Sell me on a trip to Orlando for Universal :)

[nurseypoo5]

I just got back from Disney and it was a lot of fun, but my 10 yr old was a bit disappointed in the lack of thrill rides. While thrill rides are fun, for my DH and I things like Epcot and all the fireworks were what we enjoyed (not to mention the free dining and DDP)

We also went to Siesta Key for a week which WE ALL LOVED. This would be done again, but next time im wondering if 4 nights at Universal would be plenty.

Would we miss disney too much? What does Universal have for adults. My dh hates thrill rides esp those that go upside down. He rode Everest and RNR once and thought they were fine but enjoyed soarin better. Get it lol?

What do you all think??

 

[Rella Bella]

IMHO...

Universal was nice. We had a good day. Some of the stuff was great, some so so. DS liked some of it... especially The Mummy, but some of it bored him. I'm glad we went.. I won't go running to go again for a while. Maybe in a few years. We just spent one day and saw everything...but it was winter so there really weren't any lines to speak of.

Islands of Adventure had mostly thrill rides. DS loved it (he was 9) I was frankly bored through most of it because I HATE coasters, so of course I was standing around waiting while they did one after another. DH goes with him so that leaves me alone. La, la, la... oh well. I did LOVE Spiderman! That was the best ride of both parks for me. We did the whole park in one day. I won't want to go back, but DS will probably want to... I'll hold him off as long as possible.

This is just our experience. We've never stayed at any of their hotels... just visited and spent a bit of time in City Walk. We usually do Disney twice a year... and all of us have a great time. There has to be something for everyone, to make a family vacation work. We took 6 trips to Disney before trying Universal/IA... and we'll probably do that many Disney trips again before considering going back. But I'm sure you'll get lots of opposite opinions.

 

[Cinderella822]

I had the opposite experience from Rella Bella. We all loved Disney but on our last trip, felt a little "bored". Needed something new for a change. So we thought we'd go to Universal for one vacation then back to Disney again. We went last August, stayed on-site for a week at Portofino Bay and fell in love with it. The hotels are magnificent. All the attention to detail that you find in the Disney hotels. I actually preferrred PBH to any Disney resort I stayed in. And I found the staff to be every bit as friendly and helpful, perhaps more so. That being said, the parks were great. You could easily do everything in 4 days, especially if you stay on-site with FOTL. That is a nice perk that you don't find at Disney and going in the summer, I found it to be priceless. I think there is something for everyone at the parks - the thrill rides, the not as scary thrill rides like Mummy, Spiderman, Jurrasic Park, and the shows and attractions like Earthquake and Twister. A lot of fun. I found the parks to be more relaxed and less crowded than Disney also. And City Walk is fun in the evening. Lots of great restaurants. I like that everything is so close and within walking distance. So my vote would be for you to try it. We liked it so much, we decided to go again next summer for a week. Already made my reservations at PBH again and can't wait to return. Hope this helps.

 

[robvia]

You have to spend the extra money, and stay onsite to get the full experience. Even if the husband doesn't care for thrill rides, he'll enjoy the pool, relaxing, and restaurants. From July 4th to the first week of August, the parks stay open late and have fireworks. They also do this during spring break. So if you stay onsite, it won't matter if there are more crowds during the peak times. You'll have more time to visit the parks, especially at night.
We also like the PBH the best, because it's a beautiful resort, room is the largest of the 3, and the bathroom is huge.
4 nights is plenty of time. Most people need 1 day for each park, and a 3rd day for favorites. So you'd actually have an extra day to relax and hang out. If you want more action, you can take the shuttle to Sea World Florida to add one more park.

 

[ChrisFL]

IMHO...

Universal was nice. We had a good day. Some of the stuff was great, some so so. DS liked some of it... especially The Mummy, but some of it bored him. I'm glad we went.. I won't go running to go again for a while. Maybe in a few years. We just spent one day and saw everything...but it was winter so there really weren't any lines to speak of.

Islands of Adventure had mostly thrill rides. DS loved it (he was 9) I was frankly bored through most of it because I HATE coasters, so of course I was standing around waiting while they did one after another. DH goes with him so that leaves me alone. La, la, la... oh well. I did LOVE Spiderman! That was the best ride of both parks for me. We did the whole park in one day. I won't want to go back, but DS will probably want to... I'll hold him off as long as possible.

