Hold on to your butts- an August trip report

[GinnyBear's_mom]

Welcome to my first Universal trip report! We're a family of 5 from NJ and had a 17 day trip split between Disney and Universal while staying on Disney property. We are DVC members who usually travel once or twice a year during August and Christmas to central Florida but this was our first trip to Universal. We held off visiting Universal until now because it didn't look like the parks had much to offer for my kids who are very short for their ages (13, 10 and 7). We waited until at least 2 out of 3 of our kids were tall enough for the thrill rides and hopefully by next summer our youngest will be able to ride most of them. Our family was most excited for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Jurassic World.

We purchased annual passes for our first Universal trip somewhere around September of 2020 when they had the 3 month free promo. I bought the preferred pass for myself for free parking since we drove to the parks each day (we took the Auto Train) and the rest of the family got seasonal passes. In addition to the 5 of us, we purchased seasonal passes for my parents since they planned to join us for a week in Florida.

Our first day in the park was a little rough, but it got much better after that!

Earlier in the summer we were so excited to see the Jurassic World tribute store- my son is a huge fan of dinosaurs and Jurassic Park. Stupidly, I let him watch a video of a vlogger touring the store in June and he was so excited to go there. I remembered afterwards that the tribute stores are only open for a few months. Luckily, we found out that the Jurassic World tribute store would close the day after we arrived. We already had plans for Disney the last day the store would be open so we had to change some plans so we could make it to Universal the day before it closed. As we headed over to Universal Studios around 5pm there was a crazy thunderstorm (even by August in central Florida standards) with an insane amount of lightning. We had 2 goals- activate our passes and visit the tribute store. We parked a little after 6 so parking was free. With our ponchos on, we were ready to make our way to guest services to activate our passes. There was a short line, maybe two parties ahead of us and 2 windows open. I thought that would mean the line would move fast but it didn't, we waited almost 45 minutes for our turn. At least the line was covered and we were out of the rain. Since we already purchased our passes online, I pulled up the info on my phone and it only took about 10 minutes to activate them and get our physical passes. Once we were in the park, the rain stopped and a double rainbow appeared! I took that as a good sign (hard to see the second rainbow in the pic).



Due to the hour plus long rainstorm the park was pretty empty. We headed straight to the tribute store and made both of the dinosaurs from the mold-a-rama machines (the head of one broke off in our suitcase on the way home but we were able to sand and glue it). There were very few desserts left to choose from- both the dig-in jar and amber gummy were sold out but the kids were happy with the s'mores and marshmallow stick.

Since we didn't get into the park until after 7 and we spent almost an hour in the store it was around 8 when we were done. My girls wanted to at least get a peek at Hogsmeade so we headed over- they knew it would just be a quick walk through with no wand stops or visits to stores but once we were there everyone decided they were starving. It was almost 9 at this point and knowing that the park closed at 9 I stopped an asked a team member if we were still allowed to order. He said sure and we walked up to the registers to order. We asked if we were able to order the great feast since it was so late, the cashier checked with a manager and the kitchen who said it was ok. They said as long as we were done by around 9:20-9:30 when security comes through it wouldn't be a problem. I asked if the food was ready now or if we would have to wait, because if it was ready now we could definitely eat most of it in 20-25 minutes. They said it was all ready now so we ordered. We were given the salad and I sat in the dining room with my kids while my husband waited for the rest of the food. There was one other table that had also just sat down. Once we sat, a team member came by and said, "You shouldn't be here, the park is closing". I let her know that we were told we had until around 9:20. She said louder, "I want to go home!" and that she couldn't leave until we did. She seemed a little more than grumpy but we tried to ignore her since we were told by the manager it was ok to order. We started on our salad and waited almost 10 minutes for the rest of the meal, which cut down our eating time significantly. I was really annoyed at this point but was trying to keep a positive attitude for the kids. Once we had our food it was a race to finish it before we got kicked out. We were making good progress when just before 9:15 the same team member from before started yelling at the only other occupied table in the restaurant, "WE ARE CLOSED. YOU NEED TO GO. I WANT TO GO HOME!". They quietly got up and threw away the rest of their food and exited. My one daughter suffers from anxiety and she started to get very upset that we weren't supposed to be there. The team member came up to us and yelled the same thing again. I was aggravated that she was upsetting my daughter and didn't want to deal with her nonsense anymore so we threw away the rest of our food as well by 9:15. I did email Universal afterwards (with the copy of our receipt that included the timestamp of when we ordered) and they said they would address the issue. I was annoyed at the wasted money and food. We spent the next few days in Disney parks and knew that we weren't going back to the Three Broomsticks so we were hopeful that the rest of our time at Universal would be better.

