My Universal & Loews Portofino Experience

[IMMkXLVI]

We recently returned from a weel spent at Universal Orlando while staying at the Portofino. The weather was supposed to be in the low to mid 70's but thanks to Canadian air, the warmest day was
67 and only for one of those days. Talk about poor timing. At least we knew and packed accordingly though most days, even at 55 degrees, it wasn't bad. We saw people walking around in t-shirts and shorts next to people wearing HH snow jackets and Arcteryx winter gear! We blended in with the snow gear people and I think I got a shiver every time I saw a kid in shorts.

Before the trip, I bought UOAP Preferred passes for the kids and the Premier for me. The parking benefits made it worth it since we have an EV and according to Universal CS, the only way to reach the EV charging spaces is with valet parking which is free with Premier. Portofino has 3 EV spaces, two for Tesla and just one for non Tesla so it wasn't anything I planned on factoring into our charging schedule.
It seemed like the owner of a Kia felt it was his/her personal charger and the 4 hour rule didn't apply. When ever I was in the garage, that car was in the only non Tesla spot connected to the level 1 charger they have.

Staying at the Portofino also granted us the UO Express Unlimited passes but our experience with this was one of mixed results that failed to live up to marketing hype. One issue we noticed with the Express Pass is that half the park, if not more, seem to be carrying the card as the Express Pass lines were always longer, and I do mean always. On Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride, each time we rode it, I would pick a person from the standby line and I'd "track" their advancement in comparison to ours. They moved in relative equilibrium with us, certainly more than I would have thought. This wasn't the case every time we rode the ride but it was true enough of the time to have been noticeable. Something else we noticed about lines at UO, line cutting is not discouraged by park staff and not even enforced when they're made aware. For the Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure which doesn't allow for Express Passes, we observed line cutting nearly every time we rode it. One time in particular, 3 men kept "excusing" their way past the crowd behind us before stopping 10 feet in front of us. One of them was pretending to be on the phone with someone ahead in the line claiming to be making their way to them but they didn't try advancing any further. Someone in front of us was getting vocal and 30 minutes later when we reached the end where the ride was, that group told the ride operators about the 3 men in front of them. Were they kicked off the ride? Nope. Were they even spoken to? Nope. We saw this kind of line cutting on several rides. We also saw people jump the dividers from standby to Express after we cleared the checkpoint.

Given the cost of Express Pass Unlimited as a standalone product, I don't see the value in it. Our EPU was included with our Portofino stay so its true cost was far less since our hotel cost was discounted and at a competitive rate. The Portofino charges for parking which Disney does not when booking with our DVC but even with that, it was still a better deal to stay at the Portofino than use DVC or our Hilton timeshare and stay off-site (from Universal property) when we factored in the cost of the EPU. Going forward, if we return to UO, I doubt we would stay on-site since the EPU isn't the value or time saver I had anticipated. The time of year and crowd sizes will influence this but I'd imagine the ratio of park attendees holding the EP & EPU is probably going to remain consistent with what we observed.

Upon exiting Islands of Adventure we were asked to fill out a survey, that survey seemed geared towards understanding how people feel about UO vs Disney. It asked us to compare UO to Disney in several metrics. I filled it out objectively, as a consumer and user of both parks but the lasting impression is that we much prefer Disney over UO. I cannot recall any cast interactions at Disney that weren't "magical". The entire staff at every Disney park seems to really enjoy working there and the smiles aren't forced or artificial. Once at Disney, the 3D glasses my son picked up didn't work. I ended up handing him mine so he could enjoy the ride. It was a favorite of his, with Remy themed after the movie. When the ride ended and the ride car parked, the cast member observed that I wasn't wearing the glasses at any point and asked why. I informed her of the issue and handed her the glasses before starting to walk off. She stopped me, retrieved another set of glasses and had us ride again without going back to the line.

Something similar happened at Universal. The glasses fell off his head and disappeared in the darkness. Once again, I gave him mine but unlike Disney, that ride operator didn't notice I wasn't wearing the glasses and even when I mentioned to him that one pair fell off and disappeared during the ride, he just said "okay". So aside from the fact one of us didn't get to enjoy the ride to its fullest, there is the issue of those glasses being somewhere that could be an issue of interference for the ride's mechanics.

