First time! 3 Days at USF/IOA, or 2 days USF/IOA plus VB???

[Angeliki19]

Hi! I need some advice from you UO experts! It is our first time going to Universal and we are getting ready to purchase tickets. We are going to be there the first week of May, which Touring Plans has a 2 and Orlando Informer has as "Moderate" as far as crowds go. We are staying offsite, using Marriott points, so we are not able to take advantage of staying a resort that offers free Express Pass, nor do we want to pay an extra $800-1,200 for it, so that's not going to be an option for us. We will be getting there bright and early and staying as long as we can.

Our original plan was to check out Volcano Bay. We did Typhoon Lagoon 6 years ago and loved it, but haven't managed to make it to a water park since. However, the lackluster reviews for VB have me worried that its not the best use of our third day. Price wise, it will cost about $140 more to do VB instead of just 3 days at the parks.

What would you recommend for newbies? Its really hard for me to gauge whether or not we will need a third day at the parks or not. I created a custom touring plan and it seems like we can get everything we want to done by 4 pm the second day. However, it might be nice to have a third day to make sure we do EVERYTHING. Harry Potter stuff is our top priority, so I would be heartbroken to miss anything. On the other hand, doing VB would also be something new for us and might be a nice change of pace.

Thanks!

 

[ktate82]

Hi! I need some advice from you UO experts! It is our first time going to Universal and we are getting ready to purchase tickets. We are going to be there the first week of May, which Touring Plans has a 2 and Orlando Informer has as "Moderate" as far as crowds go. We are staying offsite, using Marriott points, so we are not able to take advantage of staying a resort that offers free Express Pass, nor do we want to pay an extra $800-1,200 for it, so that's not going to be an option for us. We will be getting there bright and early and staying as long as we can.

Our original plan was to check out Volcano Bay. We did Typhoon Lagoon 6 years ago and loved it, but haven't managed to make it to a water park since. However, the lackluster reviews for VB have me worried that its not the best use of our third day. Price wise, it will cost about $140 more to do VB instead of just 3 days at the parks.

What would you recommend for newbies? Its really hard for me to gauge whether or not we will need a third day at the parks or not. I created a custom touring plan and it seems like we can get everything we want to done by 4 pm the second day. However, it might be nice to have a third day to make sure we do EVERYTHING. Harry Potter stuff is our top priority, so I would be heartbroken to miss anything. On the other hand, doing VB would also be something new for us and might be a nice change of pace.

Thanks!

Personally, I would do 3 days in the parks. Maybe take that $140 and put it towards booking a room on site for the middle of your stay so you can get the express pass? It will give you express pass for two days and is much cheaper than buying express pass. We have been to Universal twice for several days each time and still found a lot of new stuff in the HP our last day (and I thought we had been over the area several times).

 

[jaceraden]

I was lucky to find a ticket deal where I got 4 days P2P which included VB. This way, we could go back and forth from each park and VB as the weather and time allowed. I was very pleased with how this turned out. Without knowing your group size/dynamics, this is my recommendation because it worked well for my multigenerational party.

Edit to add: Because I was unclear, my recommendation is to check out VB and to have the option to go park to park on you ticket.

 

[georgina]

I had a great time at VB in August and think it is worth checking out for anyone who likes water parks. But you should do some research so you know the best way to proceed/get the most out of your day. There is a sticky thread above all about VB.

 

[bobbie68]

Hi that is a really hard decision. It really is such a personal choice. The crowds will be lower so you should be able to get what you want done in the two parks within two days if you go almost from open to close. If you really like water parks I think VB is a good one. We went in July/August and we really had a great time. We are a water park family and go to any one we can all the time. We can spend all day there. VB was definitely up there for the best water parks for rides. I think a lot depends on your party. There is a really nice children's section in VB. I would look at the slides and the height to make sure everybody could do enough.

Good luck!