First time to IOA/US questions

[BitsnBearsMom]

We are very excited about WWOHP so in October when we do our visit to the world (staying at AKLV on our DVC points) we are planning on doing 1 day at IOA to check it out. We are planning on going on a Tuesday so hopefully the crowds won't be quite so bad.

I have a few questions that hopefully someone can help me with......

When do they post the park hours and is 1 day enough/too much for IOA - we will probably spend the majority of the time at WWOHP. Wondering if we need to get the 2 parks pass or if just doing IOA is enough. My boys are 16yo and almost 11yo but aren't huge roller coaster kids. They will do them but they aren't thrilled with them. We are planning to be at the park as early as possible.

Disney is wonderful dealing with food allergies and we can usually find something for my 10yods to eat - how is Universal for the same? Is there somewhere online I can find a list of the restaurants/menu's?

All for now but I'm sure I'll have a million more questions to be answered before October!! Off to do more reading now!!

 

[Metro West]

When do they post the park hours and is 1 day enough/too much for IOA - we will probably spend the majority of the time at WWOHP. Wondering if we need to get the 2 parks pass or if just doing IOA is enough. My boys are 16yo and almost 11yo but aren't huge roller coaster kids. They will do them but they aren't thrilled with them. We are planning to be at the park as early as possible.

Disney is wonderful dealing with food allergies and we can usually find something for my 10yods to eat - how is Universal for the same? Is there somewhere online I can find a list of the restaurants/menu's?

All for now but I'm sure I'll have a million more questions to be answered before October!! Off to do more reading now!!

Park hours should be released by mid-August but I think the delay is caused by possible tweaking of the hours based on the WWoHP crowds. You can plan on 9-7 or 9-6 in October at the very least. You shouldn't have any issue with food allergies...most of the restaurants provide alternate dishes so no worries there.

For your main question....I think one day is plenty of time to do IOA in October and since you're going on a weekday...even better. If you wanted to go to the Studios as well, you can purchase the one park ticket and upgrade while you're there...if you decide that's what you want to do.

Don't be afraid to ask questions...we are here to help!

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

Thanks!

So if we manage to get through IOA in less then a day can we upgrade at that point or do we need to decide to upgrade before going in for the day?

 

[Metro West]

So if we manage to get through IOA in less then a day can we upgrade at that point or do we need to decide to upgrade before going in for the day?

You could upgrade before leaving IOA or just during the course of the day.

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

perfect - thanks!! Can't wait to try something different - 12+ trips to DW and this will be our first time to Universal with kids - last time we were there was 19 yrs ago when we got married so I'm sure it's changed lots!!

 

[skifast22]

Grats on making your first trip to IoA! I went during the first week of October last year and crowds were scarce. I suspect more people this year because of Potter, but nothing like the crowds being talked about this past week. You should be able to see the entire park in 1 day. There are rides at US your sons would probaly like, but since it's your first, I'd stick with just IoA so you can enjoy the whole park and not feel rushed. You can always upgrade your tickets at guest relations if you'd like to head over to the other park. Over at US, I'd say Men in Black is similar but superior to Buzz Lightyear. I also think the scene in ET where you fly over the city is superior to the similar scene on Peter Pan. The Mummy is a fairly mild roller coaster, but an excellent overall experiance. I'd say the actual coaster is a little more intense than space mountain, but much less intense than RnR.


If you happen to eat at Mythos, tell the hostess about any special diet needs. When I went with an ex girlfriend who was vegan, the head chef came to our table to talk about what she did/didn't eat, and decided to make a special wrap for her. He came out again later to see how she liked it. It was really awesome

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

Good to hear about Mythos - thanks!!

We're all excited about US/IOA - kids are getting bored with DW parks now so time for a change!! We typically make at least 2 shorter trips each year so will turn our attention to US now to see what they think!!

 

[Disney Padawan]

You should try to spend at least 1 day in each park. Even if your kids aren't big coaster fans there's plenty there that I'm sure they will love. About every ride in UO is better than its Disney counterpart and some don't have anything else to compare to.

Give both parks a try, you'll love them.