Questions related to Universal...

[OandA]

I'll be at Disney from 7/31 through 8/15 and seeing as it is 16 days, we were hoping to do Universal for the first time. If anybody has any advice or could answer these few questions I'd be grateful.

1.) Is Universal worth going to for more than 1 day if you have the time?

2.) Is their version of the fast pass thing worth buying?

3.) If you don't buy the fast pass thing do you have to wait forever in line to the point where you only get a few rides in?

4.) I'm only going to be 24 so I have to pay that stupid "under 25" surcharge to rent a car so it comes out to something like $70 a day with Alamo at the Dolphin Resort. I only want the car for the 1 or 2 days I'd do Universal and I saw a cab ride round trip costs between $70-100 plus tip. Is there any other way to get to Universal like a shuttle that Universal offers or a 3rd party offers?

5.) What are the best non-kiddie rides at Universal? The Space Mountains, Rock N Rollercoasters, Pirates of the Caribbeans, etc.

 

[jade1]

I'll be at Disney from 7/31 through 8/15 and seeing as it is 16 days, we were hoping to do Universal for the first time. If anybody has any advice or could answer these few questions I'd be grateful.

1.) Is Universal worth going to for more than 1 day if you have the time?

2.) Is their version of the fast pass thing worth buying?

3.) If you don't buy the fast pass thing do you have to wait forever in line to the point where you only get a few rides in?

4.) I'm only going to be 24 so I have to pay that stupid "under 25" surcharge to rent a car so it comes out to something like $70 a day with Alamo at the Dolphin Resort. I only want the car for the 1 or 2 days I'd do Universal and I saw a cab ride round trip costs between $70-100 plus tip. Is there any other way to get to Universal like a shuttle that Universal offers or a 3rd party offers?

5.) What are the best non-kiddie rides at Universal? The Space Mountains, Rock N Rollercoasters, Pirates of the Caribbeans, etc.

16 days? Sweet. You could do 2 mornings at US and if you open the park you shouldn't need the FP thing. We did IOA before noon and did the best rides a couple times each. Then you could go do US, but it will be pretty busy-maybe do that the next day-then if you have a hopper/time, go back to IOA and do a couple you liked.

We took a shuttle for 6 (not sure of your party size) but I think it was %50ish round trip?

I recommend it though.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

If you can swing the expense for one night at a US resort, you can get front-of -the-line access for that day AND the next day (check out). That is unlimited-all day! You can walk to the parks from the resorts (Hard Rock is closest). I usually factor in "what would I pay to not stand in lines all day" and the "expensive" night comes out to be a bargain. We can easily cover both parks in two days, riding our favorites over and over again.l I wouldn't go there without staying onsite.

 

[acc82]

I'll be at Disney from 7/31 through 8/15 and seeing as it is 16 days, we were hoping to do Universal for the first time. If anybody has any advice or could answer these few questions I'd be grateful.

1.) Is Universal worth going to for more than 1 day if you have the time?

[/QUOTE]

IMO, yes. Of course, I'm one of the people who always go to both disney and universal when I'm in Fl. I'm going next week and doing 4 disney days and 2 universal days. You can do both Islands of Adventure and Universal in one day, but it would be a little rushed. I usually like to extend it so that I do Universal on one day and Islands of Adventure on the other.

2.) Is their version of the fast pass thing worth buying?

YES! As opposed to disney's system where anyone who has a ticket can do fast passes, unversal allows you to "buy your way" to the front of the lines. You buy a fast pass for the park and go to the fast pass line for each ride without having to 'check in'. we did this in 2005 and loved it!!!! we got on each ride immediately.

3.) If you don't buy the fast pass thing do you have to wait forever in line to the point where you only get a few rides in?

Not really. The lines for the busiest of Universal's rides aren't nearly as long as the longest of disney's lines. I would say I usually wait an average of 30 minutes for the rides at Universal. We went to Islands of Adventure on a sunday last year and pretty much walked on a lot of the rides without the fast passes.

