Okay, we're ready to take the plunge..

[Deb & Bill]

And finally go to US/IOA this year. We've been going to WDW for 10 years now and have never gone to US/IOA. My son took a trip to Branson at the end of May and went to Silver Dollar City for one day and he loved it. He loves rollercoasters, any kind of thrill ride now.

We'll be there in November, Thanksgiving week, so what would you recommend for days to visit. We were thinking maybe two days, possibly Sunday and Monday before Thanksgiving (we'll be arriving on Sat and leaving the Sat after Thanksgiving).

Would the 7 day ticket be our best option?

Any suggestions would be helpful. We'll be staying at OKW at WDW on DVC points, so we don't need a room (I guess we won't be gettin FOTL pass on this trip, maybe another).

 

[macraven]

buy the special promo of the 7 day pass now.
even if you only use 2 days of it, you will come out way ahead.


thanksgiving time will be crowded.

be sure to arrive at the garage at 7:45 and wait in line until they open at 8:00. you'll thank me later for taking that suggestions.

park the car and head for the park. try to be there around 8:20ish.
when the lines are long, TM's usually let those in around that time.

not all rides will be open, but there will be enough for you to do in that open time for rides.

IOA will probably be crowded first. hit that park and when the crowds arrive around 11ish, do lunch. then head over to the studios side.

sunday and monday shoulld be okay. you might see crowds on sunday for part of the afternoon. that thursday will be crowded. the closer you get to T-day, the more crowds will become.

are you planning to buy the express passes?
if so, see if you can wait until the crowds come. if you arrive early, you will be able to hit the main highlights in the parks. it's all about the timing.

once you switch over to the other park, judge how long the lines are and see if you can benefit from the e.p.

you can only use those passes once per ride or attraction and for only the park you bought them for.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Great tips, macraven. Thanks.

 

[macraven]

you are welcome.

just wanted to share info i have with you.

if you plan to eat at mythos in IOA for lunch, make a ressie the week before as it is a very popular place. usually, they close at 3 in the afternoon. they have extended the hours during peak times on occassions.


go to the forum in UO for trip reports.
there are some from last year that are about the holiday time you plan to go.
you can judge how the crowds are from them.

i find when i read other trip reports, i do get more insight on specific time periods. you do have to realize that some of the negative experiences listed in those trip reports are due to those winging it. kwim?

the secret to avoiding the crowds during peak and holiday time is to start early.
the people on the onsite hotels don't have to wait in lines due to the fotl.
they generally come in to the parks around 10:30ish. (except me, i go early)
the ones that are traveling from off site hotels such as disney, don't leave early enough from their hotel and get caught up on the traffic on the highway. leave your hotel before rush hour.

figure you will have to wait in the parking lot garage line if you arrive there after 8:00, might as well wait at the head of that car line at 7:45. that is why i say be in that garage line before all the others.

buy your tickets in advance to avoid the kiosk pick up or guest services.
with your "print your tickets" at home, you go straight to the gate.

 

[G8RFAN]

We are "dipping our toe" during the July 4th week this year. We are staying thru Thurs evening on points at SSR and then 2 nights at RPR for a Fri/Sat nite stay. We weighed it out and figured that staying at a UO resort would just be more convenient for those two days. Instead of the UO 7 day pass special, we took advantage of the 2 year annual pass figuring that we would be back.

 

[macraven]

hey toe dipper..........you'll have a great time!

enjoy the vacay

 

[jmpellet]

It might be worth "staying" for one night at the cheapest UO resort to get the FOTL perk. You could take a break, use the resort pool, and not have to worry about crowds. Worth its weight in gold IMHO. We plan to go in 2008 (free dining at WDW again this year...) and have enough points for a number of nights at the Nick Hotel. We won't visit US/IOA during our stay there but probably do a day or so at Disney, Seaworld, and enjoy the water features at the hotel. Then move to RPR for 2 nights and get three days of FOTL.

 

[ajcolorado]

We just got back from a WDW/SeaWorld/Universal trip and our trip was planned by www.buildabettermousetrip.com - they recommended switching to a Universal resort because you get the Express Pass (front of the line) benefit included in the cost of your room. We only did one night at but received two days of Express pass benefits.

Here's the breakdown - one night at the Royal Pacific was $239 + tax. Paying for the Express passes would've been about $40 per day per person in addition to our tickets - so, it would be about $160 per day / $320 for 2 days for a family of four. On our dates, Express Passes were not even offered for both days. The resort pass is even better because there isn't a limit to the use. My understanding is that the passes you buy give you one privilege per Express Pass enabled attractions (i.e., you'd only be able to Express Pass
"The Hulk" or "Men in Black" once). For us, it was a no-brainer. We were going at a busy time so the Express Pass was a definate benefit and we were going to be paying for a room anyway. The Universal resorts will allow up to 5 people per room so it is an even bigger advantage for families with 3 kids. The planners waived the cost of touring plans for our Universal days because we booked the room through them.

We've done Disney a lot but this was our first Universal Orlando experience. I really enjoyed it and I absolutely loved the Horror Make-Up show. I was a little surprised by my kids though. The oldest two are in college and I fully expected them to prefer Universal, if only because it was new. They did enjoy the parks but said that they still prefer Disney...must be all those nights my Disney loving husband spent brainwashing them.