Help a newbie out!

[HollyL]

Hello! Last time I was anywhere near Universal was 22 years ago. I decided to take my daughter (11) to WDW for a quick girls birthday trip (we both have late April birthdays). We were initially just going to do a day at EPCOT, but then I realized I could get a much cheaper flight (well, free since I have SWA points) if we flew in a day earlier than initially planned, so since we weren't really interested in adding a second WDW park (we were just there a couple of years ago and did everything but EPCOT, and we just did Disneyland in October) we decided to do a day at Islands of Adventure (my soon to be 12 year old will go on any ride, nothing phases her). I last did IOA forever ago when it was new, so I don't remember much about it besides how cool the Hulk Coaster was. Since our stay is so short, I really want to maximize our time without spending insane amounts of money (I feel guilty splurging when the husband and son are left back home). I am thinking of staying at Cabana Bay so we can be close-by and get the early entry perk. As nice as it would be to get the express pass free by staying at the Premium hotels, I just can't justify spending over $500 for the two of us. We would be going on Sunday, April 23rd- and the crowd calendars show that is should be reasonable that day. Since it's after Spring Break, I am hoping the crowds won't be as bad as they are at the moment. Is it only Harry Potter world that is open during the early entry? We would like to do everything (just at Islands of Adventure), but the Suess stuff is lowest on the priority list. The must do's are the Harry Potter rides, Jurassic Park rides, Hulk, and Kong.
Any advice on strategies and how to maximize the limited amount of time we'll have?

As far as the quickest way to get to IOA from Cabana Bay, is the shuttle the best way to do it, or walk to Sapphire Falls and take the water taxi?

 

[hammie59]

I‘ve never taken a bus to the parks, but I’m pretty sure it’ll drop you off at the front of City Walk. That means you’ll be dealing with much larger crowds coming in and have to use the security check point there as well. If you walk over to SF, the boats have their own security areas and you‘ll be dropped off in the middle of city walk (ahead of the non-resort and bus crowds). Early entry at IoA gets you into Harry Potter area and Velocicoaster.

 

[Lilias]

SF isn't really walkable from CB. I tried that this December and it was pretty dangerous--you go through a major road and there's no crosswalk or anything!

We ended up just using the bus and the wait wasn't so bad, but if you can get Aventura (which IS walkable to SF) or SF, the boat is definitely quicker and better.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I imagine you're planning to maximize park time - ie, open to close if possible, maybe midday break or just midday sit down meal? If so, you may consider Dockside/Surfside instead, since you really won't be utilizing the pools/resort so no reason to spend more for Cabana Bay. Buses drop you off at the same point in Citywalk. It's really not a bad walk through Citywalk regardless.

You should have plenty of time to get your must-dos in by focusing on the one park. If you can be near the front of the rope drop crowd, go straight to Hagrids. Otherwise, go to Velocicoaster, then enjoy the Harry Potter area. Early entry is the best to experience Hogsmeade with minimal crowds. Or, after park close you can hang around the area for a while, which is nice ambiance in the dark & even lower crowds. You can hop in line for Hagrids right before park close for a dark forbidden forest ride, then meander out slowly.

Except for being near the front of rope drop, Hagrids tends to have lower waits in the lunchtime/afternoon hours, and reasonable in the evening. If you aren't towards the front of rope drop, the rest of early entry & early morning are probably the worst waits for it.

I agree with you to have the Seuss area the lowest priority for a one day visit. It's nice and well themed, and you'll see it just fine walking through so no need to spend your limited time on those rides. I would also add Dr. Doom's Fearfall to the "low priority list" along with the Storm Force teacups. Dr. Doom's is fun & all, but it's just your basic drop tower which you can really do anywhere.

If you are planning to do dinner at Citywalk, I'd suggest reservations for sometime a bit after park close (maybe an hour after park close if you plan to hop in Hagrids line last thing) - right after park close is the busiest time in the Citywalk restaurants. There are no penalties for cancelling & you can cancel/modify last minute, so not the end of the world if you can't make the reservation.

Also be aware & plan appropriately for the water rides - particularly the Dudley Dooright Flume & the Popeye Barges. You will be soaked, very soaked, wring out the panties soaked. They're a lot of fun, if you know that in advance & have a change of clothes or a post-drenching plan. Jurassic Park is a more reasonable level of wetness that doesn't necessarily need specific planning.


HAVE FUN!

 

[UOAP-Naples]

For one day at Islands with an 11 year old and no express pass, I'd try to maximize single rider lines when you can. Hulk, Dr. Doom, Spiderman, Kong (they haven't had single rider open lately), and Forbidden Journey end up needing more single riders because of their seating configurations. Those 5 single rider lines are usually almost a walk-on. You probably want to use the regular line the first time you ride Forbidden Journey to see everything in the Hogwarts Castle. After that, use single rider for re-rides.

Hagrid's and Velocicoaster only seat two across so the single rider line doesn't really move very fast. The regular line for those two might be faster.

We go to ride so we'll re-ride things while we're in that area to maximize the number of rides we get without wasting time and steps going back and forth. For instance, when we're in Marvel, we'll ride Hulk single rider, Storm Force if it's a walk-on, Dr. Doom (can do single rider here if there is a wait), Spiderman, Dr. Doom again, Hulk single rider again. Many times we can do 5 rides in an hour or hour and a half at the start of the day before we ever have to grab a drink, snack or restroom. It feels like at least you've gotten ahead of the game if you take a break or have a long meal.

We do the same thing in Kong/Jurassic. We'll ride Kong, Velocicoaster, Jurassic Park River Adventure and then try Velocicoaster again if the lines aren't crazy.

