Need Advice

[disneynutsss]

I won a 4 day 3 night trip to universal - HRH - Standard Room - No Rental Car. I am most likely going the weekend of 2/19 or 2/26 with my 16 yo son (i have submitted these dates to the prize fulfillment group). I am a disney freak and have visited the universal parks ALOT of times but I have never stayed onsite at universal. Please let me know how i can make the most of our stay.

Any tips to upgrade the room?
Any tips on what part of the hotel to stay in?
Is the hotel really "smoke free rooms?"
Where can we eat that is inexpensive?
How would we get to Downtown Disney without paying an arm and a leg?
Is it crowded this time of year?
Any "must do's/must see's"?
Are there any online menus with pricing for Universal (Parks/Hotels/Citywalk)?
My son loves rock/metal and plays the guitar - what should see/do that he would love?

Apologies, i know these boards are FILLED with information but i have limited time to read through them all.

Thank you !!!

 

[donaldduck352]

I won a 4 day 3 night trip to universal - HRH - Standard Room - No Rental Car. I am most likely going the weekend of 2/19 or 2/26 with my 16 yo son (i have submitted these dates to the prize fulfillment group). I am a disney freak and have visited the universal parks ALOT of times but I have never stayed onsite at universal. Please let me know how i can make the most of our stay.

Any tips to upgrade the room?Ask at check-in
Any tips on what part of the hotel to stay in?pool view
Is the hotel really "smoke free rooms?"YES
Where can we eat that is inexpensive?food is cheaper then ya think
How would we get to Downtown Disney without paying an arm and a leg?mears-http://www.mearstransportation.com/ShuttleServices.htm
Is it crowded this time of year?not bad at all
Any "must do's/must see's"?pool hop and see the other resorts
Are there any online menus with pricing for Universal (Parks/Hotels/Citywalk)?yes here it is,allitle out dated but gives you A idea http://allears.net/uni/menu/menus.htm
My son loves rock/metal and plays the guitar - what should see/do that he would love?certain nights they have guitar hero for all to play

Apologies, i know these boards are FILLED with information but i have limited time to read through them all.

Thank you !!!

The only thing is please don't apoligize for asking questions on the darkside.We love steering people in the correct way to do Universal!!!

 

[disneynutsss]

Thank you for your response!

 

[francie57]

Agree with the pp answers. One other way to save some more on food is if you are a AAA member. If you are, just show your card at the food places and most offer a 10 percent discount. If not, the prices at Universal are really not that bad.

 

[minniejack]

quickie: your hotel compares to the better Disney deluxes--very well maintained
Mythos in the parks is a must eat, then Sal's for pizza at Portofino, followed by Tchoup chop (sp?) Brazilian place--forget the name in Citiwalk
I wouldn't waste my time by going to Downtown Disney when you have Citiwalk right there with all of its fantastic shops and eateries.

Your 16 will love the rides -- much bigger thrills.

And do see the Horror Makeup Show--sounds stupid, but it was a really cool show and pretty funny as well.
Since staying on property, you will not have to worry about the lines due to the FOTL that you will get for being hotel guest and the big crowd from president's day should be over by both of those dates. Lines also shouldn't be too big, cause a lot of people are saving their stay for when Harry Potter opens.

Can you pick a stay for when HP opens--I know that's what I'd do...

Congrats on your win!

 

[Planogirl]

Nice win!

Did you know that you can pool hop? That's a nice extra. I personally think that the Loew's hotels are nicer than anything at WDW but of course that's subjective.

You can eat at Citywalk easily. I suggest that you look up the restaurants that are located at Citywalk and then go to their websites to check their menus. We like Margaritaville but many of the restaurants are good. There is a Hard Rock located there.

For a good deal, consider Thunder Falls Terrace in IOA. They give you a lot of food!

This site has menus but they're not as up to date as I'd like. It'll give you an idea though. http://allears.net/uni/menu/menus.htm Oh, the Enchanted Oak no longer exists. It was torn down to make way for Harry Potter.

