Looking for Advice

[jackal]

Well, I finally kind of got my vacation planned. We originally had 9 nights booked at RPH, but I got worried because we are not Harry Potter fans and DD8 is not big on dark rides or roller coasters at all. DH and DD16 love the coasters but are not Harry Potter fans. And this will be our last vacation for some time so I thought we would split it up with Disney. I know everyone says to do Disney at the beginning of the trip, but it just won't work out that way.

What I need advice is how many days realistically we need at US/IOA.
We will arrive at RPH around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 23. I want to take that Saturday and US, the MardiGras parade, etc. So, I would imagine we would be in the parks from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Then Sunday, wake up, do Harry Potter early, do IOA that day. Maybe me and DD8 go back to the hotel mid afternoon and do a swim then head back to the parks.
Monday is our Seaworld Day.
Tuesday - wake up - go back to the parks do everything we still want to do and head over to Disney about 3:00 p.m. OR stay the rest of the day on Tuesday at US/IOA and head to Disney on Wednesday morning.

The only problem I see in heading over to Disney Wednesday Morning is we lose a lot of early morning touring and I think that is essential at Disney.
Thursday is Discovery Cove.
Friday, Sat., Sun is Disney and we leave Monday.

So, given our family dynamic, would you leave RPH on Tuesday around 3 and head to Disney or do you think we will need that whole day on Tuesday to get everything in at US/IOA that we didn't get in on Sat. and Sunday?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[tinydancer09]

Well, I finally kind of got my vacation planned. We originally had 9 nights booked at RPH, but I got worried because we are not Harry Potter fans and DD8 is not big on dark rides or roller coasters at all. DH and DD16 love the coasters but are not Harry Potter fans. And this will be our last vacation for some time so I thought we would split it up with Disney. I know everyone says to do Disney at the beginning of the trip, but it just won't work out that way.

What I need advice is how many days realistically we need at US/IOA.
We will arrive at RPH around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 23. I want to take that Saturday and US, the MardiGras parade, etc. So, I would imagine we would be in the parks from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Then Sunday, wake up, do Harry Potter early, do IOA that day. Maybe me and DD8 go back to the hotel mid afternoon and do a swim then head back to the parks.
Monday is our Seaworld Day.
Tuesday - wake up - go back to the parks do everything we still want to do and head over to Disney about 3:00 p.m. OR stay the rest of the day on Tuesday at US/IOA and head to Disney on Wednesday morning.

The only problem I see in heading over to Disney Wednesday Morning is we lose a lot of early morning touring and I think that is essential at Disney.
Thursday is Discovery Cove.
Friday, Sat., Sun is Disney and we leave Monday.

So, given our family dynamic, would you leave RPH on Tuesday around 3 and head to Disney or do you think we will need that whole day on Tuesday to get everything in at US/IOA that we didn't get in on Sat. and Sunday?

Thanks for any advice!

To be completely honest you should be able to do everything you want to do at US the day you get there that Saturday. With the hotel fast passes US takes no time to do at all. In fact you might be able to send your DH and DD over to IOA Saturday night to start tackling the big rides that the youngest and you won't be riding. That way you can spend Sunday night after dinner redoing everything you want to do. You don't want to tire the youngest out too early in the trip so just remember to be patient and that the value of your ticket doesn't depend on how many rides you rode but rather that everyone is enjoying their time.

I would say go ahead and go to Disney the full day on Tuesday. I would even recommend doing Magic Kingdom this day as it tends to be less crowded towards the middle of the week.

Friday-Saturday do the other three disney parks of course. Remember Magic Kingdom is generally open a lot later than the other parks so anything you would like to redo here do at night when the crowds are low so that you can spend the last day of your trip redoing every other park that isn't open too late.

The only thing I would urge most is don't over buy tickets. I'm not sure how it works for disney but I'm sure its about the same. Once you buy your tickets you can generally upgrade or add an extra day before you leave the park on your last day. If you happen to need an extra day at universal you can add it on that Saturday night for Tuesday.

Also, and I have said this a MILLION times on this board so everyone is probably getting tired of me. Buy at least one annual pass for IOA/US. You can get up to 30% off your hotel stay which pays for the ticket itself esp with a 7day stay and you get 10-15% off food. Of course don't do this until you call the hotel and see if it would benefit your stay. Sometimes a discount has already been taken and or AP discounts are already all used up. A preferred pass only costs $229 (240 something with tax) and it will save you on most of your meals you eat at the hotel, park, or city walk.