4.) I'm only going to be 24 so I have to pay that stupid "under 25" surcharge to rent a car so it comes out to something like $70 a day with Alamo at the Dolphin Resort. I only want the car for the 1 or 2 days I'd do Universal and I saw a cab ride round trip costs between $70-100 plus tip. Is there any other way to get to Universal like a shuttle that Universal offers or a 3rd party offers?

I can't answer this. we usually drive down to orlando as we live in GA.

5.) What are the best non-kiddie rides at Universal? The Space Mountains, Rock N Rollercoasters, Pirates of the Caribbeans, etc.

The best thing about Universal to me is that I consider it to be more "adult" than disney. you can buy beer at the parks. the rides are oftentimes more extreme than those at disney. Example: disney has splash mountain, which is fun and cool. I think it has a 50-60 ft. drop. Universal has dudley do right's ripsaw falls which is a flume/coaster combo and drops 75 feet at a sharper angle. Universal has some coasters that are pretty intense: dueling dragons, the hulk, revenge of the mummy. As well, they have simulators like the simpsons ride. hope that helps.

 

[Tank]

1) I would recommend giving universal 2 days if you can, 1 at each park.

2) If you are a morning person and can be there at opening you might not need to buy the fastpass, FOTL as they call it at universal.

3) If you do the major rides early you can do the shows later in the day. There are very few lines there as long as Disney lines.

4) I always drive so I can't help you with this one. If you do rent a car Parking is $12 a day i believe.

5) They have terrific adult rides. The Hulk, Dueling Dragons, HRRR if it is open by then?, Spiderman, Revenge of the Mummy. The list can go on and on.

Finally my biggest recommondation would be to just scroll down to the Universal section of The Disboards. You can ask any questions you have there.

 

[Dsny4fun]

Call Meers Transportation and you can arrange a shuttle bus to pick you up at your resort and then you call them 2 hours before you want to return back to your resort. last year it was approx $36 roundtrip for my DS and myself.

 

[Gina35]

Ask your bellhop about getting a private shuttle. Whenever we go to Universal, we do that...and it works very well....relatively inexpensive (last time, party of 7, we paid about $50), and you can arrange a pick-up time if you know when you'll be leaving (or call them, as another poster suggested).
We bought the FOTL passes last time....quite expensive but definitely worth it if the lines are long. You don't really know how it's going to be any given day, so it's hard to say whether it justifies the extra $$. Look online at the Univ. site & check out the days you'll be there. You can get the passes online more reasonably, but you'll have to go on the specific day you choose ahead of time. The prices vary day by day. You can also buy them most days at the windows (for full price), as long as they're not sold out. It's usually fine if you get there for park opening. When we had the passes, we were THRILLED. I agree with the posters who say to go EARLY and take advantage of the early a.m. hours, hitting the busiest rides 1st (Spiderman & Hulk specifically). Dueling Dragons usually moves more quickly, so the lines don't seem so bad. Universal has GREAT water rides, but they get EXTREMELY busy during the afternoon. As another poster said, the lines usually move much better than Disney's. Universal's "non-kiddie" rides are more intense and more exciting than WDW's.

 

[jade1]

Call Meers Transportation and you can arrange a shuttle bus to pick you up at your resort and then you call them 2 hours before you want to return back to your resort. last year it was approx $36 roundtrip for my DS and myself.

Yep, I think thats the one we used-maybe plus tip but yea about the same.

Also, the last 2 times we opened IOA-they opened about 40 minutes early (like 8:20 instead of 9). We literally did Hulk and Spidey twice by 9AM. Just saying it may be worth being at the gate a little early=was for us.

Hulk/Spiderman/Dueling Dragons at IOA are our favorites-and in ways better than any WDW "thrill" rides IMO. And Popeye/JurPark/Flume are great for getting wet. We still only visit about every 3rd WDW trip though.

 

[jade1]

If you can swing the expense for one night at a US resort, you can get front-of -the-line access for that day AND the next day (check out). That is unlimited-all day! You can walk to the parks from the resorts (Hard Rock is closest). I usually factor in "what would I pay to not stand in lines all day" and the "expensive" night comes out to be a bargain. We can easily cover both parks in two days, riding our favorites over and over again.l I wouldn't go there without staying onsite.

