Just Back!

[The Duchess]

Just back from unplanned 3-1/2 days at Universal at Hard Rock Hotel.
DH had to go on business so we tagged along....

Did NOT know it was the HP 7 DVD Release weekend! Crazy!

Pros :
Loved WWoHP. Even DH was very impressed and he has practically no HP knowledge. It WAS packed, but we managed to ride Forbidden Journey twice on EA. Awesome ride. Hogsmeade was Amazing. Never got into Ollivander's tho. Caught a glimpse of Arthur Weasley who was there for the DVD Release.
Butterbeer was pretty good.

Churascarria (sp? DS kept calling it Chupacabra so I'm confused!) at Latin Quarter in CW was very good. Bubba Gump had great theming and the food was pretty good.

Loved pool service at HRH.

MiB is still a great ride.

The Island Company Clothing Store has GREAT stuff.

Universal Express Pass is a MUST. Also comes with staying on site.


Cons :
What is up with the fingerprint scan? It did NOT work ONCE for me and was totally aggravating and time consuming. It irritates everyone in line. We saw a LOT of people who had problems with this, so much that we actually complained to management. I'm sorry if they have a problem with fraudulent tickets, but that's NOT my problem. Aggravating and angering a large portion of honest people is NOT the way to solve the problem. The whole think caused us to question EVER returning to Universal.

There's also a finger scanner for the lockers at HP Forbidden Journey. Also did not work for DS or the couple who had the locker directly above us. Had to have them manually opened. Also, the lockers are mayhem. You get dumped into them going into the ride then have to return after the ride.
Also, not sure how people don't just hop back in line for the ride after detouring through the locker area....you would miss a good 3/4 of the line and no one seemed to be checking. Not sure why the lockers aren't double doored at either end to avoid this mess.

Why was my Park Ticket NOT on my room card??

Not a lot of quality restaurants. Heard mixed reviews on Mythos so we skipped it. In addition to Churascarria and Bubba Gump we ate at Hard Rock (okay) The Kitchen at HRH (food was REALLY salty and I love salt...the people behind us complained as well) Nascar (wanted to watch Bruins...food was meh)


Other :
Didn't do big coasters...not my thing....but they looked cool....especially Hulk.

You WILL get soaked on the water rides...Jurrasic Park, Dudley Do-Rights RIP Falls and the Bluto (?) Raft ride.

Get the Press Pot for coffee at breakfast if you eat at The Kitchen.

Get to WWoHP for Early Admission. Don't miss Forbidden Journey.

 

[natebenma]

Thanks for your review and tips/suggestions!

I totally agree with you about the finger scans. My kids had trouble several times when we were trying to get through the entry turnstiles. Yes, my 10 year old is trying to rip off Universal! Just like you encountered, they really didn't have an efficient way to correct this when there was a problem.

That's cool that you were there on the DVD release weekend. We were there in July the week DHP2 was released in theaters. There was also a Harry Potter fan convention going on during our trip. It was really fun to see so many people in costume.

I love that your son calls the Brazillian restaurant "Chupacabra" We also ate at Bubba Gumps and were impressed by the food.

 

[Tink2Day]

I'm confused about the fingerprint scan comment....
They scan your fingerprint at WDW too and I had to try every finger on both hands every time I went in there since I have very odd fingerprints. Didn't have an issue at IOA, just had to try two different fingers.

 

[Bluer101]

We are AP holders and only my DW has has some problems. If you put your finger on the scanner the same exact spot each time then we get no problems. If you are off by just a little then no match.

 

[fairyprincess88]

I was just down there this weekend for the Potter Celebration, and I too had issues with the finger scanner, not at all times but quite a few of them. However, the same thing happens to me at Disney all the time too so I can't hold it against Universal. Apparently those things are just tempermental no matter what park it is. I wouldn't let it stop me from going to either Disney or Universal though, even if it is a pain in the butt.

I give you props for being able to handle the crowds in WWoHP though. I was thanking the theme park gods everyday this weekend that we got in at 6 AM and were heading out of that section when everyone else was heading in. We basically did all we wanted in that section from 6-8 then got a butterbeer and chilled as the early entry folks moved in until they let us leave into the rest of the park. Watching the herds running through as we were leaving each morning made me feel like getting up at 4:30 AM was a blessing rather than the curse I making it when the alarm went off each day.

 

[macraven]

you posted, Why was my Park Ticket NOT on my room card??

the onsite hotels are not owned by universal.
rph and pbh are loews owned, hrh by another group.
those hotels are only on universal property, they have no other connection to UO.


tickets have never been a part on the room keys.
that is a disney thing.

glad the op posted a trippie.
i love reading them.