Newbie heading to Universal in 3 weeks!!

[krazykevy]

Hello everyone! First and foremost I just want to say how great these boards are. I have gotten valuable information, tips, and tricks from the many posts for my upcoming family vacation. My wife, step-son, and I will be heading to Universal Studios on 2/2. We are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel and look forward to FOTL privledges....although we may not need it for the week we are there. We have the 5 park tickets and will be visiting Busch Gardens and Sea World as well. We are going to see the Blue Man Group (already have front row center seats for the show!!!! ) and have Mythos penciled in for a dinner. I do have a couple of questions for my fellow experts that have been to Universal.

First, beside Mythos, what is a must eat at restaurant at Universal or City Walk? Keeping in mind that the step-son is 11 and doesn't like anything exotic or fancy...what are some can't miss options.

Second, are there any must eat places outside of the resort? I will have a rental car for the week so getting around is not an issue.

Third, dinner theaters in Orlando...I noticed that they are plentiful here. Is there one that is worth going to? Any opinions?

Finally, any other tips or secrets that you may have. I want to give my step-son the best possible vacation he can imagine. So any extra tips will go a long way.

Thanks in advance for your help with the above....I am finally getting SO excited for this vacation.


Kevin

 

[TheHulk]

I've been to USF/IOA many times and really have a great time there. My son was 10 or so the first time; now he's 17 and I think it's the only place he'd be seen with me (in public).

Anyway, here's what I can tell you:
- For food at CityWalk, Margaritaville is a great choice. They have burgers and fries and fried foods and it's really a fun place. I don't think we've been to USF/IOA without at least one meal.
- Bubba Gump (a chain) is also a good choice for food and fun.
- Within the park(s), there are some spots that I think might get missed: the Hulk is a great coaster (the best!) but the lines at Duelling Dragons are always much shorter and the ride more exciting. The whole Island surrounding the coaster is the most evocative, with "street performers" and the like. Do NOT miss the talking water fountain. My son used to think it was great when he was 10, now he spends 1/2 an hour there on each visit "talking" to it (and trying to figure out how it knows what he's wearing).

Hope that helps. Have fun!

 

[rpbert1]

My DD is 11 now , at Citywalk she loves the NBA restaurant, the Nascar Grille and Bubba Gumps, we also booked tickets for the cinema 1 night after park closing and had a good night ,she enjoyed it , then when we came out we had a drink and listened to the group playing at Citywalk before heading back to the hotel.
We also had dinner at Universal studios in Finnegans, which was good and timed it so we could see the Blues Brothers perform outside it, she also got her photo took with them in the restaurant,as they seem to be in the bar /restaurant before they perform.
The restaurants onsite at the hotels have characters at meals on certain nights, you could go and eat at a different one ,depending what characters are there.
http://www.universalorlando.com/ht_rpr_dining.html#islands
http://www.universalorlando.com/ht_hrh_dining.html
http://www.universalorlando.com/ht_pbh_dining.html
the only restaurant we ate at offsite was Bahama breeze on I`Drive, food was excellent and DD said she wants to go to it next year, so she enjoyed it as well.

 

[damo]

Nascar Cafe has gotten some good reviews lately too. Might be popular for an 11 year old boy.

Make sure you visit the talking fountain in Islands of Adventure. Good fun. He would probably like Poseidan's Fury too. It is a ride that is often overlooked.

 

[morningstar]

You've booked a great hotel to have fun. My kids still love "the kitchen" right in Hard Rock for lunch and dinner. We have tried many, many restaurants around Orlando and they always talk about the Kitchen. Another favorite is Bahama Breeze -they don't take reservations, but you can call ahead and put your name on the list. It's about 10 - 15 min from Hard Rock, by car. They also like Margaritaville, NBA City, Bubba Gumps, and Nascar (all in City Walk). For Italian, we like Mama Dellas at Portofino. I love Mythos and never miss going there. Did you make a reservation for Mythos - they don't stay open late at that time of year - you probably will be doing lunch there.

