I feel dirty! Loyal Dis - going to the dark side!

[LaurenT]

Ok, my DD just turned 10. We've been taking her to Disney about twice a year since she was a baby.
We decided to add 4 days at US/IOA to our Aug trip, putting us in the RPH (royal pacific...is that the right acronym?) from Aug 28 to Sep 1.
So, if you k ow me from the Disney boards, you know I'm a big planner.....
I have my on-site ressie - so we'll have the express pass and the early entry....
What else do I need to know?
Where do I find good maps, dining reviews, etc?
Thanks dark siders!

 

[Herbie]

The best maps ar on the US website.

The dining at Us is a much more pleasent experience than Disney. I think its cheaper too. I love being able to take a 5 min walk out of the park and eat at Panda Express, and feed the family for $20.

For a nice meal, dont miss Mythos in IOA.

At the top of this board, there is a thread with menu's and review that i found very helpful.

 

[RMulieri]

Check out the food sticky at the top of the board..Dining at Universal does NOT require the planning that Disney does, but if you want to make ressies, ressies can be made for MOST restaurants on opentable.com about 60 days in advance.As for planning, Universal doesnt require much if you are staying onsite.You will want to check out ride descriptions and height requirements on the Universal site.If you want a book, check out Universal Orlando by Seth Kubersky.Touringplans.com now has Universal crowds calendars too.The only plan I recommend is using the early entry and hit Harry Potter.Do Ollivanders than Forbidden Journy.Once the hr is up you can move through the park at your own pace.

 

[LaurenT]

Thanks guys!
DD is going to love some of this I think.
She just saw Harry Potter for the first time and she loves Transformers.
She's about 52", so there's only 3 or 4 rides she'll be too short for - who knows, maybe by then she'll be 54" in her sneakers....
Is CityWalk kid friendly?

 

[Metro West]

Is CityWalk kid friendly?

CityWalk is mainly restaurants and clubs but there is the theater, shopping and the mini golf courses. There's also some carnival type games available too. CityWalk is beautiful at night with all the bright lights...she might enjoy walking around with you. It really makes you energized.

 

[bumbershoot]

We decided to add 4 days at US/IOA to our Aug trip, putting us in the RPH (royal pacific...is that the right acronym?) from Aug 28 to Sep 1.

Oh that sounds lovely. A really solid stay for your first visit.


Citywalk isn't UN-kidfriendly, but we've never had much need to do more than walk through. We went to the Starbucks once, but felt it was very out of the way and not very good; the one inside the Studios is better. And we went to the Universal store for some shopping (obviously), but preferred shopping as we went a bit better, it turns out.

I think I call it RPR, for "resort". It's so lovely.

In case you don't know, they encourage pool hopping at the Loews resorts, so be sure to check out the HRH and PBH pool slides, or even the quiet pool at PBH, if you care to.


The Wizarding World, from what I've noticed and read, is based at basically the time of the 4th book. If she hasn't gotten there yet, she won't really know what things are, but since there are non HP fans who love Wizarding World, that shouldn't matter. My son just read and saw #6 and finally got to SEE the Weasley shop through the story, and now the shop in Wizarding World makes more sense to him. He liked it before, and now he likes it more.


You'll have enough time so that you can really see lots of stuff. I would recommend checking out the Jurassic Park discover center; give yourself an hour or so to check it out. We didn't get there until our 3rd trip, and were sad we had waited so long.

 

[LaurenT]

Oh that sounds lovely. A really solid stay for your first visit.


Citywalk isn't UN-kidfriendly, but we've never had much need to do more than walk through. We went to the Starbucks once, but felt it was very out of the way and not very good; the one inside the Studios is better. And we went to the Universal store for some shopping (obviously), but preferred shopping as we went a bit better, it turns out.

I think I call it RPR, for "resort". It's so lovely.

In case you don't know, they encourage pool hopping at the Loews resorts, so be sure to check out the HRH and PBH pool slides, or even the quiet pool at PBH, if you care to.


The Wizarding World, from what I've noticed and read, is based at basically the time of the 4th book. If she hasn't gotten there yet, she won't really know what things are, but since there are non HP fans who love Wizarding World, that shouldn't matter. My son just read and saw #6 and finally got to SEE the Weasley shop through the story, and now the shop in Wizarding World makes more sense to him. He liked it before, and now he likes it more.


You'll have enough time so that you can really see lots of stuff. I would recommend checking out the Jurassic Park discover center; give yourself an hour or so to check it out. We didn't get there until our 3rd trip, and were sad we had waited so long.

Good info, thanks.
What do you recommend for a ticket? We'll most likely check in on the early side on Wed and check out but not leave till early evening on Sunday - so, we could potentially do 5 days. Do we need 5 days? I know in Disney the answer would be an unequivocal yes....but how about universal? I guess if the answer is yes, then we want the AP? Does that come with any discounts? or should we spend Wednesday by the pool and start fresh in the parks on Thurs morning....
And - can we upgrade our tickets during our trip - the way you can at Disney? I might get a 4 day and then love it and think...hey, I should upgrade to AP and do a day or two here on my next trip....