 

[jackal]

Thank you so much Tinydancer. Lots of great information and advice! I did look into the annual pass, but we are going for spring break so I couldn't get the room discount. it would have been nice. I was thinking of buying it anyway for the food discount, etc.

Sounds like we should get everything done in the 1 full day and 2 shorter days. I was hoping for that!

 

[tinydancer09]

You're welcome. I hope y'all enjoy your stay! Can't wait til our vacation....*looks down* 8Months 1 Week 5 days and 10, 9, 8, 7....

 

[macraven]

Well, I finally kind of got my vacation planned. We originally had 9 nights booked at RPH, but I got worried because we are not Harry Potter fans and DD8 is not big on dark rides or roller coasters at all. DH and DD16 love the coasters but are not Harry Potter fans. And this will be our last vacation for some time so I thought we would split it up with Disney. I know everyone says to do Disney at the beginning of the trip, but it just won't work out that way.

What I need advice is how many days realistically we need at US/IOA.
We will arrive at RPH around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 23. I want to take that Saturday and US, the MardiGras parade, etc. So, I would imagine we would be in the parks from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Then Sunday, wake up, do Harry Potter early, do IOA that day. Maybe me and DD8 go back to the hotel mid afternoon and do a swim then head back to the parks.
Monday is our Seaworld Day.
Tuesday - wake up - go back to the parks do everything we still want to do and head over to Disney about 3:00 p.m. OR stay the rest of the day on Tuesday at US/IOA and head to Disney on Wednesday morning.

The only problem I see in heading over to Disney Wednesday Morning is we lose a lot of early morning touring and I think that is essential at Disney.
Thursday is Discovery Cove.
Friday, Sat., Sun is Disney and we leave Monday.

So, given our family dynamic, would you leave RPH on Tuesday around 3 and head to Disney or do you think we will need that whole day on Tuesday to get everything in at US/IOA that we didn't get in on Sat. and Sunday?

Thanks for any advice!

welcome to the darkside.
hope you will enjoy your time at the parks.

i go annually each year on a split resort trip.
i'm gone for 16 days with staying at the motherland the first 7 days then the rest at the darkside hotels.

i am going solo and wondering just opposite of you....
will i have enough time to do everything in 9 days at universal....?
i'm not a parry hotter fan but do that section and the rides.

so you plan on being in the parks saturday from 1:00 to closing.
you will need to be in the studio park that afternoon, do the rides you want before the crowds come in for the parade.
won't there be a free concert that night?
i didn't look it up so not sure at this point.


if you want to leave right after the parade, position yourself on the other side so you won't be stuck in the crowds when it's over.

be sure to catch beads.....
you don't have to flash for them.....


do the early entry for ioa on sunday.
like i said, i'm not into potter but the FJ ride is kewl.
butterbeer rules.
then move on to another section.

if you stay ahead of the crowds, you will get a lot done before crowds start.

on monday, you can take the free bus from your hotel to seaworld.
you won't have to drive and pay for parking at sw then.

i would probably do early entry on tuesday before heading over to the motherland.

when i do the shows, i usually have to use 2 different days due to the timing of them.

try to catch make up horror show.
it is fun.
sinbad at ioa is good.
take time at the mystic fountain.
listen to the interaction of a 1000 year old rock with the kids.

so many of the rides i do the regular line early in the morning in order to catch the ambiance and build up of story line before the ride.
mummy, MIB, Dr Doom, Hulk, ET and spidy.

if you only do the express line for those rides above, you will miss a lot of entertain and story line build up by skipping the regular line.

i do the regular line early and then switch to express once lines are forming.


play it by ear on how to handle tuesday.

if you saw everything and highlights on the prior days, use tuesday up to noon to do repeats of favorites. at this point you would only have spent 1.5 days in the parks. if you do tuesday til afternoon, that would give you 2 full days there at uo.
then switch in the afternoon to disney.

if you need more time, then keep the option open on switching tue or wed.
that would be depending on which day is the start of the disney hotel.


you would have 4 full days and what is left on monday for the motherland.
it all depends on what your family wants to do.


