Are reservations really necessary?

[CaryHaven]

By the way, as we are again watching videos of the coasters, what is everyone’s opinion on Rip Ride Rockit? I don’t like the straight vertical climb, but the ride looks tamer than either Velocicoaster or Hulk. Also, how bad is that hang time for the big drop in Velocicoaster? I might be scaring myself out of riding these things . I hate straight vertical climbs or drops, but especially climbs.

 

[Lilias]

The climb on RRR was so LONG and drawn-out that it gave me a small panic attack the first (and last, lol) time I rode it, and the rest of the ride threw my neck around so much I had a fun migraine later. I don't think you'd miss anything skipping RRR--and another thing I hate about it is that it uses magnetic lapbars, so I didn't feel safe the entire time.

I only rode velocicoaster one time and I was already feeling poorly so it didn't go well. I'm open to trying one more time on that one, though.

Hulk used to be a once-a-trip thing for me, but lately I can't really abide going upside down and you go upside a LOT on that one. It's worth a try, though

It's so annoying that stuff I used to ride over and over again give me so much trouble now! Even The Mummy, one of my favorite coasters of all time, I can maybe ride once a trip anymore. Booo

 

[Skywalker3]

By the way, as we are again watching videos of the coasters, what is everyone’s opinion on Rip Ride Rockit? I don’t like the straight vertical climb, but the ride looks tamer than either Velocicoaster or Hulk. Also, how bad is that hang time for the big drop in Velocicoaster? I might be scaring myself out of riding these things . I hate straight vertical climbs or drops, but especially climbs.

I rode RRR once a few years ago, and it was pretty rough to me. It's fun though having the music blaring in your ear as you hang on for dear life....but shook me around quite a bit. I'm good skipping it.
I LOVE Velocicoaster. It's so very thrilling, and pretty smooth. I don't think the hang time is anything, you are shooting over that top hat. it's so exhilarating. (now, if I ever experience that rare roll back I hear people talk about, I might change my mind. I do NOT like going backwards on coasters.) It took me over 20 years to finally ride Hulk. I was pretty intimidated, but once I did it finally did it last year, AFTER riding VC, I didn't think it was that bad at all. But it's still very, very intense. I know a few people who kinda blank out for a few seconds on it.
Nothing at WDW compares to them really. Maybe RnRC is the closest. That's why there is nothing allowed on them, it would totally go flying,
Agree with the others, you will get soaked on Bluto's barges, completely soaked, and likely mostly soaked on Dudley. The water splashes over the sides a lot, so stuff in pockets is not safe!
Lockers are not that big a deal for us. I either hold other people's stuff if I'm skipping the ride, or it just takes a few extra mins to use them. I take a full sized backpack, not stuffed to the gills, and squish it down. I don't want to go w/o my usual stuff.
Happy planning!!!
forgot to add about reservations. we find Toothsome's and Cowfish can be tricky to get into at the last minute, or even several days out during busy periods/holidays.

 

[CaryHaven]

We did love the idea of the music on RRR, but I hate being jarred around. I grew up in the 90s and lived near Kings Island which had some awesome coasters that I rode every week. Back before Son of the Beast was shut down, I rode it only one time. I felt like it was trying to knock the teeth out of my head. And this is when I was a teenager. I can’t imagine doing it now.

 

[CaryHaven]

The climb on RRR was so LONG and drawn-out that it gave me a small panic attack the first (and last, lol) time I rode it, and the rest of the ride threw my neck around so much I had a fun migraine later. I don't think you'd miss anything skipping RRR--and another thing I hate about it is that it uses magnetic lapbars, so I didn't feel safe the entire time.

I only rode velocicoaster one time and I was already feeling poorly so it didn't go well. I'm open to trying one more time on that one, though.