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

Good info, thanks.
What do you recommend for a ticket? We'll most likely check in on the early side on Wed and check out but not leave till early evening on Sunday - so, we could potentially do 5 days. Do we need 5 days? I know in Disney the answer would be an unequivocal yes....but how about universal? I guess if the answer is yes, then we want the AP? Does that come with any discounts? or should we spend Wednesday by the pool and start fresh in the parks on Thurs morning....
And - can we upgrade our tickets during our trip - the way you can at Disney? I might get a 4 day and then love it and think...hey, I should upgrade to AP and do a day or two here on my next trip....

At Universal, you don't really need 5 days, but you could do it if you so choose. I've gone to Universal countless times over the past 8 years or so and I have yet to tire of the attractions.

Personally I'd want to take a pool day. Day after day of theme parks can be exhausting! You could spend that night at CityWalk. I'd recommend the mini-golf courses. They're a ton of fun (especially after dark!).

 

[damo]

I really like spending partial days at the parks. Go in the morning until lunch time. Grab lunch at Citywalk or the hotel. Have a swim and some down time and then head back. 5 days is lovely. 6-7 hours a day at the parks is perfect.

Check out the 3 park unlimited tickets that are at undercovertourist.com You get 14 days of admission to the two parks and Wet 'n Wild for $179 a ticket.

 

[dreamscometrue47]

As for dining, don't cast aside City Walk. It's the perfect location as you leave IOA back to your hotel for a nice dinner. Jimmy Buffet is right there and the walk from one end to the other is not long. The boat back to your hotel is also very convenient.

On the other side of the 'river' is NBA Basketball and Hard Rock Cafe, 2 of our favorites! Nascar is also very good, way down where the boats dock.

 

[PrincessMe]

You're so lucky. A trip to the dark side is so much fun. We loved the Royal Pacific - ask if a theme park view is available and you watch Hulk from your window. We had the nicest waitress ever at Jake's American Bar at dinner and really enjoyed pool time.

And the parks! They are beautiful, particularly IOA. Seussville is a delight! Unlimited express pass will spoil you rotten. You even get to go sit in theaters while everyone else has to wait outside.

We enjoyed our meals - table service without an ADR 180 days out - at Finnegans and Mythos. I did make day before open table reservations but they weren't necessary. Breakfast pastries at the Boulangerie and Croissant Moon were good. Butter beer is .... Interesting. I tried frozen and regular. Liked both but unsure of which I will repeat.

Have lots of fun!

 

[Planogirl]

The Royal Pacific is great but maybe plan an afternoon at the Hard Rock pool. It's fun to pool hop.

We like to eat lunch at Citywalk after touring all morning and then rest a bit and then go back to the parks later in the day. Some park restaurants do close early so plan accordingly.

One fun thing to do in Citywalk is the mini-golf course. They do tend to be busy but they are really well themed.

 

[bumbershoot]

Good info, thanks.
What do you recommend for a ticket? We'll most likely check in on the early side on Wed and check out but not leave till early evening on Sunday - so, we could potentially do 5 days. Do we need 5 days? I know in Disney the answer would be an unequivocal yes....but how about universal? I guess if the answer is yes, then we want the AP? Does that come with any discounts? or should we spend Wednesday by the pool and start fresh in the parks on Thurs morning....
And - can we upgrade our tickets during our trip - the way you can at Disney? I might get a 4 day and then love it and think...hey, I should upgrade to AP and do a day or two here on my next trip....

You can upgrade, but it's not like WDW; they do NOT bridge the price. I'm not sure how upgrades work if you buy a "flex" ticket that includes waterparks, etc.

First time we went we got in on some amazing deal that MapleLeafTickets had leftover, then didn't upgrade, and regretted it. Went back inside of a year and had to buy tickets all over again. That time I just bought an AP (for hotel discount...the code is APH and you can easily use that code here to see if an AP rate shows up) and DH and DS bought tickets. By the last day, they were upgrading.

And now they have us, and have us GOOD, because the renewal rates for the APs are *so* good we kind of feel obligated to keep them going.

For discounts you need the Preferred or above. You get discounts on all sorts of merchandise and food, so always ask if there's a discount, if you get one!



Now that we've been to Universal a few times (4 visits compared to 3 WDW visits, though the Uni visits are shorter), we know that IF at all possible, we will be heading to Wizarding World if *only* to buy a Butterbeer. I get frozen, DS gets cold, and DH goes back and forth. OK, if we're a little hungry we get a Butterbeer and buy Rock Cakes from Honeydukes; they are sort of a scone-y, hard muffin-y, sort of sweet-ish treat and we LOVE them. Actually, in the morning they are terrific with a coffee from 3 Broomsticks, just to put that out there.

Anyway, if at all possible, we'll go into IOA just for that, though of course it usually turns into more than just that.

