I loved IOA!!!

[AwaitingTheMagic]

Just got back from a 10 day trip to Orlando area. We did Disney, SeaWorl, IOA, etc....Sucks we only had time for one day at Universal. We picked IOA because we felt it had more thrills. WOW, it was SO fun!!!!! We did not do front of the line, which turned out ok. When we saw a big line, we just went to the next ride. NEver waited in a line for more than 30 mins which we thought was reasonable. Our faves were Hulk and Spiderman. We did all the rides we wanted (more than once). Next trip we will make more time for Universal and do both parks

 

[yaytezIOA]

Welcome to your new addiction. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[bubba's mom]

Glad to hear you loved it....now, imagine staying onsite and having that FOTL ....

 

[mark2311]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. I'm going in less than 3 weeks now and i just can't wait

 

[kdkbrebel]

Glad to hear it we are trying Universal and IOA for the first time in July I can't wait.

 

[robvia]

We're hearing this a lot from the Disney people. The drive up for a day, discover what they've been missing, then plan a longer stay for the next visit.

What gets me is the allegiance people have with Disney and staying for a week.
You can visit Disney for 3 days, then Universal for 3 and split things up. Always do Universal at the end, because once you stay onsite, you'll be spoiled.

The other thing to remember, is that you can still visit Disney even if you are staying at Universal. People have this image like big brother is going to know they're staying at Universal and take them away. For example, you can visit a Universal park in the morning, then drive over to Disney in the evening because they stay open until 10pm most nights of the year. People have this thing about only visiting one park each day. I always split up my days so I visit one park in the morning, and another at night.

Of coarse the magic won't be as much, and that's the argument many of us have when it's the other way around. You feel the magic more at the hotel you're staying in. So if you stay onsite at Universal, you'll really say good things about the parks.

 

[AwaitingTheMagic]

We would have done more, but ya, just no time. Disney was 5 days (1 day for each park plus an additional one for anything we missed). We did IOA, Seaworld, Frank Kennedy, Cocoa Beach, and a bunch of other stuff. Next time I would probably do 4 at Disney, 3 at universal, and the other stuff. Glad we went! And Ias if people said that Univsersal was dirty and stuff...I found it very clean. I mean there was some garbage around, but I found that at Disney too. Don't see why people can't love both!!! Cause I do!

 

[macraven]

i do both parks but my heart lies with universal.

UO has the HHN hard ticket event and i am totally and completely addicted to it.

i rush my portion of the disney trip. the busses drive me mad at times. it can take me an hour to go from one park to another. the stroller brigade is another negative on my list.

i do disney for what it has to offer. but, that part of my trip always makes me worn out. i'm not as relaxed there. the cost of rooms there are really increasing in price. pay over $100 for a value room at rack rate. it's small and no special amenities. even with AAA, still paying close to $100 a night.

then i move over to hrh at universal. for what i pay there, i get what i pay for. i no longer cringe at the cost. i use AAA for a discount and loews for the added perks of upgrade for free.

since all the parks are walkable from the hotels, i don't have to rush. i can get up at 7:45 and be at the park within 30 minutes. the fotl cuts wait time for me which is fantastic. the characters are plentiful in the parks and they talk.......and pose for picutures.

i never feel rushed at universal. it is a very relaxing way to end my vacation in orlando.

i love the star service when using the phone.
you ever notice how the operator addresses you by name when you use it?
wow factor of 10

so good to hear newbies enjoying their trips there. if you go for one day or more, you grow to enjoy it and want to return there in the future.

 

[Metro West]

Glad you had a great time and thanks for sharing!

 

[damo]

Good to know that you were happy with the experience. It just adds a whole new dimension to your Orlando vacations.

 

[Planogirl]

Thanks for sharing your experience. This kind of happened to us too except we thought we would spend two days at Universal. Well, two days turned into four and then we finally visited a Disney park. The next trip we again visited Universal for four days and spent only one day at a Disney park. We were hopelessly hooked.

In a few days we'll be spending 3 days at Disney and then 3 at Universal besides other stuff. Can't wait!!!!