Kong is fun but can be a long wait at peak times. Ride it if it's 30 minutes or less. If not, skip it and try to hit it later in the day. Poseidon's Fury is one you can skip but it is kind of interesting to do once. Like Kong, I wouldn't wait very long for it.

If you're riding the Seuss rides, get them all done at once when the lines all look 15 minutes or less, check out the area, and then move on. The Seuss trolley is the one that usually has the longest rides and it's the best ride in that land. So if the line is short for the trolley, get it done right then. It's a great ride if the wait is 15 minutes. It's not worth waiting an hour to ride.

As @CAPSLOCK stated, make sure if you're doing the water rides to be prepared that the two in Toon Lagoon will get you completely soaked. You might as well just jump in the lake.

Hagrid's you can do very first if you get there an hour before early entry to be the very first in the park, otherwise wait until the afternoon or end of the day.

 

[HollyL]

Wow! Thanks! This is all really great advice! I am very well versed on the Disney parks (more Disneyland than WDW) but cluless about Universal. I am guessing the water rides might be a good option to do before we go back to the hotel for a mid-afternoon break. Would ponchos help, or do you just get so crazily drenched that it won't help at all?
As far as food, we're not the biggest eaters, we usually have a protein shake or something small for breakfast, then a snack around lunch-time, then one decent sized meal that is usually a late lunch/early dinner, then something small in the evening. I have a reservation at Toothsomes for the late afternoon, but wondering if that's the best option. I will eat just about anything, but my daughter is picky (think chicken nuggets/strips, cheese pizza, mac and cheese).
I also usually bring a backpack (standard Jansport sized) to keep daily essentials (water bottles, sun-screen, phone, etc. I am unfamiliar with the locker situation, but do remember that the Harry Potter ride at Universal California had lockers that you had to store you stuff in. Are the lockers free if you're riding the ride? Are they big enough for a standard backpack (not-full) that can be squished?
We are also "go-go-go" people that try to get as much done with our time and ride as much as we possibly can type of people, that's why we don't waste a lot of time with sit down meals, and usually eat snacks on the go.

Still on the fence about the hotel situation. I can get the Holiday Inn across from HRH for $100/night. I usually don't mind staying in cheaper places if I know we won't be spending a lot of time there, but there is no dedicated shuttle or early hour entry, so that in itself will probably be a deal breaker. I can get Cabana Bay for about $250 after taxes, Aventura for about $230 after taxes, and Sapphire Falls for about $335 after taxes. We will be arriving on a Saturday a little after noon, so we would have enough time to enjoy the lazy river/pool at Cabana Bay at least on check-in day. From what ya'll have experienced, is it fairly easy to get checked in as early as 2pm on a Saturday in late April?

One last question....how early do the shuttle busses start running in the mornings? Is there a walkable path from CB to IoA?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Ponchos will help but you'll really need to sit on them and tuck them around your bum/legs, as water will cascade over the edge of the log/raft and onto your lap. Ride before break at hotel is the best plan, but that assumes you want to spend the time going back to the hotel. My preferred method is ride w/ waterproof sandals & bring a quick change of clothes.

Lockers are free at any rides that require them, you can stuff a squishy backpack in one. Lockers are available at the water rides but are optional, thus not free. You can store stuff in Hulk or Forbidden Journey lockers while on the water rides if the posted wait is long enough - those lockers are free for the standby wait plus a buffer (20min I think?).

I do a sit down lunch break to recharge a little - does not need to be table service, but it might as well be if you're going to sit down for a while anyways. Water rides, change, then Toothsome on your way back for the evening is a good plan.

 

[wdwrule]

Still on the fence about the hotel situation. I can get the Holiday Inn across from HRH for $100/night. I usually don't mind staying in cheaper places if I know we won't be spending a lot of time there, but there is no dedicated shuttle or early hour entry, so that in itself will probably be a deal breaker. I can get Cabana Bay for about $250 after taxes, Aventura for about $230 after taxes, and Sapphire Falls for about $335 after taxes. We will be arriving on a Saturday a little after noon, so we would have enough time to enjoy the lazy river/pool at Cabana Bay at least on check-in day. From what ya'll have experienced, is it fairly easy to get checked in as early as 2pm on a Saturday in late April?

I recommend staying in the bubble if possible however, I believe the hotel you mentioned is walkable to the parks. There’s a pedestrian bridge which we’ve taken before during an offsite stay. We have APs so we weren’t affected by early entry but I’ve heard some 3rd party sites such as TP sell tickets that include early entry. Just a thought if looking to save some $$ and especially if you aren’t going to be in the room much. Our walk from about that point to the little security check point was about 15 minutes.

Aventura and Cabana Bay are very convenient too though and you could pool hop. We like pool hopping to SF when we stay at Aventura since they have a large pool and slide.

You can check in at any time but usually the rooms aren’t ready until mid afternoon on average. Sometimes earlier though. But you can drop your luggage at the luggage service desk and be on your way. Aventura has showers and changing rooms on the 2nd floor. I believe most other, if not all, UO resorts have this.

 

[HollyL]

Thanks! I ended up booking Cabana Bay - I was able to get a good deal through the Hopper App. We will be getting in early enough on Saturday to take advantage of the pool and lazy river, and I know my daughter will really enjoy the retro vibe of the hotel.

 

[wdwrule]

Thanks! I ended up booking Cabana Bay - I was able to get a good deal through the Hopper App. We will be getting in early enough on Saturday to take advantage of the pool and lazy river, and I know my daughter will really enjoy the retro vibe of the hotel.

Perfect enjoy!!