Up next... a deep dive into the Jurassic Park Visitor's Center

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Wow that’s terrible! 9 isn’t even that late I often had to stay cleaning up until 3am when I waited tables. Excited to hear your report about the discovery center though!

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

Wow that’s terrible! 9 isn’t even that late I often had to stay cleaning up until 3am when I waited tables. Excited to hear your report about the discovery center though!

It was very odd and considering how loud she the team member was and the fact that the restaurant was empty, it was obvious other employees and the manager heard her and did nothing. I really just wanted to get out of there after she started to make my daughter uncomfortable.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

As I said before, my son is obsessed with dinosaurs and Jurassic World so we made sure to set aside lots of time to explore everything dino related. We had a great time exploring the Discovery Center, shops and all of the photo ops in the area. My sister promised DS that he could buy his birthday present at Universal, we went through the little shop at the Discovery Center, the Dinostore and Jurassic Outfitters multiple times to find the perfect item.

This didn't make the final cut but it was a top contender. He settled on a Mosasaurus.


Camp Jurassic was fun, the 'underground cave' areas are a great place to cool off and get out of the sun. We wanted to go on Pteranodon Flyers but it was down both times we tried to go on it. We loved the River Adventure and it was only a 5 minute wait around 11:30am. DS was too short for Velocicoaster and I have a medical issue which makes me unable to ride it but DH and my daughters loved it and rode it multiple times. The waits were around 40-45 minutes. We waited about 15 minutes to see Blue. Waiting in the line and listening to the handler was hysterical. You'd think after hearing other people get spooked by Blue that you would be fine when you finally got to have your picture taken with her, but nope, my daughter freaked out and jumped about a foot in the air.

The Geneticists had just returned to the Discovery Center during our the end of our trip so we made sure to stop by and see them. We were able to see a velociraptor hatch and the Geneticists did a wonderful job including any children that wanted to join in. He asked DS if he would like to name the baby velociraptor and he was over the moon! He named it Delta. My parents were with us that day and having never seen any of the Jurassic Park movies they thought it was such a unique name When you are chosen to name the baby velociraptor you also receive a birth certificate! You can bring the birth certificate back to The Discovery Center on a future trip and they will let you check in on your baby velociraptor to see how it is doing. We have a trip planned for next summer and DS has already asked multiple times if we can check on Delta.


After the hatching, a Geneticist has a cart filled with fossils that they take over to the area over by the Beasaur and they hold a mini science lesson for any interested kids (or adults). That lasted about 15 minutes until the Geneticist was called back to the lab. DS and my younger DD, also a dino enthusiast, were hanging on every word. Their time in the Discovery Center was one of the highlights of the trip for them!


The kids played some of the games and overall had a great time in the Discovery Center. It was one of the highlights of the trip for them!

Next up, a few meals at Thunder Falls.

 

[Jessem1133]

So the park closed at 9:00…you went into a restaurant moments before 9:00…and were surprised you weren’t welcomed with open arms?
Though I agree the employee shouldn’t have been so blatantly rude, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. Order your food, have them throw it in a to-go box, and be out of the restaurant by closing time.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

So the park closed at 9:00…you went into a restaurant moments before 9:00…and were surprised you weren’t welcomed with open arms?
Though I agree the employee shouldn’t have been so blatantly rude, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. Order your food, have them throw it in a to-go box, and be out of the restaurant by closing time.

So if a restaurant is willing to sell the food and I double checked with the manager what time we had to finish by, I'm still in the wrong for buying the food? It isn't a takeout location so if they sell food until 9 they have to be aware that people are going to eat it after they order it, right? Most restaurants close their kitchens prior to their dining rooms. Since the kitchen was still opened when we spoke with the manager and we were told we would have until 9:20-9:30, I think I clearly was 'aware of my surroundings' by speaking with the people in charge prior to ordering and receiving their approval to order and eat our food in the dining room.

 

[Jessem1133]

Agree to disagree. Sign on the door says 9:00, I’m out by 9:00.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

So the park closed at 9:00…you went into a restaurant moments before 9:00…and were surprised you weren’t welcomed with open arms?
Though I agree the employee shouldn’t have been so blatantly rude, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. Order your food, have them throw it in a to-go box, and be out of the restaurant by closing time.