This is just our experience. We've never stayed at any of their hotels... just visited and spent a bit of time in City Walk. We usually do Disney twice a year... and all of us have a great time. There has to be something for everyone, to make a family vacation work. We took 6 trips to Disney before trying Universal/IA... and we'll probably do that many Disney trips again before considering going back. But I'm sure you'll get lots of opposite opinions.

IOA has only 3 big coasters (IF you count Dueling Dragons as 2 separate coasters) and one kiddie coaster, but there's also many tamer rides and very good shows like Poseidons Fury and the Sinbad show. Plus theres a lot of unique specialty shops, an entire interactive area at Jurassic Park Vistors Center just like in the movie, incredible places to eat and a lot of other ways to explore, even without going on the rides.

Universal has more attractions overall but they're generally not as thrill oriented. There's some excellent 3D shows in Terminator 2 and Shrek, classics like the Horror Make-up Show and Blues Brothers, some great rides like MIB which is a huge arcade game (think like Buzz Lightyear at MK but done MUCH better). The mummy is a very well done dark-ride/rollercoaster that is quite unique how it combines the two. There are some effects that still blow me away every time I ride it

 

[goofy!]

IMHO...

Universal was nice. We had a good day. Some of the stuff was great, some so so. DS liked some of it... especially The Mummy, but some of it bored him. I'm glad we went.. I won't go running to go again for a while. Maybe in a few years. We just spent one day and saw everything...but it was winter so there really weren't any lines to speak of.

Islands of Adventure had mostly thrill rides. DS loved it (he was 9) I was frankly bored through most of it because I HATE coasters, so of course I was standing around waiting while they did one after another. DH goes with him so that leaves me alone. La, la, la... oh well. I did LOVE Spiderman! That was the best ride of both parks for me. We did the whole park in one day. I won't want to go back, but DS will probably want to... I'll hold him off as long as possible.

This is just our experience. We've never stayed at any of their hotels... just visited and spent a bit of time in City Walk. We usually do Disney twice a year... and all of us have a great time. There has to be something for everyone, to make a family vacation work. We took 6 trips to Disney before trying Universal/IA... and we'll probably do that many Disney trips again before considering going back. But I'm sure you'll get lots of opposite opinions.

I am sorry you did not have a good experience. And it is really a shame that you were misguided into believing all the rides in IOA were coasters. But if I may use your experience as a guideline, it just shows that one must dotheir homework, no matter which park (WDW or USO) they are visiting.

For example, out of all the rides in Islands of Adventure, there are only 3 big coasters and 1 kiddie coaster. The rest are a variety of rides.

You have Spiderman, which can't be compared to any other ride. It is a car that moves on a track while immersing you in a phenominal 3-D experience.
The track has no significant real drops and it really isn't that fast, though it does have a few spins. However, the 3-D effects do have you believing differently. But just close your eyes if you don't like something.

Popeye - vaguely similar to Kali River Rapids, but much, much better.

Jurassic Park River Ride - vaguely similar to Splash mountain, but again better, and with dinosaurs.

One Fish, Blue Fish - Dumbo-like, but with the added fun of a water element.

Give it a try. That is the only way you are going to know if it suits you or not. But do remember to go in with the understanding that it is not Disney. It has its own unique charm and "magic." It would be boring if it was exactly like Disney. Exactly because it is different, it gives you two more parks to love and embrace during trips down to Orlando .

And there should be enough to go around for everyone in your family. I am not a thrill seeker either, and I find plenty to keep me busy. And we have never stayed less than 7 nights. But 4 nights would be perfect before heading off to the beach.

And just like the Disney folks recommend for Disney, to get the full immersion into the experience, resorts, FOTL and Parks, it is best to stay on site. Especially during busy periods.

 

[callahanjulie10]

We love WDW but enjoy IOA and USO as well. 2 parks compared to 4:
2 parks have a lot more rides but not as much theming. If you want to spend a week at WDW, you will not run out of things to do whereas USO and IOA, we can do it in 2 days and take a 1/2 of the 3rd and ride everything to our hearts content.