Since you don't know if you like it, you can decide if you want to walk allllll the way to the "back" of the park (and it is ALL the way back there) and all the way back, just to get a glimpse of something you haven't yet seen. It might be more magical to do it nice and refreshed, nice and EARLY in the morning.

Though if you're going to get right on Forbidden Journey or Dragon Challenge in the morning, I recommend eating *some* sort of decent breakfast before heading out. The times FJ has killed my stomach were when I was too hungry (or too full).


I'm sorry, I'm blathering on and on. Just excited for you, and it's neat that she's going right around the time that she would be getting her Hogwarts letter if she were a witch or wizard.

 

[LaurenT]

You can upgrade, but it's not like WDW; they do NOT bridge the price. I'm not sure how upgrades work if you buy a "flex" ticket that includes waterparks, etc.

First time we went we got in on some amazing deal that MapleLeafTickets had leftover, then didn't upgrade, and regretted it. Went back inside of a year and had to buy tickets all over again. That time I just bought an AP (for hotel discount...the code is APH and you can easily use that code here to see if an AP rate shows up) and DH and DS bought tickets. By the last day, they were upgrading.

And now they have us, and have us GOOD, because the renewal rates for the APs are *so* good we kind of feel obligated to keep them going.

For discounts you need the Preferred or above. You get discounts on all sorts of merchandise and food, so always ask if there's a discount, if you get one!

Now that we've been to Universal a few times (4 visits compared to 3 WDW visits, though the Uni visits are shorter), we know that IF at all possible, we will be heading to Wizarding World if *only* to buy a Butterbeer. I get frozen, DS gets cold, and DH goes back and forth. OK, if we're a little hungry we get a Butterbeer and buy Rock Cakes from Honeydukes; they are sort of a scone-y, hard muffin-y, sort of sweet-ish treat and we LOVE them. Actually, in the morning they are terrific with a coffee from 3 Broomsticks, just to put that out there.

Anyway, if at all possible, we'll go into IOA just for that, though of course it usually turns into more than just that.

Since you don't know if you like it, you can decide if you want to walk allllll the way to the "back" of the park (and it is ALL the way back there) and all the way back, just to get a glimpse of something you haven't yet seen. It might be more magical to do it nice and refreshed, nice and EARLY in the morning.

Though if you're going to get right on Forbidden Journey or Dragon Challenge in the morning, I recommend eating *some* sort of decent breakfast before heading out. The times FJ has killed my stomach were when I was too hungry (or too full).

I'm sorry, I'm blathering on and on. Just excited for you, and it's neat that she's going right around the time that she would be getting her Hogwarts letter if she were a witch or wizard.

Ok, I've heard that they periodically offer discounted APs, do I guess I'll keep a watch out for them.

 

[Lynne G]

Ok, my DD just turned 10. We've been taking her to Disney about twice a year since she was a baby.
We decided to add 4 days at US/IOA to our Aug trip, putting us in the RPH (royal pacific...is that the right acronym?) from Aug 28 to Sep 1.
So, if you k ow me from the Disney boards, you know I'm a big planner.....
I have my on-site ressie - so we'll have the express pass and the early entry....
What else do I need to know?
Where do I find good maps, dining reviews, etc?
Thanks dark siders!

My DD11, DS15 and I have been to USO the last week of August the past 2 years. Crowds are not that bad at all. Definitely use the early entry to HP. After riding FJ a few times, maybe take the castle tour and look at all the cool features they put in the castle. If DD is eager to see the wand shop, one of the mornings go into that line instead of FJ. The later the day, the longer the line, and no shade.

2 years ago, we bought tickets from undercovertourist.com. 3 day hoppers. We like to start one morning in each park, and then start the last morning in IOA with our easy dry clothes on, as we do all the water rides (they are only found in IOA) over and over, then go back to the hotel for shower, change and enjoy the rest of the dry rides in both parks. Anyway, this past summer, I bought the AP, and my kids tickets from where I work (my work sells them cheaper than the AP discount on tickets.)

The hotels have a stay more, save more discount that is good. Keep checking for the APH discount. Just type it in the promo code. For me, last summer, the AP rate was even better than the save more promotion, and I was hooked. I am now an AP holder, and most likely will renew ths summer. I got 10% off my purchases in the stores in the parks, and in the Hard Rock store in their restaurant in Citywalk, a discount on the golf in CityWalk too. I also got 10% off the fast food restaurants in the parks, not the food kiosks.

Also, what's nice about staying onsite, besides the short walk or boat ride to Citywalk to access the parks, is you can send your purchases back to your rooom at no charge. We find them on our bed later in the day.

Have a great time. We love the Darkside. My kids are thrill riders, DD even more than DS, so we really enjoy the rides at USO. We also like the Animal Show and the Horror Make Up show in US. Also, the afternoon parade in US is fun, and the night time water show is enjoyable.

Ok, rattled enough. Just my 2 cents.