Sorry, but no. As a former server, while it would have been nice if people didn't walk in to order food at 8:59, if they did so, I served them with a smile and hoped for a nice tip, and cleaned up around them as much as I could, which usually nudged them to finish up. You grumble in the back room with your coworkers, not to the customer's face.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

Regarding the time a restaurant closes, you live and you learn. There are lots of differences between Disney and Universal, one of them being that when a Disney restaurant lists the closing time, that may be when the kitchen closes but it isn't when they expect you to leave. They actually have dining reservations for restaurants at the time of park closing and even after. We intentionally came to Universal expecting a different experience, but not to be yelled at repeatedly.

Thankfully, we had a much better experience at Thunder Falls, so much so that we ate lunch there twice. Both times the restaurant was empty when we arrived around 11:30-12. By the time we left during both our trips, around around 12:30-1, the line to order was very long but no one was seated with their food yet. We chose Thunder Falls since it has good gluten and dairy free options for my daughter. I had the rotisserie chicken salad and really enjoyed it- so much that I ordered it the second time we ate there as well. It was a nice size portion for the price and the cranberries, walnuts and oranges went well with the chicken and salad greens.



My son and I shared the brookie but I didn't get a chance to take a picture. The brookies I'm familiar with are a mix of a cookie and a brownie, this looked like a brownie plopped on top of a cookie and smooshed into a muffin tin. It was just okay.

My husband had the roasted pernil (roast pork) that came with rice, beans and plantains. It was all very delicious- except for the plantains but that's just because I don't like bananas, but everyone else who tried them enjoyed them. My husband also ordered this a second time.


We also enjoyed the Pseudo Sue Pale Ale - always nice to have food or drink themed to the place where you are eating!



Our kids ordered the turkey leg and rotisserie chicken. Both were good but the potatoes that came with the roasted chicken were very good and similar to the potatoes at Three Broomsticks. We subbed french fries for the corn in the rotisserie chicken meal. My daughters also had the fruit cup which was filled mainly with honeydew that had very little flavor which was pretty much what I was expecting from a theme park fruit cup.

Overall, we really liked Thunder Falls. The kids loved watching the boats splash down from the River Adventure and the food was good. It was nice to eat something that felt like a healthy choice, different than traditional theme park food.

Next up- wands at the ready!

 

[queenofthehill]

The whole 3 broomsticks experience sounds so awful I'm very sorry that was your intro to Universal. I'm excited to visit the discovery center based on your time there. Thanks for the review.

 

[Deb1993]

Enjoying your report!

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

The whole 3 broomsticks experience sounds so awful I'm very sorry that was your intro to Universal. I'm excited to visit the discovery center based on your time there. Thanks for the review.

A lot of hidden gems in the Discovery Center!

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

Enjoying your report!

Thanks!

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

We spent quite a few days in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Between the two, I would definitely say we preferred our time in Diagon Alley a bit more. The shade that Diagon Alley provides during the August heat was part of the reason our time there was more enjoyable. We also had a few mornings of early entry to US where the crowds in Diagon Alley were minimal. Whenever we were in Hogsmeade the crowds were intense and combined with the heat and sun, we liked it but not as much as Diagon Alley.

During our trip, Universal started their Passholder Appreciation Days which included early entry to US. I have a preferred pass for the free parking while the rest of the family has seasonal passes. My pass includes early entry but I didn't plan on using it during the trip since the seasonal passes didn't include it. When Universal announced the early entry dates for all passholders I was happy to see that the dates overlapped our trip for a week so we could all get in 1 hour before park opening. I had read in a few places that early entry in Diagon Alley was a great time to use the interactive wand stops without the pressure of crowds building behind you. Two of my kids received interactive wands for their birthdays last summer and for the past year they practiced the spells around the house.

We decided to take advantage of the early entry during the third day of Passholder Appreciation Days and we were let in at the turnstiles to US. When we got closer to Diagon Alley everyone was stopped and asked for their annual passes or room keys to prove they could have early access. I was let through but a team member stopped the rest of my family and said their annual passes didn't include early entry. We asked about the early entry for Passholder Appreciation Days but she said she didn't know anything about that. We asked another team member but they also weren't familiar with the early entry for Passholder Appreciation Days. After tracking down a manager and showing them the wording from the Universal site on my phone they finally let us through. This same scenario happened the next day and the day after that! Each time the team members at the checkpoint had no idea that Seasonal Passholders were allowed early entry which I found very odd but it only delayed us 5-10 minutes each time which wasn't a big deal.

