First time at Universal

[topmonkeygirl]

Planning a trip to Disney/Universal next Nov. Been to Disney lots, know all the ins and outs, never been to universal. What advice does everyone have? Best place to stay and why? Best restaurants and why? Is it as crowded as Disney? I do know a little about Universal's "fast pass" but not a lot, advice on that system vs Disney's. I was thinking about getting annual passes and was wondering if the discount for the resorts are enough to warrant getting them. We don't have kids, but we like the character breakfast at Disney, we like to go before the park opens and take our time just enjoying the morning without the rush of people. We're not into the parades but we do like the fireworks. We like sit down meals. Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

There will be five resorts to choose from when you visit (one opens next summer). I've stayed at 2 of them, The Royal Pacific and Portofino Bay. Royal Pacific, Portofino Bay and Hard Rock are deluxe resorts that include early entry to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and you receive an unlimited express pass for everyone in the room. Express passes work a bit like fastpass, except that you don't have to reserve a time; you can simply walk into the express line whenever you want. Cabana Bay Beach Resort is the value hotel. It includes early entry access but doesn't include express passes. My favorite of the hotels that I've stayed at was Portofino Bay.. it's stunning! They're all very nice, though.

My favorite sit-down places are The Palm Restaurant (at Hard Rock Hotel), Mythos (at IOA), Leaky Cauldron (at USF), Finnegan's (at USF), and Margaritaville (CityWalk).

There's a fireworks/lagoon water show at USF that happens most nights called the Cinematic Spectacular.

The only way to get into the parks before it opens to the public is with Early Entry, although I think they offer character breakfasts on property. I'm just not sure where!

 

[topmonkeygirl]

Thank you for the info. What about transportation from resort to resort, or do you have to drive?

 

[Dee2013]

Universal is not nearly as large as disney. Cabana Bay runs a bus to CityWalk very regularly, although you can walk from any resort to any resort. Portofino is the farthest away, and walking to that one is more than I can do after a long day, but doable. Royal Pacific is very close to IOA while Hard Rock is very close to Universal. And those two parks are about 5 minutes apart walking.

The three deluxes offer water taxis from very early until about 2am. Each resort has a dock and the taxis go back and forth constantly. A very pleasant and novel way to travel. Even non-park goers can use the taxis and everyone can freely travel from resort to resort. The main dock is in CityWalk and the boats travel from there.

Water taxis and the Cabana bus are both free. Pedicabs are also available and they work on tips.
You can drive, but totally not necessary unless you are off site.

 

[tink1957]

You can take a water taxi to citiwalk from your resort and board another to get to any of the deluxe resorts or take the bus from cabana bay to citiwalk and do the same.

As for the APH discount...in the past it has been worth it but the discount seems to be less than in previous years but still good if you're going to visit more than once. The discount on food and merchandise in the parks is also nice and well worth it in my view.

Hope you have a great time whatever you decide

 

[RMulieri]

All of the resorts are lovely.As mentioned, the 3 deluxe offer the express passes.There is NO FREE VERSION of express pass.You can buy them if you are staying at Cabana Bay but the price is dependent on the projected crowds for those dates.The higher the crowds, the more the cost.Staying deluxe you get the unlimited version of it free.Our favorite resort is Portofino Bay.It is the furthest , but still walkable and it is a beautiful path . Each of the deluxe resorts have their own water taxi or bus. The water taxi drops you off at the dock within citywalk and across from the park entrances.The busses bring you to the big citywalk parking garage area and you have to walk from there which can be a hike. The Express pass makes staying deluxe worth it . It is good on ALL rides and shows except: Harry Potter Forbidden Journey, Harry Potter Escape from Gringotts, Olivanders wand show, Hogwarts express, Pteranodon flyers and Kang and Kodas Twirl and Hurl.
The parks are next to each other and you can walk from gate to gate in 10 mins. They are connected by Citywalk .
There are no real fireworks shows because Universal is right smack in a residential area.There is a nighttime show that features fireworks effects at the studios , but nothing like what Disney does , so if you are expecting Illuminations or Wishes style, you will be disappointed.
There are some character meals, but again, not like Disney,.There isn't an overabundance of them . I haven't done any of them yet and our next trip will ne our 4th onsite stay.They don't really get you in the park any earlier so it isn't worth our time.
For sitdown meals, our favorites are : Mama Dellas Italian at Portofino Bay, Cowfish at Citywalk, Mythos in Islands of Adventure, Trattoria Del Porto at Portofino .You do not need to make ressies like you do at Disney, though you can at opentable.com or nexttable . They do not do ressies like Disney ( 180 days out) some are 60 , some 90 and some only a week or so..Just depends on the venues.Places like Bubba gumps do not take ressies at all and Magaritaville may not if they are having a private event there ( they do seem to have more there than any other venue)
For Counter service , our favorites are Fast Food Blvd in the Simpsons area of the studios, Monsters Café in the Studios, Louies in the Studios and Thunder Falls terrace in Islands of adventure. We haven't tried the Harry Potter venues (Three Broomsticks or Leaky Cauldron , by the time we are ready to eat those 2 were mobbed on all our trips).
Of note: if you bring a car to ANY of the resorts, you get charged a parking rate per day.It is not built into the room costs like it is Disney and this seems to anger a lot of people .I prefer it since I never bring a car.
The new resort that will open nxt year will be next to Royal Pacific and will have boat service and early entry, but NO express passes

 

[nkereina]

The biggest differences for me to get used to was no ADRs and very little planning required. As mentioned, the express pass you will receive if you stay onsite will allow you to go on any EP ride as many times as you want. But unlike Disney, some of the headliners like a few of the HP attractions do not have express pass so you DO need a strategy for those. Beyond that, you don't need to plan for much else. No issue getting into any of the restaurants. We stay at Royal Pacific and love being able to walk back and forth at our leisure.