Please Convince Me To Try Universal Again

[barbeml]

Hello US Experts! We are thinking of spending a day of our November WDW trip at Universal Studios.

My Hubby and I spent one day at US on our honeymoon 5 years ago and were pretty underwhelmed. It was not very clean, food was poor, staff was sparse and disinterested, some rides looked mighty tired. Filthy water in Twister gave me a sinus infection. On the plus side, we loved Terminator 3D and the Jetsons ride.

We have heard about some new attractions that sound good, and would love to try Mythos and Tchoup Chop. Since we're not big on thrill rides or coasters, we don't plan to visit IOA.

What can we expect from one day at Universal? What are the "Not to be missed" attractions? Is November a good time to go? (We are avoiding Thanksgiving week and NJ Teachers Convention).

Any help would be appreciated--thanks!

 

[The Sweetness]

I first got the idea in my mind to visit USO about 5 years ago, I think that this is when I heard that a second park was being created (IOA) Now, that I am finally going, It seems to me that its a whole different place than what I had read about back in '98 or so... I would def. give it another shot if I were you. It would be almost like being a universal *virgin* again

 

[Paris]

Barbel, I've found that most Universal Orlando fans prefer IOA over USF. If USF wasn't your cup of tea with the soundstage attractions and the like -- it really hasn't changed all that much. They expanded the kids section. They added the really cool Men in Black shoot-em-up ride. And well, the Jetsons ride you loved so much is now the same type of ride themed to Jimmy Neutron.

Okay, you had a bad food experience. Actually, Nation's Restaurant News has given the Universal chef awards in the past. Mythos is amazing -- but it's in Islands of Adventure. But if you didn't really like the food, just avoid the bland counter service options. Go eat at Lombard's Landing if you want the wharf-style fancy eats or the Finnegan's pub or even some table service fast food like Mel's (a la Johnny Rockets) works well.

Foodwise you'd be better off at IOA with Mythos, Confisco's Grill and even some of the tray places like Oak Tavern are better than most of the food you'll find anywhere else.

Even if you're not into thrill rides -- which means you'll be avoiding the coasters there is still plenty at IOA. Spider-Man is the best attraction ANYWHERE (in my opinion, but I'm not alone). Toon Lagoon has two great -- yet very wet -- water rides. But you also have a great Sindbad stunt show. Unique attractions like Poseidon's Fury and Triceratops Encounter and I think grown ups like One Fish, Two Fish and Cat in the Hat even more than the kids. Seriously, since you've done USF, IOA is COMPLETELY different and your opinion of thrill rides might change if you manage the courage to go on Hulk or Dueling Dragons.

But, back to Universal Studios Florida. November is great, quiet. If you can, don't go on a Saturday when the locals fill the park. Head out during the week and Shrek 4D will be open then, right across from the new Jimmy Neutron ride. Definitely go on Men in Black. You might want to go more than once as the ride changes depending on the score of each vehicle. Take in the shows. Walk through the exhibits. If you got sick on Twister and had bad food just avoid those two things entirely. Eat at one of the nice restaurants. With CityWalk open you can also take a break and catch a movie at the end of your day on the way out.

Enjoy!

 

[damo]

I'm not sure that it is fair or even possible to pinpoint the cause of a sinus infection to bad water on Twister. You should give it another try with an open mind. MIB (men in black) is a huge favourite with most people. How about Jaws? ET? The Wild West show is very cute. You really should try both parks (you need a multiday pass for that) since there are really good non-thrill i.e. roller coaster rides at IOA. Even the younger themed rides such as Cat in the Hat are excellent. However, there are also lots of water rides that will get you way, way more wet than Twister and if you are prone to sinus infections you might want to avoid those. The shows at both parks, as already mentioned, are very good.

The parks are very clean and well kept with excellent food. We are total converts from Disney and Disney sets pretty good standards.

 

[barbeml]

Thanks for all the info.

Damo--I am highly susceptible to mold and the water was obviously filled with it. As we entered the attraction, everyone was going "Yuck! It stinks in here." Many of us got drenched in the foul water and it soaked my hair. Even tho I went right to the bathroom to clean up after, I was doomed. I am cursed with severe allergies AND bad sinuses.

