Can you help a stressed mom out? HPW trip planned for next week!

[JennyJenn]

Hi Everyone - As a single full time working mom, I've done nothing to prepare. yIKES! i'm hoping you all will have great ideas on helping me organinize a trip with my 11 year old and her friend next week. We arrive on Tuesday afternoon - staying at Cabana Bay and leaving on Saturday morning. The only things planned are: Breakfast at Leaky Cauldron bfast on Wednesday and Bfast at 3 Broomsticks on Friday.

Can I uber it from the airport to Cabana Bay?

What is there to do at night with 2 11 year olds since Universal parks seem to close early?

Recommended itinerary?

Thank you for your help!

Jenn

 

[angryduck71]

I do not think you can uber -- others may help you with that.

There's the mini-golf you could do. And, the pool if the weather is still warm enough. I would adjust and make sure to get up early for early entry.

orlandoinformer.com has some good touring plans. Honestly, I would not do breakfast -- I would do lunch or dinner at Leaky Cauldron/3 Broomsticks and tour the park during early times instead since you do not have express passes.

 

[georgina]

Last I checked, Uber is not allowed to pick up at the airport (you can Uber back to the airport though). Some people take a free shuttle to a hotel and Uber from there, or just take a cab from the airport, was about $50 last time I did it.

There are sometimes DJs playing music at Citywalk in the evenings and I have seen lots of kids dancing. There is a bowling alley at Cabana Bay, also should have evening movies by the pool, I saw something about s'mores there? Weather forecast for next week looks like highs in upper 70's/low 80's.

 

[PantherPete]

I suggest getting a car service. Much easier than a cab. I have used Tiffany Limo but there are others that folks here on this board highly recommend. Cost for 3 people would be around $120 round trip.

Depending on how early you hit the parks and how much you do during the day, the kids will be pretty tired, so you won't need much entertaining at night. The pools are heated and open late. And as already mentioned in this thread, there are things to do at the City Walk. I wouldn't worry too much about it. You don't need to plan for Universal like you do Disney. A laid back, play it by ear approach works just fine there.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We've always lingered at Citywalk after the parks close, people watching, stopping in the stores and grabbing a bite to eat. I think there's a bowling alley at Cabana Bay as well as an AMAZING lazy river I'm sure the girls would love. As far as Uber, some take a shuttle to a nearby hotel and then call an Uber there. Citywalk also has a movie and meal deal for $19.99 (I think, price may have gone up), or a miniature golf and meal deal that you may want to check out. You can pool hop at the Universal hotels, so you may want to spend some time checking out the other resorts and their pools. Have a great trip and don't stress. If you daughter is anything like my kids, her favorite part of the trip will be the pool.

 

[klo1335]

The beauty of Universal is you don't have to plan much. We are going Thanksgiving week and they only aspect I have planned is reservations on Thanksgiving Day. The other times it is just...wake up...ok, what do you want to do? So much more relaxing then a crazy planned Disney vacation.

Have so much fun!!!!

 

[JennyJenn]

I do not think you can uber -- others may help you with that.

There's the mini-golf you could do. And, the pool if the weather is still warm enough. I would adjust and make sure to get up early for early entry.

orlandoinformer.com has some good touring plans. Honestly, I would not do breakfast -- I would do lunch or dinner at Leaky Cauldron/3 Broomsticks and tour the park during early times instead since you do not have express passes.

I already made the reservations when I booked - do you think I could change the times? hmmm...It was part of the package deal. I was thinking of doing early entry even before the breakfasts anyway.

 

[JennyJenn]

I suggest getting a car service. Much easier than a cab. I have used Tiffany Limo but there are others that folks here on this board highly recommend. Cost for 3 people would be around $120 round trip.

Depending on how early you hit the parks and how much you do during the day, the kids will be pretty tired, so you won't need much entertaining at night. The pools are heated and open late. And as already mentioned in this thread, there are things to do at the City Walk. I wouldn't worry too much about it. You don't need to plan for Universal like you do Disney. A laid back, play it by ear approach works just fine there.

What i've done in the past - at Disney - is go early to the parks and return to hotel in early afternoon to do pool, rest and relax and then return to the parks for dinner or after dinner. I see now that it might just work to go until we drop and then save downtime and hotel/pool time for the evening. Is CityWalk worth returning to after dinner with the girls?

 

[wookiebeck]

As neat as CW looks, it never captured my kid's time of day. Since most of it is restaurants, there are only so many meals you can eat. The nightclubs aren't used for teens or younger. The only things I can think of are the two mini-golf courses and the movies. We didn't do the golf due to late day Florida rain storms and we can go to the movies at home.

At CBBR, the bowling was a fun thing to do. You can also explore their nice gym next to there.

S'mores packets are for sale in the Bayliner Diner. There are two fire pits just through the doors of the main dining room in the pool area.

Make sure you explore both pool areas. The one off the lobby has ping pong tables, hula-hoops and ladder-ball in the sandy beach area. If it is too cold, there is a hot tub tucked back past the bar in the lazy river area.

 

[wookiebeck]

Also, since you thought about staying in the parks to maximize your time, the girls will really like the Jurassic Park play area. There are rope climbs and caves and slides! We have also lingered REALLY long in the Harry Potter lands. I would hang, shop, snack, and watch the little shows all day long over being at CW. The more you force yourself to explore every nook (especially at Diagon Alley), the more stuff you find to do.

 

[JennyJenn]

great advice - thank you!

 

[angryduck71]

I already made the reservations when I booked - do you think I could change the times? hmmm...It was part of the package deal. I was thinking of doing early entry even before the breakfasts anyway.

I've not heard great things about the breakfasts honestly. It's hard not to do it if it was part of the package though. AT least you're doing the early entry first.

 

[JennyJenn]

Another quick question - our plan arrives 4:30 - by the time we get to the hotel - I'm assuming it will be around 5:30 - 6:00. I'm assuming dinner and a walk around the hotel - maybe a swim and bed early for early arrival to park on Wednesday is the best way to go, right? I'll need to make sure I set their expectations that they will NOT be going to the park that night....

 

[gzmtlock]

If you do pool hop, I'd recommend Hard Rock. When my kids were pre- and early teens, they thought the underwater music and overall theme were really cool!

 

[snoopboop]

I actually really enjoy the breakfast options at the 3 Broomsticks, so I would KEEP my breakfast reservation if I were you!

Arriving that late in the day, I would personally be likely to try to go to the park if it were just me, or just adults... but traveling with kids, I think your best bet probably is to plan for NO park on arrival day.

Are you planning to get interactive wands for the kids? That can honestly eat up a huge portion of a day..... There are so many spells to try all around both WWOHP areas!!

 

[wookiebeck]

Another quick question - our plan arrives 4:30 - by the time we get to the hotel - I'm assuming it will be around 5:30 - 6:00. I'm assuming dinner and a walk around the hotel - maybe a swim and bed early for early arrival to park on Wednesday is the best way to go, right? I'll need to make sure I set their expectations that they will NOT be going to the park that night....

Traveling can be an exhausting day. Exploring the hotel grounds for the first time is a great way to get excited and yet not overdo the adrenaline. Have dinner at the Bayliner in CBBR and drink in the vacation vibes. Yes, get a good night of sleep and hit early entry rope drop.