Could not agree more (but I would still go there in the AM if you cant stay onsite-still a great visit). I would split 16 days with a couple nights over there-it really is a great system.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Universal Studios board.

 

[Metro West]

OP...you've been given some great advice!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. The Proud Redheads are here to help!

 

[torinsmom]

My biggest advice would be to get there early--around 8:30. We just got back and did not buy the FOTL and we did everything we wanted to do. Start at the back of US, where Simpsons and Men in Black are and then work your way to Revenge of the Mummy and on towards the front. ROTM and MIB have single rider lines, which will cut your wait WAY down as well. Lines seemed to think out by around 7:30pm, so that's a good time to do a second ride.

Marsha

 

[Jozymouse]

Hello,

In the same train of thought, we are going to Orlando from July 29-Aug 3 and already have a 7-day pass to Universal/IOA. We will have 4 days and a half of park time, I beleive it might be too many days for Uni/IOA alone? I was considering maybe one day at Disney, or maybe 2? Any thoughts or opinions?

Thank you!
Jozy

 

[Metro West]

Hello,

In the same train of thought, we are going to Orlando from July 29-Aug 3 and already have a 7-day pass to Universal/IOA. We will have 4 days and a half of park time, I beleive it might be too many days for Uni/IOA alone? I was considering maybe one day at Disney, or maybe 2? Any thoughts or opinions?

Thank you!
Jozy

Some people can spend seven days at Universal especially if they're staying onsite. However...I would plan on doing 2-3 full days to enjoy yourselves at a leisurely pace instead of going commando. Also...you might want to consider a day at Sea World...if you've never been. The shows are wonderful and the animal experiences are great! Sea World also offers great online ticket specials. Just something to think about.

 

[Jozymouse]

Thanks MetroWest! We did visit Sea World in 2007 and we did enjoy it but not as much as Disney/Universal so we'll stick to those 2 this time around. I think that you are right about 2-3 days at Universal being enough especially that we plan to arrive at opening and get alot done in the morning. The disney park we will visit will most likely be HS since my boyfriend really likes ToT and Rockn and cant wait to try Toy Story Mania

 

[Planogirl]

We also stayed offsite and did not have Express Passes. We did quite well by getting to the parks early and hitting those rides that get crowded early first. The only attraction we had a problem with is Shrek because we had other priorities and people tend to hop in line quickly there. Another that got crowded fast is the Incredible Hulk so plan accordingly.

We went to Universal for three days and I wanted four. You can get it all done in two though. Be sure to check prices with Mears as someone suggested. It may save you some money over renting a car. Don't forget about the parking fees if you drive too.

 

[macraven]

another Redhead adding thoughts.......

you have been given great advice.
not much more i can add but a few things.


stay at disney, book the mears shuttle with the lobby concierge at your disney hotel the night before you plan to do the darkside. it is $18 for round trip per person. you are picked up at your hotel resort in the morning.
some car service companies can cost $75 for the same round trip service.

avoid doing the darkside on the weekends if you want to avoid long waits in lines. parks tend to get the crowds around 11ish each day.

be at the turnstile by 8:20.
there are times you are let in before the official opening time of 9:00.
do IOA if you go early. they have more rides open early if you are let in early.

think it is going to rain sometime that day?
do IOA first as most rides are outdoors and not covered.
then switch to the studios side as a majority of them are covered or indoors.
rain will not effect those rides.

the lines are long?
use the single rider line to expedite your wait.
really a good deal as you can't have much conversation with a friend while on a ride....

eat at off times.
when people are in lines and riding rides, you eat.
vice versa ....

buy only a one day ticket and you wish you had a longer ticket?
go to guest services before you leave the park and upgrade your ticket for more days.
yes, even though you have used the day ticket, the full amount you paid will extend to the upgrade costs.




whatever you do, don't pass up the Horror Make Up Show.

it is a hoot and one of my faves...

 

[acc82]

Personally, although I LOVE universal, I couldn't do seven days there. i usually split my time in orlando between disney and universal. I'm not much for seaworld, so that's not an option. HOWEVER, i did look at doing discovery cove this year but avoided it due to lack of fundage $$. I've heard only good things about discovery cove.