Newbie - 1 summer weekend day to do park- Q's

[Needafix]

4 of us - 3 boys/men who love thrill rides, I like to take in my surroundings. Fri, June 29 I booked at Hard Rock to take advantage of on-site benefits.

We have one day at Universal - Sat, June 30.

Staying off-site Saturday night to save money.

Questions:
1. Is it worth getting getting 2 park tickets? Will we be able to hit all the thrill rides or should we stick to IOA?

2. Is it worth doing commando at Universal with summer weekend crowds or are the crowds manageable with express line thing?

3. Any suggestions for off-site resort.

4. Have to pick up friend at MCO at 5pm Sunday - suggestions on what we should do with the day? Sleep in then chill by the pool? Get the boys another ticket to Universal. Anything else cool in the vicinity?

Open to any and all suggestions on who to handle the weekend.

Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Metro West]

1) There are great rides in both parks so a two park ticket would be worth it.

2) I wouldn't go commando but since the parks are open late during the summer, you should have time to what you want to do. It would be wise to spend the extra money and get the park to park tickets so you can bounce back and forth between parks. If the lines are too long for you, purchase the Express Plus pass at either store.

3) Sorry...can't help you with this one.

4) I would suggest taking it easy at the hotel instead of using a ticket for a few hours. You can explore CityWalk's new mini golf course or relax by the pool.

5) There are tons of tourist things to do on I Drive.

 

[damo]

There are a lot of hotels really close to Universal. Check out the Doubletree, Holiday Inn Maingate, Hyatt Place. Then check out less expensive hotels in that same area, Major Blvd. You should have no problems finding something in every price range.

 

[blackjack68]

If you are going to do a 1 day park-to-park pass, you might as well do the 2 day park-to-park ticket for about $18 more.

For that $18, you can get into the parks on Sunday morning and have a good 6 hours or so to hit what you missed or double up on the rides you loved from the first day.

Check undercovertourist.com for pricing since they include tax and shipping vs. the Universal site which adds tax on top of the listed prices.