DTD compared to CW: Love them both, CW has more going on in my opinion. We had the best time at CW this last Saturday night- a GREAT band...Orange Avenue and so much energy I have never had as much fun for free!
I feel at home at DTD. I go all the time and it is such a great feeling but it isn't like City Walk. We also took in a movie which is a nice slow down after a hectic week. We did the Movie & Meal deal which worked out great for us.
Hotel: 3 hotel compared to a lot! The 3 hotels are expensive, no value or mod for the budget minded family. BUT it is well worth the cost. We got FOTL and usually waited what little time we had to in an air conditioned room! Loved it and it derfinately spoils a girl.
I love AK (the only deluxe I have stayed in at WDW) just as much as PBH or HRH (the only 2 I have stayed in at Universal). They are totally different experiences and hard to compare. FOTL is what puts it in front of WDW but we paid $$$$$$- much more than AK at Thanksgiving! I love that WDW has other levels of hotels since not everyone can afford the luxury of deluxe hotels. I would rather stay in a value than not go at all!!!
If your DH doesn't llike thrill rides he will not enjoy IOA or USO- in my opinion. My DH is the same way, so we do trips to WDW when he goes and me, DD, and her DF's go to IOA and USO. We love them both and will never just choose one over the other. They both have great things to offer.

 

[damo]

Your husband sounds like mine. He loves Universal because he never has to wait in line. He doesn't ride the coasters but prefers USO and IOA because of their adult theming.

 

[Fan2CSkr]

Your husband sounds like mine. He loves Universal because he never has to wait in line. He doesn't ride the coasters but prefers USO and IOA because of their adult theming.

Thats the #1 comment made each and every trip from my husband! No line the parks all mine!

 

[Calgary DISHeads]

We just spend 12 days at DW and 5 at Universal and 1 at SW. This was our first trip doing SW and Universal, we had a fabulous time doing it all. Next time we go we will definitely include Universal as it is a a completely different place with a completely different feel than DW. SW was good, but I don't think we'll return. Staying onsite is essential, we stayed at HRH and although we did not have the greatest experience we would return and give it another chance. We spent a lot of time running park to park at DW and were pretty exhausted by HRH - beauty of there is the closeness to the parks, the FOL access which allows you to do the rides in such a short time you can really enjoy the resort. The rides are amazing at US and IOA, although we are true Disney lovers - I flinch when I say this - Disney has nothing to compare to Spiderman, Mummy or MIB (and probably several others if I really think about it).

 

[silverhaze269]

4 nights would be plenty. I’ve been to USO and stayed at the HRH 2 times before, and I’m going back with my family in December. We’ve never stayed longer than 4 nights and we weren’t rushed at all (we went in August and May). I think it’s the perfect amount of time because you can devote one day per park, a day to do favourites, and then you get a bit of the last day to pick up the last minute souvenirs and maybe even do that one last ride on your favourite. It also gives you some down time, which is really nice.

As for the thrill rides, there’s no shortage. But for your husband who doesn’t like thrill rides, he won’t be bored either. I’m no thrill seeker by any means and I go on almost every ride at both parks. The only rides I haven’t been on and won’t go on (due to a bad stomach for large drops) are Fire and Ice, Jurassic Park River Adventure, Rip-Saw Falls, and The Hulk. Every other ride is either a motion simulator (Spider Man, Jimmy Newtron), 3-D movie (Shrek, Terminator), “Dark” ride (ET, MIB, CITH, Spider Man), show style ride (Poseidon’s Fury, Twister, Earthquake) or river rapids (Popeye) and an action water ride (Jaws). Yes the Mummy is a roller coaster and it has one large drop in the end (and a few not as large drops), but it’s not that bad. If you do a Google search for “The Mummy” you should find stuff from when it first opened. Get your husband to read it and see what he thinks.