Hulk used to be a once-a-trip thing for me, but lately I can't really abide going upside down and you go upside a LOT on that one. It's worth a try, though

It's so annoying that stuff I used to ride over and over again give me so much trouble now! Even The Mummy, one of my favorite coasters of all time, I can maybe ride once a trip anymore. Booo

Also, I didn’t realize that about the lapbars. That sounds so …..unwise. I’m debating now on it, for me and the girls at least. Even my husband isn’t fond of really rocky rides. We’ve had our share of wooden coasters from various big parks and not sure the girls would appreciate that feeling.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

We may or may not end up using a locker if we can all take turns riding the bigger coasters.

It is far, far more convenient to use the lockers than to take turns. It's legit less than a minute of your time, and the lockers are conveniently located maybe 20 steps out of the way. They are free and easy. I think lots of times the lockers are made out to be a bigger deal than they are.

 

[Kit Jackson]

We did love the idea of the music on RRR, but I hate being jarred around. I grew up in the 90s and lived near Kings Island which had some awesome coasters that I rode every week. Back before Son of the Beast was shut down, I rode it only one time. I felt like it was trying to knock the teeth out of my head. And this is when I was a teenager. I can’t imagine doing it now.

In that case, consider skipping Simpsons and Spiderman.

 

[spewey]

Although it can be jerky, I would suggest never skipping Spiderman. A revolutionary use of technology when it opened, even 25 years later it remains a brilliant ride.

RRR is the roughest coaster in the parks for sure. Plus they have seemingly cut back significantly on the playlist. But don't avoid it because of the restraint system - it's as safe as any ride out there.

BTW if you're looking at a comparison for roughness based on your experience, nothing at UO comes close to SOB. Then again, very few things ever built are in it's league for that. In fact, The Beast is probably rougher than any ride at UO.

But people often conflate roughness with causing nausea. The Hulk, for example, may bang your head a bit (it has over the shoulder harnesses) and you might get a sore neck or a bit of a headache, but it won't make many people sick. The Simpsons, or Forbidden Journey, are more likely to do that, because of their back and forth motion. We love both those rides (although we do often skip the Simpsons if the line is long) but I try not to ride either of them first thing in the AM.

OP - I haven't really touched on your original question about reservations/wait times. As I posted in another recent thread where someone familiar with Disney was asking about a planning strategy for Universal:

"I'm the planner. My (actual, real) OCD comes in handy I must say with Disney. I have guided us though three completely different ride booking systems - paper Fastpasses, MBs, and now Genie. Master of the refresh, using my wife's phone to watch time.gov, LLs, VQs, I've become an expert in everything. Have advised several other Canadian families on how to tackle what is frankly a byzantine, often overwhelming process - even written out itineraries for them.

For Universal, these are my strategies (which work year 'round - we just spent Christmas break there, which is super high season, but usually go when schools are back for the locals, like late August, or even September). Follow these steps carefully, and you're assured of a low-stress, go-with-the-flow vacation, with plenty of time to do everything you want, with maybe just a little planning set aside for Hagrid's.

Ready? Here goes:

1. Book a stay at a hotel with EPs.



That is all."

 

[kbelle8995]

Have fun. Unless it's a busy holiday weekend you don't have to make to many reservation. Also if you plan to say at a Universal Hotel. You will find that you do not spend as much time traveling as you do at Disney. I'm Usually at Cabana Bay. The buses are efficient. Also if you can do a resort day at a universal hotel. DO IT. Such nice pools and amenities.

The boats are very nice as well. I plan to do some boat riding on my next trip. Just so relaxing.

 

[kbelle8995]

Oh just an aside Portofino has some really nice restaurants. I can recommend Sal's for fast and tasty food. Also Trattoria del Porto. I also love that' most of the hotels at Universal have a full service Starbucks except Sapphire falls for some strange reason.

