First timer to Universal...need advice

[klo289]

We are planning our first trip to US around March 10th. That is our spring break so I'm not sure how crowded the parks will be. How many days do you think we need to really experience the parks. We were thinking 3. We're also not sure if we should buy single park tickets or the ones that let you park hop. We've bought park hopper tickets to Disney in the past, but never used the option. We have 11 and 13 year old daughters that are so excited about Harry Potter, so I'm sure we will spend a bit of time there.

We are staying off site in a condo to give us more space and allow us to cook breakfasts before we head to the parks. I would appreciate any insider tips you have. When planning Disney trips in the past, I loved Tour Guide Mike's site because he told you which days were best for each park and how to approach the rides to avoid the crowds. Is there anything like that for US? Thanks.

 

[andyman8]

Well, I don't know if any site does Universal Crowd Calendars, but it is not as important as Universal. First of all, we actuarially may be going that same time as you (It's our spring break too), so my guess it will be moderately crowded. Here are my tips:

• Consider purchasing the Express Pass when you arrive. This will save you a lot of time.
• Spend three days with Park to Park Access at the parks. You can spend day one at USF, Day two at IOA, and Day three doing attractions you either missed or really liked at both parks.
• Have a dinner at Mythos (in IOA), Lombard's Seafood Grill (in USF), and any of the CityWalk Restaurants.
• See Universal 360 Fireworks at USF
• Spend a night at Mardi Gras at USF
• See the Blue Man Group show one night.
• Universal also has its own water-park (offsite), Wet n' Wild, which I think you will love
• Do the character breakfast at IOA, my teens love this!
• Plan to do some shopping at CityWalk. Your daughters will love all the shops.
• Unlike Disney, the only day you need to get up early will be for IOA (the HP ride doesn't take Express Pass).
• If you kids are big eaters, look into the Meal Deal. This is great!

In case you did not know, Express Passes are tickets basically front of the line passes for most rides. For your dates they range from $25 to $40. They are really well worth it!!!

Oh, you are going to want to buy the 3-Day Park-to-Park Ticket with Wet n' Wild Access. This will give you three theme park days and one WnW day!

 

[zack123]

You can find a crowd calendar here:
http://www.orlandoinformer.com/universal/crowd-calendar/

Here are a few more tips:

• I purchased 2-park tickets and was glad I did, because WWoHP was my favorite part of either park, and this allowed me to visit it every day I was there and still go to USF. I spent one day in each park (aside from going to WWoHP, which I did late in the evening), and then spent the third day going back and forth to do what I missed or do the things I liked again.
  
• If going during a busy time, it is suggested to check out WWoHP either first thing in the morning or late in the evening. If the parks get too crowded, they will limit the number of people who can enter WWoHP, and in the middle of the day you may have to wait in line just to get into this part of the park. I went in the morning and in the evening (it looks really neat after dark).
  
• In USF, the ride that gets long fastest is Rip Ride Rockit, and it does not have an Express line. That should be your first stop in the morning if it is a busy day.
  
• Discuss with your group if you are willing to do single rider lines. It is a way to save some time waiting in line, but your group will not be able to all ride together in the same car. Many of the busier thrill rides offer this option.
  
• Of the water rides, the ones that will get you the most wet are Bilge Rat Barges and Ripsaw Falls. Expect to get completely soaked on either one.
  
• Check out the attractions on the Universal website. Construct a "must see" list, and then split it by park. Go to all the "must see" attractions in one park, then go to the "must see" attractions in the second park.

If you are considering purchasing Express passes, there are a few things you should be aware of:

• Express Passes are date-specific and non-refundable. It is generally recommended that you wait until you are in the park and have seen the lines before purchasing.
  
• Express Passes allow you to skip the regular lines once for each participating attraction. If you want to do the same thing again, you have to get in the regular line the second time. Unlimited Express is only for people staying onsite, or if you buy expensive VIP tickets.
  
• As of right now, there are four attractions that do not participate in the Express Pass: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Ollivanders Wand Show, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, and Pteradon Flyers. Everyone has to do the regular lines for these (FJ and RRR(?) also have single rider lines).
  
• Express Passes are more expensive on days Universal expects the parks to be busier.
  
