Need Help Understanding Universal

[Catvondita]

OP was not harassed but some of the "did you bother to look the info up yourself" comments were unnecessary. If you don't want to answer the question then don't and move on.

 

[Linkura]

Universal isn't Disney so my main point of advice is not to treat it as such. Stick Royal Pacific Resort, Portofino Bay or The Hard Rock Hotel as unlimited express passes are built into the pricing for the room.

You don't need ADR's as everything is first come first serve, but will get preferred seating for staying on site. No clue about the dining plan as I would never get one at US or WDW.

I wouldn't book a package unless your trying to pay everything off before the trip. You can buy a park ticket at the gate and would have no bearing on what rides you could or couldn't get on as you would already have express pass from staying at one of the 3 deluxe hotels (Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Sapphire Falls & Adventura do not offer unlimited express passes as a perk for staying). Also depending on how long you are there Annual Passes may be a better value plus you would get a discount on the room.

The three deluxe resorts + Sapphire Falls has a boat that will take you too and from the parks dropping you off pretty much in the middle of the two entrances for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. . Cabanna Bay and Sapphire Falls have bus transportation just like Disney. There is no magical express from the airport, best bet is an Uber.

Another perk of staying on site (This goes for ALL 6 hotels) is early access an hour before the park opens. Each day it varies what park so that you would need to check the site for.

If you have an unlimited express pass and plan on doing just Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios (This is excluding their water park Volcano Bay) you can get that done in 2 days maximum. I would suggest a 3rd day to do any repeats or if a ride has a closure for some reason.

I never do Disney without going to Universal and vice versa but i treat them as two separate experiences. At Disney I know that i need to figure out what i want for dinner 6 months in advance, at Universal i can be relaxed and decide on the fly.

Some downright false info here.

You do not need Express Passes for many times of the year. And staying at the non-deluxes can save a lot of money.

Not everything is first come first serve. Toothsome is, but most sit down places DO take reservations.

Sapphire Falls has a boat, not bus (Except for Volcano Bay, in which case all hotels except Cabana Bay and Aventura have buses, and Cabana Bay and Aventura are right next door with their own entrances.). Aventura has a bus.

 

[macraven]

?

I thought MikeNamez was on target with his post


It is a personal choice of which hotel to book.
A lot depends on ones priorities.

 

[Linkura]

?

I thought MikeNamez was on target with his post


It is a personal choice of which hotel to book.
A lot depends on ones priorities.

So you are telling me all of the restaurants are "first come, first serve?" Come on, you know that is downright false.

 

[macraven]

So you are telling me all of the restaurants are "first come, first serve?" Come on, you know that is downright false.

I was referring to the hotels
Read what I wrote

 

[Slapshot1188]

Very untypical thread here... almost unfriendly.

Anyhow... OP one thing to keep in mind that is very different from Disney is that Express Passes do not need you to pre-book a time window. There is a basic version that grants one access per ride and an unlimited version that lets you use as much as you want. They can be expensive, but you also get the unlimited ones for free when staying at Portofino Bay, Hard Rock or Royal Pacific. The room rates can be high, but often less than the cost of buying Express Passes.

To me, the Express Passes are a differentiator between Disney and Universal. Not having to pre-book time slots makes for a much less stressful visit. You can literally just decide on the spur of the moment to go on a ride, and even go on the same one a few times.

You also get passes for day of checkin and check out. So some people book one night and visit the parks both days.

 

[bchbetha]

You can make reservations but you don't (and usually can't) make them very far in advance. If there's somewhere you're dying to eat, sure, make a reservation a week or 2 ahead of time. Not all places take reservations but those that do are listed on the Universal website https://www.universalorlando.com/we...it/dining-experiences/reservations/index.html or on Open Table.
Dining plan isn't something I'd buy. If the idea of pre-paying is appealing then just buy some Universal gift cards. You will have the freedome to spend the $ however you want at the park on food or souvenirs. It;s just more practical as the dining plan doesn't really save anything significant.
The Universal property is very small and manageable. No matter which hotel you pick, you won't be far away. You can walk from any of them to the park. Shortest walk= 5 min, longest is 15-20.

 

[MikeNamez]

Some downright false info here.

You do not need Express Passes for many times of the year. And staying at the non-deluxes can save a lot of money.

