Last minute change of plans - Help!

[crusoe2]

We leave Saturday (yep, THIS Saturday) for Orlando. We were planning on doing the Disney parks as usual but some last minute financial setbacks as well as a couple other issues are making us reconsider our plans. The current deal on the Universal/IOA tickets would be a huge money saver so we are pretty sure that we're going to make the leap. Fortunately I'd been looking at information on Universal cause I'd actually been trying to talk my crew into doing something different this time. So I know some of the basics but we've never done Universal at all so I'm sure there is lots I still don't know. I'm hoping those of you who go a lot can help me out with quickly putting together a new plan for next week.

So here's our situation - we're staying at Windsor Hills in a condo that can't be cancelled so we definitely will not be able to take advantage of the Express pass deal for resort guests and we'd rather not spend the extra for this if we can get by without it. There will be me, DH, 17yo DS (who does NOT do thrill rides) and 6yo DD (who thinks she can do anything). My plan is to go online and order the $99 tickets by tomorrow night at the latest and pick them up at the park cause we'd rather have the wallet size. We'll have Sunday thru Friday (June 21-25) to do the parks and would like to take a fairly easy pace because I'm dealing with back problems. I think I can do most of the rides but will probably need to stop and rest more frequently than usual and may need to alternate park days with recovery days at the condo. Between my back problems, the fact that DS doesn't do coasters anyway, DD is probably too short, and DH may not fit in the seats - we probably won't be doing any of the big coasters.

Some of the things I have questions about:
1) What kind of crowds should we expect next week?
2) I know there are lots of places to get wet (which will probably feel great in this heat) but how do you guys handle that? For instance, can I let my 6yo wear her swimsuit under her clothes and let her play in just her swimsuit? What about drying off afterwards - does anyone fool with taking a towel or do you air dry? And do the adults play in these areas as well or are they really just for kids? Oh, and if I don't want to get wet, will I be able to keep up with my 6yo pretty easily or will I get drenched trying to keep an eye on her? I had not worried about buying quick dry clothes esp for doing the water activities and now I don't really have the time or the money for that.
3) How early should we get to the parks? Do onsite guests still get in early? If so, what is the schedule for that? Can offsite guests work around the early entry park of the day or do both parks allow onsite guests in early everyday?
4) I looked into doing the character meal at Confisco's and I'm not clear on something. When I read the info on the official Universal site, it seemed to indicate that I have to buy tickets and then call or email to see if there is seating available. Is that correct? If so, what if I buy tickets and then can't book the meal?
5) What is the easiest/quickest way to get from Windsor Hills to the Universal parks?

Okay, that's all I can think of for now altho I'm sure I'll have more questions later. I would appreciate any tips or advice anyone has to share. TIA

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

My plan is to go online and order the $99 tickets by tomorrow night at the latest and pick them up at the park cause we'd rather have the wallet size.

if you print them at home when you validate them at the KIOSk you will get wallet sized passcards

1) What kind of crowds should we expect next week?

If you are use to disney crowds you will think the crowds at US/IOA are low.

You can expect big lines at IOA for Hulk (you'll be skipping, Spiderman (do first thing in the morning or will be a very long wait), Duelling Dragons (again, youll be skipping), Doomsday Drop (my guess is you will skip this), Jurasik Park (flume ride with drop), Ripshaw Falls (flume ride with big drop), Popeye (river rapids). You can expect big lines at US for MIB, Simpsons (go to first, huge lines), Jaws, Mummy (youll be skipping this). Otherwise most other rides should have manageable lines.

2) I know there are lots of places to get wet (which will probably feel great in this heat) but how do you guys handle that? For instance, can I let my 6yo wear her swimsuit under her clothes and let her play in just her swimsuit? What about drying off afterwards - does anyone fool with taking a towel or do you air dry? And do the adults play in these areas as well or are they really just for kids? Oh, and if I don't want to get wet, will I be able to keep up with my 6yo pretty easily or will I get drenched trying to keep an eye on her?

At IOA there are many places to get wet (rip shaw falls, popeye, jurasik park, talking fountain, sprays and buckets in toonland). At US there is a childrens play area for water but there are no real water rides or attractions. We get a locker and wear bathing suits when going onthe water rides and do them all together. We also bring towels as Popeye and Ripshaw falls are drenching. Popeye especially. Play areas are for all. As for you getting wet, depends on where and what - If you go on Popeye expect to be drenched head to toe, ripshaw falls, a good soaking too).

3) How early should we get to the parks? Do onsite guests still get in early? If so, what is the schedule for that? Can offsite guests work around the early entry park of the day or do both parks allow onsite guests in early everyday?

They post park openings at 9am but often up earlier. I would get there at park openeing to avoid the crowds as the resorts guests usually sleep in because they have FOTL access (much different approach then wdw parks).

4) I looked into doing the character meal at Confisco's and I'm not clear on something. When I read the info on the official Universal site, it seemed to indicate that I have to buy tickets and then call or email to see if there is seating available. Is that correct? If so, what if I buy tickets and then can't book the meal?