• You can buy Express Passes inside the parks at various gift shops.

 

[macraven]

i tell newbies to buy their basic one day hpper ticket in advance.
you would then have the one day two park hopper.
meaning, you can go from the studio side to ioa as much as you want.
that ticket you bought, covers both parks for one day.


buying the ticket in advance, frees you up from having to take the time to buy them the day you get there.


once in the park, and before you leave the park, then upgrade your one day tickets if you want to return for more time in the parks.

go to guest services a day/(s) to it.

if you are not sure if you want more than 2 days, than only upgrade to the 2 day hopper.
if on the second day you decide to come back a third day, guest services is the place to go to handle that add on ticket.

if you feel you have seen and done all you want by the end of the second day, you are fine.
no money spent in advance therefore no waste of money.

when you upgrade, you are paying the difference of the two tickets.
one day vs two day.


you are required to do the upgrade while in the park that day.

if you leave the park, you can not do the upgrade to add days.

there are guest services outside of the park before you enter the gates and guest services inside the parks.

do the upgrade of the tickets at the inside guest services.



for the express passes, never buy them in advance.
they are date related, park related.

buy the express passes after you are in the park and feel you can not handle long ride entrance lines.

if you head to potter first at ioa, it will be crowded there no matter what first thing in the morning.
the rest of the park might not have long ride wait lines.
(no ep for FJ)

express passes are valid for one time only per ride/attraction/show
they are nonrefundable.

you have to use them on the date they are marked.
(if you changed your plans for doing UO and have already purchased the ep's, non refundable.)
you would have to buy them for each park.

you might find that the studios will not have long line waits on the day you go there.
if you bought the ep, you have wasted your money.
non refundable....

if it rains when you are in the park, many leave and the rides have short lines.
if you bought the ep prior, you have wasted your money.


go during the week.
weekends usually have more crowds in the park.

 

[Sandy321]

Macraven Just want to say thank you for answering so many questions -

I may also have to plan a trip during Spring Break, so I've been in and out of a lot of threads here - and you are giving very important, useful advice, and I thank you.

I hate feeling like a "newbie" I lucked into our first trip to WDW - now this? I'm so confused!

We have tickets to Ft Myers to visit the grandparents. DD 14, her bff is not going to be there ( her grandparents also live in Ft Myers) so we had thought of one trip - but now its going to be something entirely different. and dd is hoping against all odds we can "swing by WHOP" hey, its just 3 - 4 drive

*sigh. I do have a friend in Orlando that will let us crash at her place...

your advice is helping, thank you!

Spring Break in a park I know very little - did I mention I'm directionally challenged?

 

[macraven]

Macraven Just want to say thank you for answering so many questions -

I may also have to plan a trip during Spring Break, so I've been in and out of a lot of threads here - and you are giving very important, useful advice, and I thank you.

I hate feeling like a "newbie" I lucked into our first trip to WDW - now this? I'm so confused!

We have tickets to Ft Myers to visit the grandparents. DD 14, her bff is not going to be there ( her grandparents also live in Ft Myers) so we had thought of one trip - but now its going to be something entirely different. and dd is hoping against all odds we can "swing by WHOP" hey, its just 3 - 4 drive

*sigh. I do have a friend in Orlando that will let us crash at her place...

your advice is helping, thank you!

Spring Break in a park I know very little - did I mention I'm directionally challenged?

well, thank you sandy.

when we talk about spring break, it can range from the end of the first week of march thru late april.

looking at one of the guides calendars for expected crowds, it appears the parks will be "slow" -tg words, not mine, for the first two weeks of march.

for me to say a park will be 'slow', low crowds, i look at the UO calendar costs for the epp's.

if they are under $20, i say that means universal is expecting low crowds on those dates.

if they are $25-35, i feel that would be a moderate crowd period in the parks, with average line waits.

once they/ epp's hit $45 a park and up, that can be the indicator the parks will be crowded.

after that, crowds will build.
i am guessing that the last 2 weeks of March, first 2.5 weeks of april will be busy.

universal bases the costs for the epp's based on the crowd level in the parks for that day.
that is why the epp cost fluccuates.

