Universal Studios We visited US 1st. Used our express pass for everything although we really only needed it for ROTM and Shrek. Let me preface our park opinions by saying we live near many amusement parks (Hershey, Dorney, 6-Flags, Knoebels) so our kids are quite experienced on amusements rides. The themes/streets of the park was really great and we enjoyed walking around and seeing everything. The rides: Did ROTM 1st--how disappointing!! Stop, start, stop, start. Was that ride 10 seconds??? LOL. We were not impressed. Geez, hope the other rides are better. Shrek4-D was OK but we all felt the seats banging up and down was annoying and took away from the show. Shrek4-D preshow was uninspired and WAY too long. Poor little kids were bored to tears. ET: My husband and I felt ET was adorable and it reminded me of the classic "Small World" in WDW. My teens thought it was lame. My DS and I liked MIB, DD and DH did not. DD thought her gun wasn't working so she didn't use it but got 47,000 points just sitting there anyway LOL. DS and I went on 2X more 
BTTF had the longest, most torturous, hard to understand pre-show (we all saw the original movie and we couldn't understand the pre-show!) ride was OK. We didn't venture onto the rides that involved water cause it was pretty chilly at the time. We decided head back to HRH and return to US for Mardi Gras after dinner. Kids are hoping IOA tomorrow will have better rides!
MardiGras All day long the US entrance and exits gave out fliers about that night's MardiGras info. After a late dinner at RPR we headed to US for the last half of the concert (we just caught the very end of the parade which started at 8pm). We saw Rick Derringer, Grand Funk Railroad, Dickey Betts (Allman Bros) (DH's favorite), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick). Wanted to stay for Michael Bolton and Eddie Money but kids were wiped out after our long first day. Jello shots were sold during the concert. Didn't think the concert was very crowded and we had no problem getting a great spot in front of the stage. There were also 2 huge screens on either side of the stage. Didn't think it was the best place for young children IMHO. US closed at 8 (IOA 7) but the following rides were open till 10pm: ROTM, Shrek, Jimmy Neutrons Nicktoon Blast and Twister.
Islands of Adventure We really enjoyed IOA, it was very easy to navigate and the themes throughtout the park were great. Popeye & Bluto's Barges was down for repairs during our visit. Didn't do Ripsaw Falls or JP River adventure since it was so chilly but both looked great! Couldn't get on Pteranodon Flyers because only smaller children can ride. Poseidons Fury was OK, kids really disliked it, very long and boring preshow. The kids liked Dueling Dragons but thought it was the shortest (time-wise) coaster ride they'd ever been on. We all did Hulk--it was the BEST!! Still can't believe the kids got my DH on it :0 Kids did Hulk a number of times. Spiderman was also FANTASTIC! Even though, the 1st time we rode it, we went through the express line and no one gave us 3-D glasses LOL. After a couple of minutes on the ride we noticed everyone else had glasses on LOL. We rode it a few times (with the glasses) GREAT! We also loved Dr. Doom's Fearfall--REALLY FUN! Didn't do Storm Force as kids aren't big on spinning. Toon Lagoon and Suess Landing were adorable for little ones and there were many characters at both places each time we walked through. Characters are all great about taking pictures/autographs.
Citywalk: Was quite enjoyable for all and was packed full of great choices for food and drink and entertainment--what a great spot it is!
This was one of the best family vacations we've had. Everyone found something to enjoy! I think we all agree the HRH was our favorite part of the trip considering the great amenities of the hotel, the wonderful service and attention we received on club level and the express passes that go along w/staying on-site. The parks, although nice, unique in their own ways, and wonderful to look at, were a bit disappointing "ride-wise." The preshows were a big disappointment and waste of time IMHO. Even so, I don't think we'd hesitate coming back again to enjoy the HRH and Citiwalk and our favorites at the parks again. There's still more we can explore next time. If the weather were warmer we could have done more this time. I would consider trying Portofino but I felt RPR was more for families w/younger children. The employees of the hotel, citywalk and parks were all, without exception, incredibly warm, kind, helpful and friendly--it was a wonderful experience. We felt the total price of the trip was quite reasonable considering the wonderful extras and service we experienced.