There were other minor issues that separated UO from Disney. When we came off the first ride at Islands of Adventure on the first day, The Hulk roller-coaster, we opted to buy the picture package. I asked what packages were available and he said a one day and a 3 day. He never mentioned the 30 day or the yearly plan. The yearly plan with the Premier Pass discount was just $15 or so more than the 3 day which we bought. It wasn't until later that I noticed the other plans and I spent time I could have been on rides with guest relations trying to get them to upgrade the 3 day to the annual plan.
It was a convoluted process because they suggested upgrading to the 30 day, then when I had the receipt for the 3 day, return and they would reverse both and complete the annual plan. This was because that 3 day receipt was at the Portofino and not on me at the park since it wasn't the same day and I didn't keep receipts on me from days prior. The quick service restaurants have these self service soft drink machines that look like those at McDonalds. The first time visiting one of them, I put the cup down, filled it half way and walked away. I don't usually fill cups to the limit so it doesn't spill over carrying the cup (no lids are offered) and as a means of limiting how much I drink. Well I wanted a little bit more than I took so I went back but to my dismay, the cup didn't work anymore. It turns out, they use RFID on the bottom of the cup. There is no signage that says it is a one time fill cup. It calls it a one time use cup which I took to mean while I was there. I didn't mention it to anyone because it was a minor issue but it struck me as petty. At $5 per drink, how many refills do they honestly think a person can drink?? Given the cost of syrup, the cup, water and electricity I'd estimate the one half cup of Coke cost them a quarter. Disney doesn't use self serve machines nor does it offer refills so a circumstance to appear petty never arose like this which seems like a better way to manage things.

Our first day at Disney and we knew we wanted to be DVC members. Universal might very well have a DVC equivalent but we didn't feel the same welcoming pull that we felt at MK & Epcot so I doubt we will even renew our UO annual passes next January. A shame, UO has some very thrilling rides that not only compare to Disney but might even surpass them, like the Velocicoaster ride or Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. We also really enjoyed The Mummy ride, despite the glaring obvious issue with Imhotep at the beginning of the ride. It needs a new coat of latex, badly. you can see the seam between the head and neck. It looks more like a loose fitting turtleneck since the diameter of the head piece of smaller than the neck piece coming off the torso It is obvious that it's two pieces and not one continuous suit of latex. It doesn't distract from the ride and we enjoyed it each time, so much that we now have a statue of Anubis, Bastet & the pyramid n our theater room. For what Universal charges, with the UOAP discount, it was less than what I saw on Amazon or eBay.

Overall, we had fun at the parks and the rides are thrilling, entertaining and memorable. The Trattoria del Porto at the Portofino was superior to the restaurants we tried at Grand Floridian, Riviera or OKW. Especially the breakfast offerings. One thing I always thought was lacking at Disney was an omelet station, which the Portofino has. They use freshly cracked eggs which is reassuring. I always get a little apprehensive when they use a ladle to scoop an egg mixture from a container like how it was at one of the character restaurants inside MK where they had an omelet station setup.

Toothsome Chocolate Emporium was another great option, a unique restaurant with a varied menu and a plethora of dessert/sweet options. If we had one in Raleigh, I think we'd be there on a weekly basis, if for nothing else but the milkshakes. Yea, there are milkshake places by us but none have the ambiance and truffle offerings like this place!

I read that Universal opened one in California but it isn't the success that the Orlando location is. I guess Californians don't like chocolate? or robot mascots? lol

I guess our take-a-way from this trip is that we prefer Disney. We like the magic that exists at Disney which for us is fortuitous given we paid a large sum to have a stake in DVC!!

Well, this is just one family's experience during a 7 day trip to Universal Orlando. YMMV and Universal Hollywood might be a totally different experience so I'm not nocking Universal.

 

[mort1331]

Your experience mirrors ours from 2 years ago. We were only at Portifino for 3 nights but that was enough for us to understand it all. The other big take away from us was that at Portifino they let people smoke all over the plaza and elsewhere. We were lucky enough to get a balcony overlooking, but with people smoking and some right below us.. we never stayed out to enjoy it.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

On Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride, each time we rode it, I would pick a person from the standby line and I'd "track" their advancement in comparison to ours. They moved in relative equilibrium with us, certainly more than I would have thought.

