I won a trip to Universal!

[prettypixie]

So I entered a television talk show contest and won a trip to Universal for me and a guest. this trip is in two weeks and I don't know where to begin to start planning. I have not been to Universal in over 5 years and always as a day guest, I have no idea how the hotels are setup or what I should be prepared to deal with so I've come to the Disboards for help

I've decided to take my 12 year old son with me. Everything is covered except food. I need to stay budget friendly this trip because we have a 2 week family trip to Disney over christmas break. Can anyone help me decide on places to eat while at Universal that are budget friendly? I'm thinking $100 per day should be enough for meals but would like to spend less.

We will be staying at Cabana bay, are there refrigerators and microwaves in the rooms? What about dining options at the hotel? I've never stayed on site at universal but I assume the hotels are like those at Disney

Lastly, I am thinking of using a grocery delivery service just for a few items if there are fridge/microwaves in room, anyone have any recommendations?


Thanks in advance!

 

[buckeev]

WOW! Let me be the first to say:
WE HATE YOU!
Just kidding...sorta...

City walk has a few dining options that might save you a little bit,
(Burger King, Panda Express...etc),
but the food court at C-Bay won't be a lot more and will save you time if the timing isn't practical.
If you stay with "Counter -Service" type dining options, you can budget two people for $100 day.
Others will most definitely chime in.

And by the way...WE HATE YOU!

 

[damo]

Congratulations!!!

Yes, there are refrigerators and microwaves at Cabana Bay. One meal I always suggest for someone on a budget is the volcano nachos at Margaritaville. It is an appetizer but is really a meal for 2 or 3. The same thing for the nachos at the Bula Bar at RPR. They are huge and delicious.

We ate at Cabana Bay and found the food to be quite reasonable. Just watch out for snacks. That seems to be where you get hit the hardest. One cheaper and HUGE snack is the Lard Lad donut in Springfield. It will easily feed a family of 4 for a snack. It would certainly be a big snack for you and your son.

Remember that every place will give you free ice water. Just ask for it.

The kabobs at the Kabob Shack place just outside of Hogsmeade are very reasonable and yummy too.

You'll find a food sticky at the top of this board with menus and suggestions to help you.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

WHAT?!?! You can take a person along and you didn't choose one of us? I'm deeply Offended!!! (Have fun! )

 

[ArwenMarie]

Springfield has a ton of counter service food.

I agree on the donut sundae at Lard Lad's...You have to try that, big enough to split!

We really liked Thunder Falls Terrace in Islands of Adventure. Chicken, ribs, corn on the cob. Seemed a bit healthier than some other stuff and it was pretty inside, big windows overlooking Jurassic Park River Adventure.

Congrats on your trip! That's awesome

 

[johde]

Congratulations on winning the trip.

Yes, there are refrigerators and microwaves at Cabana Bay.

Are you sure there are microwave in the rooms. I thought the Suites and Refrigerators and Microwaves and the Rooms only had Refrigerators. If they have Microwaves as well that may change my plans slightly.

I'm not sure it's a money saving tip but I would look at some of the table service menus on the post at the top of the page. I've found at Universal often times once you get past burgers and pizza the extra cost for table service is minimal.

Since you're going down again in December, you may want to talk to the prize department to see how much it would cost to upgrade your tickets to an annual pass. Depending on how many days the trip is and if they will let you do it upgrading to a power pass could be minimal and you could go for a day in December for the cost of parking.

 

[gofordrew]

Universal has a dining plan that you should really look into. It is a really good value.

 

[lazer]

We're at Cabana Bay now. Regular room, only a fridge here

 

[damo]

We're at Cabana Bay now. Regular room, only a fridge here

Sorry, that is correct. The family suites have both.

 

[pixeegrl]

Congratulations!!!

Yes, there are refrigerators and microwaves at Cabana Bay. One meal I always suggest for someone on a budget is the volcano nachos at Margaritaville. It is an appetizer but is really a meal for 2 or 3.

I can attest to the Volcano Nachos feeding more than one easily! Our family of 5 shared them and barely had room for anything else!

 

[mrsabbott]

We are a family of 6 so I know all about trying to budget! LOL! We ate breakfast before we left (except the one morning we got rock cakes and coffee there). You could get donuts or cereal and fruit or something and eat in your room when you get up. That will save money on one meal!

With just the two of you, you could easily stay in your $100/day budget if you are careful! If you are taking a small bag with you, throw some granola bars or something to stave off any midday munchies. When you do eat in the restaurants, order water to drink instead of anything else. You don't have to do strictly counter service on your budget. You could have lunch at Leaky Cauldron or (my personal favorite) Mythos and still have enough left over for a counter service dinner later. At Mythos, they give you some yummy bread to snack on first, so skip the appetizer. The portion sizes are pretty huge (IMO), so you will get plenty to eat without needing an appetizer.

 

[prettypixie]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think I will stick to $100/day budget but still be frugal wherever I can.

I finally got all my travel docs and it says that we have a 3 day unlimited pass. I guess this means park to park access to for 3 days but I hope I can add another day since our departure flight is at 8 pm on day 4

We also have tics to the blue man group show I'm really excited to see this! I haven't told my son yet about this trip, he's going to be thrilled!


Thanks again!