Back from my first Universal trip!

Spaceace5150

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
My family just got back from our first Universal trip! We have been to Disney many times but this was our first visit to Universal and we decided to to Universal only. Thanks for all on the boards that answered some of my questions and I learned a lot from old posts as well.

We stayed off-site so I can't compare Disney vs. Universal hotels.

We all enjoyed Universal, and the highlight was the Harry Potter themed areas. We spent a lot of time in those areas exploring all the shops and doing the magic wand windows. I was presently surprised with the food at Three Broomsticks and the Leaky Cauldron. I really enjoyed my meals there and the prices were reasonable for being in a theme park. Overall, my opinion is that the Harry Potter areas are more enjoyable overall compared to any specific area that Disney has.

I was there with my son (7) who is a timid rider. Unfortunately there weren't many rides that he could go on and enjoy. We are more familiar with a Disney atmosphere that has a better mix of rides. We did do Seuss Landing with the family enjoyed. I have to say that I was tired of ride simulators by the time the trip was over. Maybe its just me - I really enjoyed E.T., a ride that I assume many think is out-dated.

I did really enjoy Universal and hope to come back!
 
Thank you for your report. Yeah, lots of screens, but Disney has them too. Glad you'd like to go back again. Maybe when your son is a little older, he may be braver on some of those rides. It's why I decided to take my DD, the youngest, when she was tall enough to ride all but a ride or two. But, she's a dare devil, and loves coasters, so while she could not ride Hulk, somehow the TM said tall enough for RRR. I knew which car she was in, as it looked like no one was in that seat. Now, my kids are grown, and still enjoy Universal. I hope your family grows up enjoying the Universal parks as much as Disney. And we also enjoy Potter.

Oh, and we all enjoy ET. I doubt even most of us seasoned park goers, would say it's dated. Finally, I hope you let your son run around the ball shooting place in the Kids Zone. We always get a laugh there. Adults and kids.
 
My family just got back from our first Universal trip! We have been to Disney many times but this was our first visit to Universal and we decided to to Universal only. Thanks for all on the boards that answered some of my questions and I learned a lot from old posts as well.

We stayed off-site so I can't compare Disney vs. Universal hotels.

We all enjoyed Universal, and the highlight was the Harry Potter themed areas. We spent a lot of time in those areas exploring all the shops and doing the magic wand windows. I was presently surprised with the food at Three Broomsticks and the Leaky Cauldron. I really enjoyed my meals there and the prices were reasonable for being in a theme park. Overall, my opinion is that the Harry Potter areas are more enjoyable overall compared to any specific area that Disney has.

I was there with my son (7) who is a timid rider. Unfortunately there weren't many rides that he could go on and enjoy. We are more familiar with a Disney atmosphere that has a better mix of rides. We did do Seuss Landing with the family enjoyed. I have to say that I was tired of ride simulators by the time the trip was over. Maybe its just me - I really enjoyed E.T., a ride that I assume many think is out-dated.

I did really enjoy Universal and hope to come back!

Glad you enjoyed your trip!:) The HP areas are truly magnificent! We haven't tried Three Broomsticks or Leaky Cauldron yet- have heard so many good reviews! and nice at good value, too:thumbsup2

And our family loves ET!:love:
 




Glad you had a good time!

Totally get the simulator complaint. Even as much as I love USO it's my main compliant I have especially as I suffer from motion sickness. I still find enough to do and love the atmosphere of USO and the relaxed feel I get.

E.T. I believe got a paint job in the last few years so that's nice. I dragged my husband on E.T. on our trip last year. I love that ride. It's cute, it's an easy to ride attraction (IMO), it's corny but in an endearing way, etc. I'm hoping that while it's a ride in existence for quite a while that it's there to stay for quite a while more :)
 
Glad you had a good time!

Totally get the simulator complaint. Even as much as I love USO it's my main compliant I have especially as I suffer from motion sickness. I still find enough to do and love the atmosphere of USO and the relaxed feel I get.

E.T. I believe got a paint job in the last few years so that's nice. I dragged my husband on E.T. on our trip last year. I love that ride. It's cute, it's an easy to ride attraction (IMO), it's corny but in an endearing way, etc. I'm hoping that while it's a ride in existence for quite a while that it's there to stay for quite a while more :)
I rode ET many times before I realized how the whole name/passport thing worked. I thought it was just a way for them to keep the line spread out or something. I always gave silly fake names. It wasn't until my last ride that I heard the name at the end of the ride. I told my son, and he was like, "Duh."
 
I rode ET many times before I realized how the whole name/passport thing worked. I thought it was just a way for them to keep the line spread out or something. I always gave silly fake names. It wasn't until my last ride that I heard the name at the end of the ride. I told my son, and he was like, "Duh."
:rotfl2:
 

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