It feels good to love the darkside, just back thoughts.

[istillbelieve]

Hi Universal Fans,

Thank you so much for your help planning this part of my trip. Well, I didn't have to plan much so I admit I was nervous. Here are some general thoughts about my recent trip. We started at Disney and then arrived on May 2nd to Portofino Bay and left on Saturday, May 6th. It was myself (mom in late 30's), my husband, our daughter who is 6 and 44 inches, my son who is 7 and 52 inches and my mom who is in her late 50's. I was wondering if Universal would be too big for my kids but it was not. It was awesome!

• I never want to leave, Portofino Bay is AMAZING! So, if anyone that is thinking of staying at Portofino Bay, do it! I was nervous when I heard it was further, but it was still such an easy walk. We really enjoyed the quick boat service and that you don't share it with anyone. What a concept! The food and opera in the piazza was amazing. Try the nachos poolside, so good! We ate at Bice where we had amazing service, LOVED Mamma's and got some food and wine from Sal's and watched the opera singers. We also had the singers come around at Mamma's. I usually don't eat Italian but I got my fill here and we loved every bite. The pool was so awesome where we had cushions and then the huge towels to go over the cushions and poolside waiters. It is a beautiful resort and service and room were just awesome. We got 2 connecting rooms and they connected via this huge patio where we sat outside and had our coffee in the morning and our nightcap in the evening. We all loved the hotel!
  
• Express Pass is also AMAZING! I am not sure if we just had low expectations or what, but we kept saying AMAZING on this trip. Having express pass made everything so much fun. I know that lines were not that busy, but even saving 30 minutes here or there made us really enjoy just going with the flow. I made no plans and with express pass, I really didn't need to make any plans. If we got off a ride and wanted to ride it again, then we did right away. I think the kids really loved it.
  
• Rides we loved. I think Universal may get a bad rap, but I thought their "themes" on rides and in areas was just as immersive as Disney. We loved Spiderman, Jurrasic Park, the Jurrasic Park kids play area, Kong (we LOVED Kong as in our favorite from any park ever), with Harry Potter Gringotts being right behind Kong. Harry Potter lands were awesome and we also like the trains. The Horror MakeUp Show was so good and everyone should try to see it once. My kids loved meeting Betty Boop and Scooby Doo and Minons. The Donkey at the Shrek meet n greet was so cute and funny. My kids will ride anything they are tall enough for and that could be why they really liked Universal as they are starting to move over into thrill rides and my son rode Rip It Rocket ten times. We all watched him as my stomach can't take that anymore, but he loved it.
  
• Rides we did not love. As others will say and I will agree, I do feel like the interactive movie rides can get me sick after a while. I wish they had a few more rides that weren't that way to mix in because a few of them took me down. I will NEVER EVER ride Minons or Simpsons again, as in EVER. I was sad to say but Forbidden Journey also took me down for about an hour as I got sick. Now, I loved walking through the castle and to me, that is an experience itself!
• Food was great. We ate at 3 broomsticks, Mythos, and Cowfish and loved them all. We were really impressed with the food. My kids loved the butterbeer. We also enjoyed some toothsome milkshakes. My husband and son had the red velvet, which I did not care for but they loved it. My daughter, mom, and I split the hazlenut and it was delightful. No complaints on any meal we had.

• Things they could do better. Carrying all the media was a pain and we all ended up with lanyards at 9.00 a pop b/c it was a lot of cards to manage. Also, I just wish they had a better set up or more digital offering for photos. I had thought about getting the photo package and now thinking maybe I should have. I got home and realized I really don't have many pictures. But, I feel like there should have been more photographers around and then maybe I would have but I would want it to be easy to download like Memory Maker. Disney does win in the Memory Maker/Magicband category.

• Overall-we were so surprised with Universal. My husband said his relaxing vacation wife came out in Universal. I didn't even take my phone with me one day, I had left it in the room and it was freeing to disconnect completely. We enjoyed how close everything is and doesn't feel rushed. We loved going back to the pool and then back to the parks. It didn't even bother us that the hours were shorter as it felt like we accomplished so much everyday at such a relaxing place. We enjoyed walking back to the hotel and walking through the butterfly garden at Hard Rock. So, our family took a vote on the last day and everyone picked Universal over Disney as their favorite part of the trip. Even though we had a GREAT Disney trip, something about Universal stole our hearts. So, I hope the darkside will have us!

 

[shanew21]

The absolute best part about Universal is how relaxing it is compared to Disney. While we generally prefer Disney overall, we always put Universal after Disney and not before because it is much more of a wind down, especially with Express passes. Want to ride The Mummy 4 times in a row? Do it. Spur of the moment park hop for Hulk? Sure. At Disney everything must be meticulously planned if you want to do most of what's on offer. Even without Express passes you'll be fine at Universal.

 

[candy0730]

Thanks so much for writing such a detailed report of your trip. It sounds like you had a wonderful time! We are going to Universal for the first time in July and staying at Portofino so your report is very helpful. I still can't wrap my brain around the no planning part but I am sure going to try!

 

[angryduck71]

My son is pretty much done with Disney (until Star Wars land at least). He is all about the darkside now!