We loved our early mornings in Diagon Alley! The kids were able to get done all of the wand stops there. We stopped by a few times during the early afternoon the week prior and due to the crowds they were only able to get a few and they were nervous with so many people behind them waiting for their turn. One morning, the kids took some time to show their grandparents how to cast a few spells.


It was so nice to be able to explore the shops without anyone in them and to wander around Diagon Alley without a plan. We loved Knockturn Alley - we have 2 Slytherins in our family. My son got a kick out of using his Voldemort and Snape wands in there. The theming is just amazing. There was a Borgin and Burkes tee that my husband wanted but we tried on 3 different days and they didn't have his size, maybe on our next trip.

We had fun trying so many HP themed foods and drinks but I realized when we got home we barely took any pictures of them! Corralling 3 kids, wands, masks, etc meant fewer pics than normal on this trip. Butterbeer was good but frozen butterbeer was sooooo much better. I can only have a few sips though as I find it way too sweet. We also really liked Lemon squash and Fizzy Orange.


We really enjoyed Gringott's, it was the only Harry Potter thrill ride that my son was able to ride due to the height requirements so it was nice to enjoy one thrill ride together.

Chatting with Stan Shunpike at the Knight Bus was a lot of fun


We took quite a few rides on the Hogwart's Express and although I get motion sickness sometimes, I didn't have any problems on the train. I've seen a few reports where people mentioned it can cause a problem. It amazes me how few people have strollers at Universal compared to Disney- it really does attract an older crowd. There were times when we were the only people on the train with a stroller. There was a process involving elevators for those with strollers, wheelchairs and scooters. Sometimes my husband was impatient- he would fold up the double stroller and lug it down the stairs instead of waiting in the elevator line behind 10 scooters. As long as I didn't have to carry that heavy thing I didn't care!

We tried a few different times to ride Forbidden Journey but it was down each time so we'll save that for the next trip. Hopefully DS will be tall enough for it then. All of the kids and DH went on Flight of the Hippogriff and I can say that was a one and done for them- they did not enjoy it at all! These are the same kids who will happily go on Barnstormer at Disney but they thought Flight of the Hippogriff was a dull ride that was really rough. They are used to smoother, fairly newer roller coasters.

At Honeyduke's we had a little bit of magic when we were given 2 cauldron cakes when we ordered one. I tried to correct the team member but they insisted we needed 2. The team member pointed out that the cauldrons are reusable just like silicone cupcake liners you buy at the store. Now that we have 2 of the reusable cauldrons for future cupcake making, we'll have to get a third one next time so each of the kids can have a homemade cauldron cake. Loved the pumpkin pasties, tasted just like a Tastykake pumpkin pie which is one of my favorite treats from my childhood.




The chocolate frog wand stop outside of Honeyduke's was definitely everyone's favorite but they had fun with all of the ones they could attempt.


My niece joined us one day and she had a blast with the wands.


The walkways in Hogsmeade get crowded so quickly and any attempt at social distancing was futile so once the late morning crowds hit each day, we left. We were able to ride Hagrid's but again, looking forward to next summer when DS will be tall enough to ride.

Up next, our experience with the disability access pass and fun in City Walk.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Wow, such great pics! Can't wait for our boys to get to spend the mornings with their wands, and I absolutely already have pumpkin pasties on my list!

 

[MrBellatrixLestrange]

I've been quite useless with my butt in my hands for more than a week, is it safe to release it into the wild?

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

I've been quite useless with my butt in my hands for more than a week, is it safe to release it into the wild?

Unfortunately (spoiler alert) Samuel L. Jackson's character in Jurassic Park died before he could advise us that we could indeed let go of our butts

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

Our experience with Universal's Attraction Assistance Pass was pretty good. I've had Disney's version (DAS) for the last 6 years but I'm always nervous when I ask to renew it. I was extremely nervous when I requested the pass at Universal since I had heard they don't offer them as frequently as Disney does, that many who qualify for a Disney DAS do not qualify for Universal's AAP. I went to guest services inside US on our second day in the park to request the AAP and the line was much shorter than guest services outside the park. I was asked a few questions about why I needed the pass and after I explained my medical limitations, I was out the door in just a few minutes with the AAP. Since I am an annual passholder, the team member automatically made the AAP valid for 2 weeks.