I dont know the answer to these questions but from what i have read they are not a practical use of money. if money is tight I'd skip this all together. And keep in mind the food (other than city walk and mythos) is nothing like wdw dining. It is much cheaper but the quality, imo, reflects the prices.

5) What is the easiest/quickest way to get from Windsor Hills to the Universal parks?

Unknown off the top of my head as we always stay on-site, but google should be able to help you there.

Feel free to ask more questions here (and/or send a PM with questions)

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

Some of the things I have questions about:
1) What kind of crowds should we expect next week?

It'll be crowded but manageable. Like Boston said, if you can do Disney, you can manage Universal.

2) I know there are lots of places to get wet (which will probably feel great in this heat) but how do you guys handle that? For instance, can I let my 6yo wear her swimsuit under her clothes and let her play in just her swimsuit? What about drying off afterwards - does anyone fool with taking a towel or do you air dry? And do the adults play in these areas as well or are they really just for kids? Oh, and if I don't want to get wet, will I be able to keep up with my 6yo pretty easily or will I get drenched trying to keep an eye on her? I had not worried about buying quick dry clothes esp for doing the water activities and now I don't really have the time or the money for that.

You can do the swimsuit idea. They have lockers for rent near the big water rides but since they're not mandatory to use for the rides, they do charge. But what we do is take a book bag and change. It's not a bad idea to go this route since the only other rides you can't take your bags on are the coasters which you'll be skipping. If you want to, designate certain days as "wet days" to take advantage of this.

3) How early should we get to the parks? Do onsite guests still get in early? If so, what is the schedule for that? Can offsite guests work around the early entry park of the day or do both parks allow onsite guests in early everyday?

There is no early entry for on-site guests. Sometimes the parks open a bit earlier than the 9:00 posted opening time.. like 8:45 or so.. but for the most part, it's 9:00 and it's for all guests.

4) I looked into doing the character meal at Confisco's and I'm not clear on something. When I read the info on the official Universal site, it seemed to indicate that I have to buy tickets and then call or email to see if there is seating available. Is that correct? If so, what if I buy tickets and then can't book the meal?

It just means that you need admission for park entry. Your ticket will allow you into both parks so you'll have admission. But the reservation for the meal depends on availability. You should be fine though. They even take walk-ups.

 

[QT Pooh]

The quickest way to get to USO from Windsor Hills is to take a right onto Rte 192 and then take Route 4 East - then follow signs. It will take you 20 minutes at most (unless there's an accident on the highway) and another 20 minutes to get parked & to the park (kind of a long walk from the garage).

We're leaving Saturday ourselves...maybe we'll see you there!!

 

[mjohnson96]

Hey guess what we leave Saturday too...but it will take us until Monday to actually get into Orlando.

I have been checking the wait times the last few days on the following link

http://secure.universalstudios.com/MobileWeb/ParkMenu.aspx

and so far the worst wait time in the afternoons is the Ripsaw Falls, it is currently at 90 minutes. Other than that, you should be able to do the big line rides first thing in the morning and go from there. Especially if you are not going to be doing the coasters.

We got my DD 6 a Sponge Bob 2 piece bathing suit so she can have some fun in the wet areas. So if you see a small girl in a Sponge Bob suit hanging out with her very pregnant mom wave!

 

[ky07]

We will be there on sunday

 

[patster734]

if you print them at home when you validate them at the KIOSk you will get wallet sized passcards


If you are use to disney crowds you will think the crowds at US/IOA are low.

You can expect big lines at IOA for Hulk (you'll be skipping, Spiderman (do first thing in the morning or will be a very long wait), Duelling Dragons (again, youll be skipping), Doomsday Drop (my guess is you will skip this), Jurasik Park (flume ride with drop), Ripshaw Falls (flume ride with big drop), Popeye (river rapids). You can expect big lines at US for MIB, Simpsons (go to first, huge lines), Jaws, Mummy (youll be skipping this). Otherwise most other rides should have manageable lines.



At IOA there are many places to get wet (rip shaw falls, popeye, jurasik park, talking fountain, sprays and buckets in toonland). At US there is a childrens play area for water but there are no real water rides or attractions. We get a locker and wear bathing suits when going onthe water rides and do them all together. We also bring towels as Popeye and Ripshaw falls are drenching. Popeye especially. Play areas are for all. As for you getting wet, depends on where and what - If you go on Popeye expect to be drenched head to toe, ripshaw falls, a good soaking too).



They post park openings at 9am but often up earlier. I would get there at park openeing to avoid the crowds as the resorts guests usually sleep in because they have FOTL access (much different approach then wdw parks).


I dont know the answer to these questions but from what i have read they are not a practical use of money. if money is tight I'd skip this all together. And keep in mind the food (other than city walk and mythos) is nothing like wdw dining. It is much cheaper but the quality, imo, reflects the prices.


