Help me love Universal...

[TraceyDisney2008]

We have a family trip planned for October for two weeks and we will be getting the Orlando flex ticket so we will be 4 days at Universal, and one each at Seaworld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica and Wet and Wild. I am a disney girl, have never left DW once the ME takes us there. I am soo worried I am not going to enjoy myself. I am a "big" girl so I know I will not fit on many Universal rides but is there enought to keep my busy and entertained? I love the shows and fireworks at Disney, will I get anything like that at thse parks?

 

[Planogirl]

I can only advise you to go to the Universal parks with an open mind and do NOT expect Disney. Many people go looking for Disney and they don't find that there. What you do find is a new experience.

I felt VERY uneasy the first time we tried Universal. My son had talked me into going and I gave in since he was 14 and really interested in Universal. I went determined to give the parks a fair chance and to enjoy them for what they were. I was totally delighted and now I will never visit the Orlando area again without spending several days at Universal. I could kick myself for not going sooner.

You may not feel the same and that's OK. But you never know.

 

[Metro West]

We have a family trip planned for October for two weeks and we will be getting the Orlando flex ticket so we will be 4 days at Universal, and one each at Seaworld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica and Wet and Wild. I am a disney girl, have never left DW once the ME takes us there. I am soo worried I am not going to enjoy myself. I am a "big" girl so I know I will not fit on many Universal rides but is there enought to keep my busy and entertained? I love the shows and fireworks at Disney, will I get anything like that at thse parks?

I think you should check out the interactive maps on the Universal website to get a feel for the parks and then do a YouTube search on any attraction videos you are interested in. Most attractions have some sort of video so they are easy to find.

You aren't going to have any fireworks shows during October since it's slow season at Universal. The only time shows are really in full swing are during very busy times of the year...or during special events like HHN...and the shows are only the Cinesphere 360 shows in the lagoon at the Studios...no fireworks. I don't know what Busch Gardens has in October...other than Howl-O-Scream but I'm quite certain SW has fireworks shows right before closing every night.

The big thing...as people will tell you is...do NOT go to the other theme parks and expect Disney "magic" because they are all special in their own ways. If you go with an open mind and a blank slate, you should have a blast and will enjoy the parks for what they are and can provide. Otherwise you are not going to enjoy yourself.

 

[Larrabe]

No worries, mate, you'll have a great time!!

And like Planogirl said, try to have an open mind--if you go with preconceived notions, anticipating disappointment, then you surely will get it.

I adore Disney but I'm equally, if not more so, looking forward to our UNI vacation because life is an adventure! We initially planned on splitting our stay between WDW and UNI, but after doing more research, we've decided to enjoy the whole UNI experience by staying onsite, (HRH,) enjoying the parks while taking side trips to SW, WW, & AQU with our Flex Tickets, like you. (No BG though.)

Yes, there's no fireworks, and I'm hardly an expert, but I think you will have a blast! Kelly Monoghan's book, UNIVERSAL ORLANDO 2010, is an excellent book, and the Unofficial Guide also puts out a BEYOND DISNEY guidebook with sections for SW, W&W, etc, that can help your planning. And, of course, there's tons of info here, like the thread about fitting on rides:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2489210

Also, you might want to purchase your Flex Tickets soon seeing how WDW & UNI's prices have raised. If you subscribe to the Mousesavers.com newsletter, there's a link that takes you to Undercovertourist.com where you can get them discounted. (Flex was $242, not sure how much the Flex Plus was.)

Okay, I'll stop babbling now. But relax, you'll be with your family--away from work--so how can you not have fun!

 

[Purseval]

Since you are a "big" girl (and in this case I'm not talking size I'm talking age, as in you sound like you're an adult) let's not talk about theme parks. Theme parks are unfamiliar territory that you don't go to on a regular basis. Let's talk makeup instead.

Ever been to a makeup counter at a large store? You walk over and a "beauty consultant" will offer you a seat so she can show you how to achieve the perfect look, naturally using her expensive products. So she'll fiddle and faddle with your face for a while then stand back, look at the results and start gushing about how wonderful you look. Maybe another beauty consultant or 2 nearby will wander over and join the chorus. Even if you know in your heart that they are full of it you begin to buy into it because, after all they are experts. Experts with an agenda trying to make a living selling you overpriced products. Most women know exactly how this routine works and avoid those places like the plague or just use it to try and get an idea of what something looks like before they head somewhere else. Of course some women drink up the attention and pay a fortune to look great, even if the great look is only in their head.

