Disney lovers' first trip to Universal!

[RebeccaRabbit]

Hello , this was our first trip to Universal and my first ever trip report. We have been to Disney several times previously, so I'll be making the inevitable comparisons. I don't think I'll have the stamina (or memory) for a detailed blow-by-blow, so this will be more of a summary of our experiences.

Short answer: it was a good trip, Uni has some FUN rides, and HP world is awesomely themed, but we all prefer Disney as an overall destination for varied quality entertainment hands-down. (Don't skewer me - just our opinion.) I would say it's definitely worth at least one visit though, especially the HP areas.

Who we are:

Me - mom, plant-lover and moderate ride wimp
DH - the man with the funny hats, will go on anything he fits on
DD - 8 year old HP fan, getting braver about thrill rides, but still anti-scary stuff

We took a week-long trip in early January: 4 days at Universal parks, 1 day at SeaWorld, and 2 relaxing days at Daytona Beach. We stayed at the beautiful Royal Pacific, so we had Early Entry as well as Park-to-Park tickets.

More to follow, and I need to figure out how to post pictures...

 

[RebeccaRabbit]

OK I think I've figured out pictures! Here we are:

DH and DD in front of CUTE umbrellas in Royal Pacific lobby:

Me riding the Hogwarts Express:

 

[RebeccaRabbit]

We stayed at the Royal Pacific. I definitely have a lot of good things to say about this property, and would stay there again (although probably not in the same room type - see below for why).

Here are my impressions on the various aspects of the hotel:

• Cost - for the same price as a basic room at Disney's AKL, we were able to book a huge King Suite at the RPR! The room (living room with pull-out couch and seating area, plus separate bedroom with King bed) was VERY spacious, and it was nice to have an extra room so DH could take his afternoon nap (yes, that's the large middle-aged man who needs his nap, not the child ) while DD and I chilled next door. Overall the Universal hotels seemed much more reasonable than Disney's ridiculously overpriced rooms, comparing similar properties. You certainly get more square footage for your dollar at Uni.
  
  
• Location - we loved the convenient location of the RPR. It's literally a 10-minute walk, along a beautifully-landscaped path, to IoA, and about 5 minutes more to the Studios. It was so easy to hop back and forth between the hotel and the parks.
  
  DD posing on the walking path:
  
  
  
  
  There is also a very convenient water taxi which will take you to Citywalk - from there it is about 5 minutes to either park. DD loved the water taxi almost as much as the rides! It's actually a bit quicker to walk, what with the wait and loading/unloading time, but we never waited more than about 10 minutes for a boat. There are also pedicabs stationed along the walking path which are a fun and fast alternative if you are really in a hurry. We did this once just for kicks.
  
  Waiting for the water taxi:
  
  
  
  
  View of the hotel from the water taxi:
  
  
  
  
  
• Themeing - beautiful landscaping on the grounds, and I loved the tropical themeing in the lobby and common areas.
  
  DH with one of the cute froggies that were everywhere:
  
  
  
  
  Gorgeous landscaping:
  
  
  
  
  However, the room itself had a very bland, generic hotel room theme to it. Just really boring. I was pretty disappointed with this - they certainly could have sprinkled a bit of extra charm for a supposedly "Deluxe" hotel at this price level.
  
  DD playing with her wand - this is the best pic I have of the room itself. This is probably the most colorful corner, seriously.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Comfort - our main complaint about this room was the pull-out bed, where my daughter slept. DD has slept on pull-outs before and I thought it would be fine. However, the quality of the mattress was horrible! It was incredibly thin and had gigantic metal springs covered only by a thin layer of fabric - so uncomfortable and basically impossible to sleep on. Her blanket - if you can call it that - was a thin woven cotton throw, not warm at all, and it literally had a gigantic hole in the middle of it that you could put your fist through. Apparently the assumption is that nobody is actually going to sleep on this thing. When I called to complain about the mattress they said there was nothing they could do, they're all like that. DD was very uncomfortable sleeping the entire week. We ended up jerry-rigging a bed for her out of couch and chair cushions, which was somewhat better, but was too small and she kept slipping off. So the King Suite works only if you only need one bed. (In which case why not just get a regular room...? seems to defeat the purpose of having a suite...)
  
  
• Quality/cleanliness - Not sure if our room was typical, but the rooms seem to need a refurb and ours was not in the best state of repair or cleanliness. Our sink basin was cracked and stained, towel holder was broken, faucet had a loose metal piece that kept falling off. Every morning, it would fall off and I would put it on the sink counter. Every afternoon, housekeeping would balance it loosely on top of the faucet, ready to fall off again the next time someone turned on the water. The carpets were worn and a bit dingy looking, and the chairs and couch were filled with trash under the cushions. (I would not normally look there, but we were removing cushions in an attempt to make a quasi-comfortable place for my daughter to sleep.) The wooden dresser was all scratched and splintered.
  
  
• View - Another con for us was the lack of balcony and view. Our windows had a thick stand of bamboo right up against the glass, through which we could see the back of some utility building. They really didn't seem to consider the view at all...
  
