Ohana or Jungle Navigation Co.?

[Pdollar88]

Another recommendation/opinion request. I have a 3:50 ADR at Ohana on 3/8. That will be our Universal day because my bf really wants to experience that too. We're planning on coming back for the DAH event, and I thought that early of an ADR at Ohana would put us in MK by 6. However, we'd have to leave Universal around 3-ish.

Would it be better to not rush and save Ohana for our next trip? I can easily get a Navigation Co. ADR for 5 and be out around the same time I had planned.

I had originally landed on Ohana because I love the Poly and Ohana, it's his first trip, and I thought he'd enjoy the food. I'm hoping to come back on multiple trips (I purchased an AP), but he doesn't know if he'll want to come back. All that said, right now I'm leaning towards keeping Ohana.

 

[Aron1012]

Hard to go wrong with Ohana. One of my absolute favorites!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Ohana

 

[hllb]

Well, I’d generally opt for Ohana too as it’s a favorite. But, is that your only Universal day? Are you doing both parks or just one? How busy is it predicted to be? You can easily do Universal in 2 days, but in 2/3 of a day you’ll definitely miss stuff.

 

[gharter]

I can't imagine going to Universal and being back to Disney in time for a 3:50 ADR. We've spent all day at just one park. Are you only planning to do a few rides? I would question even having an ADR at Disney that day unless you only plan to be at Universal for slightly over a 1/2 day.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I agree. TBH, coming from Universal, I would recommend no ADR at all and do quick service. Too many things to make you late or miss this one.

 

[Pdollar88]

Well, I’d generally opt for Ohana too as it’s a favorite. But, is that your only Universal day? Are you doing both parks or just one? How busy is it predicted to be? You can easily do Universal in 2 days, but in 2/3 of a day you’ll definitely miss stuff.

I had only planned to do the main rides, and single rider-ing our way through any with a long wait. Getting there at RD, I can't imagine it would take me personally very long to do what I wanted to do at both parks. IoA is at a 4 and US is at a 2. I had planned to do IoA (5 rides) at RD and move over to US.

Everyone has a good point though -- perhaps it is foolish to plan to be back at WDW so early. I had hoped to be there early for DAH, but either way, QS might be the way to go.

I thought maybe my bf would want to do more at Universal, but when I ran through my touring plan with him, he was fine with it. He really just wants to ride Transformers and meet Optimus Prime.

 

[hllb]

I had only planned to do the main rides, and single rider-ing our way through any with a long wait. Getting there at RD, I can't imagine it would take me personally very long to do what I wanted to do at both parks. IoA is at a 4 and US is at a 2. I had planned to do IoA (5 rides) at RD and move over to US.

Everyone has a good point though -- perhaps it is foolish to plan to be back at WDW so early. I had hoped to be there early for DAH, but either way, QS might be the way to go.

I thought maybe my bf would want to do more at Universal, but when I ran through my touring plan with him, he was fine with it. He really just wants to ride Transformers and meet Optimus Prime.

If Harry Potter isn't the focus, you're probably OK. When we went to Universal, it was low crowd times and we rode Transformers so many times with almost no wait. The only downside is that you'd be out $20 if you missed your reservation. Really not a huge amount (we're a family of 5 so it'd be more painful).

 

[Pdollar88]

If Harry Potter isn't the focus, you're probably OK. When we went to Universal, it was low crowd times and we rode Transformers so many times with almost no wait. The only downside is that you'd be out $20 if you missed your reservation. Really not a huge amount (we're a family of 5 so it'd be more painful).

He doesn't care about HP at all. I am a big HP person, but I've seen it. And the focus for me on the trip is Disney anyway. I have many months to decide, but good point about the $20 fee. A family of 5 would make that penalty more prohibitive.

 

[hllb]

Transformers is an awesome ride. He won't be disappointed!

 

[999_Happy_Haunts]

Skip the 3:50 ADR. Given how the parking at US works, from the time you decide to leave Universal to the time you get back to your car, to the time you drive back to the Poly could easily take 90 minutes. And that assumes that you don't go back to your resort to change or freshen up before heading to the Poly. (I have never been to US where I didn't need to shower and change before dinner, especially if you do any of the water rides. I cannot go out in public until after I have washed theme park chemical water off of me). Last time I was there we had a 7:30 ADR back at WDW and began our exit of Islands of Adventure at around 5:00 and barely made our ADR.

 

[Pdollar88]

Skip the 3:50 ADR. Given how the parking at US works, from the time you decide to leave Universal to the time you get back to your car, to the time you drive back to the Poly could easily take 90 minutes. And that assumes that you don't go back to your resort to change or freshen up before heading to the Poly. (I have never been to US where I didn't need to shower and change before dinner, especially if you do any of the water rides. I cannot go out in public until after I have washed theme park chemical water off of me). Last time I was there we had a 7:30 ADR back at WDW and began our exit of Islands of Adventure at around 5:00 and barely made our ADR.

