Help choosing first rides

[LuschMommy]

We are new to Universal. Please bear with me for all of my questions. My youngest has finally gotten brave enough for our first visit, and were told she is too old for princesses. Anyway, I'm a big planner, but I'm having a hard time deciding what to ride first at each park. We're going July 18, 20, and a third day for favorites, and we're staying at Portofino Bay, so we'll be using Early Entry and Express Pass, but we also want to get the in queue experience for the recommended rides. For Universal, the 3 rides I think we should tackle first are Despicable Me, Gringotts, and Rip Ride Rocket. Should we run to Despicable Me and go through the standby queue (to experience one time), and then go to Gringotts? Or, do we do Gringott's and then use EP in Despicable Me and Rip Ride Rocket? I've seen mixed thoughts online.

IoA is more difficult. There are more rides that have in queue experiences - Dragon Challenge, Forbidden Journey, Spider-Man, and possibly King Kong and Hulk. Since they're the only ones open during EE, Forbidden Journey, then Dragon Challenge. Then, maybe King Kong (if soft open allows it), or Hulk (if by a miracle it opens earlier than 7/22).

We also have the park hopper to ride Hogwart's Express. My plan was to ride a couple big ticket rides during EE, then jump on the train and tackle the other park. So day one start at IoA and ride HP rides, then head over to UO and walk the park. Then switch the next day. Overkill?

One last question. Are there any other rides that you think the standby queue needs to be experienced and not skipped using EP?

Thank you for helping me plan. I don't want to plan every second of the trip, but I like to plan the first few rides to get the most out of the day. That, and riding more in the mornings might give us time at the pool in the afternoon and back at the park in the evening.

We are so excited!!

 

[georgina]

I'll respond to bump your thread up a bit. I'm not much help since we always use the EP lines, and I don't put nearly this much thought into my daily plan. Obviously the lines for Forbidden Journey and Gringotts have no EP and are fun to experience. We often let people pass us up in the FJ line as we linger in some of the rooms. It seems to me you still see the Triwizard cup in the Dragon Challenge EP line. I have no idea what we may have missed not using the regular lines for Spider Man or Hulk or Minions, but it doesn't bother me much!

 

[bumbershoot]

Are there any other rides that you think the standby queue needs to be experienced and not skipped using EP?

FWIW, I've heard that the standby line for MIB and, hmm, maybe Dragon Challenge?, are really good, but I've never done them and I don't particularly care that I'm missing out. The RIDE is what I'm therefore. If the line is cute that's just to keep your mind off of the line you're waiting in.

Oh and I've never been through the main Spidey queue, either.

So you don't have to worry about what's in the line, if you don't want to

That said, the Despicable Me line is really boring until you get inside. So whatever you can do to skip that, I'd do it. If at early entry you'd just skip right through that part, that's awesome. If the EP wait time is short, that's awesome. But I've had to wait ages outside in the EP line (skipping part of the outside part, but not all by any means), and it's just boring boring boring. I'd rather wait in a wizarding bank, if I had to choose one to wait in. Personally.

The Hogwarts Express is different from one direction to the other, so it's almost required to go both ways. Not overkill at all.


If there are any worries about height limits and big important rides, hit the most important with the trickiest height requirement first. Those rides at Universal are jarring and jolting, and could cause not hitting the height req later on. If that's an issue, hydrate and REST; the forces of a normal day cause our intervertebral discs to squash down a bit through the day (ever have to adjust your seat at the end of a long day? or adjust it in the opposite direction after a restful night's sleep on the way to work?)...the forces of jarring coasters will do that faster!

 

[LuschMommy]

Thank you for the bump Georgina!

I know most people could take or leave the pictures in the line, but I'm a scrapbooker, so I go looking for pictures. I've read that you get some context in some of the standby lines, that you would bypass in the EP line as well. It sounds like the Minion ride isn't one of those rides, so maybe we'll just skip that one. Thank you bumbershoot!

I've been keeping an eye on the touring plans Lines app to get a better idea of each rides wait throughout the day. I'm hoping to have a bit of a game plan after this week. It's 96 degrees at my house (in SC) and I don't want to spend my afternoon walking on the blacktop on my vacation in that if I can help it. If we can swing it, we might leave the park for a bit in the afternoon and return when it cools down. Here's to hoping!

Thank you for the advice. I need all the help I can get!

 

[pcstang]

EP Dispicable Me. Nothing to see in standby.

 

[PantherPete]

Spiderman isn't that much different in the stand by vs express line. The biggest difference is that you miss getting your picture taken for the front page of the Daily Bugle if you go through the express lane.

 

[macraven]

You do miss some of the scenes in stand by line has if you don't use the regular line

This is one ride I do in the regular line and also later in the ep line

 

[LuschMommy]

We definitely want to do Spider-Man in standby. I'm thinking these are the rides to experience the queues (at least the first time through) - In IoA: Spider-Man, Dragon Challenge, Forbidden Journey (so little one can see Harry, Ron, Hermoine), Dr. Doom, Seuss Trolley (in queue picture); In USF: Gringotts, Men In Black, Mummy, Transformers.

Do you think I'm missing anything, or have any listed that are just meh?

Thank you for your help!!!

 

[macraven]

If you are a fan of Doom and know the story line, you would want to do the regular line once

After that use the express or single rider line