  
• Pool - We enjoyed the pool complex. It was a somewhat chilly week, and one day the water was quite warm (almost like bathwater!), but another day for some reason it was freezing in the pool. DH and DD (half polar bear) naturally got in anyway, but they emerged totally blue. I enjoyed the lovely landscaping, and they had some beach balls floating around which were a fun touch - DD and I played with these for hours. There are two very small, secluded hot tubs. The main disappointment was the lack of waterslide - DD loved the awesome waterslide at Disney's CSR, and for some reason I thought there was a waterslide here too. Must have misread something. There is a "water-play area" which is basically just a boat-shaped platform with some small fountains. Being that it was freezing we did not end up using it at all.
  
  
  
  
  
  We were planning on pool-hopping to check out Cabana Bay's lazy river, and Portofino's pool (which definitely has a waterslide), but somehow never got around to it.

Next up: the parks!

 

[NoodlesMom]

Thanks for posting. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[RebeccaRabbit]

OK, I'll start with the Potter areas of the parks, which were definitely the best and the part we were most excited about.

Diagon Alley:

• Themeing - Overall I'd say the potter areas have the most outstanding immersive theming I've seen, in any theme park, anywhere. Just fabulous attention to detail and overall effect. There are so many interesting and clever things to look at, you could easily spend an entire day in each area, not even counting the rides.
  
  The 4,365,098th picture of the Gringott's dragon to be posted online:
  
  
  
  It was only in looking at the picture later that I noticed the bloody chains around her neck. (A TM informed us that the dragon is a "she", but I never learned her name... does she have one?)
  
  One of my favorite window displays - the jellied eels:
  
  
  
  I actually love eel - seriously, it's delicious - but that pie with the heads sticking out looks so creepy...
  
  
• Food - Butterbeer is truly tasty! It is not a rootbeer/soda type of drink at all (I don't think it is even carbonated) - I would liken it to drinking a liquid butterscotch sundae in reverse. The frothy cream on top is wonderful. The first day we got one to share, the second day we got two, and the third day we got three (one for each). We tried cold and hot and all agreed that hot was best - brought out the flavor of the butterscotch more. Very sweet and extremely filling.
  
  DD in the butterbeer shop:
  
  
  
  
  We did not eat at any of the restaurants in the HP areas - partly because we were so full from all that butterbeer! But also partly because the menus just did not appeal to us. We are (occasional fish-eating) vegetarians, and there were unfortunately little to no vegetarian options. We did peek in to the restaurants and the themeing looked impressive, so if meaty British cuisine is up your alley - go for it.
  
  
• Shops - the shops are really well themed. I know some complain about the lopsided ratio of shops to rides in the HP areas, but I personally found it fun to browse and enjoyed both the exteriors and interiors of the shops.
  
  However, we did not find much that we actually wanted to buy. DD of course got a wand (at Ollivander's), and also selected a pygmy puff. We told her she could pick another souvenir, but she never found anything she wanted. I was a bit disappointed in how limited and dull the souvenirs were - for such an imaginative book series, you'd think they could come up with some fun and clever toys. Everything was kind of literal and obvious (wand, cloak, scarf, cup that says "Griffindor", etc.), and there were very few choices in each tiny store. Most people did not seem to agree though - there were very long lines and the cash registers were ringing.
  
  DD in front of the Magical Menagerie. Unfortunately, most of the awesome-looking fantastical creatures (cool snails, Crookshanks, etc.) displayed in the window are not for sale inside.
  
  
  
  
  The oft-maligned cramped design of each shop is also annoying, to be sure. I realize this is reportedly what Rowling herself dictated - being cramped adds authenticity, apparently? It really was uncomfortable to impossible to move around in the shops - many aisles are so narrow that only one person fits at a time, creating constant bottlenecks.
  
  
• Shows - there are three brief shows reportedly performed in the HP areas: a Beedle the Bard puppet show in Diagon Alley, and a Frog Choir and Triwizard Spirit Rally in Hogsmeade. Annoyingly, there is no schedule posted or any way to find out when the shows will be (that I could find). We were there for four days and spent a fair amount of time hanging out near the stage areas (drinking butterbeer, so not all was lost... ), but managed to catch only the Triwizard show. They don't seem to run them very frequently. Triwizard was cute, but kind of "meh" - certainly not worth waiting for. The Durmstrang boys do a short staff-twirling routine, and the Beauxbatons do some ribbon twirling. Then they pose for people to take a picture with them if desired. We had really been hoping to see the Beedle show (DD loves this book) or the Frog choir, so it was a bit disappointing, and frustrating to have no way of finding out when things were going to happen.
  
  
• Crowds - the HP areas are very, very crowded. Mornings are certainly better than afternoon and evening, but not devoid of people by any means. We utilized our hotel early entry privileges on two mornings, and rode Gringotts both times. This was tough for us because 8:00 am Florida time is 7:00 am for us midwesterners... but worth the pain, I think. Wait times were much shorter during EE than later, but still long (45 minutes and 20 minutes during EE, compared to about 75 minutes by regular opening). On another morning we headed straight to Ollivander's at RD and had only a 10 minute wait, compared to much longer lines later. Lines for butterbeer, rides, shops, everything got long as the day went on. In late morning/mid-day it was so packed in there it kind of freaked me out (I'm a big crowd wimp, lol). It remained packed through the evening and park close. So, get there early and definitely make use of EE if you're staying on Universal property.
  
