Any trip planning advice for Dec?

[codenamejack]

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[mom0299]

We are thinking of going in December too.

 

[tfoster]

We are thinking of going in December too.

Us too! I'll be very interested to see others' responses. This will also be our first time to Universal. We originally had reservations at Uni for Dec 6 - Dec 11 but have since switched to Dec 19 - Dec 24 (with two additional nights off-site at the front end for SeaWorld).

I don't know when it's recommended to make reservations, but we already have made ours at Portofino Bay If you can, I'd suggest you make them as sooner than later to make sure you get the type of room you want. In our case, we need two rooms and for the Dec 6 - Dec 11 time frame, we weren't able to get one of them with a king bed because they had already all been reserved. Fortunately, for our new dates, we were able to get one of the rooms with a king bed. I'm going to just keep checking the rates and call for an adjustment if I see lower ones than what we currently have.

We've also already purchased our Universal tickets. I like buying them early for no other reason than it helps spread the cost of the trip out. I don't think there's any real need to buy them early though if you don't want to.

 

[xApril]

I'm thinking of planning a family trip to Orlando in December. The parks will be decorated and there should be a lot of Christmas stuff going on. I'm hoping WWoHP will be decorated too!

My party will be myself, DH, and DD (22, but still HP obsessed ). None of us are really into rollercoasters, but we do like motion simulators, shows, etc. We're just planning to stay a day or two, depending on how much we want to see. We've been to WDW, but this is our first visit ever to Universal.

So my questions are...

* How soon do we need to start making reservations, buying passes, etc?
* What is your experience with Florida weather in December?
* How are crowds in December? (We're aiming for a weekday visit.)
* What are the "must see" attractions in IoA for a group like ours?
* Are there any "must see" attractions at the other Universal park for a group like ours?
* Is it worth it to stay at one of the on-site hotels? (I'm wondering if we'd even need an express pass for that time of year on a weekday.)

Any help at all is appreciated!

Florida weather in December can be bipolar. It could be hot or it could be a little on the chilly side. It's usually not too bad though. We usually get the really cold stuff in January and February.

I'd imagine if you go earlier in December there'd be less crowds than near the end of the month around the holidays. But anything's possible with HP opening.

I pretty much recommend all the rides other than the roller coasters for your group at IOA. Everything's pretty awesome.

At the Studios side, I again recommend everything. I especially recommend the Horror Make-Up Show.

I guess for the hotel thing, it'd really depend on how the crowds were. I have heard that the hotels are really nice though. Express would allow you to do pretty much everything multiple times, which could be nice on a first visit.

 

[the Dark Marauder]

I'm thinking of planning a family trip to Orlando in December. The parks will be decorated and there should be a lot of Christmas stuff going on. I'm hoping WWoHP will be decorated too!

My party will be myself, DH, and DD (22, but still HP obsessed ). None of us are really into rollercoasters, but we do like motion simulators, shows, etc. We're just planning to stay a day or two, depending on how much we want to see. We've been to WDW, but this is our first visit ever to Universal.

So my questions are...

* How soon do we need to start making reservations, buying passes, etc?
* What is your experience with Florida weather in December?
* How are crowds in December? (We're aiming for a weekday visit.)
* What are the "must see" attractions in IoA for a group like ours?
* Are there any "must see" attractions at the other Universal park for a group like ours?
* Is it worth it to stay at one of the on-site hotels? (I'm wondering if we'd even need an express pass for that time of year on a weekday.)

Any help at all is appreciated!

1)Now is good to start searching for ticket deals. They change regularly, so just keep your eyes open.

2) Weather in Dec = While usually warm (70/50 or 80/60 range), it can dip into the 50/30 range. You never know. Ever.

3)Crowds are generally light in the beginning & middle of Dec. As the month gets later, especially around Christmas, it gets busier.

4)Skip: Hulk (big green coaster) and Dragon Challenge (big red & blue coasters).
See: Spider-Man, Ripsaw Falls (very wet!), Popeye & Blutos (very wet!), Jurassic Park River Adventure, HP Forbidden Journey, Seuss Sky Trolley, Poseidon's Fury (skip if pressed for time), Cat in the Hat

5)Skip: Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (big red coaster)
See: Revenge of the Mummy (indoor coaster, no inversions, not very intense), Jimmy Neutron, Shrek 4D, Disaster, MiB, Simpsons Ride, Jaws, T2:3D, Blues Brothers show, Horror Makeup Show

6)It depends when you plan on going. Usually you do NOT need Express, but staying onsite allows all the wonderful amenities, plus the hotels are beautiful, and the Express perk can be very useful.

 

[codenamejack]

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