For Gringotts, once you near the elevators, yes both lines move at the same pace. But generally the standby line starts much further back. They probably waited 40min+ to get where you walked up to, then you both waited 20min after that.


I 100% agree about the line cutting. It's disgusting and amoral. Start kicking this scum out, or at the very least sending them to the ride exit, and the problem will lessen as word gets out. But the scumbags succeed so they keep doing it.

 

[DisBuckMan]

We own DVC at Disney, but we enjoy both parks.

We view Universal as Disney's "hood" cousin.

 

[wendlle]

The drink cups usually have a 15 min wait time between refills.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

The drink cups usually have a 15 min wait time between refills.

When I tried, it had been at least 20 minutes, probably closer to 30 minutes. I learned, just fill the cup 100% and walk slowly.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

The drink cups usually have a 15 min wait time between refills.

That's for the refillable cups, not the single fill cups. The Coke Freestyle machines time the little chip in the cups - the refillable ones let you refill again after the time limit. The single ones let you fill once - it doesn't know if you're trying to fill again after 5min or 5hrs, it only knows that it already got filled up once and that's it.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

That's for the refillable cups, not the single fill cups. The Coke Freestyle machines time the little chip in the cups - the refillable ones let you refill again after the time limit. The single ones let you fill once - it doesn't know if you're trying to fill again after 5min or 5hrs, it only knows that it already got filled up once and that's it.

This mirrors our experience. I learned after that first time, just fill to the brim and walk carefully. The refillable cup would just have been another thing to carry around, as it was I had a small backpack with an after-dark jacket stuffed into it. Unlike Disney, many of the UO rides have metal detectors which is a euphemism for camera/phone detector since that was the only thing they really cared about. My wallet, car key & Toothsome Chocolate Emporium tin of mints were all fine in my pockets. Only the phone had to go. Heck, they didn't even care about the sunglasses I was wearing, though they did have me lift my baseball cap, presumably because someone at some point must have hidden a phone under it. My pockets have zippers, so perhaps that was why though one sign did say, we don't care if your pockets have zippers, they must be empty (excluding the aforementioned items which were all okay).

We're slated to go to Disney in April and will take a day or two to visit UO but secretly I think I'm more excited to go back to the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

We're slated to go to Disney in April and will take a day or two to visit UO but secretly I think I'm more excited to go back to the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium!

Highly recommend the waffle with lemon curd - it's like a lemon pie on a waffle! I get one every trip & fantasize about it in between. It was a few visits before we met/chatted with the Toothsome characters and that added even more fun.

I have seen them send people back to get rid of wallets, maybe because their pockets didn't zip. Universal doesn't want you to have a phone regardless of zippered pockets because idiots would take it out on the roller coaster & cause a safety hazard. Other things zippered into pockets are likely to stay zippered in for the ride.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

Highly recommend the waffle with lemon curd - it's like a lemon pie on a waffle! I get one every trip & fantasize about it in between. It was a few visits before we met/chatted with the Toothsome characters and that added even more fun.

I have seen them send people back to get rid of wallets, maybe because their pockets didn't zip. Universal doesn't want you to have a phone regardless of zippered pockets because idiots would take it out on the roller coaster & cause a safety hazard. Other things zippered into pockets are likely to stay zippered in for the ride.

I'll have to suggest the waffles to my wife and son, they both LOVE lemon themed sweets. I usually fill my lemon craving with just a bite or two but the two of them would be like a rabid wolf set loose in a petting zoo. I'm surprised neither of them saw it on the menu though we were in a chocolate frenzy the whole time.

That is just plain nuts, to try and take pictures while being whipped around at 50+mph through tight loops and sharp twists often upside down. Of course we've all read the articles of people standing at the cliffs edge trying to take a selfie before having about 8 seconds to contemplate that decision as it becomes a moot point. I guess I'm wondering why UO just doesn't cut the chase and be honest, no phones people! we aren't looking to have you or this park on the evening news.