We are particulary interested in Shrek 4D and MIB, so may do US this time and IOA next year. We are not willing to give up more than once Disney day.

Again, thanks for the details--very helpful.

 

[KLR-wlv]

I got a sinus infection from the ride in Suess landing - one fish two fish. A squirter shot right up my right nostril and that evening it was totally clogged on that side and the next day I was sick - it makes sense and it would happen anywhere since I'm sure ride water isn't that tested or chlorinated. It has never happened on a regular flume ride though.

But as for Universal - we went 2 years ago and are going again in July for 2 days. We did most of IOA but only saw about half of US. We had a lot of fun at both. I love Spider man and MIB and Terminator and want to see Shrek and Jimmy Neutron this year.

 

[Tekneek]

We went to IOA last summer on a trip. If you are the type of person who is really into the 'magic' of theming, ala Disney, then you will probably love Seuss Landing. It *is* like being in a different world. I found myself wishing that IOA was just one big Seuss Landing themed park. My wife still says Seuss Landing by itself is worth the price of admission...

The only other thing we did was ride the Dudley Do-right water ride, and that thing is tremendous. It helps that I am a life-long fan of Jay Ward and it has the characters from the Dudley Do-right cartoon in the ride. My son liked the Popeye boat/playground a lot. He was too young to ride anything outside of Seuss Landing, so we spent all of our time there. We would go back though, just for Seuss Landing. It is worth checking out, for sure.

 

[Planogirl]

We had never been to Universal until this year and we ended up enjoying Universal Park more than IOA but then my son and I love simulators and 3D and anything similar. We really enjoyed Terminator and MIB and Back to the Future and...well you get the idea. Twister was a personal favorite of mine and I didn't smell a thing. Maybe they cleaned it up along with the whole park? I am a walking allergy case and I never had a problem of any kind. I was actually quite pleased with the cleanliness and overall pristine appearance of the park. I expected the worst based on past reports but it all seemed really nice to me. The staff was nice too most of the time and we were surveyed MANY times which tells me that Universal is working on improving themselves.

IOA is definitely fun with some gorgeous theming and Spiderman is unbelievable. But overall, I think there's a bit more to do in Universal particularly with Shrek and Jimmy Neutron added in.

 

[minijeanie]

can't imagine what in god's name gave you a problem with allergies on twister?

FInd more problems with the Poly in Disney then anything....
if you are not a ride person, suggest you stick to US....

IOA lots of thrill rides.....but it you get a muti pass, is so worth looking into... I don't do roller coasters, & love IOA......

actually am a DIS convert....

can't beat prices of the on site hotels. mucho more room than any DIS hotel & FOTL is to die for

jeanie

 

[mulchpuppy]

The thing is, if you're there in November you really could very feasibly visit both parks in one day. If you're not a thrill junkie, there's several rides you can bypass (notably the coasters in IOA) and end up doing just about everything you could possibly want to do. And (this is the wacky part) you'll do no more walking there than you would doing a full day at the Magic Kingdom (we wore pedometers last time we were there - we clocked 16 miles at MK and a mere 11 at Universal).

When I first visited Universal back in 1995, I didn't care much for it at all. I compared it directly to MGM, and MGM came out with a few better attractions (Muppetvision and Tower of Terror, most notably). This was also right before T2 opened. The signs were up, but no one was home (Universal history know-it-alls may be able to nail me here - I THINK it was 1995, but I could be off a year one way or the other).

When I went back in 2002, I couldn't even believe it was the same park. The cleanliness level was far better than it was before, there were more attractions, and there was this nifty little Islands park right next door. Flash forward six months later, and we're going on trips to Florida JUST to visit Universal (we sneak a Disney day in when we can, but our trips are more Universal-centric right now). Heck, we even sprung for an Annual Pass!).

Give them another shot, but consider trying to do both parks in one day - it may cost you a bit more, but I think there's attractions in both parks that are well worth the time.

I will say this, though - I have yet to find where the "good" restaurants are in USF - IOA has plenty of them (haven't been to Mythos, but that's only because I love the Enchanted Oak). Plus, there's always Citiwalk right outside the gates.