First Timer Questions

[wdwshelby9]

Hi all! Disney fans here trying one day at Universal attempting to do both parks while staying at Disney. There will be six of us and we had originally picked Wednesday, March 27, as our day to visit, but we are seeing on the Universal calendar that IOA closes three hours early at 6 pm. Any idea why? It's the only day that month that is like that. Really hoping that we don't have to move our day since our fast passes at Disney are all set. Can we still get everything done if we stick with that date?

Also, I have heard that it is possible to get early entry without staying at Universal hotel. Is that true? If so, how?
TIA

 

[mjhtvchick]

Hi all! Disney fans here trying one day at Universal attempting to do both parks while staying at Disney. There will be six of us and we had originally picked Wednesday, March 27, as our day to visit, but we are seeing on the Universal calendar that IOA closes three hours early at 6 pm. Any idea why? It's the only day that month that is like that. Really hoping that we don't have to move our day since our fast passes at Disney are all set. Can we still get everything done if we stick with that date?

Also, I have heard that it is possible to get early entry without staying at Universal hotel. Is that true? If so, how?
TIA

There is probably a private event that evening.

 

[bchbetha]

No, there is no early entry for non-guests. Occasionally they'll let people in a few minutes early but that's not to be expected. You'll want to be pulling into the garage an hour before opening with tickets in hand.

Very likely a private party, as pp said, is causing the early closure.

What are your priorities? There's no way you can get everything done in a day. Not even close.

 

[gotomu212]

I’m not optimistic that you can see everything you want in one day during spring break, UNLESS you get express passes. Is that in the budget? You may want to compare the cost of buying 6 against the cost of a 1 night stay at one of the 3 hotels that include EP. often it’s cheaper to get a throwaway too, you don’t have to actually stay and that would also get you early entry.

 

[Artygal90]

I believe you can get early entry if you book a full "Splash, Stay, and Play" package directly through Universal at one of their "partner hotels" which are not on-property, but that's not helpful to you doing a day trip from Disney. I would say book a throwaway room at Royal Pacific for the unlimited EPs and early entry, but you may run into an issue with max occupancy - I don't think they will issue 6 express passes for a room that has a limit of 4 occupants. You could get two rooms or a suite, but that's $$$ ...actually, for fun, I just looked it up...it looks like the two-park basic express pass (skip the line once per ride) for March 27th is $90/pp, a standard room at RPR that will sleep 4 adults is $504/night, and a suite that will sleep six at Portofino Bay is $1019/night (only one available for your dates).

So....I'd go with the Express Passes, personally. I think if you get there EARLY (like at the gate 45-60 minutes before official opening early), stay until closing, tour efficiently with minimal backtracking, and have priorities and Express Passes, you should be okay. You probably won't have time for all the shows, leisurely sit-down meals, or re-rides, but I thiiink you can hit most of the highlights in the two parks in one day. Hope you have a great trip! If you have a list of your must-dos for Universal I can offer more specific tips on how to order everything so you spend more time riding and less time walking around

 

[Nsaudra]

They always close at 6 during the week according to the calander on website.

 

[sam_gordon]

There's no way you can get everything done in a day. Not even close.

Depends on what the person considers a "requirement". We went the day after Christmas, obviously crowded and hit all the headliners. We did not do the reverse path on Hogwarts express, and didn't do the water rides or Mummy. Other than, we hit all the big names and we were out at 5. Of course, we had express pass, and I would have liked to explore HP areas a little more, but it is possible.