Feeling overwhelmed looking at Universal site!

[mommy2paisley]

We plan on going in end of September/first of October to Disney and DD (6) and DH LOVE Harry Potter and would like to go to Universal. So, I thought we'd do 2 days at Universal. We arrive on 9-27 and leave 10-9.

We've done Disney three times and sort of know the ropes, lol. We know to do reservations for our favorite sit-down meals, etc., rope drop, all that. But what info can you give me to survive/LOVE Universal for two days? We have DD who loves any thrill ride she's tall enough for and a new baby who will be a little over a year when we go.

What restaurants can you recommend and do we need reservations? Is the dine all day thing worth it? We plan on buying tickets for both parks for two days. Help!!!!!!

 

[RMulieri]

I am about to leave for my first trip next week..BUT I have been researching for months..First, it is not like Disney .Touring( especially if you stay onsite and have the express pass access) is ALOT easier.Second, as for the dining reservations really aren't neccesary but can be made for some of the themepark restaurants and Citywalk restuarants about 60 days in advance on Opentable.com. I made ressies simply because the Disney overplanner in me refuses to die.Mythos at Islands of Adventure gets good reviews.As for the meal deal I have been told and read it isn't worth it.There only certain restuarants that participate, and they are all Counter service eateries

 

[damo]

There is a food sticky in this forum that gives full menus and people's recommendations.

 

[Metro West]

We plan on going in end of September/first of October to Disney and DD (6) and DH LOVE Harry Potter and would like to go to Universal. So, I thought we'd do 2 days at Universal. We arrive on 9-27 and leave 10-9.

We've done Disney three times and sort of know the ropes, lol. We know to do reservations for our favorite sit-down meals, etc., rope drop, all that. But what info can you give me to survive/LOVE Universal for two days? We have DD who loves any thrill ride she's tall enough for and a new baby who will be a little over a year when we go.

What restaurants can you recommend and do we need reservations? Is the dine all day thing worth it? We plan on buying tickets for both parks for two days. Help!!!!!!

Congrats on your first trip to Universal! I hope you find the information on the DIS helpful but please ask questions when they arise.

I wanted to mention that you're coming around the time Halloween Horror Nights kicks off at the Studios so keep in mind that park will close early on days when HHN is staged. Those days would be Thursday through Sunday and it's only for the Studios...IOA is not affected.

My food recommendations never change and most on here know what they are.

I would recommend Thunder Falls Terrace and Mythos at IOA and Louie's and Finnegan's at the Studios. The only restaurants that take reservations in the parks are the table service restaurants...not many choices there so you can eat pretty much wherever you want.

Unless you have folks in your party that like to eat A LOT, I would pass on the meal deal simply because most people won't get their money's worth. You might want to consider the meal deal at IOA since it will be open until at least 7pm during that time whereas the Studios will close at 6pm...unless it's a HHN night and it will close at 5pm. That's not really enough time to have a good lunch and dinner...for most people. You would be better off just eating on your schedule and having a nice dinner at CityWalk.

I just want to add something very important in planning for Universal. This is not Disney so you don't have to plan every detail like so many do for WDW. You can take your time and relax to enjoy a vacation. You are coming at a good time since crowds will be fairly low and the weather can still be summer like. Please don't compare Disney and Universal...they are completely different. If you try to compare everything, you won't enjoy what makes Universal enjoyable.

 

[zack123]

I went during the same time last year. One thing you should know, is that it is one of the LEAST crowded times of the year. Lines for most attractions were fairly short. Other than WWoHP, there were not really any big crowds anywhere. I waited an unusually long time at Cat in the Hat, most everything else was under 5 minutes. I did not have to wait longer than 45 minutes for anything, and that included waiting for Forbidden Journey to be fixed after it went down while I was in line. I used the single rider line for that one though, the regular line was (at times) significantly longer.

Here is how I made my touring plan:
1. Looked at attractions on website, made a list of what I wanted to do.
2. Sorted the list into "US" and "IOA" columns.
3. Prioritized each column.
4. Went to IOA, did the list in order; then repeated everything I liked and tried whatever else looked interesting.
5. Repeat #4, except at US. Then go to IOA and do WWoHP again.
6. I did a third day, so I hopped back and forth, checked out anything I missed, and repeated my favorites.


It was so enjoyable to just wander around and stop when I saw something that looked interesting. Seriously, I had time to ride my favorites at least 5 times.

Another thng you may want to know about, is how child swap works at Universal. Your entire party goes through the regular line. At some point, the TM will ask if you want to do child swap. They will then ask you who is waiting first, and direct them to the waiting area, while the rest of your party gets on the ride. As soon as you are done, one member of your party swaps with the waiting adult, and they and everyone else in your party goes straight to the front of the line to ride again.

 

[macraven]

We plan on going in end of September/first of October to Disney and DD (6) and DH LOVE Harry Potter and would like to go to Universal. So, I thought we'd do 2 days at Universal. We arrive on 9-27 and leave 10-9.

We've done Disney three times and sort of know the ropes, lol. We know to do reservations for our favorite sit-down meals, etc., rope drop, all that. But what info can you give me to survive/LOVE Universal for two days? We have DD who loves any thrill ride she's tall enough for and a new baby who will be a little over a year when we go.

What restaurants can you recommend and do we need reservations? Is the dine all day thing worth it? We plan on buying tickets for both parks for two days. Help!!!!!!

your dates are very close to my dates.
i stay at the motherland the 25th for a week and them move over to the darkside for over a week stay.

are you planning on doing a split stay?
motherland then transfer to the darkside resorts?

if you are, take in the activities at the hotel pools.
the kids will love it!

if you are staying the entire time at the motherland resort and doing day trips, consider taking a taxi as it will be more convenient on how long your days will be at the parks.
Mears shuttles are adult rt shuttles are $19 pp and kids are $16 + gratuity.

bring along a change of clothes for the kidlettes.
rent a family locker at the front of the park for your items.

do fieval section, woody woodpecker, barney, etc sections.
the kids might get wet in one section at the play area.

check out www.universalorlando.com to find the rides and shows that appeal to your family.

do potter early to avoid large crowds.

do universal on the weekdays.
t,w,th will be great.
monday/colombus day will be busy....

stay away from the weekends and you won't be seeing crowds in the parks.

read through some of the past trip reports to get an idea of how some families planned their park days.

you have plenty of time to read and ask questions.

everyone on the boards at the darkside are very good helpers to the newbies.