 

[morningstar]

I forgot to add something. It seems like you want to pack alot into the trip. Remember that 11 year olds typically still need some down time. My kids love to just hang around the pool at Hard Rock for a night too. Eat at the Kitchen, swim in the heated pool, have ice cream at Emacks and relax!

 

[Anything Disney!]

I made a ressie for Mythos on 01-29 and since the park closes at 6:00 pm, the last seating is 3:00. It may be later on Saturday since the park is open until 7:00pm.

 

[apparition]

Well you and your family are definitely going to love staying at Universal. Whenever I stay there, I feel like I'm in a different universe.

I would recommend eating at the Nascar Grille, Bubba Gump's, and Margarittaville. All three have good food, good service and unique atmospheres. Bubba Gump's gives huge portions so it's well worth the price.

There are lots of places off grounds to eat as well. International Drive is very close to Universal so if you check out internationaldriveorlando.com they have a listing of the restaurants on International Drive, close to the park. There's a ton of places to eat in the area so you shouldn't have a problem finding someplace good. Whenever I stay at Universal, I usually end up going to the Denny's right around the corner from the Royal Pacific for breakfast. It's cheap, good food. There's also the option of eating at the Kitchen at the Hard Rock. I've eaten lunch and breakfast there and breakfast was by far my favorite meal there. They are a bit pricey so you might not want to eat there all the time. There's also an ice cream place at Hard Rock near the entrance to the pool.

I haven't been to any dinner theaters in Orlando since I was 12 and that may not even be there anymore. But the International Drive website probably lists those. I do know they are a bit pricey.

As for the parks, I would recommend checking out the majority of the rides. If you or anyone in your family likes roller coasters, the Incredible Hulk coaster at Islands will win you over and the Mummy coaster at Universal will blow you away. Both are my favorite rides in the parks. If you get a chance to go to the parks at night, be sure to ride Jurassic Park. It's a different experience at night. I actually like it better at night than during the day.

I hope you have fun!

 

[bubba's mom]

I will agree with all the above....make sure you 'talk' to the Mystic Fountain at IOA.

Also, if you have AAA, show your card at shops and restaurants for discount!

 

[dsmom]

My son is 9 years old and The Nascar grille is his and my husband's favorite place to eat in Citywalk. At Portofino Bay-Trattoria- you might try the character dinners on Friday or Saturday night - they are great! They have a special childrens seating and play area and their own separate buffet- my son loves it. The last time we were there they had ScoobyDoo- he was great.

 

[goofy!]

You won't have to worry about as much planning and making reservations as you do in WDW.

Remember that your hotel FOTL key also can be used at the restaurants. Sometimes it shaves a few minutes off the wait, sometimes more.

When we were there over Thanksgiving, we wanted to eat at Margaritaville right after the parks closed. Naturally, there was a huge wait - an hour and 15 minutes to be exact. We flashed our hotel keys, they handed us the beeper and we did not even have time to walk over to the store before it went off. Less than 5 minute wait. At Mythos, it took about 5 minutes off a 20 minute wait.

So, the nice thing about an onsite Universal vacation is that you can be much more spontaneous. Walk by a restaurant and you decide you are hungry and want to try it - just go in and try it. Same with the rides. Want to ride Mummy, just hop in the express line. Want to ride Hulk next, just walk over to IOA and hop in the express line.

It is so much more relaxing when you don't have to plan every meal, every ride, every minute of your vacation to get everything in.

 

[Anything Disney!]

Another day closer! Can't wait to get there. Did book Margaritaville and the kids chose Bubba Gumps as well. The Kitchen looks fun, so that will be in there somewhere too. If I'm not careful, I could spend the whole time eating!

 

[bubba's mom]

Another day closer! Can't wait to get there. Did book Margaritaville and the kids chose Bubba Gumps as well. The Kitchen looks fun, so that will be in there somewhere too. If I'm not careful, I could spend the whole time eating!

