New to Universal and I Know Nothing

[macraven]

There a are a few forums on UO. Wish we had more to share UO information.

We have 4 forums which covers the non Disney parks.

When the new park is completed, might expand to add another forum.

We have a few years before that will happen

 

[Kit Jackson]

3-5 days would be better for a first trip, especially if you want to see Volcano Bay. You won't have to get up early and do rope drop. You can sleep in, spend an afternoon at the poool, and still have time to see and do everything you want to, some things even multiple times. If you can afford it, stay at one of the resorts that includes ExpressPass.

 

[disny_luvr]

The biggest question for if you can do it all in 2 days is how do you tour? Are you guys rope drop and stay late people or do you want to be leisurely? If you rope drop and stay late, you can probably do everything you need without express (and taking advantage of single rider lines), but if you want casual touring you may want EPs.

We are rope drop people and stay late, but we like to head back to our resort in the afternoon to swim and relax. Would getting the express pass be a good idea with our touring style?

 

[disny_luvr]

We became UO converts last Thanksgiving. We go for the tamer rides and shows in the parks. The hotels are much more affordable than Disney, especially if one guest has the annual pass. We got our annual passes last Thanksgiving for about 370.00. We have been back four times since then. We like to fly down for long weekends to escape the winter weather. We had reservations made prior to the gas price hikes so this may not be possible next winter.

I agree that the express pass is the way to go if you want to be sure to get on the more popular rides. A lot of people book just one night at deluxe and get the 2 days of the pass. You can check in early, get your keys and hit the parks. They will hold your luggage until your room is ready. City Walk restaurants have a wide variety without all the overpriced stores Disney Springs has. The buses are much better than Disney and the hotels with boat transportation are wonderful. I do miss Disney, but right now the prices and the planning involved is just not worth it. Once all the new rides are completed, I will plan a trip back to Disney.

There a are a few forums on UO. Wish we had more to share UO information.

Wow, Universal APs are very reasonably priced! Maybe I should look into getting them.

 

[disny_luvr]

I agree with the part I highlighted. However, if your family REALLY wants to do all 3 parks in 2.5 days during summer, it can be done but you will need to go open to close or be willing to miss some things. You will definitely want (honestly need) Express Pass for the theme parks. Crowds this spring break have been crazy and will be this summer as well.

Stay in one of the premier hotels because EP is included for the 2 theme parks and you can walk quickly to the parks. I would choose Hard Rock for such a short trip because it is SO close to the theme park entrances. Portofino is our favorite, but you will not be spending time at the resort, so go for the closest hotel. Staying at HR will ensure you do not waste even 1 minute on boat rides to/from the theme parks.

For 2.5 days in 3 parks I would do:
Day 1 - Start at VB and bring a bag with dry clothes for a theme park after. Be in line at VB an hour before Early Entry. (We were on the first bus from our hotel last Labor Day weekend and were the 3rd family in line). Go to the right when you get in, dump your stuff on some of the free chairs and go straight to Krakatau (water coaster), which is on the right behind the volcano. We rode it twice back to back and it only took about 30 mins. Then move on to the big drop slides in the volcano. From there, pre-plan what other slides you want to prioritize and plan to leave VB around 4:00-5:00 (change into your dry clothes at VB). From VB, I would take the bus to City Walk and eat dinner at a City Walk quick service and then go straight to one of the parks. (If you want more of a break, you could make a ressie at a sit down city walk restaurant - but I would not waste my time). If you go straight from VB to City Walk, you can dump your water park bag at one of the big pay lockers at the front of the parks. Do a few rides quickly with your EP and jump in line for Hagrids or Velocicoaster right before close.

Day 2 - Do early entry at IOA and hit Hagrids or Velocicoaster (the one you didn't do the night before). Finish up IOA and take Hogwarts Express to Universal Studios. Do Gringotts and Diagon Alley. Then make your way through the rest of that park.

Day 3 - Start at the park where you may have missed something or pick your favs to re-ride.

The key to ensuring you maximize your time is to do a theme park after VB. Your family will want to study the maps for all 3 parks and choose your must dos so you can prioritize them. Then once you are there, Universal really requires no planning at all. This may sound like a lot of planning, but it really isn't. I just went into a lot of detail since you are new. Keep asking questions because the experts here are really helpful.

ETA: many people utilize the Annual Pass hotel discount strategy (upgrade one ticket to the cheapest AP so you get the hotel AP rates). However, those AP hotel rates are getting hard to find. I upgraded to AP last fall and it was worth it because I had an AP rate for that trip. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find an AP rate for my upcoming May trip and others are reporting similar experiences here. So book an AP rate if you can find one and then upgrade one of your tix after you get there (you don't have to show your AP until you check out). If you don't see an AP rate, snag the Savvy Traveler rate if you see it.

