Opinion on Universal and Island of Adventure

[siestakeys04]

We were thinking about doing universal and island of adventure on our last days in july. Does anyone have any advice on these parks or how was it? We are still going to be staying in wilderness lodge and driving to the parks.
Thanks for the help!!!!

 

[baileybelle]

Try the Universal/IOA forum. You should get plenty of advice there. Here's the link http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=30

 

[Ziva]

LOVE IT!! It's a great park!

 

[PooohBear]

We always visit both parks when we come to Florida! they are a must do for our family, if you spend a night at one of the on-site hotels, you can get front of the line access which is wonderful !

 

[hockey mom]

We do both every trip and my kids and DH wouldn't have it any other way. Universal has some exellent rides and Shrek 4D is awesome.

 

[Pumbaa7287]

Front of the line access is a necessity! If you are going to be on-site at disney you can always upgrade your regular passes (I thinks its about $30 more per ticket) and it lets you go in their version of the fastbass line all day long! My family is able to get both parks done in a single day using this feature and find it makes the overall experience much more enjoyable!

 

[jlovesee]

If you have older kids Universal is an absolute must in my mind. It has always seems like mature disney to me. Spiderman has got to be the best ride in orlando period, The Incredible Hulk, Dueling Dragons, Seuss Landing, Jurassic Park, Dudley Do-Right's and Bluto's Bildge Raft Barges (its better then Kali River Rapids!) are all amazing rides at Island of Adventure, and Universal Studios has Men In Black, the Mummy, Jaws and Terminator 3D all of which are excellent.

These are also NOT Six Flags parks like you have at home, they are Disney-style, incredibly well themed, and in some ways better themed them some Disney parks.

Also if you are going to be visiting Universal if at all possible stay at a Universal hotel, the theming there is on par with Disney (I personally think they are in better shape in some cases too) and you just cannot beat Portofino Bay no matter how you measure it. Plus you have those front of the line passes...nice AND NO SMOKE SPEWING BUSES!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Disney, in fact this trip for once will be all Disney, which Im going to love, but Universal gets no love for the true competition they are to Disney and I feel I should play Universal's side for once.

Jennifer

 

[kabbie]

Universal Studios and IOA are definitely parks that I would recommend for parents of preteens and teens. I go once every couple of years. IOA is a very stunning visual park with Toon Lagoon and Suess land with a ton of thrill rides. Lines have always been non existent for me at IOA no matter when I go so I don't think it's necessary to pay the extra $ for Express. Universal is another story. Lines for Mummy, Back to the Future and ET are brutal. The lines queues are horrible! Wind around forever!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Sorry, we have been going to Universal in CA, and were very disappointed with Universal in FL last Oct. You have to rent a locker for each ride for your purse. If you get off within a time limit, the locker is "free", but at any given time, they hold up a once empty line until it is real long, then open the ride. By the time you get out the "free" period is over. It cost us $2.00 per ride!

Also, maybe it was because the time of year made it kind of empty, but the crowd was not the same caliber as Disney, made us feel unsafe, actually, and it was not nearly as clean as Disney!

I felt like although we enjoyed a few rides, alot of it was cheap tries at keeping up with Disney. We didn't try Islands of Adv., didn't have time. I'm sure that our DSs and DILs would have loved that one

 

[LeCras]

For us, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure are a must every time we go to Orlando! The rides are great, as is the theming. Also, CityWalk is a terrific spot for a few drinks in the evening, as well as lots of tasty food!

Not a substitute for Disney, but certainly a great complement!

Charlotte

 

[BYC]

Sorry, we have been going to Universal in CA, and were very disappointed with Universal in FL last Oct. You have to rent a locker for each ride for your purse. If you get off within a time limit, the locker is "free", but at any given time, they hold up a once empty line until it is real long, then open the ride. By the time you get out the "free" period is over. It cost us $2.00 per ride!

Also, maybe it was because the time of year made it kind of empty, but the crowd was not the same caliber as Disney, made us feel unsafe, actually, and it was not nearly as clean as Disney!

I felt like although we enjoyed a few rides, alot of it was cheap tries at keeping up with Disney. We didn't try Islands of Adv., didn't have time. I'm sure that our DSs and DILs would have loved that one

What about a waist pouch? Do they make you put that in a locker, if it is attached to you?

 

[Muffy]

Love Universal and IOA like crazy! Do I love as much as Disney? NO

 

[nhpooh]

What about a waist pouch? Do they make you put that in a locker, if it is attached to you?

