New to Universal - please help

[spacefly67]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, please point me in the right direction if not...

We (myself, DH, DD 10 and DS 7) are planning a trip mid august 2018 - 4 full WDW days and then switching to Off site Universal hotel and visiting UO/IOA 2 days (aug 14-15) with park to park tickets, no EP.

Last time we were at WDW was 2015 - never been to Universal.

Heat doesn't bother us, we do Rope drop to Fireworks every day.

I am looking for advice on a few things -
1 - are there any offsite Universal Hotels that are close enough to walk (we wont have a car)
2 - is two full days in universal/IOA enough to do EVERYTHING??
3 - is the Universal Photo Plan worth getting (keep in mind that I love the WDW Photopass!)
4 - Anything we absolutely positively should not miss?

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

1 - are there any offsite Universal Hotels that are close enough to walk (we wont have a car)....
You could probably walk from this Doubletree [by Hilton…5780 Major Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819] but for that price you could stay at Cabana Bay most likely where you would get free transportation and early park admission.

The Wingate by Wyndham is 1.3 miles away. We have stayed here and it was nice and affordable. I would probably take Uber instead of walking.

I just looked using Google maps so you might do that and find some more options


2 - is two full days in universal/IOA enough to do EVERYTHING?? - 2 days is enough to do a lot . 3 days is ideal especially if you spend extra time in harry Potter sections

3 - is the Universal Photo Plan worth getting (keep in mind that I love the WDW Photopass!) We have never used it at Universal. We also love the Disney version but never focus on it as much at Univ....we just take our own photos there.

4 - Anything we absolutely positively should not miss? The Harry Potter sections are AMAZING! The Hulk coaster is intense if you are roller coaster people, you will love it!

 

[bobbie68]

Hi,

We have stayed at the Double Tree across from Universal and enjoyed it. It was about a 20 minute walk. If we were tired at the end of the night we took a cab and it was about $6.00 to the hotel. However, we love the express pass and the early entry so we only stay on-site now.

I think you can see and do a lot in two days. Is it enough? Well it depends on how much you want to see and how much you like to ride attractions over. We go to Universal for a week and usually put 4 days into the parks. We do like to walk around and see everything a couple of times as well as do our favorite attractions over.

We have gotten the photo plan every year. We usually have gotten a deal on the package so it was a no-brainer. However, I don't know if I would pay full price. I find that it is not as good as the Disney one but has gotten a little better. What I do like is that they have started installing self portrait spots where you put the card in push the button and it counts down and takes the pic. There are always photographers at the entrance, most of the rides have the photos and meet and greets have them. It really is a toss up whether to purchase it or not.

I agree with pp that the Harry Potter sections are amazing. We can spend hours in there. In the studios Mummy is our favorite ride, then Transformers and Minions. Oh speaking of that, I would hit Minion Mayhem first when you go to the studios. This line can get long and stay that way all day. The HP sections are better first thing in the morning and later at night.
In IOA we like Kong, Spider-man and Hulk. I hear the water rides are great! We don't like wet clothing so we opt out of them.

Have a great trip!

 

[AshleyL7]

I have also stayed at the Doubletree twice and really liked it. Plus it has a decent pool to cool off if you are taking a break, and a TGI Fridays in the parking lot which we visited a few times. It would really depend on how the rates compare, but it's a very nice hotel if you get a good price.

We are staying at the Four Points by Sheraton next time because we have points and it has free parking. Some reviews say it is walking distance while others claim no, but it also has a shuttle.

Two days is definitely doable but if you have more time the passes get a lot cheaper for each extra day (I think there is actually a third day free promo on UT right now).

 

[gotomu212]

For your offsite hotel what price range were you looking at? Cabana Bay is $154 a night during your time frame and that would come with park transportation. I think that’s only about $25 more than the Hilton (although there are deals you could qualify for there). If you have to go further I think once you factor in transportation anything $110 or more is going to be more than CB.

Two days will get you through a lot.

We have never thought the photos made sense for our family, but others like them.

HP areas are amazing and getting interactive wands and exploring the stores is worth it for fans (even if you aren’t shopping the stores ar worth siteseeing in)

 

[CAPSLOCK]

There is also the Holiday Inn Across from Universal. Also across the street from the aforementioned DoubleTree. I found it for $75 / night on Hotwire. They have a free shuttle, but also are easy walking distance and the stroll takes you to the valet entrance, which has no wait to walk through security

The nice thing with Universal is that after park close, you can just grab food at City Walk before going back to the hotel. It's a nice break and recharge for the night walk (or you can shuttle back... we just kept mistiming it and it was faster and easier to walk back).