2kidsForMe
Dreams of being a Guest without a Bag
- Joined
- May 27, 2010
- Messages
- 443
We are frequent Disney travelers who decided to mix it up a bit and go to Universal for February Break. It was me and my two kids, 13 & 14. Hubby couldn't come this time. We stayed onsite at the Royal Pacific for 5 nights. I will get it out up front, we had an amazing time. For my 2 young teens, Universal was just about perfect. The things we loved were:
1. Express Pass! Not having to worry about hitting rope drop with two teenagers was a life saver. Didn't have to worry about missing fast passes. We woke up whenever, took our time, and headed to the parks, knowing that the only real significant lines we might face were for the Harry Potter attractions. We were ok with waiting for those. We just rode what we wanted, when we wanted. It was nice to be spontaneous.
2. The ability to walk from the Hotel to the Park, Citiwalk, and between parks, was so amazingly convenient.
3. We were able to walk up to Mythos, Toothsome, Finnegans, and our hotel restaurant with only a small wait, even during a busy week. The prices for the table service restaurants were not bad either.
4. Staff everywhere, from the parks to the hotel, were so friendly and professional.
5. Parks, rides, restrooms etc... were spotless, and again, it was a busy week.
6. Loved the refillable soda machines throughout the parks. It may be a small thing, but we do love our Diet Coke
7. Royal Pacific Hotel was a calm oasis. Spotlessly clean, friendly staff, great restaurants, and huge, beautiful pool. My older kids appreciated the more "chill" vibe at the pool, without the loud games and music, and they loved the ability to order food at the pool. Room was fitted out nice, beds were great, no complaints there.
8. Rides were amazing. We especially loved Kong, Spider Man, Mummy, and Escape from Gringott's. The Harry Potter themed areas have no equal in my opinion. You really feel like you have stepped into another world.
9. Mardi Gras was in full force, which made for a very fun and festive atmosphere. Bonus was the ability to see Ms. Olivia Newton-John in concert! (Xanadu anyone?)
10. In park entertainment was plentiful and pretty good. We really like the Acapella group that performs near the Mummy ride.
11. My kids have outgrown Pirates and Princesses (sniff) but could relate more the the characters and theming of Universal (Marvel, Harry Potter, Spongebob etc...)
There were only a couple of things we didn't love.
1. The parks close early, 7:00 or 8:00 pm during President's week. The nights were lovely and warm.
Being from the North East, we would have loved a couple of late nights in the parks in that beautiful weather (Especially with the Mardi Gras festivities that week).
2. After a while, we were feeling a little worn out from all of the motion simulator rides. We would have loved something like the People Mover or Pirates so we could relax a bit.
3. Locker areas outside rides were at times very chaotic, and the crowds in the Harry Potter sections were thick, but again, it was a busy week.
4. We missed Magical Express (we took cabs to and from MCO) and the convenience of Magic Bands
All in all, a great time. So great in fact, we upgraded our park tickets to an Annual Pass, and plan to return sometime this summer. We still love Disney, but Universal is high on our list now too!
1. Express Pass! Not having to worry about hitting rope drop with two teenagers was a life saver. Didn't have to worry about missing fast passes. We woke up whenever, took our time, and headed to the parks, knowing that the only real significant lines we might face were for the Harry Potter attractions. We were ok with waiting for those. We just rode what we wanted, when we wanted. It was nice to be spontaneous.
2. The ability to walk from the Hotel to the Park, Citiwalk, and between parks, was so amazingly convenient.
3. We were able to walk up to Mythos, Toothsome, Finnegans, and our hotel restaurant with only a small wait, even during a busy week. The prices for the table service restaurants were not bad either.
4. Staff everywhere, from the parks to the hotel, were so friendly and professional.
5. Parks, rides, restrooms etc... were spotless, and again, it was a busy week.
6. Loved the refillable soda machines throughout the parks. It may be a small thing, but we do love our Diet Coke
7. Royal Pacific Hotel was a calm oasis. Spotlessly clean, friendly staff, great restaurants, and huge, beautiful pool. My older kids appreciated the more "chill" vibe at the pool, without the loud games and music, and they loved the ability to order food at the pool. Room was fitted out nice, beds were great, no complaints there.
8. Rides were amazing. We especially loved Kong, Spider Man, Mummy, and Escape from Gringott's. The Harry Potter themed areas have no equal in my opinion. You really feel like you have stepped into another world.
9. Mardi Gras was in full force, which made for a very fun and festive atmosphere. Bonus was the ability to see Ms. Olivia Newton-John in concert! (Xanadu anyone?)
10. In park entertainment was plentiful and pretty good. We really like the Acapella group that performs near the Mummy ride.
11. My kids have outgrown Pirates and Princesses (sniff) but could relate more the the characters and theming of Universal (Marvel, Harry Potter, Spongebob etc...)
There were only a couple of things we didn't love.
1. The parks close early, 7:00 or 8:00 pm during President's week. The nights were lovely and warm.
Being from the North East, we would have loved a couple of late nights in the parks in that beautiful weather (Especially with the Mardi Gras festivities that week).
2. After a while, we were feeling a little worn out from all of the motion simulator rides. We would have loved something like the People Mover or Pirates so we could relax a bit.
3. Locker areas outside rides were at times very chaotic, and the crowds in the Harry Potter sections were thick, but again, it was a busy week.
4. We missed Magical Express (we took cabs to and from MCO) and the convenience of Magic Bands
All in all, a great time. So great in fact, we upgraded our park tickets to an Annual Pass, and plan to return sometime this summer. We still love Disney, but Universal is high on our list now too!
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