Help with Universal Studios Plan

[Plan Man]

One day only for Universal Studios. Please help with plan.

When should we arrive? We have not purchased passes yet. do I still have time to buy discuonted passes. We are a family of six. Four kids 15,13,10,8.

Here are the must see rides or attractions.

Terminator
Shrek
Mummy
jaws
MIB

Here are the hope we can do these too.

Twister
earthquake
ET
Back to the Future

We plan to be there at opening- are not and can't stay on site.

We move fast and will use the Express line option when we can.
What are your recommendations??

 

[themepark]

Hmmm...they don't have express for Shrek anymore so maybe hit that first then quickly head on to Mummy or get Express passes for Mummy. Oh I don't know...I am no expert on this since we always stay onsite. I do know that if you get there at opening, it is very doable to see all that you want to see.

Another thing that would help you move along quickly would be to use the single riders line on MIB.

 

[AaronX]

Hello,

I'll be happy to help you plan your vacation. You can purchase tickets online at http://www.univacations.com. Since you aren't going to stay on-site the Express Pass option is really expensive and can cost $100+ per day (Crazy isn't it?)

Some hotels that I would recommend would be the following;

Holiday Inn & Suites (http://www.holidayinnconvention.com)
Fairfield Inn & Suites (www.universaldiscounthotels.com)
Wingate Inn (www.wingateorlando.com)

If you need help with anything, just contact me via PM or e-mail - aaronmyers@bellsouth.net .. I'm here all the time, as most of you can tell

 

[Slacking]

Arrive about 25-30 minutes before advertised opening time.
Go ride Mummy as soon as doors open.
See Shrek
Either ride Jimmy Neutron or grab Express passes.
Afterwards, ride E.T.
Now, Ride Back to the Future.
Ride Men in Black now- it takes a couple hours for it to get busy.
Now, ride Jaws
Next, ride Earthquake.

Now, you have Twister and T2:3D left to do (besides shows), these can be done at your leisure once you've hit the other rides.

 

[MrsMud]

PlanMan:
Back to the Future is a GREAT ride, and I would move it to your "Must do" list - unless anyone has motion sickness, then I wouldn't do it without meds! Twister is also pretty cool. Jaws, on the other hand is pretty lame, though your 2 younger ones will probably enjoy it -JMHO. They may also like Jimmy Neutron if they are Nickelodeon fans. I loved it myself!
You don't say when you are going; season and day of the week play a huge part in wait times. You can get free Express passes for most of the rides you mentioned, but they can run out on busy days for the popular rides, especially Mummy, so I would do that early.

 

[Slacking]

BttF needs to stay on the hope list, or be added to an "avoid" list.

In my opinion, I can't stand it.

Anyway, they should be able to get everything (and more) accomplished if they follow my plan or a similar plan.

 

[MrsMud]

Originally posted by Slacking
BttF needs to stay on the hope list, or be added to an "avoid" list.

In my opinion, I can't stand it.

Anyway, they should be able to get everything (and more) accomplished if they follow my plan or a similar plan.

Wow, Slacking. You can't stand BTTF? I LOVED it . Thought it was the best simulator I've been on, with Mission: Space a close second. Hubby, on the other hand got sick as a dog, but he does suffer from motion sickness. How about you?

 

[anditoo72]

I have to aggree with the avoid BTTF, I actually bumped my head so hard on that ride it hurt most of the day!! I usually like those type of simulator rides, but this one is way to jerky. I know its popular, all you have to do is look at the line that is there almost all day long to see but I am skipping it this year!!!

 

[Motherfletcher]

Wait a second guys, look at the ages of the kids that will be on this touring plan. I haven't done BTTF in years but my kids 10 & 15 love it. Request car#6. BTTF for years has been considered a USO Headliner! I would add Jimmy Nuetron to the "musts" for the kids too. Consider Horror Make-up as well.
Ya'll sound like theme park commandos so you will have enough time. Remember the single most important thing is to arrive early.

 

[Slacking]

Originally posted by MrsMud
Wow, Slacking. You can't stand BTTF? I LOVED it . Thought it was the best simulator I've been on, with Mission: Space a close second. Hubby, on the other hand got sick as a dog, but he does suffer from motion sickness. How about you?

I don't suffer from motion sickness, but here are the reasons I can't stand BTTF.

1- It's painful. Especially in the back seat, I'm thrashing back and forth repeatedly yelling "OW!" I just can't have fun or enjoy a ride if it hurts me.

2- The dome screen. Very few ride vehicles give a great view of the screen. To me, this ruins the "you are there" sensation. I was on the ground floor one time, and I couldn't believe the poor angle you were viewing the ride movie from.

3- The ride film itself. The beginning when you're flying through the futuristic city is kind of cool, but after that, I feel that the ride film is very boring.