if the cost is low, they are not worth buying.
if the cost is high, be prepared to stand in long lines for the rides.

the epp is park based and date based.
you can only use them one time per ride.
after that, you stand in lines for the rides.

use the single line riders, break your group up.
not an issue if you have kids over age 12.
you can't really carry on much of a conversation on some of the rides as it is.

sandy, appoximately, when would you be in orlando for universal?

do stay away from weekends if you can if you are going during the prime spring break time period.

if you can spring for one night on site, you get special perks for being a hotel guest.
rates are at a high though during certain dates during spring break.


you get an hour early entry for parry hotter.
you enter before the general public does.
you are also allowed to use your hotel card key for early entry and express line usage on the day you check out.

stow your stuff with valet in the early morning of check out day.
go to the parks for early entry and enjoy another full day with Mr. Potter.
(but, that means you will be buying a 2 day park pass.)

you are allowed unlimited usage of the express lines for all rides and shows.
all hotel guests get a hotel card.
that is what you show to use the express lines in the parks.

or


if you do a drive up from another city and stay with a friend in orlando area,
be at the parks early.
get in the regular line for entrance asap.
check the calendar for park hours during spring break.
try to be there 45 minutes before the general admission time.

parry hotter will be crowded when you do enter it.
hotel guests will already be there.

during other times of the year, potter has it's lull period usually the 1 and 1/2 hours before park closing.
i don't know if this will hold true during spring break.

if you can swing a night at the hotels onsite, do it.
check in early.
like at 6:30 am, get your hotel key, store your belongings with valet and hit the park for early entrance.

good luck with your new adventures
driving from one city to another and checking out parry hotter and the rest of the parks...!

 

[Sandy321]

again thanks Macraven (btw we're in a suburb of Chicago!)

Lots to think about - I am truly thinking if we do this, one night is a must for early entry - but FOTL access - not so much (based on your information you are so willing to post, to share! Thank you!)

It will be dd and I - and she is 15 - so single rider lines will be just fine - as you say, no conversation most of the time anyway!! I think we are the last week of March, so I would do maybe a Mon (drive up to Orlando) stay at a Universal friendly/early entry perk hotel Tuesday night - so having your information I could check in at 6am - and head to the park - that's just the info I needed!

I went to mousesavers.com to look at prices - they are only listing the 3 hotels,( Portifino, Hard Rock, Royal Pacific) I really thought there were a 3 more - it may have been when Harry Potter was first opening and we researched going down for that! (or I could be losing my mind! lol)

 

[macraven]

well, hello neighbor miss sandy......!

only 3 hotels onsite.
there are some partner hotels associated with universal but you don't get all the perks.

and, if you book the partner hotel for a perk, you have to book it as a package.
so not worth it.
much cheaper to buy everything separate.

 

[klo289]

Thanks for all the advice. I didn't realize that you could add days onto your ticket after you got there. That's good to know.

 

[heidi8]

We are big WWoHP fans, and my kids are also big Harry Potter fans. If going into Ollivanders is important for your girls - and they may not be the ones who get to do the Wand Selection process - get in that line first because it only gets longer, and it's not as interesting a line-waiting experience as spending 20-45 minutes in the Castle line is. In other words, they'll enjoy waiting in the Forbidden Journey line for a while, more than they'll enjoy waiting in the Ollivanders line. If they don't care about the Ollivanders experience, they can get the wand they want at a kiosk by The Forbidden Journey - the Butterbeer cart near there also usually has shorter lines than the one in the front.

If you do the Single Rider Line through the castle, take the girls and go back through Hogwarts again after you've ridden the ride, so they can see all of the line, the Herbology area, the House Points, etc.

Try both kinds of Butterbeer, btw. Some prefer carbonated, some prefer the frozen one.

Definitely do lunch at The Three Broomsticks! The food is terrific and you may be able to spot a House Elf in the shadows.

The day that you're planning to go to the WWoHP, wake up very early and give everyone bagels or pop tarts to eat in the car - you want to be there as early as possible. When I went with my kids last week, it wasn't terribly crowded (we were there Xmas Week in 2010! Nothing will compare!) and my kids were able to ride the Hippogryff 15 times in under an hour just by using the regular line! They had the time of their lives!