 

[Metro West]

Glad you had a great time at Universal!

 

[shanew21]

My son is pretty much done with Disney (until Star Wars land at least). He is all about the darkside now!

I feel like Disney is a great park for kids and adults, but not really for teenagers until Star Wars is finished. Hollywood Studios was Disney's "thrill ride" park and right now it's a mess.

 

[KsGiGi]

Glad that you enjoyed your time at Universal! We love it there!!! Love the fact that you don't have to really plan, just go and enjoy.

 

[KJSJpipe]

We are looking to do US next year when we go to WDW in May/June. We will probably do three days at US and 5/6 at WDW. Any thoughts on doing WDW first, last or on both ends and US in the middle? Does US have a "Magical Express" type bus to/from the airport? What about getting from WDW to/from US? Cheaper to rent a car for the day or do a car service?

ETA we will all be adults, DS will be almost 19 and DD will be 21 if that makes any difference.

 

[pcstang]

We are looking to do US next year when we go to WDW in May/June. We will probably do three days at US and 5/6 at WDW. Any thoughts on doing WDW first, last or on both ends and US in the middle? Does US have a "Magical Express" type bus to/from the airport? What about getting from WDW to/from US? Cheaper to rent a car for the day or do a car service?

ETA we will all be adults, DS will be almost 19 and DD will be 21 if that makes any difference.

I would do it after WDW. I also would Uber over to USO. They do have some kind of shuttle. I think it's fairly new but I have no idea. We are within driving distance so we never use any shuttles. I'm sure others can help out there. You will be spoiled by the express pass if you stay at one of the three deluxe universal resort hotels. That's why most recommend doing it last.

 

[istillbelieve]

We are looking to do US next year when we go to WDW in May/June. We will probably do three days at US and 5/6 at WDW. Any thoughts on doing WDW first, last or on both ends and US in the middle? Does US have a "Magical Express" type bus to/from the airport? What about getting from WDW to/from US? Cheaper to rent a car for the day or do a car service?

ETA we will all be adults, DS will be almost 19 and DD will be 21 if that makes any difference.

I loved that we went to universal last and relaxed, especially if you have the express pass. It depends on your style. We spent an entire morning just exploring Daigon alley and casting spells and drinking beer for adults and butter beer for kids. We like Disney, but felt like vacation when we went to universal. We were also there during a more slow season so that could have helped.

We rented a car and even drove to Disney parks because the bus system at Disney is a bit slow for my liking. We did not need a car at universal though because the boat system was lovely between portofino and universal and the walk was equally as nice and easy. You don't share boats with other hotels which is nice. They even have pedicabs in the afternoon if you want a pedicab between the resorts on the walking trail.

 

[shanew21]

I loved that we went to universal last and relaxed, especially if you have the express pass. It depends on your style. We spent an entire morning just exploring Daigon alley and casting spells and drinking beer for adults and butter beer for kids. We like Disney, but felt like vacation when we went to universal. We were also there during a more slow season so that could have helped.

I agree completely. After 4-5 days of Disney it's nice to wind down with Universal, rather than the opposite. With the Express Pass you hardly have to plan at all aside from the Harry Potter rides.

 

[pigletto]

So glad you enjoyed Universal! We're headed to Universal for a week next Tuesday and we can hardly wait. 6 more sleeps!!

 

[Indecisive]

Sounds like my family was at Universal/IOA at the same time as the OP. My family has a similar composition: me, DH, boys aged 10 and 7, and my mother in her 60s. We were actually really disappointed in Universal/IOA. While the Express Pass was handy (we had a room at Hard Rock), we were very disappointed that most of the rides, *TO US*, were almost exactly the same (simulator rides). We prefer "real" rides such as traditional roller coasters. DH7 was bummed that there were almost no real roller coasters for him (Flight of the Hippogriff was about all he was tall enough to do, and that is a kiddie coaster). He was too short for Dragon Challenge, Rip Ride Rocket, and Hulk. In contrast, at Disney, he is tall enough for everything including Rock n Roller Coaster, Space Mountain, and Expedition Everest. For *US* (realizing everything is subjective), we found King Kong, Mummy, Spiderman, etc. to be essentially the same boring ride. I was especially disappointed that the Harry Potter rides were also in this same category. I guess I hadn't done my research because I thought Gringotts was going to be a real roller coaster. Not knocking anyone else (to each his own!), but the rides at US/IOA were not for us AT ALL. However, we did at least really enjoy the other aspects of the WWOHP, especially doing spells with our wands.

I also found it really annoying, after the convenience of Magic Bands at Disney, to have to constantly shuffle park tickets, paper express passes (which I had to be careful of on water rides), and room keys at US/IOA.

I have read many times here that when doing a combined Disney/US trip, Disney should come first because otherwise it would be a disappointment after going to US. For this and other reasons, I had been really excited about US/IOA. I really expected to love them! Oh well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Different strokes for different folks!

 

[Chuckers]

There is a shuttle service, but it is not free like Magic Express. I bought it so I don't have to rent a car for the whole week and pay for parking at the hotel. I believe it's a you get your bags and meet the driver deal. I'll know more when my trip rolls around in September.

