How much planning is necessary?

[rg35]

Some quick background - DVC owner since 2012; we have 10 year old triplets. We have been to WDW every year since 2013 except last year when we decided to take a break.

We figured the kids are finally old enough to enjoy most of what Universal has to offer, so we're staying for 3 days this August before we head over to WDW. We check in on a Sunday and check out on a Weds. We're staying at Cabana Bay but we did pay for express unlimited for one day, which we're going to use on our second day in the parks. (We got 2 day, 2 park passes as we're going to skip Volcano Bay on this visit.

My wife and I have not been to Universal Studios since 2004 or 6 (I don't remember the exact year, but BttF: The Ride was still open along with most of the other "originals") so I know there is a ton different now and the place will probably be mostly unrecognizable to us.

My question is basically how much planning do I need to do for Universal compared to Disney? For Disney I've already got ADRs made for dining, I'm thinking about what we're doing on what days and what FP+ to book, etc.

I assume since we have express unlimited for a day, I don't really have to worry so much about planning. On our first day we'll take advantage of the early entrance into Harry Potter and leisurely tour. The second day we'll use express unlimited to ride whatever the kids enjoyed most or that we didn't get to do on Day 1.

Is there any value in creating a touring plan for universal? I am a touringplans subscriber and have used it with a lot of success for Disney.

I have made a reservation for Mythos restaurant because it looks really cool. I've noticed that most Universal restaurants are walk up only. How long are the waits at dinner time for a place like Toothsome?

Any other general advice for someone who hasn't been to Universal in over a decade is welcome.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Scifidiner]

The great thing about US is you don't have to do a great deal of planning, at least we never do. This is a stark contrast to a recent WDW vacation. So it's going to feel a little weird at first. About the only thing you may have to make a reservation for is dining, but quite honestly we have never had to wait that long even if we just walk in. If it's more than 15-20 minutes we use that as an excuse to sit at the bar and have an adult beverage (or 2). So kick back and enjoy.

 

[lebeau]

The difference is night and day compared to that other place. You can be spontaneous at Universal! The only planning you need to do is to figure out what appeals to you and what doesn't. Probably a good idea to look at park hours, early park admission (since you're staying at Cabana Bay), etc. But you don't need a touring plan if you have EP. (For a family of five, it may be cheaper to stay at a deluxe hotel that includes free EP next time).

There are some limits to what EP can do. It only helps with lines which means you still have to deal with the crowds in Diagon Alley. Early admission can help with that. If we find an area is too crowded for our liking, we just leave and come back later.

We did a walk up for Toothsome last June around dinner time. The wait was quoted around 45 minutes. We were staying at PB so we had priority seating. Cut us down to 15 minutes. A lot of times, the quoted wait time isn't very accurate because people leave and don't say anything. For the most part, it's like any popular restaurant in your home town.

 

[Squirlz]

I assume you have checked their crowd calendar for your dates? We always go at slow times so we don't plan at all. For popular restaurants we go at off-peak times like 11 AM or mid afternoon. Never had a wait. Mythos is one of the best in-park eateries but City Walk has many good choices.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

We never plan Universal trips. We decide on what new restaurants we want to try. That's it. We always stay offsite, so no EP, but we get to ride everything we want to ride as long as we rotate where we start each day. We usually get there just after RD, bc it's vacation and we have teen boys. We do pick one day to do just water rides, usually based on the weather, so that day we can go in bathing suits and rashguards.

That's it. It's wonderful.

And we've never done Toothsome, gonna try that this August; but we generally don't wait more than 30 minutes to get in to eat places.

 

[skylock]

I am wondering if you had added what you are paying at your hotel to what you paid for 5 people for unlimited express passes if you could have gotten one of the three top hotels that gives ep every day as a perk for around the same price.

As for the planning, it sounds like you have it covered. The only thing I recommend is reading over a list of the rides and shows so you will know if it is something you would like to check out.

I also recommend a butter beer.

 

[billlaurie]

We are doing both this summer too but WDW first then UO trip. I feel like planning the WDW trip has been a major undertaking, but we haven't been since all this FP+ stuff and sounds like you are used to it. On the otherhand, I feel like all we need to do is show up for Universal. I second others in that you might want to check out the rates for RPR. We are staying there in June and it is cheaper than buying EP. Last time we went, we booked 2 nights at Cabana bay and one at RPR and got 2 days of EP and that was more cost effective. And definitely get the butterbeer, especially the icecream.

 

[rg35]

Thanks to everyone who replied, much appreciated.

(For a family of five, it may be cheaper to stay at a deluxe hotel that includes free EP next time).

I am wondering if you had added what you are paying at your hotel to what you paid for 5 people for unlimited express passes if you could have gotten one of the three top hotels that gives ep every day as a perk for around the same price.

In regards to the above, I priced out the difference between CB+express unlimited vs. Portofinio, but ultimately we really wanted to stay at Cabana Bay. I'm a fan of 50's doo wop architecture, and it just seemed like a more fun place to be with kids. Our friends have told us similar about the higher end hotels. So ultimately we picked based on which hotel we really wanted to stay at. If our kids were older or my wife and I were traveling without them, then I may have decided on another hotel, but for this trip we had really settled on CB.