The Disboards is like a makeup counter at one of those expensive stores. Go to a WDW forum and say that you want to be convinced that the massive amount of money you are spending is worth it. You will get a load of people gushing over how magical it is, how your children will have 6 lifetime's worth of wonderful memories, how you can reach a state of perfection without actually having to die and go to Heaven for it, etc. Even though you can look up studies that show that for most young children the best part of their WDW vacation is the hotel swimming pool (and for the price of many WDW vacations you can buy them a pool) you begin to think that so many "experts" can't be wrong. In reality many of these experts are using groupthink to try and justify the tremendous expense they themselves allocated for an experience that probably could have been just as satisfying to their family if they went to the beach.

When you come to these forums keep the makeup counter in the back of your mind. If you need a group of strangers to convince you that it's worth it, it probably isn't.

 

[AJA]

I agree to go with an open mind. Look over the site, maybe re-watch some of the movies the rides are based on (MIB, Jaws, etc).

I've had the exact opposite experience. DH and I are more universal people, DH loves the Marvel world, knows the characters, etc. We went to Universal and IOA as a young couple back in 2001 and LOVED it. Fast forward 7 years and one little girl and we found ourselves planning our first Disney trip in 2008. I was worried "we" wouldn't love Disney, sure we would love seeing it through DD's eyes and her enjoyment, but nothing for us as an adult couple. We went with open minds and fell in love with Disney! I do think it was our attitude that made all the difference.

Remember they are two very different experiences. Don't compare Uni to Disney, just have a great time experiencing it for what it is. Are you going with other Uni lovers (big Harry Potter or Marvel fan?) try what we did with Disney, seeing it through their eyes and loving it for what it gives to them kwim?

 

[Coach81]

You will have a great time!!! Just go in with an open mind, relax, and enjoy yourself!!!

 

[keishashadow]

OP as a fellow disney fanatic, when trying another park for the 1st time it's all about getting the right mindset. I'll venture that if you head into the trip thinking you won't like it, you probably won't. You need to do some in depth research to develop a 'plan' that is right for you to enjoy Universal.

There is plenty to do for everybody, trust me. The parks are small enough that your group could split up during the day if they want to enjoy the more agressive rides.

A really good in-depth source is Kelly Monaghans book, both Universal & SeaWorld versions. I'd think the current Passporter & Unofficial Guide still have touring plans, but nothing on the scope of Kellly's book, really key to helping a disney commando plot the perfect trip.

 

[TraceyDisney2008]

Thanx everyone, I am excited to try something new and will have an open mind. I have got the guide books from the library and have started researching.

 

[torinsmom]

We did just Universal in 2009 and it was the first time for us at the Universal Orlando parks. It is definitely different than Disney, but we really enjoyed it, so much so that we visited Universal this year in addition to Disney. I liked that the two parks are so close together with Citywalk in between. I didn't like having to pay extra for Express, but we just got there early and did the most popular rides first.

I don't know if I could do Universal every year, where I can do Disney every year no problem. Maybe its because the parks are fairly small or maybe its just that I don't feel as immersed. That being said, we do enjoy Universal when we go. There are more exciting rides and more energy than Disney.

Marsha

 

[Running_Bell]

We did Universal for the first time last year... and loved it. We are going back this November. I wouldn't compare the two (disney to universal) because they are both unique with pros and cons.... however, if you did... I would say the food is better at Universal IMO.

 

[braddillman]

Juts curious to those who can remember their 1st WDW trip, how did you feel going into a different park? (e.g. maybe you did MK 1st, then went to EPCOT, etc.) I find the 4 WDW parks are more different from each other than, say, USF and IoA are different from each other.

My family started going to USF/IoA, and have done all WDW parks, and on the whole we prefer IoA/USF, though the Disney water parks are great (haven't tried Aquatica, until Feb 2011).

For me, nothing beats Spider-man! Except maybe the new HP ride (wait 'til Feb).