Just got back, Fri & Sat at the parks, so worth it to get there early!!!!

[Snoopymom]

We were there two weeks ago and never got to the parks before 10:00. but this past weekend it was just 5 yr old ds and I, so it was easier with just the two of us, to get there before the gates open and what a huge difference!

Even if you're staying on site with fotl, you'll appreciate how uncrowded and easy it is to get around. It's cooler, the cm's are friendlier, and you'll get a chance to enjoy the theming so much more.

To give you an idea, on Sat at Universal we did MIB two times, Jaws, ET, Woody Woodpecker two times, ds played at the Curious George splash area for 40 minutes (with only two other kids there, which made it so much easier to keep an eye on him), and the Barney show all before 11:30!

After that, it took us until 2:00 to do Earthquake, Jimmy Neutron and Shrek with only stopping for a pretzel and a coke.

I know getting there early is what everyone advises, but I promise it really is worth whatever nagging and dragging you may have to do, LOL.

 

[ms.ojo]

Thanks Snoopy Mom. Glad you had such a nice visit!!

Tell me, what were some of your daughters favorites??? (rides/shows & eating!) I'll be traveling in Dec w/ ds(just 6) and dd (almost 3)

Thanks!!

 

[Snoopymom]

Tell me, what were some of your daughters favorites??? (rides/shows & eating!) I'll be traveling in Dec w/ ds(just 6) and dd (almost 3)

QUOTE]


Well, ds just turned 5 and he's fearless, but he still loves the little kid stuff too, so that's hard to answer, LOL. You might want to check out my first trip report from two weeks ago over on that board.

He says that his favorite ride is MIB. He also loved Spiderman, but both times he looked a little scared through it. He liked Jurasic Park River Adventure, Twister and Earthquake, but he was scared just waiting in line for Posiden's Fury, so we didn't stay for it.

Overall, he seemed to have the most fun at the Spiderman breakfast, riding the Flying Unicorn 5 times in a row, Jimmy Nuetron, Shrek, Popeye 3 times in a row, playing in the Curious George area and watching the Sinbad and Barney shows.

As for food, we bopped into the Comic Strip Cafe at IOA because there was no line. We had the chicken finger basket which was surprisingly good, hot, fresh, and big enough for the two of us to share, 4 strips on top of a bunch of fries with a refillable small coke for about $10. We were wet and cold (yes cold, LOL, the air conditioning is freezing once you're wet) so we ate outside and watched the Popeye characters dance around and sign autographs which was fun. Earlier we shared some watermellon from a cart somewhere for about $2 which is his favorite snack.

Hope this helps. Have fun!

 

[robvia]

Glad you had a great time.

I repeat myself over and over talking about the advantages of arriving early. Your response is the exact reason why I keep doing it.

1. You get front seat rides on the coasters.
2. The kid play areas are less crowded before 11am.
3. The walkways are less crowded.
4. The lines for food and drinks are less.
5. It's not as hot.

The reason this works so well at USF/IOA, is the rides have a short pre show, if any at all. This means you can go on them over and over. If you try this at Disney, you only get a couple rides before the crowd catches up. That's because the pre show for each ride is usually a few minutes. Still good to arrive early, but it really pays off at IOA.

 

[Motherfletcher]

...all before 11:30!
I know getting there early is what everyone advises, but I promise it really is worth whatever nagging and dragging you may have to do, LOL.

We usually leave at 11:30 because the park is filling up by then. My kids complain every time but I'm always at the turnstiles when the parks open! I think you could have saved some time if you would've hit Jimmy and Shrek before MIB but it is fun to be on the far end of the park when no one else is there.

 

[silverangel879]

I'm going with my boyfriend on July 25-30 and we are planning to get early to the parks but we don't know how early is good...An hour before open?

Thanks !

 

[phamton]

Silverangel, I'd plan on being at the gates by 8:30 AM.

 

[silverangel879]

Thanks, phamton! I think we'll try between 30 and 45 mins...

 

[ms.ojo]

Tell me, what were some of your daughters favorites??? (rides/shows & eating!) I'll be traveling in Dec w/ ds(just 6) and dd (almost 3)

QUOTE]


Well, ds just turned 5 and he's fearless, but he still loves the little kid stuff too, so that's hard to answer, LOL. You might want to check out my first trip report from two weeks ago over on that board.

He says that his favorite ride is MIB. He also loved Spiderman, but both times he looked a little scared through it. He liked Jurasic Park River Adventure, Twister and Earthquake, but he was scared just waiting in line for Posiden's Fury, so we didn't stay for it.

Overall, he seemed to have the most fun at the Spiderman breakfast, riding the Flying Unicorn 5 times in a row, Jimmy Nuetron, Shrek, Popeye 3 times in a row, playing in the Curious George area and watching the Sinbad and Barney shows.

As for food, we bopped into the Comic Strip Cafe at IOA because there was no line. We had the chicken finger basket which was surprisingly good, hot, fresh, and big enough for the two of us to share, 4 strips on top of a bunch of fries with a refillable small coke for about $10. We were wet and cold (yes cold, LOL, the air conditioning is freezing once you're wet) so we ate outside and watched the Popeye characters dance around and sign autographs which was fun. Earlier we shared some watermellon from a cart somewhere for about $2 which is his favorite snack.

Hope this helps. Have fun!

Thank you very much!!!!

 

[robvia]

The parking garage opens at 8am, and at 07:45am, there is a line of cars waiting. You want to be there at 8am, put on your sun tan lotion, walk thru citywalk, and be one of the first standing at the turnstyle. In the summer, they often open a little bit early at 08:45am or even 08:30am. Here's my web site to show you what it looks like.
http://www.nogodforme.com/arriveearly.htm

 

[Snoopymom]

I think you could have saved some time if you would've hit Jimmy and Shrek before MIB but it is fun to be on the far end of the park when no one else is there.

Yes, you're right, you probably could do everything in order and stay ahead of the crowds for most of the morning, thanks for the tip for next time. It sure was neat to be the first to ride MIB and feel like you owned the park, LOL.