No they don't. I would try staying on site too. At the time of year you want to go it will be . By staying on site you will get front of line. That will make it much more enjoyable to you. We did this last time we were there it was great.

 

[Micki_Streeter]

We loved IOA, did not like Studios so much. It just did not have as much as it did ten years ago. I highly recommend IOA though, we loved it, and I am not even a ride person, it was fun just walking around.

 

[siestakeys04]

Thanks to all who answered my post. Now my decision has become even more difficult now trying to decide what universal hotel to try.

 

[antmaril]

We do Disney and Universal every time we go to Orlando. As a matter of fact, next week we will be at the Boardwalk Inn for three nights and then two nights at Portofino Bay. We love the FOTL perk when staying onsite at Universal. Our son is 19 and still enjoys both Disney and Universal. My personal favorites are The Incredible Hulk and Spiderman at IOA and The Mummy, Men In Black and Shrek in 4-D at Universal.

At that time of the year, I would seriously consider staying at one of the Universal on-site hotels (Royal Pacific, Hard Rock Hotel or Portofino Bay) for FOTL. It really is fantastic!

Have fun planning your trip.

 

[The Sweetness]

USF is lots of fun, but different than disney. Also, dont forget about Sea World, its smallish, but wonderful

 

[robvia]

The lowest price of the 3 onsite hotels is the RPR, next is the HRH, and the most expensive is the PBH. The RPR is the fan favorite lately, try it for 2 nights at the end of your stay. In the code box, try AAA if you are a member.
Summer time is busy, but the parks stay open late. The key to touring with no wait is arriving early, at 8am. Go back to your hotel room in the afternoon, then come back at night for the fireworks.

As for the fanny pack thing, you want to travel light. Disney rides are more family type, so they allow people to carry just about anything on them. Coasters at IOA are more thrill, so they can't allow bags and water bottles on them.

 

[phamton]

You have to rent a locker for each ride for your purse. If you get off within a time limit, the locker is "free", but at any given time, they hold up a once empty line until it is real long, then open the ride. By the time you get out the "free" period is over. It cost us $2.00 per ride!

That is not accurate. The only rides that require you to put your purse in a locker are: Men in Black and the Mummy at Universal studios and Hulk and Dueling Dragons at IoA. The lockers are free. If you go over your time limit because the line was too long, they will open the lockers for you with no charge. Since you said you only went to the Studios and not to IoA, you only had to put your purse in a locker for MIB and Mummy. Both of them are free and will not charge you if you go over the time limit. The locker attendent is more than happy to open your locker if you go over.

Sorry, we have been going to Universal in CA, and were very disappointed with Universal in FL last Oct.
Also, maybe it was because the time of year made it kind of empty, but the crowd was not the same caliber as Disney, made us feel unsafe, actually, and it was not nearly as clean as Disney!

The people are not scary there. Maybe you were there for Halloween Horror nights instead. I've been to Universal Hollywood and the crowds there seem much rougher. The parks at Orlando have alsways been clean when I've been there except during Mardi Gras at the end of the evening.

I felt like although we enjoyed a few rides, alot of it was cheap tries at keeping up with Disney.

Actually Spiderman "out Disneyed Disney." There are some fantastically themed rides at both the Studios and IoA.

Several have mentioned that the parks are good for older kids only. There are tons of things for younger kids also. See:

Kids at Universal

Kids at Islands of Adventure

 

[ladysoleil]

I really like US and IOA- we had annual passes for a while, but I let them go because we had a Disney year last year- we decided we'd been too much and wanted to give US a rest for a year or so.

I love Disney but prefer longer trips there- if I end up in Orlando for a weekend, I'll do US/IOA- I find those are parks you really can enjoy more in a shorter trip.

While I think they make a good effort to have stuff for all ages, I do think it's a better park for older children and adults in general.

I disagree with the comments about theming, cleanliness and friendliness earlier on this thread. No, it's not Disney, but I find the park staff to be very fun and laid back most of the time, and we've always enjoyed our interactions with them. The theming is great- we're comic book junkies and absolutely love the Marvel characters, and have always found the park to be reasonably clean. It is funny to walk under the Hulk Coaster and see all the junk people lost on the loop hanging out in the net underneath though! I always see tons of hats and sunglasses.

CityWalk is also a good time- good food and music.

I do love Disney, but I very strongly like Universal and I wouldn't hesitate to encourage folks to go and check it out.