These boards were incredibly invaluable in planning this trip. The info and tips I got from people saved us lots of time and money and made our trip unforgettable I can't count how many times my DH asked me "How did you know that?." He and the kids could not believe how "hooked-up" we were on this vacation If I can help anyone else, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks. 
BTTF had the longest, most torturous, hard to understand pre-show (we all saw the original movie and we couldn't understand the pre-show!) ride was OK. We didn't venture onto the rides that involved water cause it was pretty chilly at the time. We decided head back to HRH and return to US for Mardi Gras after dinner. Kids are hoping IOA tomorrow will have better rides!MardiGras All day long the US entrance and exits gave out fliers about that night's MardiGras info. After a late dinner at RPR we headed to US for the last half of the concert (we just caught the very end of the parade which started at 8pm). We saw Rick Derringer, Grand Funk Railroad, Dickey Betts (Allman Bros) (DH's favorite), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick). Wanted to stay for Michael Bolton and Eddie Money but kids were wiped out after our long first day. Jello shots were sold during the concert. Didn't think the concert was very crowded and we had no problem getting a great spot in front of the stage. There were also 2 huge screens on either side of the stage. Didn't think it was the best place for young children IMHO. US closed at 8 (IOA 7) but the following rides were open till 10pm: ROTM, Shrek, Jimmy Neutrons Nicktoon Blast and Twister.
Islands of Adventure We really enjoyed IOA, it was very easy to navigate and the themes throughtout the park were great. Popeye & Bluto's Barges was down for repairs during our visit. Didn't do Ripsaw Falls or JP River adventure since it was so chilly but both looked great! Couldn't get on Pteranodon Flyers because only smaller children can ride. Poseidons Fury was OK, kids really disliked it, very long and boring preshow. The kids liked Dueling Dragons but thought it was the shortest (time-wise) coaster ride they'd ever been on. We all did Hulk--it was the BEST!! Still can't believe the kids got my DH on it :0 Kids did Hulk a number of times. Spiderman was also FANTASTIC! Even though, the 1st time we rode it, we went through the express line and no one gave us 3-D glasses LOL. After a couple of minutes on the ride we noticed everyone else had glasses on LOL. We rode it a few times (with the glasses
) GREAT! We also loved Dr. Doom's Fearfall--REALLY FUN! Didn't do Storm Force as kids aren't big on spinning. Toon Lagoon and Suess Landing were adorable for little ones and there were many characters at both places each time we walked through. Characters are all great about taking pictures/autographs.Citywalk: Was quite enjoyable for all and was packed full of great choices for food and drink and entertainment--what a great spot it is!
This was one of the best family vacations we've had. Everyone found something to enjoy! I think we all agree the HRH was our favorite part of the trip considering the great amenities of the hotel, the wonderful service and attention we received on club level and the express passes that go along w/staying on-site. The parks, although nice, unique in their own ways, and wonderful to look at, were a bit disappointing "ride-wise." The preshows were a big disappointment and waste of time IMHO. Even so, I don't think we'd hesitate coming back again to enjoy the HRH and Citiwalk and our favorites at the parks again. There's still more we can explore next time. If the weather were warmer we could have done more this time. I would consider trying Portofino but I felt RPR was more for families w/younger children. The employees of the hotel, citywalk and parks were all, without exception, incredibly warm, kind, helpful and friendly--it was a wonderful experience. We felt the total price of the trip was quite reasonable considering the wonderful extras and service we experienced.
These boards were incredibly invaluable in planning this trip. The info and tips I got from people saved us lots of time and money and made our trip unforgettable
I can't count how many times my DH asked me "How did you know that?." He and the kids could not believe how "hooked-up" we were on this vacation If I can help anyone else, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks. 
Maybe another shot at the parks too. I am happy it was one of your best family vacations! Thanks again for the trip report! They were great!