I don't recall that level of scrutiny at Disney, with metal detectors and such. They have a few rides that have lockers and require you to put things like backpacks or other loose articles but I don't recall them saying empty your pockets. Then again, UO does have more "extreme" rides so that could be a part of it. Nothing at Disney is as thrilling (with inversion, twists and loops) as Velocicoaster.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

And it's only the 3 largest / most intense roller coasters that have that metal detector requirement - you can have your phone in your pocket for Hagrids & Mummy, and Forbidden Journey which can definitely tip some stuff out of your pockets... but dropped objects on those rides aren't so likely to pelt another unsuspecting guest at highway speeds. SeaWorld & Busch Gardens let you have your phone in your pocket too, which is why I put a little strap/tether on my phone when I visit - tie it around my belt loop so I don't have to worry about my phone during the whole ride.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

And it's only the 3 largest / most intense roller coasters that have that metal detector requirement - you can have your phone in your pocket for Hagrids & Mummy, and Forbidden Journey which can definitely tip some stuff out of your pockets... but dropped objects on those rides aren't so likely to pelt another unsuspecting guest at highway speeds. SeaWorld & Busch Gardens let you have your phone in your pocket too, which is why I put a little strap/tether on my phone when I visit - tie it around my belt loop so I don't have to worry about my phone during the whole ride.

You seem like a UO aficionado, what is the best path towards getting the EP or EPU? I'd *like* to have them in April but not at the retail cost listed on the web site. I already have their FNBO branded credit card so no love there (at the park you get free EP if you apply, silly me figured it's better to have the card BEFORE going to the park).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Was this your first trip to Universal? I'm glad you enjoyed it well enough but probably the main observation I have, especially for those who are so heavily invested in Disney is many cannot help themselves but compare the two parks...oh Disney "magical"...but Universal is not (but is that a perception based on Disney's mantra being about magic? because that's just marketing)...Disney tracks line cutters but Universal doesn't (which BTW is so not my experience Disney was far worse in that department IME but that's my opinion), Disney this Universal that.

That's pretty much the way your whole OP reads to me. Don't get me wrong I think your post provides good info but it also reads to me like a Disney vs Universal rather than a Universal trip report and that's fair if that was your goal but it kinda stuck out at me your example of the 3D glasses which should be chalked up to a singular employee vs a company-wide treatment on both cases.

FWIW majority seem pleased with EP. The past way of describing it is typically is half the wait time, of course it can be less and many people do find it less, but I looked at your past questions on EP and I'm thinking you might have been given the expectation that it was going to be like Disney's version in terms of wait time. If it had been me responding to you back then I would have just told you that on average it's about half or less than the standby time. One of the bigger differences is Universal tends to more evening ratio out the standby and EP lines this means that EP people may wait but it doesn't make the standby lines excruciatingly long waits like how it can at Disney because they often prioritize so heavily LL (and before FP+) lanes. People who go often enough at Universal may see their waits average X amount but for people who aren't used to going to Universal or haven't been in eons my personal preference is to not over promise on the wait times. When we went last in 2022 my husband, who rides the more intense things by himself, would often ask the TM (team members/employees of Universal) which was faster the single rider or the EP and sometimes single rider was faster.

I find both parks have their plusses and minuses. I find "magic" at both but I've been going to both since I was a kid, my parents never made it about "disney-only" and took us to many different theme and amusement parks over the growing up years. I was a Disney kid but I was also a theme park kid despite not meeting the height requirement for many years on the big thrill rides. So walking through Universal with the theme music going gives me just the same smile on my face as walking through a Disney park. My personal experience is the vibe at Universal is more laid back both with the guests and the TMs. At Disney there's a lot more stressed out people and many more crying and upset kids (in part nature of a company whose parks attraction younger kids).

But my advice for anyone wondering if they should give Universal a shot is to as much as possible go in acting like there's no other park you know about, that way you don't compare in your mind while you're there how this place does it compared to a different one. Once you've got enough and over the years (where it affects different stages of your family's lives) it can be helpful to compare the two but in the more beginning do yourself (general you) a service by not comparing the two while you're there (surveys by the companies aside lol).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

think I'm more excited to go back to the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium!