Wow. That’s a hefty chunk of time. I don’t remember it taking that long - I knew it was long, but 1.5-2 Hours is seriously long. Would uber take less time? That’s what I was planning on.

 

[999_Happy_Haunts]

Uber will shave off the time it takes to walk to your parking garage and drive out of the parking area, which is not insignificant. Where are you staying and how do you plan to get from your resort to the Poly? That could also be a time killer. There would be a big time difference between going straight to the Poly from Universal, versus going from Universal to your resort and then over to the Poly. Obviously, the former will be faster. But I just can't imagine going out to dinner, and then over to the MK after a day at US without a refresh.

 

[Pdollar88]

Uber will shave off the time it takes to walk to your parking garage and drive out of the parking area, which is not insignificant. Where are you staying and how do you plan to get from your resort to the Poly? That could also be a time killer. There would be a big time difference between going straight to the Poly from Universal, versus going from Universal to your resort and then over to the Poly. Obviously, the former will be faster. But I just can't imagine going out to dinner, and then over to the MK after a day at US without a refresh.

Hm. We're staying at Yacht Club. Now that I'm thinking about the logistics, not stopping for a refresh (which was my original plan) might be a unrealistic. If we didn't go straight from US to the Poly with the Uber, I would take Uber from Yacht Club to Poly.

Sidenote--the only water ride we're considering, and it's a maybe, is Jurassic Park.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would drop the ADR to give yourself some flexibility on this day. Maybe even consider having a bigger lunch at Universal (Leaky Cauldron and Three Broomsticks are good. Mythos is a GREAT TS) or even eating at CityWalk on your way out - Cowfish and Toothsome are good. Then you can have your late afternoon/evening to make sure you get over to MK in time for the event. I've also had luck with walk-ups at Skippers so you could try that if the mood strikes. I love O'hana, but I wouldn't want that pressure on a Uni day.

 

[Pdollar88]

I would drop the ADR to give yourself some flexibility on this day. Maybe even consider having a bigger lunch at Universal (Leaky Cauldron and Three Broomsticks are good. Mythos is a GREAT TS) or even eating at CityWalk on your way out - Cowfish and Toothsome are good. Then you can have your late afternoon/evening to make sure you get over to MK in time for the event. I've also had luck with walk-ups at Skippers so you could try that if the mood strikes. I love O'hana, but I wouldn't want that pressure on a Uni day.

That's fair. I would like to at least reduce stress too. I also thought about trying to snag an Ohana reservation on our arrival day (Saturday). I'd abandoned that initial thought in lieu of hanging out at YC and eating/swimming there before briefly walking into Epcot.

I really hate to abandon the ADR at Ohana, but I might as we draw closer. And after I talk to my bf. I'm sure he'll say drop it lol

 

[Aimeedyan]

I would not do Ohana if it meant losing all that time just in travel, esp after paying for a day at Universal. We like Ohana a lot but that's not worth it. If he really wants to ride 2 rides, are you sure it's worth the $$ and time invested in even traveling over there?

Keep checking for Ohana reservations if you can move it to another day. Heck, last week I snagged a reservation there for Thanksgiving day at 7:15pm for 5 people! So things do open up as trips draw closer.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I can easily get a Navigation Co. ADR for 5 and be out around the same time I had planned.

I'm a fan in general of Skipper Canteen, but they are often slow to seat people for reservations, and service there can also be slow, so I'd allow at least two hours for any visit there, just in case. I agree with those who said that if you plan to do Universal and DAH in one day, the last thing you need that day is a dining reservation.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I'm a fan in general of Skipper Canteen, but they are often slow to seat people for reservations, and service there can also be slow, so I'd allow at least two hours for any visit there, just in case. I agree with those who said that if you plan to do Universal and DAH in one day, the last thing you need that day is a dining reservation.

We had this experience when we did our walk-up at Skippers in August. One thing I like about the restaurant, though, is they will take your cell number and text you when the table is ready. They gave us a 20 minute wait time and we were able to ride POTC while we waited. I felt better about the wait because we were actually able to walk away and continue enjoying the park!

 

[Pdollar88]

I'm a fan in general of Skipper Canteen, but they are often slow to seat people for reservations, and service there can also be slow, so I'd allow at least two hours for any visit there, just in case. I agree with those who said that if you plan to do Universal and DAH in one day, the last thing you need that day is a dining reservation.

I appreciate everyone's feedback - it helps me have a reality check about what is feasible/advisable. I'm going to try to snag an earlier reservation at Ohana for our arrival day (perhaps even a similar time, 3:50). That way the DVC tour I hope to take can just drop us at the Poly. Right now all I'm seeing is 9:50 though. And I was hoping to venture into Epcot long enough to use a FP for FEA.

On the Universal/DAH day, I'll just do what I had planned to do on our arrival day - hang out at the hotel for a couple of hours, relax, and eat at Crew's Cup Lounge or something similar.