Thats mainly it, but because of these reasons, BTTF is my least favorite ride on property.

 

[Plan Man]

Ok I like the plan. We are going on Monday the last week in June.

I am assuming it will be crowded.

Most of us don't like simulator rides that is why we left off BTTF.

Thanks,

 

[TN Traveler]

Ok, more info. Definitely get your tickets to the park before you go. I was counting on getting a travel agent discount but once I got there and stood in line for 40 mins n the hot sun, was told they don't give them out anymore w/o ordering online weeks in advance. We stayed at the Embassy Suites on International Drive and recommend it highly. It's awesome. One of the best hotels we've ever stayed in. sleeps 6 easy and includes complmentary full made to order breakfast. Was great. I agree about Jaws--thought it just a little "silly" altho my 8 yr old enjoyed it. Never made it to Mummy b/c lines were 60-90 mins long. When we finally did get to it, after a major thunderstorm, the line was only 20 mins. DD & I jumped in line and was pleasantly surprised at how fast it moved. But just as we were making it the 2nd or 3rd "chamber" to the ride, an announcement came on and said they were having technical difficulities and there was a delay. Several people got out of line. This continued for a good 30 mins. Finally at 7:30 after we had advanced to the last room before boarding the ride, DD and I got out of line so we could see Shrek w/rest of family. Very disappointing to have stood in line that long and not get to ride it but didn't want to miss Shrek too. Have no idea if other folks were able to ride it or not. Twister is ok, MIB is fun but a LONG line, ET is a must if you have little ones, Earthquake is ok. I agree about BTTF. Pretty rocky in back seat. Times before I had always ridden in the front and enjoyed it but this time rode in back w/DDs & DH. DH almost got sick it was so jerky. I too hit my head on the back of the seat and would have bumped it on the door if I hadn't been paying attn. Being 5'10 has it's advantages and disadvantages!!
Definitely need to get there as soon as gates open. You sound like you have it together so you'll do fine. Have a great time and take your water!!!

 

[2BigKIdz]

Originally posted by Plan Man
Ok I like the plan. We are going on Monday the last week in June.

I am assuming it will be crowded.

Most of us don't like simulator rides that is why we left off BTTF.

Thanks,

I'm with you. Simulators make me sick, but this one was really bad. Kids would probably enjoy it, but I don't think it is worth a long wait. My husband loves this ride, but he's a big BTTF movie fan. I just remember feeling sick and incredibly underwhelmed by the ride.

 

[Planogirl]

I enjoyed BTTF even though it's bumpy. The bumpiness kind of reminds of some wooden coasters. You have a large group so you'll probably get your own car or at least most of one. I'd place anyone a bit sensitive in the front seat.

 

[Plan Man]

I don't understand why wait to go to terminator. If it is a major headliner attraction why isn't it suggested to go early??

 

[RescueRanger]

Originally posted by Plan Man
I don't understand why wait to go to terminator. If it is a major headliner attraction why isn't it suggested to go early??

Because the theater is HUGE and holds a ton of people so he lines don't usually get that long.

 

[Slacking]

Terminator shows at the top and bottom of every hour. So, if you can get to the attraction 15-20 minutes before showtime, you should have no problem getting in, or you can even get an Express pass for it.

 

[WDWmaniac125]

As long as you get to the park about a half an hour before opening, you shouldn't have a problem with riding everything. I would do Shrek first since you can't get an express pass for it, then go get an express pass for the Mummy while you do other rides.

 

[GeminiMom]

Here's another tip: MIB - Use the single rider line!!! Your two oldest should be fine on their own. The 10 yr old may or may not be responsible enough to go alone (you would have to make that call). The 8 yr old I probably would worry about!

We had 5 day passes but only 4 days of FOTL. The last day in the park, we used the single rider line with great success! Usually about a 3-5 minute wait (can you believe that!) while the regular line was huge. DD & DS just turned 11 and after we used the single rider line once, I knew this was the way to go for the day. Initially, I made sure that DH or myself would be 1st in line and would get a car that would unload 1st. The other adult would go last in line to be sure DD & DS were somewhere on the ride between us. Most often, at least 2 of us were on the same car, sometimes we even played against each other in opposite cars (loved that!) When the ride ends, the exit area leads up steps where you can stand and wait for the rest of your party to arrive back. You'll be able to see the riders waiting to exit. Although DD & DS are responsible, we ALWAYS stressed to them as they were getting on the ride to "wait at the top of the steps if you get off first." The cars come in one after the other relatively quickly, so the wait time for them is usually less than 30 seconds before you can spot them. This worked well for us and was just as fast, (if not faster) than having FOTL. After one ride, we all were addicted and couldn't get enough of MIB!

 

[phamton]

Welcome back, GeminiMom. It was great meeting you and your family and riding MIB with you!

Bev