Planning our very first trip to Florida and Universal Studios need some advice!

[rayzer]

Hello all,
I am in the midst of planning our very first Universal Studios vacation with my wife and 2 kids (ages 10 and 12) for last week of March! So excited! We're planning on staying for 3 nights at the Royal Pacific Resorts $260/night to take advantage of the unlimited Express entry on the various rides at the 2 parks and early entrance to WWHP and 4 days on an out of site hotel (cheaper) to shop and visit your beautiful city. Now I am debating on how many days I would need to take in all that Universal Studios has to offer without getting stressed out and exhausted. I am stuck on either the 3 day or 4 day unlimited park to park pass. Can I do it all on a 3 day pass? Is 4 days too much? I also plan to do some shopping at the Prime Outlets since it's closeby. Should I rent a car or take Mears (as some people suggested) considering the car will be parked at Universal for at least 3 days without moving @ $15/day. Then rent a car for the balance of our trip or just take a cab? Could you also recommend some good restos (not fast food or chains)? We like all kinds of food, American, Ethinc, etc...Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[macraven]

Hello all,
I am in the midst of planning our very first Universal Studios vacation with my wife and 2 kids (ages 10 and 12) for last week of March! So excited! We're planning on staying for 3 nights at the Royal Pacific Resorts $260/night to take advantage of the unlimited Express entry on the various rides at the 2 parks and early entrance to WWHP and 4 days on an out of site hotel (cheaper) to shop and visit your beautiful city. Now I am debating on how many days I would need to take in all that Universal Studios has to offer without getting stressed out and exhausted. I am stuck on either the 3 day or 4 day unlimited park to park pass. Can I do it all on a 3 day pass? Is 4 days too much? I also plan to do some shopping at the Prime Outlets since it's closeby. Should I rent a car or take Mears (as some people suggested) considering the car will be parked at Universal for at least 3 days without moving @ $15/day. Then rent a car for the balance of our trip or just take a cab? Could you also recommend some good restos (not fast food or chains)? We like all kinds of food, American, Ethinc, etc...Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

the last week of March will be crowded and busy at the parks.
since you are staying on site, you can use the express lines which will help you cover more ground.

do the early entry to IOA.
it is only for the parry hotter section of that park.
the rest of the park will open when the official time starts.

pick up a park guide map (one will be in your hotel room) to find the times for the shows and other info.

are you coming from the airport?
if so, take a taxi.
the Mears shuttle will also deliver you to the hotel from MCO.
check the fares to see which comes out best for you.

don't rent the car until you leave the onsite hotel.
you are just doing the parks and city walk, no need for a vehicle until you move offsite.

if you don't want to rent a car for when you move hotels, you can take taxis.
taxis costs include time in the cab and mileage.

you could get a lot done in the parks by doing the highlights and then repeating favorites in 3 days. if you spend the entire day in the parks, yes, you could cover everything in those 3 days.

buy the 3 day tickets.
if you decide on that third day in the park that you want to do the parks on your check out day, upgrade those tickets.

you need to upgrade the 3 day to 4 days before you leave the park when using the last ticket.
go to guest services inside the park to upgrade.
you pay the difference between the two. (3 to 4 day tickets)
this way, you can make the decision of adding more time to the parks while you are there.



we all do vacations differently.
i prefer to go at an easy pace and not rush.
some mornings i sleep in and then hit the parks.
some times i go for EE then hit city walk for lunch, later returning to the parks.
other times, i spend the afternoon at the pool and only hit the parks in the morning.


you stay 3 nights onsite and have 4 days of park perks.
on the 4th day, you could use the free rt hotel shuttle and go to Sea World or Wet & Wild.
i know you check out on that 4th day but have heard some have been able to use the shuttle for SW on check out day.
if you plan that, call the hotel in advance to confirm it is still possible.

when you move to an offsite location, plan to stay somewhere near your other destinations for your vacation.

taking cabs everywhere for a long distance can add up in costs.
or rent a car for those last days.

 

[rayzer]

thanks for the info McCraven, couple of questions, are there car rental places in and around Universal Studios? and which car rental comp you recommend for the next 3 days? could i return the car at MCO? will there be any safe places you recommend we check out while in Orlando? my wife loves shopping so we'll definitely hit the prime outlets closeby (prob get the hotel there), also, we would like to try some good but not too expensive restos (no chains) any suggestions?

 

[damo]

Mall at Millenia is very close and has lots of nice stores and restaurants---they are chains though.

 

[RMulieri]

We did 5 nights/4 full park days and it was great..very laidback and we got in alot of relaxing too.I think 3-4 days is great

 

[macraven]

thanks for the info McCraven, couple of questions, are there car rental places in and around Universal Studios? and which car rental comp you recommend for the next 3 days? could i return the car at MCO? will there be any safe places you recommend we check out while in Orlando? my wife loves shopping so we'll definitely hit the prime outlets closeby (prob get the hotel there), also, we would like to try some good but not too expensive restos (no chains) any suggestions?

i believe it is Hertz that is onsite at the UO hotels.
maybe you could rent a car there when you leave to the offsite hotel.


i know there are quite a few places you can rent cars.

try to google car rentals for the area you will be needing the car.

check with the companies if MCO is allowed for a drop off point without extra fees.

some car rentals have toll free numbers.
they would be able to advise you of the closest car rental place they have.

once you know where you will stay offsite, and the companies that have rentals near you, try some of the companies online and check the rates to see if there are any specials.

some of the locals, Donald duck52 and Metro West would know about the local eateries.