How did you find Universal Orlando?

[IMGONNABE40!]

Other than on these boards, and people I have dragged along with me, I rarely find people who have heard of Universal Orlando, let alone have actuallly visited the parks and resorts. Yet everyone knows about the Magic Kingdom and most have been there. This leads me to a question, how did you, my fellow disers, find Universal Orlando?

I'll tell you of my journey of discovery and hope others will share stories as well.

In January of 1993, when I was single and childless, my Mom, who lived in Port Charlotte FL at the time, was scheduled for surgery. I decided to go down from Cincinnati to take care of her. I had heard of Universal Studios and decided that, if mom was doing okay, I would take a drive up to Orlando after the surgery, but before she came home from the hospital. Thankfully, mom did fine with the surgery and I bought a ticket for Universal from the local AAA and off to Orlando I went. I had a great day. I remember calling mom from a larger than life sized phone near ET (is that phone still there?) and exiting the park by the Bates Motel to go to the Hard Rock Cafe (I still have that shirt).

I did not give much more thought to Universal until 1999 when Rosie O'Donnell filmed her talk show from IOA. I think the park had just opened and I remember seeing the Spiderman ride on the show and knew then and there that I would have to bring my son to IOA. At the time he was seven years old ( for those of you who do not think the math works out on that one, we adopted our son when he was four).

As it turned out, my son had off from school for a week in Feb of 2000 and I made plans for us to go at that time. Unfortunately, my husband was taking the Ohio Bar Exam during that week and was unable to join us. The only onsite at the time was PBH and I thought it was a bit pricey for what I was looking for so we stayed across the street at Holiday Inn. My son went on most rides, but refused to ride Hulk (yes, he was tall enough at age seven!) without my husband being there. It took us until Christmas of 2001 to get back there and we have been hooked ever since. By that time, HRH had opened and I realized that we could have FOTL if we stayed on site, so we stayed on site. Funny, looking back we justified the cost of staying onsite by thinking we could stay just 2 days with FOTL versus 3-4 days off site. As it turned out, we didn't want to leave and added a day while we were there! Now we are AP's!

How about the rest of you? How did you get to UO?

 

[the Dark Marauder]

The AT&T phone has been gone for quite a long time.

As for me, I remember seeing commericals about it in early 1990 and I believe my first time there was in March or so. I don't remember much about it, but I remember I had a lot of fun. And that Jaws was not very good at that time.

 

[SpideyHulk24]

When the studios opened, we heard alot of news around it. Then we of course wanted to try it out. Then we did not go back until IOA opened. Literally, the first couple of days. We were not impressed, so did not come back. Then this summer, we thought let's try it again, and now we are hooked. I LOVE Universal Orlando!

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

Hmm...I grew up going there? I honestly don't know how my parents came to hear about Universal. We lived (and still do) in Florida. At the time we lived in Lakeland, FL and were rather closeby to Orlando (at least, a lot closer than now). We went to Disney for a while, and I'm sure we just happened to hear about it from friends, family or something.

But, I went to Universal for the first time many years ago...so long ago I don't remember it that well. All I remember doing was the old version of the Horror Makeup Show (with the whole Fly thing...), old Ghostbusters Show (though all I remember is vaguely a dark INDOORS room), King Kong (I was scared as heck), BTTF (was my favorite Universal ride when I was little), and Hanna Barbara (loved it with the Jetsons and all my favorite cartoon characters. Now it's like, Jimmy Neutron, who??).

I went again for a class fieldtrip when I was in 5th grade. I don't think IOA was open yet. I remember doing a lot of rides and seeing the WWWSS. I remember being sorta bored of the place, though.

During my 6th grade year, my mom's youngest sister called and invited me to go to IOA with her and her daughter. So I went to IOA for the first time! I remember my aunt had an AP and she bought me and my cousin a single-day ticket. Since she had an AP she got to enter the park an hour early and she finally convinced the employees to let her daughter and I come in early too, despite not having an AP. I tried every single ride that day. I absolutely LOVED Spiderman and Hulk.

Didn't go back to either park until I was in 8th grade when my mom bought me and a friend AP for Christmas. Been addicted since.

 

[SpideyHulk24]

That....and she saw Ghostbusters....It was all over then!!!!

Love ya Clare!!!!

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

I never thought of that Spidey! It's been a month since I've actually been on a ride at IOA...even after my 4-day trip! Ah, as I say...I had better things to drool over...I mean, do.

Spidey -- the guys know me better now than they did when I first met you! Sad, huh?

 

[SpideyHulk24]

Fly Fly-LOL!!!! I love it. But I did not think they could know you any better.....what else was there for them to know?

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

good point! But now more of them acknowledge me during or after the show. Of course, the day you and your wife saw a show with me, only 2 would have recognized me. The guy in green I see almost every trip (as the cowboy, though), and the guy in red who, I remember said he saw my website during that very trip. Of course you weren't around!! Ya'll just have to hear about it from me, now don't ya!!

GIO4 comes up to me almost every single show now (when the GBs come in.). He did for at least most of the shows during my 4-day trip.

 

[JessicaR]

Great thread!

When Universal Studios first opened my mom received an invitation for her office (travel agancy) to come to Orlando and visit on them! The whole office went. IOA wasnt there yet and neither were any of the on-site hotels. Until that point I had frequented Disney about 2x a year for about 15 years!

The moment we walked through the gates, it was love at first sight for me! The day we returned home I gushed to my husband how much I loved this place! He couldnt get over my enthusiasm over Universal. I wanted to share it with him and we booked a trip for the very next weekend! He loved it as much as I did!