 

[MomOTwins]

I recommend booking meals everywhere! When we went to universal the first time and stayed at Portofino I made no reservations, and read the same thing you did about priority seating for premiere hotels. Turns out none of the restaurants actually do it—they just use reservation and waitlist systems like any disney restaurant. We were turned away from all the restaurants at the hotel so hopped on the boat to city walk. A couple of places thought they could seat us maybe around 10pm or later. This was at 6pm. Now this was during spring break so it was very crowded and is likely better other times of the year but I just naiively read the same things you did online about how universal is so easy and you never need to reserve anything. Anyhow I just go ahead and make the reservations as a precaution-better safe than sorry!

 

[Jessem1133]

I recommend booking meals everywhere! When we went to universal the first time and stayed at Portofino I made no reservations, and read the same thing you did about priority seating for premiere hotels. Turns out none of the restaurants actually do it—they just use reservation and waitlist systems like any disney restaurant. We were turned away from all the restaurants at the hotel so hopped on the boat to city walk. A couple of places thought they could seat us maybe around 10pm or later. This was at 6pm. Now this was during spring break so it was very crowded and is likely better other times of the year but I just naiively read the same things you did online about how universal is so easy and you never need to reserve anything. Anyhow I just go ahead and make the reservations as a precaution-better safe than sorry!

Same here. I book a dinner reservation three months out for every night we're there...and it takes all the guesswork out of it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think the reason why many people MOST especially here on the Universal side discuss reservations with nonchalentness is really because it's night and day to Disney. If you can't not imagine doing things like you do at Disney you may find yourself going reservation happy. But the truth is Universal just doesn't require all of this as a matter of principle. When you're at Disney many of the restaurants require advanced booking and booking far in advance. Just not the same at Universal where the restaurants are much much smaller in numbers in those that book up and it's rare to be months in advance like at Disney.

If you're trying to emulate your Disney trip you can if you want but you don't really have to when you're at Universal.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I recommend booking meals everywhere! When we went to universal the first time and stayed at Portofino I made no reservations, and read the same thing you did about priority seating for premiere hotels. Turns out none of the restaurants actually do it—they just use reservation and waitlist systems like any disney restaurant. We were turned away from all the restaurants at the hotel so hopped on the boat to city walk. A couple of places thought they could seat us maybe around 10pm or later. This was at 6pm. Now this was during spring break so it was very crowded and is likely better other times of the year but I just naiively read the same things you did online about how universal is so easy and you never need to reserve anything. Anyhow I just go ahead and make the reservations as a precaution-better safe than sorry!

With respect that's not because you NEED to book everywhere. It looks like to me you thought Priority Seating was like a Landry's card where you just walk up and can be placed ahead of others.

If you go to Portofino's webpage here's the description of Priority Seating:


We did it for Jake's at Royal Pacific like I mentioned. But did we make the reservation months in advance? Um no we made it 20 mins in advance by calling down right at dinner time and what it was is they had reservations set aside for those staying at the Premier hotels. Of course some times there really won't be available that flexible like we experienced, going on Spring Break is different by far, but it would be inaccurate to describe priority seating the way you did with "turns out none of the restaurants do it". That was unfortunately a misunderstanding on your part (with respect) on what it is. Priority Seating with staying at a Premier hotel at Universal does indeed work.

People do frequently talk about Landry's and priority seating so I can get that confusion aspect but it's also not a hidden detail on Universal's website what the benefit is for staying at a Premier hotel.

 

[spewey]

Just my take - in all the times we've gone to UO, which is more than 20 at this point, we've made a grand total of one reservation. And that was for a party of eight at a sit-down restaurant (Finnegan's) for 8PM on NYE.

Having said that, if you were to go at a crazy-busy time (like Spring Break or over Christmas) and want a table at a sit-down place without a long wait during the lunch or dinner rush, then yes consider reserving ahead of time. This is something we never do as at UO we always stay at a Premier hotel (RPR) and just "go with the flow" during the day. Having a reservation would tie us to a location and time, and mostly we eat at quick-service, during off-hours, and that plan has rarely failed.

 

[MomOTwins]

With respect that's not because you NEED to book everywhere. It looks like to me you thought Priority Seating was like a Landry's card where you just walk up and can be placed ahead of others.