 

[torinsmom]

The places you could eat inexpensively would require transportation to get there, so that would probably defeat the purpose. Could you bring some snack type foods and drinks with you to save on those types of things? You can get free ice water at Universal food places---just ask. We bring the flavor packs with us to add in.

You'd need a car service or taxi to get to DTD. I don't agree with Citywalk being comparable from a shop point of view though. There aren't many fun shops at Citywalk like World of Disney, Lego Store and Once Upon a Toy, plus DS and I love Disneyquest and Planet Hollywood. The restaurants at City Walk are just as good though.

 

[jenseib]

Wow....I just have to ask...How did you win the trip! What's all included with your win? Congrats!

 

[Coach81]

You HAVE to visit two places to eat if you have not already..

1. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
2. Margaritiville (sp)

Have a fantastic time!!!

 

[pixeegrl]

You HAVE to visit two places to eat if you have not already..

1. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
2. Margaritiville (sp)

Have a fantastic time!!!

Volcano Nachos from Margarittaville

 

[disneynutsss]

Wow....I just have to ask...How did you win the trip! What's all included with your win? Congrats!

Thank you for asking... I won it from a NY radio station under very bizarre circumstances. It includes a trip for 2, airfare, transportation to/from airport, Hard Rock Hotel 4 days/3 nights which includes FOTL, 4 days of park tickets. I actually won it last March 2009 and have to use it by March 20, 2010. We are now booked for 2/19 through 2/22 - and i have received the paperwork in the mail already!!

we have also signed up to volunteer through Disney so that we can get our free tickets to WDW to use on this trip, which i am ecstatic about. i thought i could only afford to go to downtown Disney to get my Disney fix, but now i actually get to spend a day in the park for free!!

i really, really appreciate all the tips! i knew that all you Dis'ers wouldn't disappoint. Keep them coming!!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

My DS(17), who's also very into music, loves the tour @ Hard Rock Cafe. We've taken a yr off from UO to wait for HP to come to town, so I'm not sure they still do this. If so, all you need to do is ask your server if it will be possible for someone to take you on the tour. I think we usually get a manager/asst manager, or some one with more time to roam the restaurant. It's always a highlight of my DS's trip. There's also a lot of rock memorablia in HRH.

 

[disneynutsss]

Last call!!

I have nine days left until our trip!!!

Any other last minute advice?

 

[Kay1]

Don't worry so much about the cost of food. It's much less expensive (and much better) than the Disney restaurants. Also, enjoy all the attractions. With FOTL you'll have plenty of time. Beware the RRR line, though. If it's bad you can always do single rider which moves along pretty well.

Have a blast. You are so lucky!

 

[Kay1]

Last call!!

I have nine days left until our trip!!!

Any other last minute advice?

Holy cats! I just realized you'll be able to take your son to the Blondie concert after the Mardi Gras parade! In that case I can tell you you should watch the parade as close to the concert area as possible. We did that one year with Chris Isaac and all was great. Then last year we watched it from the AP area and had a hard time getting near the concert.

 

[disneynutsss]

we were going to go to the Blondie concert - but we did the give a day, get a day and got our vouchers for a free day at magic kingdom. being the Disney nut that i am, i am opting for wishes and spectromagic over Blondie.

 

[Kay1]

we were going to go to the Blondie concert - but we did the give a day, get a day and got our vouchers for a free day at magic kingdom. being the Disney nut that i am, i am opting for wishes and spectromagic over Blondie.

We're big Disney fans, too, so I understand. Personally, I would go with the concert because Spectro and Magic are shown all the time while the concerts and Mardi Gras only come once a year. We're going over to see Sheryl Crow this year and I am so excited!

Well, I hope you have a wonderful time. I know you will.

 

[jenseib]

we were going to go to the Blondie concert - but we did the give a day, get a day and got our vouchers for a free day at magic kingdom. being the Disney nut that i am, i am opting for wishes and spectromagic over Blondie.

I would love to see Blondie!~ But I understand about Spectro too. I love it as well. I can take or leave wishes though. It's nice, but not a must do for us.

 

[disneynutsss]

now if it was nickelback, then i MAY consider missing spectro and wishes, lol