We visited Universal one more time before IOA opened. Honestly I didnt even know it opened until I found these boards planning a Disney trip Before I knew it the Disney trip was cancelled and in place was a trip to IOA/USO staying at Portofino. The rest is history and all these years later we have not returned to Disney. So it will be so interesting to finally go back next month for a combined trip. It's kinda funny...not one day goes by that I dont think about switching it all over to Universal but I know its time for a return! I just hope it can live up to our Universal trips!!!

 

[Motherfletcher]

USO was advertised pretty heavy here in Florida. I didn't go until June '91 after BTTF opened. That was state of the art and blew Disney out of the water. We have gone as many as 10 times a year since. We went to Fright Nights, watched as they built another park, then a night spot. I have always done what my kids wanted to do which meant WDW until they got old enough to see that USO was THE theme park. Now we go where Dad wants to go, USO!!! I have always liked the ability to tour all the headliners in about 4 or 5 hours. Now FOTL has addicted me. As we speak I'm shaking, Jonesing for the FIX!! If I didn't have Dolphins tickets I would go for Cat In The Hat!!

 

[JJS2K3]

We went the November after it opened - we found out about it from one of those discount coupons in the hotel lobby. We had a day to kill and figured why not?

It was a truly great day. The weather was very cool so there was almost no one in the park in the morning. We had our picture taken in Kong's big paws and I still have the photo (a polaroid) hanging in the office. Also had my picture taken with Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable - very cool.

When we go next month it'll be like going for the first time again


Not to mention IOA

 

[highlander447]

We stumbled upon it as we only came from uk to see Disney but after discovering Universal we love it

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

Thanks for sharing! I am sure glad to have found UO as it is the scene of many happy memories and future planning. I am glad to have stumbled upon these boards (Thanks to a bit in Kelly's book) so I can save $$ on my trips as opposed to booking the packages (yes, I did that...more than once )

JessicaR-- Hightailed it back to Universal the very next weekend? That is love at first sight . It makes sense that you are the daughter of a travel agent. It seems to run in the blood. I can understand you thinking about switching to an all UO vacation, however from what I saw of it, I think you will really like AKL. It will be nice to see all of the new things that have been added to the World since your last visit, and revisit your old favs. Perhaps you'll beat the big holiday rush and won't even miss FOTL.

 

[DOOM1001]

living in florida around 1989- 1990 both disney mgm and Universal were opening around the same time and you heard either in news or advertising about both parks. I went to Mgm first and was highly dissapointed, it opened with basically 2 or 3 attractions. About a year later in 91 or 92 I made my first trip to Universal during Halloween Horror Nights II. I was very impressed with the park during the day and Horror Nights at night. Over the years I made ocassional trips and when I heard about IOA I would look at construction and news on the internet. When it finally opened, I was there the second week and fell in love with the place. If you remember it in 1990 all there was was USF and a parking lot and a smaller Hard Rock Cafe and you see what's there now is with IOA, Citywalk the huge parking Garages and the hotels it's crazy! I got an annual pass in june 2002 and since then have been about 25 times.People ask me if I get bored and my reply is No!

 

[pathubia]

We drove to USF and WDW in 1994 and stayed off site, It was ok, but my youngest daughter was only 1 and I didnt enjoy too much of my visit.

In 2000, we stayed off site again, and went to USF, IOA and WDW, daughter was now 7 and fell in love with IOA and USF. We havent been back to WDW since. New DH had never been to either and we made the mistake of USF first then WDW. He was soooo disappointed in WDW. I dont know if it was dissapointment or let down after USF.

Some day we will go back to WDW for a visit, especially since my sister just today bought a house in Deltona, FL. (now we can visit and use the USF APH more often, LOL.

Patty

 

[jaysue]

Through reading the part of the Unofficial Guide to WDW dedicated to USF and IOA and then looking on the websites etc.

Thanks to the people on this board, I am going in January for 3 days/2 nights for a reasonable price....and feel well prepared with all the info obtained from this board

thanks
jaysue

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

jaysue -- don't miss the Extreme Ghostbusters Show!!

 

[SpideyHulk24]

jaysue, I have a feeling you will become a regular.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

My family and I actually went a few weekends after Universal Studios officially opened...my dad was a BIG theme park freak. We were always at Disney or someplace like it. So, we go and I was actually one of the first people to win a spot on a television show from Nickelodeon Studios...those were the days when 2 kids would get picked, and signed up for a show. I did Legends of the Hidden Temple. Jaws wasn't working that day we were there, so we all received free passes to come back another time.

Heck, I remember when CityWalk was mainly Universal Studio's parking!!

My first time to IOA wasn't the happiest...it was the first Christmas after it opened, and my dad had died 2 weeks earlier. I went in hopes of trying to cheer myself up, but I was really just too depressed to be there. Later trips proved to be much happier, of course.

Universal will always hold a special place in my heart, because of the personal family memories that I had there.

 

[DaddyDon]

My family went to usf back when it first opened...Not overly impressed .We parked in a small parking lot ,paved,a very small hard rock cafe,and half of the rides were not opened yet.The water stunt show was good though!It was a half day park at best ,the time we went,No hotels no ioa ,no city walk no nothing! But then me and my wife went when city walk and ioa opened !WOW what a major change !Disney hadnt made any changes in a while ,usf ioa was brite ,shiney ,up to date Wow !!!!!!!!! Well i have been to disney way over 20 times since they have opened,And i never have purchased ap ...But i have to IOA/ Uf.... shiney new ones.... Just a day and a half till we leave.......