Unknown off the top of my head as we always stay on-site, but google should be able to help you there.

Feel free to ask more questions here (and/or send a PM with questions)

I agree with all of this except for the part I bolded above. At USF, you can get a pretty good soaking at Twister, depending upon where you stand.

 

[Metro West]

if you print them at home when you validate them at the KIOSk you will get wallet sized passcards

Electronic pick up is the way to go here...no need to print at home because those sheets of paper ARE your tickets. You would then have to go to Guest Services if you wanted to exchange them for the regular tickets. To do electronic pickup, all you need is the credit card and confirmation #.

 

[damo]

Electronic pick up is the way to go here...no need to print at home because those sheets of paper ARE your tickets. You would then have to go to Guest Services if you wanted to exchange them for the regular tickets. To do electronic pickup, all you need is the credit card and confirmation #.

Yup. Just to clarify ...

Print at home = print at home sheets that are your tickets unless you want to waste time by going to guest services and getting smaller tickets

Kiosk pick up (this is not guest services) = small sized tickets without the need to stand in line at guest services

 

[re121258]

We get there on Sunday.

 

[crusoe2]

Thanks for all the great information and mjohnson96, thanks for the link - I'm going to send it to my DH and see if he can pull that up on his Blackberry. That would be great info to have at our fingertips while we're in the parks.

Any suggestions on which days to do which parks or is this not an issue like at Disney? I was just trying to decide whether to head over on Sunday or take that day to settle in and recoup from the drive down. My back may not leave me a choice since we'll be in the car for about 7 hours on Saturday. But I was just wondering if weekends are busier than weekdays or if it really doesn't matter at this time of year.

 

[*LittleMermaid*]

if you print them at home when you validate them at the KIOSk you will get wallet sized passcards


If you are use to disney crowds you will think the crowds at US/IOA are low.

You can expect big lines at IOA for Hulk (you'll be skipping, Spiderman (do first thing in the morning or will be a very long wait), Duelling Dragons (again, youll be skipping), Doomsday Drop (my guess is you will skip this), Jurasik Park (flume ride with drop), Ripshaw Falls (flume ride with big drop), Popeye (river rapids). You can expect big lines at US for MIB, Simpsons (go to first, huge lines), Jaws, Mummy (youll be skipping this). Otherwise most other rides should have manageable lines.



At IOA there are many places to get wet (rip shaw falls, popeye, jurasik park, talking fountain, sprays and buckets in toonland). At US there is a childrens play area for water but there are no real water rides or attractions. We get a locker and wear bathing suits when going onthe water rides and do them all together. We also bring towels as Popeye and Ripshaw falls are drenching. Popeye especially. Play areas are for all. As for you getting wet, depends on where and what - If you go on Popeye expect to be drenched head to toe, ripshaw falls, a good soaking too).



They post park openings at 9am but often up earlier. I would get there at park openeing to avoid the crowds as the resorts guests usually sleep in because they have FOTL access (much different approach then wdw parks).


I dont know the answer to these questions but from what i have read they are not a practical use of money. if money is tight I'd skip this all together. And keep in mind the food (other than city walk and mythos) is nothing like wdw dining. It is much cheaper but the quality, imo, reflects the prices.


Unknown off the top of my head as we always stay on-site, but google should be able to help you there.

Feel free to ask more questions here (and/or send a PM with questions)

It is not true that you can validate print at home into the electronic kiosks. if you swipe your credit card and you have print at home, your order will not even be found. The only way to change them would be to go to Guest Services. Or just choose electronic pick up from the beginning.

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

It is not true that you can validate print at home into the electronic kiosks. if you swipe your credit card and you have print at home, your order will not even be found. The only way to change them would be to go to Guest Services. Or just choose electronic pick up from the beginning.

I had meant guest services kiosk (not the self service electronic kiosks). I apologize for the confusion. "*LittleMermaid*" is absoutely correct in her explanation.

 

[MarkMichaels]

There is no early entry for on-site guests. Sometimes the parks open a bit earlier than the 9:00 posted opening time.. like 8:45 or so.. but for the most part, it's 9:00 and it's for all guests.

This quote is on the Universal site when you book a package-

PLUS, Early Park Admission◊ to experience some of Universal Studios Florida’s most popular attractions before the rest of the general public!

Here is the fine print -

Offers and benefits subject to change without notice. Requires theme park admission. Early Park Admission begins thirty minutes prior to Universal Studios Florida regular opening hour. If technical problems arise or the opening of the attraction is delayed another Universal Studios attraction will be open for Early Park Admission. Offer valid 7 days a week for travel through 12/21/09. Only valid at Shrek 4-D, Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast, and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (opens Spring 2009) for Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations guests who purchased a complete vacation including hotel and theme park admission.

We booked two rooms at the Hard Rock directly thru the Universal website, I wonder if we qualify for this? I know we don't really need it with FOTL, but I like to go early in the morning before the crowds set in.

Mark