Fl Resident - Should we visit Universal sometime 1/19-1/27?

[MinnieMouse2017]

Hello! Hoping someone can give us some pointers.

We are new Florida residents. We picked up WDW annual passes for the year around Halloween. I've used my pass 8-9x and hubby has been twice.

We are going to WDW from approximately 1/19 to 1/27. We are staying off property and paying about $100 per night to rent a town home.

I haven't been to Universal since 1992 when I was a kid and hubby has never been.

I see that Universal has some FL resident tickets, but the prices don't look that great.

Is it worth going to Universal? We know nothing about the parks. How long would the lines be if we went mid week?

Is one of the parks more thrill ride oriented? I can do some crazy rides, but not all day.

Thank you!

 

[macraven]

Many of the posters on this side of the Disboards love Universal

Check out some of the threads in the main forum that discuss the parks, rides, etc



(Normally I would recommend looking at the park website but since it was revamped, not a favorite place to find answers).

Read some of the trip reports to get first hand info on the park touring and what you will see in them.
Many include pictures

 

[MinnieMouse2017]

Yeah, the Universal website is not too helpful.

I remember liking Universal back in the early 90s, but I think there was maybe just one park at that time?

Hoping to move out of Florida sometime this year and go back to NY or California. Just wondering if we should spend the $ on extra admissions since we have the Disney pass.

I'll look at some trip reports.

Either way, I think we will do a stop at City Walk since it's supposed to be free parking for FL residents after 6 pm.

 

[MinnieMouse2017]

I was also a little confused. A friend of mine had visited Universal FL in 2015. I thought she had told me they paid extra to cut the lines, but I know they did NOT stay on property.

 

[macraven]

Anyone can buy the ep
It would be for a specific date and park or 2 park ep

The cheaper purchased ep would be one time only use per ride or show

More expensive purchased ep would be the unlimited ones

Most likely it would be cheaper to stay at one if the three hotels that have the perk of free unlimited ep fir the parks

When i lived in the Chicago area, I would do two weeks a year in the parks
The ap was worth it for me based on park ticket prices

It would come out as a savings as the ap paid for itself when compared to about 6 days of park tickets

Now not sure of what point is the deal for ap costs

Preferred ap allows 10% discounts off food and merch
Also hotel discounts

If you move out of state, it still might be worth it to have ap

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

I think it would be very quiet mid-week at that time of year. Anywhere from walk-ons to maybe 30 minutes for a popular attraction. I would avoid Universal your last few days as the Celebration of Harry Potter runs the 26-28; unless that's something that would interest you. It's usually pretty crowded (especially in the HP lands).

As for it being worth it: personally I would say yes, as I love Universal dearly and I think the parks are wonderful. I would say very few of the rides are seriously thrilling; there's only one large outdoor coaster in each park. Many of the rides are either simulators or dark rides.