My thrill-rating of each ride I’ve been on, based on a scale of 1-10, 1 being no thrill whatsoever, 10 being scare the pants off you is:

US
Shrek 4-D = 3. There are a few little elements that make could you jump, but nothing that would make a 5 or 6-year-old cry (in my opinion).
Jimmy Newtron = 3. It’s just a room full of motion simulators where you watch a movie. It’s a bit like being in an IMAX movie, only you’re in motion simulators. It’s really fun.
Twister = 2. The most thrilling part of this is when you’re in the queue. I thought for sure something was going to start shaking or moving, but it didn’t. You just stand in front of what looks to be a stage where they have one of the scenes from twister set up. Stuff happens all around you, but just remember that it’s windy.
The Mummy = 8. Anyone who says this isn’t thrilling has got to be kidding. While it starts off all nice and dandy, it picks up about 2 minutes into it, and from there on in you’re speeding up and down pretty fast. Since it’s indoors, there’s no major twists or upside down bits. I only rode this one twice, and both times I closed my eyes on the last drop, and of course just milliseconds before the on-ride photo. Be sure to be on the lookout for a surprise ending.
Earthquake = 2. You know what you’re getting yourself into before you even step into the queue. There’s a presentation about the movie and how they made it if you choose to see that before you do the actual ride, or you can opt to go straight to the ride portion. It’s basically what would happen if you were in an earthquake on a subway.
Jaws = 4. It is pretty thrilling since you can’t really tell when he’s going to pop up, and where. You can sort of guess, but don’t necessarily go by that. I think this one is pretty straightforward though.
MIB = 3. I say this only because some people might be prone to motion sickness. The ride does spin, but not a whole lot and the worst of it is in the end. Other than that it’s really great! You get to shoot aliens like you’re in an arcade game. It’s similar to Buzz, only better.
BTF = 6. I wasn’t going to add this because it probably won’t be around much longer, but if they keep pushing the close date back you never know. It’s a motion simulator in front of a really, really big IMAX screen. Yes, the movie might be a little dated, but every time my Mom rides this she gets a case of hysteric giggling. Hopefully it will still be around if you go, it was/is my favourite ride (tied with Popeye).
ET = 4. Surprisingly enough, this ride has a few drops that made my stomach “flip” the first time I rode it on our last trip. You ride bicycles on a track. It’s got a really neat queue.
Terminator = 4. Like Shrek, it’s a 3-D movie. There are a few surprises that might make you jump, but it’s nothing too bad. It’s my least favourite ride only because I’m not too interested in the Terminator. My dad really likes this one though.

IOA
CatInHat = 3. This one is great. It has a few spins, but they are pretty minor. You ride a couch through a life-size version of the book.
Carr-o-Seussel = 1. It’s a carousel. Enough said.
One-Fish-Two-Fish = 1. You might get wet if you don’t follow the instructions in the song.
Poseidon’s Fury = 3. If you can stand the usually long wait time, it’s pretty good. You just stand up in rooms while your tour guide tells you stuff. There’s a cool water feature though, and a good portion of the ride is in darkness.
Flying Unicorn = 4.5. It’s a good roller coaster to get you introduced to them. If you want to ride the Mummy, I suggest starting off with this one first so you get the feel for them.
Popeye = 3. You get SOAKED. Be sure to put everything you don’t want to get wet in the plastic covered thing. It’s really fun without any major drops.
Spider-Man = 6. This one can be pretty intense. You’re in a motion simulator on a fixed track watching a 3-D movie. If it gets to be too much just close your eyes and it’s fine.

I hope this helps. You should really check it out. They’re both great parks with some pretty awesome rides. Like I said, I’m not a thrill seeker, but I can do all of those rides no problem. They’re just fun. Your son would love it, and I have a feeling your husband wouldn’t be bored either. If worst comes to worst, he could see the Blues Brothers (US), Bettlejuice (US), Horror Make-up (US) and Sinbad (IOA) shows. Plus there’s lot of shops to check out. Be sure and let us know if you go!

 

[JawsCPA]

NurseyPoo:

Our family spent a week at Hard Rock and Universal in June this year and we had a blast. Our son was 11 and loved HRH. He doesn't do rollercoasters yet and DH has never done coasters.

As for thrill rides, our family missed the best Universal has to offer. We did not go on Hulk, Dragons, Dr. Doom, or Mummy. My point is, DH and DS are talking about they would like to go back for next year's summer vacation.

Yes, Universal has got good thrill rides, but you can find plenty to do if you don't like those rides. We did.

STAY ONSITE - it is worth the money.

We only did the Universal parks and Sea World. We stayed from Sunday afternoon until Friday morning and had plenty of time for everything. Your 4 days will be enough. I don't know why everyone wants to try and do the parks in only 1 or 2 days. S-L-O-W down and enjoy life. Staying longer lets you go on your favorite rides more than once. DS and DH did Men In Black about 7 times that week.

