Frustration with the Universal website

[Roobear77]

I am sure this is just my years of Disney planning talking, but does anyone else find the Universal website less than helpful?

First off, the lack of park hours is infuriating (common annoyance I see).

I see mention of a virtual queue, but no information on the website about how it works, what rides use it.

I keep seeing "Universal Dining Plan" on the restaurants pages, but no mention of it anywhere else. What is it? How much does it cost?

Even the info on the refillable mugs is sketchy.

Am I dumb? Am I missing a whole bunch of info on the website??? Am I just not looking in the right spots? Grrrrrrrr

 

[goofballs]

I am sure this is just my years of Disney planning talking, but does anyone else find the Universal website less than helpful?

First off, the lack of park hours is infuriating (common annoyance I see).

I see mention of a virtual queue, but no information on the website about how it works, what rides use it.

I keep seeing "Universal Dining Plan" on the restaurants pages, but no mention of it anywhere else. What is it? How much does it cost?

Even the info on the refillable mugs is sketchy.

Am I dumb? Am I missing a whole bunch of info on the website??? Am I just not looking in the right spots? Grrrrrrrr

According to Orlando Informer, Universal is not currently utilizing any virtual queues. But they (OI) do have a great description of the process.

 

[TAnsley]

According to Orlando Informer, Universal is not currently utilizing any virtual queues. But they (OI) do have a great description of the process.

Virtual Queues are at Volcano Bay for the entire park. They hand you a TapuTapu device, it's like a smartwatch and it's free. You walk up to every queue and scan it and it gives you a return time. If you rent a cabana you can book them direct in your cabana without walking to the queue line. There are no virtual queues at Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios.

First, try clicking on the main menu, the 3 bars at the top right, you may be overlooking it. It looks like a mobile phone menu on the computer website, similar design.

Park hours are listed clearly on the website under the three bar main menu at the top right of the screen, when it opens Park Hours is right at the top. Choose a tab at the top for the park you want, or CitiWalk. Then scroll through the months.

When you plan a package, there are several screens with options, dining is one of them. You can save packages to your profile also.

You can buy mugs at the parks, they are good at both parks. They are around $19 per day, if you buy more than one that price drops for each one. There are also refillable mugs at the resorts, I think only for that resort. I haven't purchased one, but that info is probably on the resort page. There are menus for every restaurant and the mugs might be on the resort web page in the menu for the main dining place, ie. Pier 8 for Dockside Inn.

 

[Roobear77]

Virtual Queues are at Volcano Bay for the entire park. They hand you a TapuTapu device, it's like a smartwatch and it's free. You walk up to every queue and scan it and it gives you a return time. If you rent a cabana you can book them direct in your cabana without walking to the queue line. There are no virtual queues at Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios.

First, try clicking on the main menu, the 3 bars at the top right, you may be overlooking it. It looks like a mobile phone menu on the computer website, similar design.

Park hours are listed clearly on the website under the three bar main menu at the top right of the screen, when it opens Park Hours is right at the top. Choose a tab at the top for the park you want, or CitiWalk. Then scroll through the months.

When you plan a package, there are several screens with options, dining is one of them. You can save packages to your profile also.

You can buy mugs at the parks, they are good at both parks. They are around $19 per day, if you buy more than one that price drops for each one. There are also refillable mugs at the resorts, I think only for that resort. I haven't purchased one, but that info is probably on the resort page. There are menus for every restaurant and the mugs might be on the resort web page in the menu for the main dining place, ie. Pier 8 for Dockside Inn.

See this is what I am saying...I know where to find the park hours, but they haven't been released past October 31st.

When you go through booking a package, the only options to add are a breakfast at Leaky Cauldron/Three Broomsticks. I am assuming that whatever dining plan they used to have is no longer being used, but it is still listed as being accepted under the restaurants. So I wasted a lot of time trying to find the details about it.

I didn't realize that the virtual lines were only at Volcano Bay now. I must have been reading something older and not noticed the date.

I've been really happy to see that they have all the current menus available with pricing. That certainly helps with planning, but coming from a history of booking dining reservations 6 months out for Disney, not even have the park hours makes it challenging to know where to plan to have dinner.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

My issue isn’t so much with the website as it is the app. Sometimes things don’t appear right away and trying to use the maps at first was chaotic, but then I got used to it.

Universal is similar to Disney where they don’t release the park hours past a certain date until they reach another date.

 

[Kit Jackson]

coming from a history of booking dining reservations 6 months out for Disney, not even have the park hours makes it challenging to know where to plan to have dinner.

I know it's what you're used to, but you don't have to plan that far ahead for Universal. Maybe two months out max for the super popular restaurants.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

There has been a virtual queue used for Hagrids, but that has not been active for quite a while, so that may be what you are seeing.

 

[Roobear77]

I know it's what you're used to, but you don't have to plan that far ahead for Universal. Maybe two months out max for the super popular restaurants.

Yeah, we are within 2 months of arriving, (52 days!) and I thought they would be released by now.

Is it terribly bad form to make a couple of reservations now and then cancel once the hours are out and we have a better plan?

 

[MrBellatrixLestrange]

There has been a virtual queue used for Hagrids, but that has not been active for quite a while, so that may be what you are seeing.

Is the single rider for Hagrid's back?

 

[StageTek]

Is the single rider for Hagrid's back?

I was there for five days (Sept 6 to 10) and no single rider the entire time

 

[Equestrian]

Hagrids had single rider today (9/23)

 

[Equestrian]

I was there for five days (Sept 6 to 10) and no single rider the entire time

Hagrid’s had single rider today (9/23)

Sorry for the double post - phone difficulties!