If you aren't familiar with the AAP or DAS, they do not give you front of the line access, they give you the option of an alternate place to wait instead of waiting in line. For the AAP, you and up to 6 people are allowed to enter Universal's Express Pass lane if the wait is under 30 minutes. If the wait is over 30 minutes, you are given a return time when you can come back based upon the actual wait time of the ride. The team member writes down the time you can return on your AAP card. You don't have to come back at exactly that time but anytime after that. When you return at or after the time listed on your card, the barcode on your AAP is scanned and you are allowed to enter the Express Pass line for the attraction.

I have a brain injury from a car accident where someone rear-ended me going 40+mph while I was stopped. Some of my issues get worse in stress and crowds. If you see pictures of me, it looks I don't need any assistance at all which is a problem with invisible disabilities. I know there's some abuse of the disability passes at theme parks and I always feel judged, though I have only had a small number of people in the parks ever say anything negative to me about it. This summer at Disney using the DAS made us stick out like a sore thumb since they weren't allowing people to use fastpass. Only DAS users, parent swap, VIP tours and Golden Oak residents were allowed to use the fastpass line so people would yell and complain to the cast members when they saw my family using the fastpass line. At Universal, we were easily able to blend in with those using Express Pass.

I only used the AAP a few times on our trip as I prefer to be at the parks while there are low crowds as much as possible, so we usually stick with early mornings when wait times are low anyway. I never really understood how the team members were calculating the return times. Sometimes they would take the time I arrived at the attraction, add the current wait time and subtract 15 minutes. Sometimes they would add the arrival time and the wait time. Sometimes they would add the arrival and wait time and a add little bit more time to that. I'm not sure if it was an issue with math or not being familiar with the procedure but I did not complain, I was happy to have the AAP and the ability to wait somewhere else.







I feel like it poured almost everytime we were walking out of the park through City Walk so there weren't very many days that we stopped and enjoyed what it had to offer. We were rushing out in our ponchos trying to make it to our car. There was one or two nice days that we were able to stop at Voodoo Donuts. I judge any donut shop by their apple fritter since that is my favorite. After 2 very stale apple fritters at Disney during the trip I was pleasantly surprised with the one at Voodoo Donuts. So good, filled with apple flavor, fresh and the glaze wasn't too sweet.

DD ordered the voodoo doll and loved it but it definitely looked different than the one on display! The raspberry jelly filling was very tart and had a strong raspberry flavor.


DH had the maple bar and enjoyed it but preferred my apple fritter and I felt the same. The only picture I have of the maple bar is sitting sadly on its side in the box.


I am now craving that apple fritter and Voodoo Donuts will definitely be a stop for us on our next trip (and probably more than once).

DS and our younger DD decided to have their treat at Menchie's right near Voodoo Donuts. There wasn't anything DD could have at Voodoo and the Menchie's near our house closed two years ago. Menchie's had the most variety of dairy free options of any soft serve place near us and with DD's allergies, it was definitely a loss when it closed. The only Menchie's anywhere near us is about 45 minutes away from us in Northeast Philly. I used to have family there that I would visit and we would stop at Menchie's on the way home but everyone that we would visit either passed away or moved away so we never get out there anymore. DH and DD were so excited when we told them there was a Menchie's at Universal. It was on DD's must do vacation list right under Velocicoaster and Harry Potter. The kids made some ridiculous concoctions that I would never eat- probably involving gummy bears (I just can't with gummy bears and ice cream- total clash of textures). It was nice to have the outdoor seating and we were the only people in that area.


And that was our trip! Thanks for reading along. We have two more trips scheduled to Disney and Universal this year. I just booked our Easter week trip this morning, it will be a split stay at Disney and (for now) Dockside. I'm hoping for an annual pass discount for hotels that week but since it is a holiday I don't know how big the discount would be, we would love to stay at Hard Rock for the easy walk to the parks but the rack rate for Easter week is over $600. We're also coming down in August for 2 weeks. With all of the HHN coverage, DH and I are thinking of a quick adult's only trip in October of next year since our passes don't expire until November of next year. Can you tell we are now hooked on Universal??

 

[schumigirl]

What a lovely trip report!

You did manage to do a lot and your pictures are lovely....the one with the Grandparents is especially nice. They certainly seemed to enjoy everything.

I like your choice of Thunder Falls, hard to beat it and I agree about the Lemon and fizzy orange drinks, so much nicer than butterbeer. You did have some lovely food choices too.

I`m so sorry to hear you had some unpleasant comments in Disney earlier this year, some jerks have no clue some disabilities are invisible. But, I`m glad you were more comfortable with Universal`s version.

Glad you`re hooked on Universal.....I understand that feeling since 2007.......

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your report, it was fun and thank you for taking the time to do it