  Lots of other people think Hogsmeade is cool, too:
  
  
  
  
  
• Wands - we enjoyed the interactive elements with the wands. There are many wand styles to choose from, and they come with lovely packaging and a beautifully printed map. There are a total of 34 spells that can be cast throughout Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and Knockturn Alley. DD had quite a bit of trouble actually getting them to work - you have to make very small, precise movements. We saw quite a few young children having trouble, and even some adults. There were some spots where nobody could get them to work at all - possibly broken? Nevertheless it is a really fun activity to look for all the spots and see what happens. Yes, the wands are ridiculously overpriced at $40, but for all the fun we had with them I'd say it's worth it. DD really enjoys pretend playing with her map and wand at home too.
  
  One of the spells causes the lights in this building to turn on:
  
  
  
  
  A couple quick comments on the actual rides:
  
  
• Gringotts ride - This was my favorite ride in the entire complex. It is a very mild roller coaster (with only one short drop at the beginning), where the cars rotate a bit and you watch action elements on screens. I thought it was very well done and a nice balance of physical and mental thrill. Visually stunning and lots of fun, with great special effects. The inside of the bank, which forms the queue, is stunning and makes the incredibly long wait not as bad as it would be otherwise.
  
  The only thing I didn't like about this ride is Universal's locker policy - not sure why they make you check bags for this ride. It's really not all that wild - I've been on many wilder things where you could keep your bag between your legs, don't see why that's not possible here. The lockers were crowded, chaotic, and an annoying waste of time. There is one screen that controls many lockers, so you have to wait in line to access your locker. There's no receipt or anything so you just have to remember your number. Really poor design on many levels.
  
  
• Hippogriff - an ultra-short kiddie roller coaster a la Barnstormer, but a bit faster and more thrilling. DD liked this ride so we went on it multiple times over the course of our trip. It offers lovely (but brief) views of the castle. I thought it was fun too, but really don't understand why people build 20-second rides like this. Waits were generally short in the mornings and not bad in the evening. Longer at mid-day. EP sometimes helped here, sometimes not much. I saw quite a few people EP "hopping" here (and elsewhere) - since Universal checks EPs only at the beginning of the queue, not a second time at attraction entrance like Disney does, unfortunately some people (mostly kids) jump the rope and hop over into the Express line.
  
  View of Hagrid's Hut from the Hippogriff queue:
  
  
  
  
  
• Hogwarts Express - This is the train ride that takes you back and forth between the HP areas of the two parks. The "ride" itself is nothing spectacular - you sit in a train car and watch a fairly underwhelming video on a TV screen made to look like a window. There are some brief shadows and voices of HP characters outside in the hallway. I was a bit disappointed that there were no actual views of the castle, etc. from the train. However, the whole experience is pleasant and the themeing of the station and the train itself is superb. The special effect where you walk through the brick wall (when leaving from the London station) is SO neat looking! It looks very real. You can't see what's happening yourself, so have some of your party go ahead and do it while others stay at the viewing area to watch. I tried to capture it on camera but the pictures didn't come out... bummer. We also enjoyed the cute little shop at the London station where you can buy British sweets - DH loves Mars bars and was excited to pay $4 for one there
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Hogwarts Castle tour - OK, so we wimped out and did not try Forbidden Journey. I have heard so many reports of motion sickness from that ride, and how scary it is. Also have heard some people say they loved FJ and thought Gringotts was a boring wuss ride. Since Gringotts was at the outer edge of our (totally wuss) tolerance, we decided to give FJ a skip. We did however go through the castle tour. It was a pretty impressive queue, but I must admit I was expecting more from the tour. I was under the impression that we would get to see lots of actual rooms inside the castle (Dumbledore's office, the Potions classroom, the Greenhouse...), but there was nothing but dark hallways filled with moving paintings. The paintings were well-done, and sure would be entertaining to look at as you are waiting in that 75 minute line, but not really all that exciting on their own. I'm pretty sure we missed some good stuff by not going through the regular line.
  
  The exterior of the castle is stunning:
  
  
  
  
  
  

(Did not attempt the Dragon Challenge coaster - like I said above, WUSSes here. )
Overall, we enjoyed the HP areas and found them to be the most compelling areas of the parks. If only Universal would implement some sort of FP/ride reserve system for the HP rides, so there would be some option to avoid the insane lines, it would be brilliant.

 

[Kelli4Cy]

Love reading all about your experience here! And the pictures are great! Can't wait for my family to experience it for the first time in March!

 

[Ohio louie]

wow- great summary. we are going here for 2 days with a 7 and 4 year old. my daughter will enjoy some of harry potter if the lines are not too insane. i'm curious about the rest of the park...superheroes, suess, transformers, minions, simpsons, parade, night show, etc. your daughter maybe was too old to enjoy curious george, woody woodpecker etc. thanks again