That's been my go to place, went to it shortly after it opened in 2017 and again in 2022. I plan to go to it every time I can make it back to Universal. But in fairness I don't get the shakes which I feel people have differing opinions on. Their chocolate bread is amazing though IMO. I love the actors too who don't feel obtrusive to me. I'm not a character dining person at Disney despite me wanting to go to some of the places I just don't want to pay money to see and interact with characters it's not my thing. But at Toothsome you get that environment without the pressure.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It needs a new coat of latex, badly. you can see the seam between the head and neck. It looks more like a loose fitting turtleneck since the diameter of the head piece of smaller than the neck piece coming off the torso It is obvious that it's two pieces and not one continuous suit of latex. It doesn't distract from the ride and we enjoyed it each time, so much that we now have a statue of Anubis, Bastet & the pyramid n our theater room. For what Universal charges, with the UOAP discount, it was less than what I saw on Amazon or eBay.

I take it you haven't seen the infamous Ursula disaster OR the photos when on Frozen the faces malfunction?

FWIW Tokyo Disney on Frozen uses actual animatronics (and amazing quality) so you don't get the very awkward at times face malfunction that Frozen at Epcot can have.

Moral of the story Disney has more than its share of bad stuff going on (from peeling paint in Toy Story land within several months to animatronics not working and not being fixed to lack of maintenance). Each park has their goofs (though Ursula one could give anyone nightmares )

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I already have their FNBO branded credit card so no love there (at the park you get free EP if you apply, silly me figured it's better to have the card BEFORE going to the park).

I made that mistake as well and am pretty bitter about it...

what is the best path towards getting the EP or EPU?

The cheapest path for more than 1-2 people is normally booking 1 night at an EP hotel - that'll get you checkin and checkout day EP for everyone in the room. This is particularly effective if you have an AP and can get a nice cheap AP rate for a single night. I have a night coming up in late Jan that's under $250 for RP - for 2 people for 2 days of EP, you can't beat that. Plus I'm cheap/poor so we'll use the room that night too.
Otherwise, choosing a day or 2 to have EP and focusing on shows/streetmosphere/experiences/Hagrids/etc the other days. And my usual method, going early in the day and/or late in the day for shortest lines, using single rider lines, and going at quieter times of the year. If you're really late in April (after 4/27) then you should hit lower crowds.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

Was this your first trip to Universal? I'm glad you enjoyed it well enough but probably the main observation I have, especially for those who are so heavily invested in Disney is many cannot help themselves but compare the two parks...oh Disney "magical"...but Universal is not (but is that a perception based on Disney's mantra being about magic? because that's just marketing)...Disney tracks line cutters but Universal doesn't (which BTW is so not my experience Disney was far worse in that department IME but that's my opinion), Disney this Universal that.

That's pretty much the way your whole OP reads to me. Don't get me wrong I think your post provides good info but it also reads to me like a Disney vs Universal rather than a Universal trip report and that's fair if that was your goal but it kinda stuck out at me your example of the 3D glasses which should be chalked up to a singular employee vs a company-wide treatment on both cases.

FWIW majority seem pleased with EP. The past way of describing it is typically is half the wait time, of course it can be less and many people do find it less, but I looked at your past questions on EP and I'm thinking you might have been given the expectation that it was going to be like Disney's version in terms of wait time. If it had been me responding to you back then I would have just told you that on average it's about half or less than the standby time. One of the bigger differences is Universal tends to more evening ratio out the standby and EP lines this means that EP people may wait but it doesn't make the standby lines excruciatingly long waits like how it can at Disney because they often prioritize so heavily LL (and before FP+) lanes. People who go often enough at Universal may see their waits average X amount but for people who aren't used to going to Universal or haven't been in eons my personal preference is to not over promise on the wait times. When we went last in 2022 my husband, who rides the more intense things by himself, would often ask the TM (team members/employees of Universal) which was faster the single rider or the EP and sometimes single rider was faster.

I find both parks have their plusses and minuses. I find "magic" at both but I've been going to both since I was a kid, my parents never made it about "disney-only" and took us to many different theme and amusement parks over the growing up years. I was a Disney kid but I was also a theme park kid despite not meeting the height requirement for many years on the big thrill rides. So walking through Universal with the theme music going gives me just the same smile on my face as walking through a Disney park. My personal experience is the vibe at Universal is more laid back both with the guests and the TMs. At Disney there's a lot more stressed out people and many more crying and upset kids (in part nature of a company whose parks attraction younger kids).

