-averse, and simply won't get on one. The other son is full steam ahead for all thrill rides. Being able to switch parks means that you will be able to ride any of the less intense rides rather than being limited to the ones in "today's park". It also gets you on the Hogwarts Express, which is nice for both theming and the a/c on a hot day. Even before the HE opened, we got the 2-park passes, to make sure both kids got the fun they wanted.

I have no opinions on the onsite hotels, we always have a 2 or 3 bedroom condo and our car. Not sharing a single hotel room / bathroom between me, hubby, and 2 now college age boys is so much better for me!

 

[nkereina]

Is it worth a first time visit to Universal in October based on what is open now?

We haven't been yet since they re-opened, but based on what I've been reading in anticipation of our October trip, Universal seems much closer to "normal" than Disney. So I think it would be worth it even though its a first time trip.

Would it be worth it and doable in 3 days (without park to park)?

3 days is fine, but we personally would not visit without park to park. As mentioned, you would not be able to ride Hogwarts Express. Park to park also gives you added flexibility and helps you make the most of your time. If you're like us and finish IOA much earlier than UO, then you can hop over to UO in the afternoon. If it rains one day and you have to leave, you can hop back another day to finish.

Is that too much time? Should we opt for one day park to park instead? (Our kids are both over 40" and our 8 year old is 48" and a daredevil but the 5 year old is very hesitant on big rides or scary characters)

I would rather have 3 days one park than 1 day park to park, personally. That's too much for one day.

Is it worth it to stay at Royal Pacific for the Express Pass? (our other options would be staying at a value Universal resort for a decent savings $ or using our DVC points to stay at Disney for the greatest savings $$$)

Normally I would say yes, EP is worth it. Plus Royal Pacific is a great resort, and being walking distance of the parks is a huge perk. But if budget is a concern, I'd rather spend the money on the park to park tickets than the EPs in the current environment. The crowds are low and with virtual queues in effect, EPs aren't quite as valuable. You could also book rooms now, keep an eye on crowd levels and wait times, and decide what you want to do when it gets closer. If things are still looking manageable, cancel the RPR reservation.