Don't worry...you will have a great time!!

 

[apparition]

Another day closer! Can't wait to get there. Did book Margaritaville and the kids chose Bubba Gumps as well. The Kitchen looks fun, so that will be in there somewhere too. If I'm not careful, I could spend the whole time eating!

Well all the walking you do will balance out all the eating

Whenever I stay at Universal, I usually go for a walk at night on the paths. It's usually quiet, except for the boats or bicycles going by.

 

[DizzyErin]

Sorry little off the topic but was reading thread and have ben to IOA a few times and not seen this .. i'm sure my dd8 would love it ???? Thanks

I will agree with all the above....make sure you 'talk' to the Mystic Fountain at IOA.

Also, if you have AAA, show your card at shops and restaurants for discount!

 

[BrownDalmatian]

First, beside Mythos, what is a must eat at restaurant at Universal or City Walk? Keeping in mind that the step-son is 11 and doesn't like anything exotic or fancy...what are some can't miss options.

Hrm. Must eat? FOR ME, Mel's (in Universal Studios) is always a must eat place, but mainly for nostalgic purposes (went there when they first opened and I was really young, so it brings back memories, hehe). Your step-son might like it; it's definitely not too exotic or fancy.

Nascar Cafe is great IMHO. Everything I've had there has been awesome. I have not been in a while though. They used to have big Nascar cars hanging from the ceiling that they'd "rev up" every 30 minutes or so - that was really cool. But I heard they redid the interior there so I don't know if they still do this. (Anyone know??)

I used to always make sure to hit the Comic Strip Cafe in Toon Lagoon in IOA, they had great hamburgers, but the last time I went there (November 07) it wasn't as good.

Second, are there any must eat places outside of the resort? I will have a rental car for the week so getting around is not an issue.

There are so many good places on I-Drive (that's just short for International Drive) that I wouldn't know where to begin. I say jump in the car, drive over I-4 onto International Drive and just start looking around. TONS of places.

From Universal, if you go over I-4 and then go right on International Drive you'll come up on a bunch of places that will be fun like Mercado, Pointe Orlando, a HUGE McDonald's (2 story and they sell subs and pizza!), and many restaurants.

Third, dinner theaters in Orlando...I noticed that they are plentiful here. Is there one that is worth going to? Any opinions?

Generally speaking I'm not a big fan of dinner theaters so I can't help you much here. I did go to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede last month and that wasn't bad though (but I saw their Christmas show), however I heard they just closed.

I've been to Arabian Knights and Medieval Times, but didn't really care for them. That's just me though, not really a big fan of places like this (maybe I'm just weird, haha).

Finally, any other tips or secrets that you may have. I want to give my step-son the best possible vacation he can imagine. So any extra tips will go a long way.

Search through this site a lot. I planned for several days at US/IOA and RPR and this site was extremely useful for me. I got TONS of great tips just going back through old posts. Just sit down and start reading for a few hours.

Really though you don't have to plan much to have a good time at US/IOA. You can just wing it and have a blast. Especially since you'll have FOTL with your hotel room key; HUGE advantage!!!

Thanks in advance for your help with the above....I am finally getting SO excited for this vacation.


Kevin

Let us know how it went when you get back!! Have fun!

 

[BrownDalmatian]

Sorry little off the topic but was reading thread and have ben to IOA a few times and not seen this .. i'm sure my dd8 would love it ???? Thanks

Hi DizzyErin

I can't remember for sure, but I think it's in the "Lost Continent" somewhere, near Poseidon and Sinbad. Hopefully someone else will chime in and confirm though.

 

[CPanther95]

We always hit Mythos on our first IOA day - and Finnegan's on our first Studios day.

Others always requested by the family to hit at least once during our week:

Margaritaville
Bubba Gump
Sal's for Pizza

 

[DizzyErin]

Thanks BrownDalmatian ... will keep an eye out for it

 

[bubba's mom]

the Mystic Fountain is past Posideon on your right....right in front of Sinbad's show....