 

[Sue M]

Orlando Informer has lots of info and touring plans for Universal. With only 2 days I doubt you’ll be having much time for the going back and re doing rides. Imo if you can do 3 days that’s going to give you some wiggle room.
With one day of Express Pass you may want to look at a touring plan for the non Express day.

 

[billlaurie]

Cabana Bay is a fun kid-friendly place. Your kids will love it, especially the pool!

 

[Travelgrrl]

If your kids are old enough to read the Harry Potter books, that's a great 'planning' start. If you plan to buy an interactive wand ($50, but worth it for the joy for three kids), you might want to read up on the 'hidden' spell locations.

We're leaving tomorrow, and though I used to enjoy planning at WDW, with the FP+ system, I lost a lot of the interest in all the planning. I'm REALLY looking forward to a theme park vacation where we can just hang loose!

 

[JPinkc]

This will be our first real stay at Universal and the lack of planning vs WDW, is making me nervous after all the years we have gone to WDW. Or maybe its Mouse withdrawal, cant tell yet.

 

[bethiecow]

Another option to consider is that booking just one night at one of the top three resorts will give you two full days of EP, one for the day you check in and one for the day you check out...you don't even have to actually use the room. Might be worth checking the pricing.

 

[FSU Girl]

I love how you don't have to plan for Universal. The last time I went was over 4th of July week with DH and stepkids and we had a blast. It was a very last minute trip, planned less than a week out. We were staying a hotel with express passes and just went on whatever ride we wanted whenever, no scheduling where we will be or when. Also walked right into restaurants, no reservations both inside the parks and City Walk. I really liked Mythos, had never been there before. For planning we had the kids watch the Harry Potter movies before going, they had never seen them and it definitely made the Harry Potter world more interesting. It's a completely different experience than a Disney trip where everything has to be planned out in advance.

 

[disneyinthespringtime]

You say that as if half the fun was not in the planning....

 

[imprint]

I like to do light planning for each day just so we are not twiddling our thumbs and walking aimlessly. Since you'll have a day of unlimited EP, I recommend planning that day a little more (e.g. which park or both parks and maybe a few eating options based on how the day goes). I would really want to maximize the EP benefit on that day and re-ride immediately to save walking time. I would focus that whole day on riding (minus the stops to eat - nobody has fun when the family is hangry). The other day(s) could be used for rides, shows, and general browsing the scenery and shops. My $0.02 anyway.

 

[billlaurie]

I like planning and agree that it is part of the fun. The level of planning with Disney, however, has become extreme and I am not enjoying it like I did before the days of FP+. It is too much like work. I am approaching our trip to Universal following our Disney trip this year as a true vacation from "work" and therefore, I am making no advanced plans besides where we are staying and buying tickets.

 

[suetoo]

You can see by my picture, I a a Disney girl and I LOVE the planning. My family have been DVC since 2005 and we frequent Disney. I am just back from a last minute Universal trip for 4 days that we only planned a month ago...I would never do that with Disney and its precisely why we chose Universal. We have been there in the last few years so we knew the lay of the land and literally did NO planning besides choosing hotel and deciding to upgrade to APs. Definitely do Early hours and use the express pass to the fullest...your plan is great. We also ate at Mythos (booked day of) and we also ate at Toothsome with no wait. We went at 5pm (and there was a pop up storm on our way so we got soaked and may have kept people from heading there). I would definitely go a little early if possible to lessen the wait...the place was EMPTY when we arrived. Grab a drink and relax. We went to the pool at Portofino 3 out of 4 days bc we had done everything many times over and we escaped the midday crowds! Very fun and relaxing trip....I didn't come home needing a vacation!! That said, I am still a Disney girl through and through

 

[123SA]

I think research is more important than planning for Universal. Check out the rides and see which ones your family will want to do. Rough out a plan so you are not back tracking or criss crossing the parks. Pay attention to height requirements. Check out restaurants and counter service.

The one thing I always plan is when we will do the wet rides. I prefer to do the Bilge Rat Barge and Ripsaw Falls back to back and then just go back to the hotel and get changed. You will get completely soaked through on those rides. We love it, but no one enjoys touring the park afterwards when we are that wet.

I also try to spread out the simulator rides as a few of us get queasy if we do too many in a row.

 

[awalker1015]

Agree with research over planning. Here now staying at Sapphire Falls, so no EP and crowds have been 9 or 10 according to touringplans. But unlike WDW, it hasn’t felt that high at USO. The crowds just seem better dispersed. We haven’t had one dining reservation but have walked up and been seated within 20 minutes at Toothsome, Cowfish, NBC and Mythos with a party of 4-6. And not at off times, either. As far as rides, we have ridden everything standby at least once to see the queue by arriving early and used single rider the remaining times. Admittedly, this only works with older kids and mine are almost 12 and 14.