But my advice for anyone wondering if they should give Universal a shot is to as much as possible go in acting like there's no other park you know about, that way you don't compare in your mind while you're there how this place does it compared to a different one. Once you've got enough and over the years (where it affects different stages of your family's lives) it can be helpful to compare the two but in the more beginning do yourself (general you) a service by not comparing the two while you're there (surveys by the companies aside lol).

This was our second UO trip, the first trip was 7 years ago when the kids were MUCH younger and only our son was tall/old enough to ride the rides beyond the very young kids area. I am a huge Trransformers & Marvel fan so Universal has the IPs that I'm interested in which is why we went then and now. It is wholly human to compare the two parks, after all, they themselves (more so UO comparing itself to Disney than the other way around) do it right down to the survey we received. They are both theme and character based parks with rides and attractions focused on their respective IPs. This isn't like making a stretch of comparing Apple to Universal. It's a studio theme park to another studio theme park.

Disney magic isn't just marketing hype, it is embodied in how the staff interact with guests. I did not grow up "Disney". I am not even their "number 1 fan" when it comes to theatrical releases. I do love Marvel but that was an acquisition, not a creation of the mind. I prefer the Disney parks because of what Disney parks are, because of the people working there. UO could just as easily do better and it too would have "magic", as I see it. We've only owned DVC since February of last year and have been to the parks 4 times since. Statistically, not a lot of data to go on but in that time, I've developed a sense of how Disney operates. We've now been to UO twice but I'll disregard that first trip since it was a blur with the kids being so young. This trip was 7 consecutive days and in that time, I have a pretty good sense of how UO operates. I interacted with the staff for some of the same things I have interacted with Disney staff. UO just doesn't measure up to Disney, for me, for my level of expectation. Yours seems different and that is fine.

UO has rides that are more thrilling and for that reason, we'd return. Is it enough to renew the AP or just buy daily tickets every few years? I am undecided.

That's been my go to place, went to it shortly after it opened in 2017 and again in 2022. I plan to go to it every time I can make it back to Universal. But in fairness I don't get the shakes which I feel people have differing opinions on. Their chocolate bread is amazing though IMO. I love the actors too who don't feel obtrusive to me. I'm not a character dining person at Disney despite me wanting to go to some of the places I just don't want to pay money to see and interact with characters it's not my thing. But at Toothsome you get that environment without the pressure.

We didn't try the chocolate bread though I saw it on the menu. We'll have to try it in April. We did get to interact with the characters on our first trip there, during subsequent trips we only saw them once but they were downstairs. The "robot" sounded like Nyles Crane only digitized. The two of them were very much in-character and pretty engaging with families. From what I read online, the pair wasn't as appreciated in the CA location, so much so that I think they were removed.

I take it you haven't seen the infamous Ursula disaster OR the photos when on Frozen the faces malfunction?

FWIW Tokyo Disney on Frozen uses actual animatronics (and amazing quality) so you don't get the very awkward at times face malfunction that Frozen at Epcot can have.

Moral of the story Disney has more than its share of bad stuff going on (from peeling paint in Toy Story land within several months to animatronics not working and not being fixed to lack of maintenance). Each park has their goofs (though Ursula one could give anyone nightmares )

Okay, I had to Google that one, "Ursula Theme Park Disaster". Yea, that was bad! The stuff of nightmares! The head severed and attached by wires.... creepy stuff! For our times at Disney, the animatronics all worked. We experienced rides that were shut down or delayed but the mechanics of the rides were all functional. As for Imhotep, it didn't detract from the ride. It's a 5 second bit at the beginning. If anything, it's funny. How it differs from Disney is the nature of the failure. Disney will have equipment failures and malfunctions but I suspect the issue would be corrected, promptly. Imhotep is not a failure per se, it is a maintenance issue. The animatronic needs ongoing maintenance that it isn't receiving. I don't recall that at Disney. I didn't see anything that looked dated, worn out or in need of a touch-up. In April, I'll look closer at their sets and see. I'm curious now if I can spot something.


