How do you roll? day schedule

[JMCDAD]

Staying on site
Just curious do you usually go to the parks first, come back to relax by the pool, then go back to the parks/CW for dinner and more rides.
Is that the norm schedule, thought it would be fun to hear from the experts

 

[damo]

We go to the park at opening, grab some breakfast at Boulangerie or Croissant moon or Cinnabons and then do one park for about 3 hours, head over to the other park for about three hours and then back to the hotel for swimming, dinner and the evening.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

It varies for us depending on who we're traveling with (commando vs. non), but our "ideal" day onsite is sleeping in a bit, grabing a quick bite in our room or the sundry shop, getting to a park somewhere between the 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 range -- just in time for lunch -- doing rides for a few hours, heading back to the hotel around 4:00 or 5:00, shower, have a cocktail or two either in the room or at the hotel bar, then heading out for dinner and shopping.

Not hearing an alarm clock go off is a HUGE part of vacation for me. Hitting the pool I can usually leave out on vacation, unless the timing is right and the pool is a quiet one -- generally not the case at the onsite hotels at USO.

 

[robvia]

Right, there's basically two camps.
Those who are on vacation and sleep in.
Commandos who want front seat rides on the coasters.

Even with FOTL, arriving early is good because you get the front seat rides on Hulk, Dueling Dragons, and Pteranondon Flyers before the kid rule. The other reason to go early is the walkways are less crowded.

Rush hour at the parks is between 11am and 4pm. It's packed, and in the summer time it's burning hot. That's a good time to take a nap at the hotel and go for a swim. Then come back at 4pm for happy hour.

 

[irky416]

There's a kid rule for Hulk and Dueling Dragons?

 

[NotAmused]

We usually sleep in a bit and head to the parks around 9 or 10. We'll do a a few hours of US, then head over to IOA for a bit. After we do the water rides there, we head back to the hotel and lounge by the pool and nap. Late afternoon/early evening, we head to CW for dinner and then we go to the parks until close.

 

[damo]

There's a kid rule for Hulk and Dueling Dragons?

No, just for Pteranadon Flyers. You have to have a kid with you to ride unless you ride in the first hour.

 

[irky416]

No, just for Pteranadon Flyers. You have to have a kid with you to ride unless you ride in the first hour.

I thought so. Now that I go back and read it, it makes sense. Read it too fast. Thanks!

 

[DoleWhipMom]

We tend to be more relaxed on our Universal trips vs. our Disney trips since we have FOTL. We also tend to spend more time at the pool since it's so easy to get back to the resort and then go back to either a park or Citywalk in the evening.

Now, there will be a couple of days that we'll head to the parks early and conquer but this also includes an earlier day for Sea Wold and this trip we are also doing Discovery Cove.

I think it also depends on the ages of your kids and the time of the year you are going. Since we are going during the summer, my kids know that there is a benefit of getting up early to avoid the heat. But, since they are getting older, there will also be some lazy days build into the schedule. I'm happy if I get some down time at the pool and it also helps that there a spa at PBH... I need to fit in a massage .

So for us, Universal = sleeping in later vs. Disney = getting up earlier.

 

[rpbert1]

Our first time last July, We did not rush into things as we stayed a week at RPR, we usually got up between 9 and 10 , and hit the pool for a few hours sometimes stayed till about 4 pm, then went to the parks ,usually around 3pm for a few hours ,back to hotel washed and out for dinner about 7pm and then spent another hour or so till the parks closed.

 

[macraven]

i stay onsite and get to the park before it opens.
i love the front seats on the coasters......



sometimes i stay in the park until it closes.
sometimes i don't.

when i go for hhn, i leave the park around 1:00 - 1:30, go back to my hotel room.
I change into my chain saw wolf tee and then head back to the park around 4:30

 

[bubba's mom]

I think you are going to find a lot of different answers to your question.

For us, NOT setting that alarm clock is VACATION!! (esp. for me, cuz i set the durn thing 6 nights a week )

However, I think last year, by the time we woke up, ate in our room, and actually made it over to the parks, it was about 11am...yes! 11am!!

This year we may get up early one day to do the front seat of the coasters...not sure....but, we're very relaxed at UO. Last year, i don't think we used the pool at all...but for a good reason. After our stay at UO, we drive to Ocala to my DFIL's house for a week....he has an inground, heated pool and it's simply sooooo relaxing....if I happen to get on a certain float, it's a guaranteed nap! So, my thinking is to enjoy the parks and shows while at UO, we can enjoy Dad's pool for the rest of the week when we get there.....BUT, this year, since we're staying 5 nites, I DID tell DS he can have pool time..... maybe him and Dad while Mom ventures off....

Anyhow...sorry to get sidetracked. We are NOT morning people on vacation, so my answer is: we sleep in, go to parks (or pool this year) and we are early dinner eaters (5ish) and then back to the parks for closing....we rarely spend any time in the room..... And we usually meet up with family the last 1/2 of our trip, so with the 4 "Things" we are busy.......

 

[JMCDAD]

Thanks for all your replies
We are going to sea world one day
But I decided not to go to wet and wild as I figured we are paying enough to stay onsite might as well use the HRH pool some

 

[Motherfletcher]

i stay onsite and get to the park before it opens.
i love the front seats on the coasters...

Have you ever reached the Hulk in time for them to let you have your own train? The kids have twice.
We have commando so ingrained that we are there at drop rope even staying onsite. One reason is that I love the parks when no one is there. We leave before noon and may or may not return that day.

 

[bubba's mom]

But I decided not to go to wet and wild as I figured we are paying enough to stay onsite might as well use the HRH pool some

makes cents.....

 

[Holly Goheavy]

We go early, before the parks open. Around 11ish we'll have lunch and head back to the hotel. I nap and DH and the kids hit the pool (I don't like the midday heat and sun here). We go back to either park for dinner and stay till it closes.

 

[robvia]

I have been on Hulk with 1 person next to me in the front.
I have been on both sides of Dueling Dragons by myself.

Like I was saying, it seems like there are two camps. Those who will wake up early no matter what and get the front seat rides, and those who sleep in.

Commandos can tour a park and walk out at 11am.
Those sleeping in usually arrive the park at 11am. This is when most show up and you'll see a "heard" of people coming from the parking garage.

I was reading the latest flyer, and it says that AP holders can get in at 8am for the summer. That would be real schweet for the commandos.

 

[Holly Goheavy]

I was reading the latest flyer, and it says that AP holders can get in at 8am for the summer. That would be real schweet for the commandos.

Part of the description of the tickets I bought as part of the FL res package is that onsite guests get in an hour early to ride-sort of like EMH. I knew that they did that when PBH first opened (we used to get there at 7:30 and ride Jurassic Park all alone) but the last several times I've been there they haven't had that perk.

 

[robvia]

Right, in the past the early entry was only for hotel guests, and I had never seen anyone do it. I've seen the family that goes in and does the little speech to open the park, but never saw people go in before the park officially opened.

Saying that all AP holders get in a 8am will be huge to the early crowd. Basically that would give the AP holders a half hour head start on the normal crowd that gets in at 08:30am.
Cedar Point does something similar, they let Joe Cool Club members and hotel guests in half an hour before the general public. They have the two most popular rides open.

That's the one thing Universal does correctly, is the open early thing during busy times.

 

[christophfam]

So if I am staying at RPR in June, what time can I get into the parks? I am definitley the rope drop type!