First time to USF / IoA....looking for suggestions, tips, etc

[bweagle]

My husband and I are planning an Orlando trip in June. We have decided to set aside time from WDW to do both USF and IoA (1 day each) Since neither of us have been to these parks before we feel a bit helpless while planning out things to do these two days and i hope to get some help here. Are there any "must sees" at these two parks that shouldn't be missed? What about parades, fireworks, etc? Also, any good character meals & what are there prices? Do you need to get PS at them like is suggested at WDW and what are the approximate costs of these meals. Like I said, I feel totally helpless in planning these two days and any helpful advice would truly be appreciated to make the most of our two days there. We are planning to stay at our WDW resort these two days to avoid the hassle of moving all of our things to another hotel. HELP! Thanks!

 

[bweagle]

just bumping this up because I really feel overwhelmed and am needing advice on these parks

 

[h20jag]

And welcome to the Dis boards!
Going in June, huh?
If week-end, I'd do USF Sat. & IOA Sun. Be going thru gate as soon as open. Your 2-3 day tickets (multi-day tics) will allow you more Express Passes for some short-cuts in lines! (Read some of the "FOTL" threads on these boards for a lotta info on that subject)

Got kids? Makes a difference what ya can do with different ages/heights/fear-factors!
Each Park has something for all ages though. Enough to keep you busy & playing all day!
Stay tuned and keep reading!
J

 

[chase_pc]

as I've said before, stay at the hotel for Front of the line all day. That perk is like gold. Get a town car to take your stuff from one hotel to the other. Stay only one night if needed (gets you a 2 day FOTL for checkin day and checkout day), pack in the am, and have luggage held on the day you leave. You can check out at 10am, and get your luggage later at 7pm or whatever. Both parks are arranged in a circle, with water in the middle, and major rides all the way around so you have to pass all the food and nicknack shops. Just about every ride is awesome at both places. At IOA, the entire marvel island, and dueling dragons(fire and ice), dudley doo right and jurassic congo are all great. At USF, Back to the future, T2 3D, Twister, and MIB are all great. Jaws, Hanna Barbare, and Cat in the hat are all ok, and better with kids. MIB is a LOT of fun - read posts on how to play. IOS is a thrill ride park - roller coasters, launches, log flumes, etc. Universal is all movie themed experiences. A lot of sit and watch, or sit and be shaken up.
Last year, I got sick on Back to the Future, believe it or not. This year, I discovered, if I eat first, the rides are no problem. I ate, then did Hulk, and Fire and Ice coasters, and I was fine. Again, it's worth being so close, and having front of the line, so I would definitely recommend staying at HRH or Portofino, in spite of the lousy treatmetn i had at HRH (read other posts), just as it enhances the theme park experience.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

HELLO BWEAGLE....LET ME HELP YOU OUT HERE!! I've been to Universal twice and IOA once, I will do IOA again anytime!!! I'm not saying I didn't like Universal, I just really had a blast at IOA. I was overwhelmed too the first time I hit both these parks. I had no idea my first visit to US in 98 that I missed an entire area of the park until after we left and I started looking at the map again!! I was like holy s--t! How'd we miss that??!! <IMG WIDTH="15" HEIGHT="15" SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_redface.gif" alt="red face"> Here's what you need to decide, what do I really want to do? And what do I really like? The part of the park that I missed I actually wasn't really interested in, so I didn't feel cheated in any way. The first thing DH and I did upon arrival at US was the Terminator show!! THAT WAS RIGHT ON!! We slowly worked our way around and did the following rides, and these are in no particular order because I don't remember the layout of the park:

TWISTER...(MUCH BETTER ON THE 1ST ROW)
KONGFRONTATION
JAWS(SIT ON LEFT SIDE OF BOAT....DON'T ASK ME WHY, JUST TRUST ME... )
ET
TERMINATOR(DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU SIT, ALL VIEWS ARE GOOD VIEWS)

When I returned with my mom, sister and neices in 2000 I added:

EARTHQUAKE (WOW!!!!)
BACK TO THE FUTURE (PLEASE....EAT BEFORE YOU DO THIS RIDE, BUT DON'T STUFF YOURSELF!! )

I'm going to share those 2 with my DH when we return in May of this year. DH has never been to IOA so I'm going to dedicate a day and a half to that park just for him, here's what you need to do:

INCREDIBLE HULK COASTER (WHOPPEE!! THOUGHT MY HEART WAS GONNA STOP BEFORE I GOT ON IT!)
THE CAT IN THE HAT RIDE IN SEUSS LANDING (WHO SAYS YOU NEED KIDS TO ENJOY IT??!!)
ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH (I BELIEVE THAT'S THE CORRECT NAME, YOU'LL KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT!!)
THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF SPIDERMAN (IT'S 3-D....I MISSED OUT ON IT BECAUSE SISTER AND I REFUSED TO STAND IN LINE FOR 45 MINUTES CONSIDERING PARK WAS CLOSING IN 30, BUT NEICE RODE IT WITH FRIEND AND SAID IT WAS BAD!!)
DUDLEY DO-RIGHT'S RIPSAW FALLS(PLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEASE TO THIS FIRST THING SO YOU'LL HAVE TIME TO DRY OFF BEFORE LEAVING PARK!! <IMG WIDTH="15" HEIGHT="15" SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif" alt="razz"> )
POSEIDON'S FURY ESCAPE FROM THE LOST CITY(SPECTACULAR SHOW!!! TRY TO STAY NEAR THE STORYTELLER...AND I MEAN RIGHT BEHIND HIM, DON'T ASK WHY....AGAIN....TRUST ME.. )
RIVER ADVENTURE(OH MY....AND THAT'S ALL I GOT TO SAY ABOUT THAT! BE SURE YOU GO POTTY BEFORE DOING THIS RIDE....DON'T ASK....YOU KNOW THE DEAL.. )
DR. DOOM'S FEARFALL (I WASN'T EVEN GONNA ATTEMPT IT, BUT MY SISTER DID....SHE SAID THE WORST PART WAS COMING DOWN!!)

I BELIEVE I ABOUT COVERED IT ALL FOR YOU. I'M LEAVING YOU A LINK TO ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE AND YOU CAN LOOK IT OVER YOURSELF. WITHIN THAT LINK YOU CAN ALSO GET TO U.STUDIOS AND CHECK OUT MORE OF THEIR RIDES. I HOPE I MADE IT EASIER FOR YOU AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS JUST POST HERE AND I'LL CHECK BACK.

http://www.universalstudios.com/globalnav/gnf.pl?url=ht tp%3A//www.universalstudios.com/themeparks/html/orlando/islands/

GOOD LUCK AND ALWAYS...

REMEMBER THE MAGIC!!!

OFFSITE-MARCH 87
SoG-MAY 98
SoG-JUNE 00
ASMu-MAY 01

 

[Alice Jean]

Heres more votes for the best attractions at US &IOA. They're probably the same rides others have already suggested....
At US, our favorites were terminator, twister, earthquake, kongfrontation, and back to the future. My daughter enjoyed ET and my son liked Jaws. Hubby & I only thought they were OK though.
At IOA, the landscaping is really beautiful. The best attractions there were spiderman, dudley's ripsaw falls, jurassic park, and poiseidon. We did'nt do the coasters there but heard they were fun. The cat in the hat was cute if you have little ones. Spiderman is a must see, the effects are awesome. Its a little intense for small children though.
One more tip: if you eat at Hard rock cafe, use your AAA card for discounts on food and merchandise. Have fun!!

off site- 1978
DXL- 1997
CBR & wonder cruise- 1999
OKW- Nov. 2001