COMPLETE newbie!! Please help me decide what the must do's are!!!

[rachel09985]

Hi All =)

I need major help. I am planning a trip to Disney/Universal with two options. Either a one day park to park or a two day one park per day option. I am an expert when it comes to Disney World but not Universal. I need to decide what to do. Here is my must do list.

Harry Potter World- Specifically the Forbidden Journey, the restaurant, and shops
Shrek 4D
Disaster
ET Adventure
Jaws
Revenge of the Mummy
Twister
Spiderman

First questions- Can I get all this done in one day? Is there anything on here that I should absolutely forget?

Here is my maybe list.
Hulk Coaster
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
Simpsons
Men In Black
Terminator 2D
Fear Factor Live
Lucy
Dragon Challenge
Jurassic Park Water Ride

I love rollercoasters but I have been there done that with them- I used to go to Cedar Point every year so I want to ride things more for the experience and not the thrill.

Is there anything on the Maybe List that I need to do?

Thanks for all of the input. Like I said I know nothing about Universal Studios- last time I was there I was only 8.

 

[yaytezIOA]

Everything on the list is a must do...ESPECIALLY the coasters. The cedar point coasters are great and all, but they have nothing on the florida coasters in theme, smoothness and entertainment value.
I would suggest a 2 day, 2 park ticket. Doing Islands in the morning each time. Harry Potter you will want to do a few times.
Again, everything on the maybe list you have to do. Those are the things that make the experience.
I suggest checking the FAQ as well.

 

[rachel09985]

What about if I am a single rider? Will I be able to get more rides in?? What all rides have single rider lines? Is there a post about that somewhere?

This may be a dumb question but how long does it take to walk from park entrance to park entrance?

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Many rides have a single riders line but not all. They can save a LOT time.

From the Universal exit over to the Islands entrance (and v.v.) is a 10 minute walk.

BobK/Orlando

 

[Planogirl]

Do you like the Buzz ride at MK? The Men in Black is like an amped up version of this ride and is a blast. Don't miss this one.

I recommend Terminator for the middle or late part of the afternoon. It's nice and cool and still holds up well.

The Jurassic Park ride is fun. I wouldn't miss it. Twister has a nice queue but isn't that outstanding IMO. Jaws is hokey but we never miss it!

We find ourselves often hopping from IOA to the Studios. IOA gets really busy and hot and people seem to migrate over to the water rides. That area really gets jammed so we love to walk over to the Studios and see some of the shows like Terminator. The Gory & Gruesome Horror Make-up Show is a fun (and funny) show and there's really nothing gory except for some props. Lucy is a walkthrough display. Keep an eye out for Lucy and Ricky.

 

[macraven]

if you buy the one day park to park, you can always upgrade it before you leave the park that day. that would be done at guest services.

if you don't finish everything you wanted to, you can return without having to pay a higher price then.

 

[Metro West]

if you buy the one day park to park, you can always upgrade it before you leave the park that day. that would be done at guest services.

if you don't finish everything you wanted to, you can return without having to pay a higher price then.

 

[rachel09985]

Do you like the Buzz ride at MK? The Men in Black is like an amped up version of this ride and is a blast. Don't miss this one.

I do but I don't love it.

I recommend Terminator for the middle or late part of the afternoon. It's nice and cool and still holds up well.

The Jurassic Park ride is fun. I wouldn't miss it. Twister has a nice queue but isn't that outstanding IMO. Jaws is hokey but we never miss it!

How wet do you get on this ride?? I was definitely interested in this but don't want to get completely soaked.

We find ourselves often hopping from IOA to the Studios. IOA gets really busy and hot and people seem to migrate over to the water rides. That area really gets jammed so we love to walk over to the Studios and see some of the shows like Terminator. The Gory & Gruesome Horror Make-up Show is a fun (and funny) show and there's really nothing gory except for some props. Lucy is a walkthrough display. Keep an eye out for Lucy and Ricky.

Thanks for the info! I think I might just do a two day anyways because I might take a later flight if I get one it. I just feel guilty ditching Disney for two days.

 

[Planogirl]

You're unlikely to get very wet on the Jurassic Park ride. In contrast, they practically drown you on the Bilge Rat barges.

 

[pooh98378]

IMHO, two parks in one day used to be possible --- before Harry Potter. Now, I think it would be kind of difficult.

This past October, we spent a half day (our arrival day) at Universal and then one full day at IOA. We stayed onsite and were able to cover Universal pretty well in that time with our pass. The thing with IOA is that you could spend basically the entire afternoon just at Harry Potter (or we could - and we are not HUGE HP fans). Of course, I'm sure it varies with crowds, but we went on a random Tuesday in October and it was still packed. Also, when we were there, FJ was not functioning for the first few hours of the day. It's just a lot to do -- FJ is amazing, the shops are amazing (there are lines just to get in those too if it's busy), the butterbeer is great, and everything is just really well done and takes time to see. I would be afraid that I'd be too rushed to do it all in one day, especially if you have never been there before. However, DH and I have discussed that when we go again, we might do IOA and then run over to Universal at the end of the day just for Mummy....

Another thing to keep in mind is the hours for the park. When we were there, the parks closed early (like 6ish). If they are open later, it might be more doable.

HTH!

 

[pooh98378]

Here are my thoughts about the rides...

Hi All =)

I need major help. I am planning a trip to Disney/Universal with two options. Either a one day park to park or a two day one park per day option. I am an expert when it comes to Disney World but not Universal. I need to decide what to do. Here is my must do list.

Harry Potter World- Specifically the Forbidden Journey, the restaurant, and shopsAmazing
Shrek 4D good
Disaster ok - they make you sit through a very long (as in 20ish mins it seemed like) and, IMO, boring pre-show that we didn't like. the end is good w/ the actual ride.
ET Adventure classic - love it
Jaws good
Revenge of the Mummy amazing
Twister not one of our favorites
Spiderman amazing

First questions- Can I get all this done in one day? Is there anything on here that I should absolutely forget?

Here is my maybe list.
Hulk Coaster never rode
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit never rode
Simpsons many people like it. we were disappointed because we liked Back to the Future so much. the building is really neat though.
Men In Black really good... I like it a lot better than Buzz.
Terminator 2D ok
Fear Factor Live haven't done
Lucy short walk through... we really like it but I'm a big Lucy fan
Dragon Challenge good
Jurassic Park Water Ride really good... I wouldn't miss. I would try to sit more in the middle to avoid getting wet. We sat in the front row on the corner and got pretty wet, but I think we were the only ones.

I love rollercoasters but I have been there done that with them- I used to go to Cedar Point every year so I want to ride things more for the experience and not the thrill.

Is there anything on the Maybe List that I need to do?

Thanks for all of the input. Like I said I know nothing about Universal Studios- last time I was there I was only 8.

 

[rachel09985]

Here are my thoughts about the rides...

Wow thanks for the advice! Super helpful. I think I have decided to do two full days there now so I will be able to do everything.

 

[xApril]

Depending on what time you go, Fear Factor Live may not be going on. It's usually only shown when the parks are realllly busy.

 

[Metro West]

Depending on what time you go, Fear Factor Live may not be going on. It's usually only shown when the parks are realllly busy.