If you go to Portofino's webpage here's the description of Priority Seating:
View attachment 799497

We did it for Jake's at Royal Pacific like I mentioned. But did we make the reservation months in advance? Um no we made it 20 mins in advance by calling down right at dinner time and what it was is they had reservations set aside for those staying at the Premier hotels. Of course some times there really won't be available that flexible like we experienced, going on Spring Break is different by far, but it would be inaccurate to describe priority seating the way you did with "turns out none of the restaurants do it". That was unfortunately a misunderstanding on your part (with respect) on what it is. Priority Seating with staying at a Premier hotel at Universal does indeed work.

People do frequently talk about Landry's and priority seating so I can get that confusion aspect but it's also not a hidden detail on Universal's website what the benefit is for staying at a Premier hotel.

It wasn’t an assumption, just like I said lots of bad advice on the blogs out there. Like these ones that say priority seating is done by showing your room card at the restaurant:
https://parknerds.com/priority-seating-universal-orlando/
https://www.secondstarwishes.com/full-guide-to-universal-orlando-dining-reservations/

 

[schumigirl]

It wasn’t an assumption, just like I said lots of bad advice on the blogs out there. Like these ones that say priority seating is done by showing your room card at the restaurant:
https://parknerds.com/priority-seating-universal-orlando/
https://www.secondstarwishes.com/full-guide-to-universal-orlando-dining-reservations/

It used to be like that, maybe before 2017/18.

You did used to show your room key from a premier hotel and you were seated before folks who had reservations.

We once were told it was a 70+ minute wait for Margaritaville, we showed our room key and we waited I think just under 15 minutes. It was a good system back then.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It wasn’t an assumption, just like I said lots of bad advice on the blogs out there. Like these ones that say priority seating is done by showing your room card at the restaurant:
https://parknerds.com/priority-seating-universal-orlando/
https://www.secondstarwishes.com/full-guide-to-universal-orlando-dining-reservations/

Eh...but that's blogs. You wouldn't tell a person planning a Disney trip to just go to a blog. Because blogs can be inaccurate, they can be flat out wrong, or they can be out of date in information.

I can understand the initial confusion but in terms of advice to someone new to Universal it's not that "none of the restaurants do it" they absolutely do, but Universal is also very clear how to take advantage of the perk and what the perk. It's on the main page for the Premier hotels.

**FWIW these are pretty obscure blogs from my perspective and there's thousands of them like that. Best to go to the actual website for the information and then when you're looking for feedback forums like this are helpful.

 

[MomOTwins]

It used to be like that, maybe before 2017/18.

You did used to show your room key from a premier hotel and you were seated before folks who had reservations.

We once were told it was a 70+ minute wait for Margaritaville, we showed our room key and we waited I think just under 15 minutes. It was a good system back then.

Well that makes me feel less crazy at least! We might have gone right after they made the switch—in fact I could have sworn that it said the same thing on the universal website. Anyhoo good to know that there is a different option now (might have been nice if the hotel told us about it) but we’re still going to make reservations rather than leave it to chance what the concierge can get us.

 

[schumigirl]

Well that makes me feel less crazy at least! We might have gone right after they made the switch—in fact I could have sworn that it said the same thing on the universal website. Anyhoo good to know that there is a different option now (might have been nice if the hotel told us about it) but we’re still going to make reservations rather than leave it to chance what the concierge can get us.

lol...no you`re not crazy.

I forget exactly when the switch happened, we also don`t really use the perk much now so I`m not certain exactly how good the system is, and Universal are better now at updating the websites than they were back then, so hopefully the correct info gets out there.

You do what`s best for you and your family, no right and wrongs there at all. We don`t book, but we`ve been so often and very regularly there`s no need, but for folks visiting for the first time or don`t visit as often, I can understand why you would want some guarantees with dining.

Good luck and hope you have a wonderful trip!!