sassyredhead
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2006
- Messages
- 745
After a week at Disney with free dining, we transferred to the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal for 3 nights. I can honestly say we enjoyed the Universal portion of the trip more than the Disney portion of the trip. Here's why:
My one concern was the massive crowds in Harry Potter. I really hope that Uni decides to expand HP, since it could really use some additional space to disperse the crowds. When I mentioned this to DD, she said she would LOVE to see an area devoted to the Forbidden Forest or Diagon Alley. Sounds like a grand idea to me! Also, our second day at HP, the frozen butter beer machines weren't working at the Hog's Head nor the carts. We were able to get the frozen version at the Three Broomsticks. So, if this happens to you, ask around--a friendly employee directed told us the Broomsticks was still serving the frozen version.
Here are some tips:
1. If you don't want an Ollivander wand (the wands based on your birthdate), buy the character wands at the front of the park or at the main store at the Studios. Dervish and Bangs was a mad house!
2. If you are staying onsite, take advantage of the early hour entrance to HP. It made a world of difference! We rode FJ twice, and then watched the Ollivander experience prior to opening. Once the park opened, HP became a mad house. We then did the castle tour so I could take pictures . . . make sure you hang around Dumbledore's office to watch the floating books and stick around the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom for at least 15 minutes so you can watch the surprise!
3. I didn't learn this until day 2, because the employee manning the Butterbeer cart forgot to tell me. You can refill your Butterbeer mug with fountain drinks for only $.85! After the bar keep at Hog's Head told us this when we purchased our second commemorative mug, we got drunk on Coke Zero for the next two days!
Thanks everyone from these boards for providing great tips! If anyone has any questions, let me know. I will be posting a trip report soon with lots of pictures.
- IoA has frozen butterbeer. We loved this stuff! I've tried the infamous Dole Whips at WDW, and hated them (I do not like tart flavors), so I much preferred the butterscotchy goodness of butterbeer!
- Universal has the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was blown away by the level of detail inside Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. For example, the Sorting Hat animatonic looked like it had been plucked straight from the movies. Simply amazing!
- The lack of strollers (and crowds in general with the exception of Harry Potter section). The crowds at Disney the week of Memorial Day were sometimes overwhelming, especially navigating the walkaways. At Uni, the walkway crowds were very manageable.
- The friendliness of the staff at RPR and the parks. Everywhere we went, we found friendly staff who greeted us warmly. At Disney, I could tell the castmembers were worn out from the crowds.
- The Royal Pacific Resort. Lovely hotel! We had stayed at Coronado Springs the week prior, and the contrast between the two resorts was startling. Now, I know that CSR is not a deluxe level resort, but I was dismayed with how unfriendly the CSR staff was. At RPR, everyone was so friendly!
- More thrill rides. My DD and DH love thrill rides (last year, we drove 13 hours to Cedar Point, and they LOVED it). We especially liked Spiderman, Hulk, Mummy, Simpsons, and MIB. We didn't care for Rip Rockit.
- The cheekiness of the attractions. I loved the irreverant humor everywhere (especially in Shrek and the Simpsons). While I will always love Disney, a little dry humor was refreshing!
- The compactness of the resorts and proximity to the parks. After Disney, my legs and feet were worn out. It was so nice not to have to walk forever to get from attraction to attraction. Also, FOTL access was awesome.
- The quality of the restaurants. We ordered room service one night at RPR, and the food was great. Also, our dinner at Hard Rock was the best of the trip (and we also dined at Le Cellier/Brown Derby/etc while at Disney).
My one concern was the massive crowds in Harry Potter. I really hope that Uni decides to expand HP, since it could really use some additional space to disperse the crowds. When I mentioned this to DD, she said she would LOVE to see an area devoted to the Forbidden Forest or Diagon Alley. Sounds like a grand idea to me! Also, our second day at HP, the frozen butter beer machines weren't working at the Hog's Head nor the carts. We were able to get the frozen version at the Three Broomsticks. So, if this happens to you, ask around--a friendly employee directed told us the Broomsticks was still serving the frozen version.
Here are some tips:
1. If you don't want an Ollivander wand (the wands based on your birthdate), buy the character wands at the front of the park or at the main store at the Studios. Dervish and Bangs was a mad house!
2. If you are staying onsite, take advantage of the early hour entrance to HP. It made a world of difference! We rode FJ twice, and then watched the Ollivander experience prior to opening. Once the park opened, HP became a mad house. We then did the castle tour so I could take pictures . . . make sure you hang around Dumbledore's office to watch the floating books and stick around the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom for at least 15 minutes so you can watch the surprise!
3. I didn't learn this until day 2, because the employee manning the Butterbeer cart forgot to tell me. You can refill your Butterbeer mug with fountain drinks for only $.85! After the bar keep at Hog's Head told us this when we purchased our second commemorative mug, we got drunk on Coke Zero for the next two days!
Thanks everyone from these boards for providing great tips! If anyone has any questions, let me know. I will be posting a trip report soon with lots of pictures.
