I think the lack of a need to plan is stressing me out!

[CalKhat]

Any WDW fans get this feeling when planning your first Universal trip? I feel like I need to be doing more planning so I keep trying to plan, but it really doesn't seem like there is a lot of planning to be done.
Hotel and flights are booked. Tickets are in hand. What else? Nothing.... lol

 

[peanutmomma]

We booked our Universal stay post-Disney because it would be that much more relaxing after all that scheduling. After MDE's instability lately, I am looking forward to the spontaneity!

Booking a cabana might be the extent of my planning at HRH...

 

[sillyyankee]

Calkat I am totally feeling your pain! We are going next weekend and I keep thinking I have forgotten something. I keep reading the boards and the books...Hotel, airfare, tickets, airport transfers are all done. Lunch and dinner reservations were done today (and super easy with no cc required - yippee). I keep looking at my notes thinking I missed something. I really hope I haven't and I'm getting so excited for next weekend!

 

[macraven]

It's only the first visit to the darkside that makes you second guess yourself

Your second visit there you will be the pro and answering newbies questions here

 

[peanutmomma]

We haven't been since 2005 - we honeymooned at HRH and did an anniversary trip every year until we had the boy. I am claiming pseudo-newbie status, as I probably remember just enough to make me dangerous.

 

[CalKhat]

Hahaha, it's nice to know I'm not alone. It's actually a nice change though. I feel like WDW has started to over complicate things, so this is refreshing.

 

[peanutmomma]

I left a couple of days open for whenever the mouse decides to grace us with the Star Wars fireworks schedule for July/August. It makes me twitch every time I see the blank space.

I will need some form of intervention come August - preferably in the form of a giant margarita served poolside.

 

[tinydancer09]

I feel the same way. I'm a planner... through and through. I am perfectly okay having planned spontaneous activities, haha! You eventually get use to the lack of needing to plan. It's quite relaxing... disney has become a chore to me and universal is just a fun getaway!

 

[tinydancer09]

I left a couple of days open for whenever the mouse decides to grace us with the Star Wars fireworks schedule for July/August. It makes me twitch every time I see the blank space.

I will need some form of intervention come August - preferably in the form of a giant margarita served poolside.

Always make a pit stop in Mexico. Always. No questions asked. Make sure you haven't eaten a lot it makes the $13 pit stop more worth while

 

[princesserin1350]

My sister and I are usually Disney people but we just returned from Universal, and I must say, I think we're converts! We loved how relaxing our trip was, and it seemed like the little planning we did do really paid off. For example, both days we did early entry, we arrived about 30-45 min before park open (like good Disney planners) and both times we were FIRST into Hogsmeade and first onto Forbidden Journey, which made for some lovely pictures! The more relaxed vibe of Universal makes even a little planning pay off quite nicely

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Hubby sprung on me last night that he wants to do a long weekend trip to the dark side this fall sometime. My first reaction was "No! It's way too late to do this fall! We'll never get ADRs!"

(And yes, I now know that isn't a problem.)

 

[2Kds2K9]

Gotta say the lack of planning is what we love about Universal. Last October, DD called me from college saying her plans changed for her Fall Break. This was on a Thursday morning, and by noon I booked a trip to universal arriving that Sunday at the Royal Pacific! Even got discount tickets. My DS attends school in Daytona and already had plans to do HHN on Saturday, so we made it there in time for DD to join DS and his friends!


In the meantime, my SIL is wanting to take her grandson to Disney next year. Have told that if there are any events or attractions that are a must, then she needs to plan and book ASAP.

 

[sillyyankee]

Hahaha, it's nice to know I'm not alone. It's actually a nice change though. I feel like WDW has started to over complicate things, so this is refreshing.

Yes, exactly. I was fine with planning some meals in advance. Six months is a bit much for me. The fast pass preplanned thing is just too much. We did a last minute WDW trip this pas winter and because I had NO time (6 days) to plan, I just didn't. But the stress was up there..."would we get to eat???" We ate a lot of counter service and lucked out at other places. We had fun, but this trip is just so much less anxiety and more excitement!!

 

[cbsnyber1]

Anytime you need a spreadsheet to plan a vacation, your trip has morphed from vacation to a series of meetings - and that sounds like work. If you enjoy that, fine, but vacation is supposed to be about losing stress, not gaining it. I'll be darned if I'll allow a vacation destination to dictate to me when I have to be where within a certain time (restaurant reservations excluded).

That's the beauty of a vacation at Universal, staying at one of the three FOTL resorts - they solve all those problems. And, unless you want early entry to a park, the ability to sleep in is hard to beat . . .

 

[CalKhat]

Anytime you need a spreadsheet to plan a vacation, your trip has morphed from vacation to a series of meetings - and that sounds like work. If you enjoy that, fine, but vacation is supposed to be about losing stress, not gaining it. I'll be darned if I'll allow a vacation destination to dictate to me when I have to be where within a certain time (restaurant reservations excluded).

That's the beauty of a vacation at Universal, staying at one of the three FOTL resorts - they solve all those problems. And, unless you want early entry to a park, the ability to sleep in is hard to beat . . .

I agree. My last Disney vacation with the FP+ was a little annoying, trying to pre-schedule everything. The old system was so much better for my vacation style. That's what finally pushed me into checking out Universal and I'm sure I will love it. I'm not a schedule type person. I like to have a basic idea and plan, but not stick to a strict schedule.

 

[macraven]

You will enjoy the slower pace at the darkside

If you need fillers to pass time there, check out the shows at city walk cinema, pool side movies at the hotel, look at the deals on the website for meal and mini golf or meal and a movie, do the tour at Hard Rock Cafe, or just do time at the pools and watch the pool activities

Don't remember your dates but in Saturday at rpr free little show near the pool and T3 of calling of the conch at 6 pm

Hula girl dancing, fire dancer, light entertainent for about 20 minutes

Last year I watched it from my window in the hotel
Years before, went down to watcH it up front

Little things like that are on the hotel sites at UO

 

[agavegirl1]

I go to Orlando about every four years and go to both WDW and US/IOA, staying onsite. I love ending my trips at Universal because my vacation spreadsheet is just one big blob of time with the name of the park on it. It's a refreshing, relaxing, stress free way to end my Florida vacation. It does stress me out from a planning perspective. After a spreadsheet with nine days divided up into half-hour increments, it just seems "wrong" to just type in "US" or "IoA" for an entire day.

 

[disneyfam31]

It was amazing to be able to head to city walk for dinner and get a table within 10-20 minutes -WITHOUT booking an ADR months in advance. And we left right before park closing.

 

[agavegirl1]

It was amazing to be able to head to city walk for dinner and get a table within 10-20 minutes -WITHOUT booking an ADR months in advance. And we left right before park closing.

And then there's this....

 

[keishashadow]

Any WDW fans get this feeling when planning your first Universal trip? I feel like I need to be doing more planning so I keep trying to plan, but it really doesn't seem like there is a lot of planning to be done.
Hotel and flights are booked. Tickets are in hand. What else? Nothing.... lol

I always book a lunch res @ mythos every trip. not that the wait is that long, but old habits die hard.

Not sure if you'd call it planning, but with FOTL it's nice to not have to dart back & forth across the park. I tend to make the same loops the first day in each park, then return another day and revist our favs.