for me, i can not go to orlando without staying at both resorts for a decent time period.

i have done 10 days at disney and 6 at universal but started switching to more of a longer stay at universal the last 4 years.



the reason many suggest to start the vacation at disney and then move to the universal resorts is due to the perks involved.

there is a lot less walking at UO.
walking from the hotel to the park or water taxi is not time consuming.

you can pool hop at each of the 3 on site hotels.
it is encouraged.

guests are allowed unlimited useage of the express lines for the shows and rides. there are very limited waits involved.

it is a slower pace at the universal hotels.
less rushing, the ability to relax and not have to plan in advance all your days and still be able to enjoy the parks, city walk restaurants, pools and time.

if you enjoy the time at the darkside and want to stay longer, i guess you could extend it to tuesday evening.
as a hotel guest, your hotel card key allows you the amenities until park closing on the day you check out.

you could check out in the morning, go to the parks, come back to the hotel and use the pool in the late afternoon.
take in a dive in movie in the evening, then leave for disney that tuesday night.

you can upgrade your universal tickets before you leave the park on tuesday so you don't have to rebuy more tickets at a greater cost.

or, if the kids and you miss disney more than you thought you would, you could change your plans and leave tuesday morning for the rest of your vacation.

either way, you win.


if you have the AAA card, show it in the parks, hotel and city walk.
you can get 10% discount off of food and merch.

you can get up to 30% discount off the rooms also.
it has to be booked in advance though.

many buy the preferred annual pass for discounts but they are basically the same as the AAA ones.


be sure to return and let us know how your visit went for you and the fam at the darkside.

we are hopping you do enjoy your time there.

 

[macraven]

Thank you so much Tinydancer. Lots of great information and advice! I did look into the annual pass, but we are going for spring break so I couldn't get the room discount. it would have been nice. I was thinking of buying it anyway for the food discount, etc.

Sounds like we should get everything done in the 1 full day and 2 shorter days. I was hoping for that!

for chicagoland, my fee for AAA each year is now $42.

so much cheaper than buying the PAP.


and i use the AAA card for many things other than UO.
target on line discounts, hotel discounts across the states, flat tires and i get 3 free locksmith visits a year ..
i do lock the keys in the car on occassion.

that alone saves me about $100 each locksmith visit.

 

[jackal]

macraven, thanks so much! Great information. How this 9 night relaxing RPH vacation turned into a whirlwind of craziness is beyond me.

Do you think we should IOA on Saturday when we arrive over doing US? We do not want to see the Mardi Gras concert at all. I think we could live without the parade, too. MY DH hates parades Maybe for time consideration we should stay away from US on Saturday night? Although, DD8 has to go on the Simpson ride first.

 

[macraven]

macraven, thanks so much! Great information. How this 9 night relaxing RPH vacation turned into a whirlwind of craziness is beyond me.

Do you think we should IOA on Saturday when we arrive over doing US? We do not want to see the Mardi Gras concert at all. I think we could live without the parade, too. MY DH hates parades Maybe for time consideration we should stay away from US on Saturday night? Although, DD8 has to go on the Simpson ride first.

you will love doing a split stay.
it is like having 2 separate vacations with different things to look forward to!

since you arrive the day before Easter, i'm not sure what to tell you.
saturdays are usually the busiest days at the park. just like it is at mk.

drop in at ioa and use your express for the rides in the front and middle section.
concentrate on parry hotter section on sunday with the early entry perk.

go to the studios around 2:30.
hit the simpsons in the express line.
do MIB.

be at the parade site area where it all begins.
if you don't want to stay in the park later, it will be easier to exit.


Easter time is the one time i have not been in the parks.
i just don't know how to judge it.
i always tell how my personal experiences were in the parks but for this date, i have to rely on what i read in the posts.

i'm sure someone will come along and help you out with more info on that question you have.


i have read where homies will go to the studio side first on a saturday afternoon but leave there by 3:00 due to the crowds that will start building.
(due to parade and concerts)
switch over to the IOA side then until you decide to call it a day.

 

[Metro West]

i have read where homies will go to the studio side first on a saturday afternoon but leave there by 3:00 due to the crowds that will start building.
(due to parade and concerts) switch over to the IOA side then until you decide to call it a day.