First visit to Universal.

[car55]

Hi all. We have been to WDW many times and on our upcoming trip we want to try Universal for the first time. I need help with things to do and see. We have a 14yo son that will do all rides. I cant do coasters. How many days should I plan to be there? Where is a good place to eat ? How far is it from Disney's Old Key West Resort. I would love to hear about some of your favorite things to do there. Thanks.

 

[christophfam]

Your son will LOVE it!

The biggest tip I can give you is to stay onsite. I know you asked about how far it is from Disney, but if there is anyway you can stay a couple of nights at the end of your trip onsite at Universal it will make all the difference in the world. Staying onsite allows you to use Universal's express pass system an unlimited amount of times. In other words, your son can ride those coasters over and over again with minimal waits no matter what the season. We love staying onsite because with express there is no need for a touring plan. Get up when you want and ride whatever hits your fancy. No running around trying to collect fastpasses since you already have unlimited express.

You could do it all in two days (one night) with express and staying onsite. Check in at 7AM to get your passes and they are good until park closing the next day. BUT, to get the best experience stay two nights with three days of express. One day each park and then the last day to reride your favorites.

 

[andyman8]

We've been there many times, and you MUST stay onsite. You not only get FREE Express Pass, but also Early Park Admission to IOA, and free transportation via nice water taxis. Universal offers a lot to do. They have two theme parks (IOA and US), but also have their equivalent of DTD, Universal CityWalk. Personally, I like CityWalk better than DTD, and you are sure to have a great time. If your son likes thrills, than you can't be at Wet n' Wild. This water park (a free bus ride away from the onsite hotels) is Universal-owned but not on property. They have a beach area for the adults, and amazing slides for the kids. If you stay onsite you also get access to the Golf Universal Orlando program, which gives you complimentary transportation, and discounted golf at some local courses. Best of all you get to wake up when you want, have an enjoyable breakfast, and head to the parks. Universal also offers a great character breakfast (ask your teen, he may like it) and they have a seasonal firework show, Universal 360.

I would spend three days and three nights with two day tickets. You could go to US on day one, spend day two golfing, relaxing at your resort, and a Wet n' Wild, and day three at IOA. Unviersal has three hotels: Royal Pacific, Portofino, and Hard Rock. Your teen may like Hard Rock, but I like Portofino (I love Italy and it is a luxury resort).

As for dining, I find Universal meals tend to be better than Disney. If you plan on eating primarily in the parks than you will benefit from the Universal Meal Deal (Universal's dining plan). I recommend making advanced dining reservations on opentable.com for all table service restaurants. Just select Florida>Central Florida Area>Type in Universal. Here are my picks for best restaurants:

Islands of Adventure
Quick-Serivce
-The Burger Digs
Table-Service
-Mythos

Universal Studios
Quick-Serivce
-Universal Monster Cafe
Table-Service
-Lombard's SeaFood Grille (on select nights you can watch Universal 360 here)

CityWalk and Hotels (only have table service)
CityWalk
-Emeril's
-Hard Rock Cafe
Portofino
-Mama Della's
Hard Rock
-The Kitchen
Royal Pacific
-Islands Dining Room

Have a great trip! Any additional questions, just ask!

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

We spent 2 days at Universal and Island of Adventure. We were not staying on Universal property, did not have the express pass and we still walked on to everything we rode. We went 10/27-11/5/11 There were no big crowds at all.

If you have a 14 yr old I would advise you make sure you go to IOA so they can see Wizarding World of Harry Potter and have a Butter Beer (not really beer) It is SO GOOD! You can ONLY get it at Island of Adventure (IOA)

You don't have to pay $300 a night to stay onsite to get early entry and express pass to enjoy your stay. We had a blast and was staying value at Disney. Even though our suite was $250 a night, you can stay value for less than a hundred per night.

 

[AJA]

Your son is the perfect age for Universal. You guys will have a great time!!

I would plan 2 or 3 days depending on when you go (how crowded it will be). Stay on site if you can, if not just plan on being there at rope drop and you'll still get to see and do most everything.

 

[car55]

Thank you all for the help. We will be there in mid April. I'm a DVC member and already booked for OKW so staying at Universal is not going to happen on this trip. Thank you for the advice though. This will come in handy for future visits. I'm looking foward to a "Butter Beer" myself. I hear good things about it. Is Universal fun for Adults too ? I cant ride coasters anymore. What can I do while he is off doing his thing ? We are looking foward to trying something new. We love Disney but we want to not overdo it.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

Thank you all for the help. We will be there in mid April. I'm a DVC member and already booked for OKW so staying at Universal is not going to happen on this trip. Thank you for the advice though. This will come in handy for future visits. I'm looking foward to a "Butter Beer" myself. I hear good things about it. Is Universal fun for Adults too ? I cant ride coasters anymore. What can I do while he is off doing his thing ? We are looking foward to trying something new. We love Disney but we want to not overdo it.

I'm not much for coasters either. My 2 older kids rode EVERYTHING in the parks but myself , DS10 and DH skipped most of the rides. There are a few good shows in Universal. The Horror Make up show is a comedy show that last about 20 minutes. We saw it and it was hilarious. Get a map when you first go in and it tells you what time each show plays. You can time them just right and see one right after the other. There is also a Terminator show which we thought was kind of dumb but I can see where some ppl might like it. And there is a Beetlejuice Rock n Roll show where they sing and dance in costume, it was awesome.

The best part of Island of adventure, IMO is the Harry Potter section. But there are 3 rides back there and a bunch of shops. If you aren't going to ride ANY rides this area may seem boring to you. But you can go through and see the Castle without actually riding the ride. It is worth seeing.

There is a cute little coaster in Seuss land that is not fast, it is meant for kids, but adults ride it too, that takes you all around (above) Seuss land that is fun.

There is a SINBAD stunt show right before you get back to the Harry Potter area. It will tell on the map what time it will happen. There is a water fountain right by the Sinbad theater that TALKS. If you see it and it is talking, stop and listen to it. It is hilarious. It interacts with the ppl standing out in front of it. It squirts water at ppl and makes jokes. It is a person somewhere and they can see you and hear you so they can hold a conversation with you. At first you may not realize where the talking is coming from, but it is the water fountain.

Just walking around and seeing everything was a good experience for me. There are some MILD rides that don't flip you upside down or slam you around that you can probably ride. I rode a few myself. There is still fun to be had if you don't ride the rides.