Not everything is first come first serve. Toothsome is, but most sit down places DO take reservations.

Sapphire Falls has a boat, not bus (Except for Volcano Bay, in which case all hotels except Cabana Bay and Aventura have buses, and Cabana Bay and Aventura are right next door with their own entrances.). Aventura has a bus.

I was just trying to provide some information from the top of my head for OP. Sorry if it was exactly spot on 100%, but in the 20 years I've been going to Universal Studios I've never made a reservation anywhere and never have to wait more than 15-20 minutes using preferred seating. Here is a full listing of all places inside the parks and city walk you can make a reservation. Also, next time instead of being rude why don't you contribute something to the conversation. No biggie, I get it.

https://www.universalorlando.com/we...ces/reservations/index.html#theme-park-dining

 

[schumigirl]

I was just trying to provide some information from the top of my head for OP. Sorry if it was exactly spot on 100%, but in the 20 years I've been going to Universal Studios I've never made a reservation anywhere and never have to wait more than 15-20 minutes using preferred seating. Here is a full listing of all places inside the parks and city walk you can make a reservation. Also, next time instead of being rude why don't you contribute something to the conversation. No biggie, I get it.

https://www.universalorlando.com/we...ces/reservations/index.html#theme-park-dining

That’s always been our experience too. Your post was spot on.

We wouldn’t be without EP......regardless of how quiet it is......different strokes.........doesn’t make our opinion wrong or false.

And yes, we have never in 11 years made a park or Citywalk reservation........it’s just not necessary.......preferred seating is ideal.

 

[cschaaf]

You didn't give us much to work with and asked for a ton of information. If you can do a little initial research, we can provide much more help with specific questions.

See my attempts to help steer you in the right direction below.

We've been to Disney numerous times. I don't want to sound like i'm bragging by I know all there is to know about a Disney vacation; Magic hours, fast passes, strategies, meals plans, etc.

We are thinking of doing a trip to Universal and I have no clue what it's like.

Can anyone shed some light on these areas.

Do they have resorts. Any benefit to staying there. Yes and yes. https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/places-to-stay/on-site-hotels/compare-features/index.html

Packages - https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/vacation-packages/index.html I've never looked into packages, but there are lots of posts about how to find better deals by separating the items.

Meal plans, do they have a bunch of restaurants like Disney - https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/universal-orlando-dining-plan/index.html Never done it. I think all meal plans are a waste of money, others like the 'convenience'. Disney or Universal wouldn't offer them if they lost money on them. Lots of restaurants, particularly in City Walk. https://www.universalorlando.com/we...ing&attraction_location=&attraction_interest=

Fast passes - Express Passes https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/express-passes/index.html See the hotel comparison above to see what hotels include these passes. They can also be purchased if you don't stay at one of those hotels. We've never gone to Uni and not gotten EPs one way or another (purchased them separately once, every other time we've stayed at a hotel where we got them with the room). Are they necessary? Nope. Will you get to see everything without having EP? Depends on how many days you go and what time of year. Are they nice to have? We can't imagine going without.

Transportation - see the hotel chart above. We've only stayed at the resorts with boat transportation and it is fantastic

Magic Hours - Early Park Admission - https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/early-park-admission/index.html

How many days should we book - depends. Check the list of rides and attractions (https://www.universalorlando.com/we...ons&attraction_location=&attraction_interest=), shows (https://www.universalorlando.com/we...ows&attraction_location=&attraction_interest=), entertainment (https://www.universalorlando.com/we...ent&attraction_location=&attraction_interest=). How many of them do you want to experience? What time of year? How many in your party? Do you like to rush around and just ride? Do you like to take your time and see details? Are you slow walkers? We like to do 3 - 4 days. Others like much longer trips.

Thanks for any information.

 

[xmansmom]

At Disney I know that i need to figure out what i want for dinner 6 months in advance,

So true. LOL

 

[schumigirl]

You didn't give us much to work with and asked for a ton of information. If you can do a little initial research, we can provide much more help with specific questions.

See my attempts to help steer you in the right direction below.

Since this thread has been bumped up again, I will say again, we direct new posters to the Stickies that have been created..........

All the info anyone new or unfamiliar with Universal Orlando needs is already there!!!

It’s just a case of actually reading through the info..........then ask for clarification or more advice.

But, the basics and more are already there!