Excellent advice! Thank you!

 

[disny_luvr]

OP here! Thank you, everyone, for all the great tips! Please keep sharing them! I’m a teacher and have my summers off and DH gets a lot of vacation time, so we can extend our time in Universal if needed. You all gave me some great advice and things to think about and consider. Thank you!

 

[wdwrule]

OP here! Thank you, everyone, for all the great tips! Please keep sharing them! I’m a teacher and have my summers off and DH gets a lot of vacation time, so we can extend our time in Universal if needed. You all gave me some great advice and things to think about and consider. Thank you!

Something to also consider is the top tier of APs which includes limited Express after 4:00 daily. It’s not for everyone, but we love it. We hit up the parks early then meander when it gets really busy then… Express time. We also like to stay at all of the different resorts so it’s good knowing when not staying deluxe, we’ll still have limited evening express. It also includes valet parking if you’ll have a car there.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I would remove Volcano Bay for this trip, make it more about the parks rather than adding in a water park. That way you familiarize yourself with the Universal product rather than trying to cram all they have to offer at once. You might just feel like you didn't get to soak it in if you're just rushing through it because you have 3 parks to go to in less than 3 days. If you feel like you want to add more days you could but IMO I would just remove Volcano Bay at the moment.

One thing is Universal does run ticket specials that might make it easier to eat into a park ticket. For instance our 2017 trip they were 2-day park to park tickets with 1 day free added thereby making it a 3-day park to park ticket. Right now they've been doing like 2 or 3 days free added but I know you're talking about next summer. I wouldn't count on a ticket special but just mentioning that. If you find a stellar ticket deal that includes Volcano Bay you might be able to re-add that but I would suggest doing that only if you add more days 3 days just isn't enough for someone who hasn't been to really get a feel for it if doing all three parks.

I can't comment yet on being on site because we've not done that yet but in a few weeks we'll be heading to Orlando and our first few days will be at Universal. We'll be staying 2 nights at Endless Summer Surfside (1 day arrival day 1 day at the parks) and 1 night at Royal Pacific. Royal Pacific is so we can get Express Pass for our check in and check out day so we'll have 2 days with Express Pass.

It's actually our first trip with Express Pass but we've gone 3 days every time we are there and only done Islands of Adventure (IOA) and the Studios. In the past we've used 2 days to get things done that we wanted and the 3rd day to take it easy and re-ride things. We've always done park to park (which is like Disney's Park Hopper). Hogwarts Express which runs between IOA and the Studios requires a park to park so keep this in mind for your trip.

If you've ever been to Disneyland you know DL and DCA are right across from each other. This is like Universal. Depending on where you are at in the parks you can either go out the main entrance walk along the path (you'd see Toothsome Chocolate restaurant, etc) and into the other parks. If you're in the Harry Potter areas you can just use Hogwarts Express to get to the other one.

I don't think Express Pass is necessary but I've never toured with it so take that for what it is. I do think what can become necessary is having more days to spread out your park riding so that without Express Pass you know you'll be in longer lines. 1 day at each park you'll likely be missing more than a few rides if there are a lot you want to do if you don't have Express Pass just because of standing in line time.

Since you've started looking at the website I would go through with your family the rides and attractions so you get an idea just how much each person wants to accomplish. Then I would go to the Express Pass portion of the website and it will tell you what attractions are included in Express Pass. Most of their attractions are included but their newest ones which is standard for Universal. Hagrid's ride is not included and VelociCoaster is also not included but check the list out and compare it with the interests of your traveling group. Since your sons went they would also be able to help out. Not sure if they did both parks in those 9 hours or just one but they'll have some rides from recent memory to go off of.

 

[disneyseniors]

Hi OP: You are going to love Universal. It is so different from the stress and hassle at disney. You can get up when you want, no rushing around or getting on the phone. You can just wander around and go into an attraction when you want, and even repeat it if you want(imagine that?) On our first trip to Universal we only did one day, one park, and had so much fun that we have done 2 days without the water park. I would love to do more as there is so much we haven't seen/done.
On our first visit, we bought EP, but didn't really need it except for the most popular rides. Now we stay at deluxe hotels and get the EP. Most of the time we don't need it. If you are early morning and late night people, you might get by without it. One thing about Universal, you can buy an EP when you get there if you decide you want one. If there are any left. Honestly, I don't know how that is now because it's so much more crowded than when we want (prepandemic). Either way, you will have a blast and you will have a fun, relaxing, nonstressful vacation - the way it's ,meant to be