How to get to universal from WDW for an unsure aussie traveller

[youngaussienurse]

Hi everyone I am glad to be back on the boards again and looking forward to my 3rd trip to WDW in late oct/nov 08. We are coming all the way from Australia (yes 22 hr flight and some more!!) because we LOVE it so much!!! (No one here understands our disney addiction ) My question is.....the last two times we have just stayed in WDW (at the contemporary) which we plan to do again. However I think I might like to go to Universal for a day while we are there, just to do something different. My twin sister is a bit nervous about going anywhere else apart from within WDW. So if we decided to go to Universal, how would we get there from WDW (we don't want to drive ourselves as we are used to the OTHER side of the road and it may be a bit confusing hehehe.). Is there a shuttle that takes you there or can you get a bus? How long does it take to get there and is it fairly safe to travel outside of WDW (I know that sounds silly, but we live in a place where you don't hear of crime that much....no guns allowed etc). Is it worth going to universal if you are not into fast rides (we havn't been on space mtn or btm...and went on splash but hated it hehehe ) So are there rides that we might enjoy (for example we loved dinosaur, but nothing like big rollercoasters). Sorry for the long post.....just trying to work out what to do. Happy new year from down under

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

There is plenty to do at Universal that's not big roller coasters.(Spiderman, Shrek, Jimmy Neutron, Cat in the Hat, I could go on and on...) There are 2 parks: Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. You can't do it all in 1 day.
I would highly recommend staying onsite at Universal. It changes the whole flavor of your visit. (Hard Rock Hotel is our personal fav) It's only a 5 min. walk to the parks or you can take a relaxing water taxi, no cramming on a bus. Also when you show your room key (magnetic card) you can go in the express line, bypassing the regular line. It's like having an unlimited fast pass. That key is worth its weight in gold. We love it. You can tour at a very relaxed pace and still get on everything.
I would save it for the end of your trip cuz once you get used to it, it's hard to go back to WDW and wait in line. lol! Oct is popular there for Halloween Horror Nights. It's like MNSSHP but very scary and not for young children. You many find better availability for early Nov.
Even if you only spend 1 night at a Univ. hotel, you get 2 full days with Front of Line access; the day you check in (go early) and the day you check out.
They are all 4* hotels on par with Disney deluxe hotels. You don't need a car there so I'd take a taxi or FL Tours in a town car.
Check out the Universal board for more info! good luck!

 

[angela3676]

My family and I usually visit Universal Studios on our trips to Disney. We usually stay at a Disney resort and drive to US. We'll be going in 2008 and plan to fly not drive so our plan is to use either a taxi or Mears for our transportation needs. We are leaning more towards Mears. I've heard a lot of good things about them and they seem to be affordable. Here is the website and phone number it you want to check it out.

http://www.mearstransportation.com/

(407) 423-5566

Also, I do think there are a lot of things a non thrill ride person can do. I don't much like roller coasters even though on this trip I promised my DH and DD that I would give some coasters a try, I prefer milder rides.

Happy planning.

 

[erinstar]

My friend and I used Mears on our trip last year.. we were very happy with the service. THou i second the recommendation to stay at a Universal resort/hotel.. i think that would have been well worth the cost

 

[loadsapixiedust]

We are from the UK so also used to driving on the other side of the road, it's really not a problem to adjust to it. All those signs which say 'you are going the wrong way' really help Having a car would give you so much more freedom and save you a lot of time if you intend to venture outside of WDW.

There is loads to do at the Universal parks and Citywalk is nice in the evenings.

 

[irishbacker92]

Hi,
If I was in a forgein country and didn't know may way, I would rent a car with gps or buy a hand held one. They are very easy to use and can be purchased fairly cheap $150 on up. You might be able to use it at home also.
Good Luck