Bottom line, UO sent me a survey directly asking me to compare the two parks. It seems relevant to do so here. I like both but if I had to pick, I'd rather visit Disney and this is despite UO having a few more thrilling rides.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

I made that mistake as well and am pretty bitter about it...



The cheapest path for more than 1-2 people is normally booking 1 night at an EP hotel - that'll get you checkin and checkout day EP for everyone in the room. This is particularly effective if you have an AP and can get a nice cheap AP rate for a single night. I have a night coming up in late Jan that's under $250 for RP - for 2 people for 2 days of EP, you can't beat that. Plus I'm cheap/poor so we'll use the room that night too.
Otherwise, choosing a day or 2 to have EP and focusing on shows/streetmosphere/experiences/Hagrids/etc the other days. And my usual method, going early in the day and/or late in the day for shortest lines, using single rider lines, and going at quieter times of the year. If you're really late in April (after 4/27) then you should hit lower crowds.

Damn! That is a GOOD idea!!! Even if we DON'T stay in the room!!!

I like the way you think!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Damn! That is a GOOD idea!!! Even if we DON'T stay in the room!!!

I like the way you think!

We did a 3-way split for our 2022 FWIW. We had 7 days (1 being with a CM pass) at WDW and 3 days at USO.

1st part was Endless Summer Surfside for 2 nights with 1 day at the parks
2nd part was Royal Pacific for 1 nights with 2 days at the parks with Express Pass Unlimited. We booked only 1 night for the reason Capslock mentioned that you get EP for check in through check out. My husband just drove our rental car very early over to Royal Pacific to pick up our room keys which are your Express Passes as you found out. Then we checked out of Endless Summer and went to the parks all in enough time to get in for early entry.
3rd part was for the WDW portion where we stayed off site at a Hampton cashing in for free nights.

 

[Skywalker3]

First thing I tell people trying out Universal is Universal is not Disney. Totally different vibes, and that's ok. Both are awesome. Been going to both since our first trip as a new family, in 2000, and love both, But both have issues, good and bad.
As far as EP, I"ve never bought that separately except for HHN. If we want EP, we stay at a premier. But we often do a split stay, 1 or 2 nights premier and 1-2 nights at another hotel, like Aventura, to save money. I think it's worth it during the busy times.
I still find a LOT of fault with Universal's mobile order....they've improved a lot, and the app is quite a bit better, but Disney wins that one.
I don't mind the lockers, because the coasters that require someone to empty pockets, etc. are intense, and worth a little bit of hassle. I carry a full sized backpack with ALL the stuff I want, and squish it in. Sometimes it barely fits....but worth it. Sometimes the kids need a locker too for hats, water bottles, we have 1 refillable mug, etc. Usually no issues getting lockers, except this past spring break, that seemed to be the holdup at VC, people waiting for available lockers. And I do hate the lockers set up at Gringotts, it's nuts in there.
Only 3 rides. have the metal detectors. I don't mind emptying pockets. Mummy, MiB, Hagrid's, and FJ let you keep your phone. We take a LOT of pictures in the queues. They will make you remove hats tho, DS forgot to do that one time, and had to ride Hagrid's with it in his shirt.
We're DVC, since 2011, so majority of our trips since then have been Disney, but since kids are 17 and 20 now, they're more about the thrills, but still love stuff like Guardians. That's one of the best rides in Orlando. even tho it makes me queasy sometimes. And we are massive, Star Wars fanatics, uberfans, so we love Galaxy's Edge, and will always want more of that.
I've found team members at Universal to be equivalent to Disney in terms of customer service, no issues there. Where it's really noticeable are places like SeaWorld, or even Dollywood. Not on the same level at all. We do love Dollywood, and since our oldest will likely be at UTK soon, we might end up there a lot more often. But I wouldn't compare Dollywood to Disney or Universal. yeah, it's a theme park, but not at all the same or same vibe. I just look at them all differently.
I had to cancel my Feb Universal plans. Kids and I renewed our Universal APs, but not the Disney this year, so we hope to plan a trip for Epic Universe in the summer, and HHN.
Hope you have a wonderful next trip to Universal if you go in April!