 

[bobbie68]

Hi so glad you enjoyed the "Dark Side" . We agree with how you feel once you have experienced it. It's funny I went over to the "Mother Land" today to nose around ( we still like Disney) but I was looking at a thread someone started asking about FP+ help and I started hyper ventilating. This person's thread sounded so desperate cause her reservation days were coming up. This person literally had her entire day filled hour by hour for the whole week.. I can't even think about that anymore once I have been to UO. I love being able to be more laid back now. We do want to get back to see Star Wars land and Pandora other that I am waiting.

 

[Metro West]

This person's thread sounded so desperate cause her reservation days were coming up. This person literally had her entire day filled hour by hour for the whole week.. I can't even think about that anymore once I have been to UO. I love being able to be more laid back now. We do want to get back to see Star Wars land and Pandora other that I am waiting.

And if this person's schedule gets messed up somehow, they will have the meltdown of all meltdowns...bet on it. I'm not a planner and have a hard time understanding the mentality of the type-A planners. I just don't get having to plan like this person does/did. Makes no sense to me.

 

[FlipHipster]

Hi so glad you enjoyed the "Dark Side" . We agree with how you feel once you have experienced it. It's funny I went over to the "Mother Land" today to nose around ( we still like Disney) but I was looking at a thread someone started asking about FP+ help and I started hyper ventilating. This person's thread sounded so desperate cause her reservation days were coming up. This person literally had her entire day filled hour by hour for the whole week.. I can't even think about that anymore once I have been to UO. I love being able to be more laid back now. We do want to get back to see Star Wars land and Pandora other that I am waiting.

LOL, I have the same problem. We haven't been back to Disney since we discovered the darkside. We've taken 2 UO trips this year and plan at least 2 more. I keep trying to add on a few Disney days but dw doesn't want any of it. Apparently our last 2 trips with FP+ resulted in a little PTSD. We love relaxing at UO, no appointments. Park hopping and resort hopping are super easy, you are never far from anything and unlimited EP is just delicious. I usually start working Disney days back into our trips and then realize I have to start stalking MDE for those coveted FP's, making ride appointments and locking in our parks days 2 months out etc and then I just loose the desire to deal with it. I love waking up in the morning and asking the kids, "what do you guys want to do today?" vs. "this is what we are doing because I set it up 2 months ago and changing it last minute will suck big time". I miss WDW and I'm sure we'll go back because we love the parks, but it will be a 1-3 day side trip from UO when we used to spend 8-10 days and never leave WDW.

I agree with the comments about screen fatigue though. Universal does a great job with the screen rides but it's been pretty much beat to death at this point. I sure hope after F&F they start bringing sexy back. I'm still not sure how F&F didn't end up being a coaster, I mean just the name Fast & Furious screams "roller coaster". Indoor coaster like RnRC with a crazy launch and themed as a street race.

 

[bumbershoot]

Carrying all the media was a pain and we all ended up with lanyards at 9.00 a pop b/c it was a lot of cards to manage.

That's why so many of us discuss, often, planning on getting lanyards with good pouches. Thankfully I have a collection from the Disneyland days and wdw before the dark times (not a fan of plastic toddler bracelets), along with Uni. My fave is my Ravenclaw lanyard with my Witz brand hard plastic "see t safe" case. So easy and I'm representing "my" Hogwarts house. I wear it to Disney World too, even wdw, even if I'm wearing the plastic bangle, because you still need ID, CC (backup if room charging goes down or just to pay directly), discount cards, insurance card )it's just prudent), and some cash.

DH7 was bummed that there were almost no real roller coasters for him (Flight of the Hippogriff was about all he was tall enough to do, and that is a kiddie coaster). He was too short for Dragon Challenge, Rip Ride Rocket, and Hulk

My son at 7 was tall enough for a lot but LOVED Hippogriff and even the Nuthouse coaster. Especially with unlimited express pass where he can ride over and over very quickly. He's been tall enough for everything for years now but still dedicates at least half an hour to multiple Hippogriff rides.

For *US* (realizing everything is subjective), we found King Kong, Mummy, Spiderman, etc. to be essentially the same boring ride.

The same as each other? The mummy? A rollercoaster? Same as spidey and kong?

I get spidey and transformers being the same, but not the others.

 

[shanew21]

The same as each other? The mummy? A rollercoaster? Same as spidey and kong?

I get spidey and transformers being the same, but not the others.

Curious on that as well. King Kong and Spidey I can kind of get due to screens, but Mummy is a different ride entirely. No screens and it's a full on rollercoaster.

 

[pumpkinmomma]

I would do it after WDW. I also would Uber over to USO. They do have some kind of shuttle. I think it's fairly new but I have no idea. We are within driving distance so we never use any shuttles. I'm sure others can help out there. You will be spoiled by the express pass if you stay at one of the three deluxe universal resort hotels. That's why most recommend doing it last.

We used Uber to transfer and it was great. So easy, much cheaper than a shuttle. Renting a car can get expensive because you will have to pay for parking at universal. We took an UberXL (4 ppl and luggage meant we needed a larger vehicle) and it cost around $30 (not including tip).