Go and enjoy - we booked through AAA and we are seriously thinking about returning in 2007!

 

[F-L-A]

I'll never understand how anyone can ride "one coaster after another" at Universal... unless they keep going on the same ones over and over. Or you count the kiddie coasters. Either way, why do people always exaggerate the prominence of coasters at UO? I just don't get it. The parks do have something for everyone.

 

[Rella Bella]

I am sorry you did not have a good experience. And it is really a shame that you were misguided into believing all the rides in IOA were coasters. But if I may use your experience as a guideline, it just shows that one must do their homework, no matter which park (WDW or USO) they are visiting.

For example, out of all the rides in Islands of Adventure, there are only 3 big coasters and 1 kiddie coaster. The rest are a variety of rides.

Thanks for disagreeing so amiably... I was pretty sure I wouldn't have the majority opinion on a thread about Universal. But everyone has been very nice about the way they disagreed. Thanks!

I also think those who have had the "on-site" experience have a BIG point. Knowing how much difference it makes at Disney, it makes sense that "on-site" would be a completely different experience.

I would like to clarify just a couple things.

I was NOT "misguided into believing all the rides at IOA were coasters". I'll admit I didn't do any homework... I just wanted to go and see what it was like, without prejudice so I purposely didn't check it out. DS had heard about The Hulk and was dying to go, so we were going... I wanted to keep my mind open.

As for IOA I didn't expect all coasters... but the majority of rides there didn't appeal to me. As I said I loved Spiderman... it is beyond amazing. But to explain what I meant... from my perspective as a ride wimp (something I will easily admit to) there is no difference between a BIG coaster and a KIDDIE coaster. The drop on the Dudley DoRight log ride looked like sheer torture and since I've never even been brave enough to do Splash Mountain I guess you'll quickly figure out why I wouldn't do Jurassic Park.

The other Dr Seuss area was cute... but DS wasn't interested so we didn't stay long.

As I said... what I mostly remember is standing around waiting. It really bothered me that there were carnival games everywhere... (again that could be my perception, I hate that about Dinoland in AK too) but that is because DS is addicted and will spend his entire allotment of spending money in one swoop.

Sum it all up to say:
next time I promise to identify myself as a ride wimp before giving my opinion!
Attention ride wimps like me... you'll enjoy Universal more than IOA.
That's all. Thanks for listening

 

[sha_lyn]

next time I promise to identify myself as a ride wimp before giving my opinion!
Attention ride wimps like me... you'll enjoy Universal more than IOA.
That's all. Thanks for listening

LOL.... DM and DH could spend all day in US going from one show to another, then repeating if they had time. OTOH DS and I will hit MIB and ROTM, then head over to IOA and hit fire ice and hulk until our heads are about to fall off.. DD is somewhere in the middle. She's 9 and loves everything that she is tall enough to do. I have a feeling once she is tall enough she'll be making the rounds with DS and I. DS's record is hulk 27 times in a row. DH and DM won't go near it LOL

 

[damo]

LOL.... DM and DH could spend all day in US going from one show to another, then repeating if they had time. OTOH DS and I will hit MIB and ROTM, then head over to IOA and hit fire ice and hulk until our heads are about to fall off.. DD is somewhere in the middle. She's 9 and loves everything that she is tall enough to do. I have a feeling once she is tall enough she'll be making the rounds with DS and I. DS's record is hulk 27 times in a row. DH and DM won't go near it LOL

Our pattern is MIB for an hour or so then Mummy then MIB for an hour or so, eat something. Then repeat!!!

 

[CJN]

Sum it all up to say:
next time I promise to identify myself as a ride wimp before giving my opinion!
Attention ride wimps like me... you'll enjoy Universal more than IOA.
That's all. Thanks for listening

This made me chuckle, Rella Bella. Even us ride wimps can't agree on rides!

Roller coasters just aren't my style and the thought of Spiderman or Mission:Space scares the begezzes out of me (motion sickness issues) but I could go on stuff like Jurassic Park, Splash Mtn, and Dudley DoRight all day long. In fact, IOA is my favorite park in all Florida just for JPRA alone. It just goes to show no matter whether we're thrill-seekers or not how tough it is to advise other people what to do. So I'm certainly not intending to sound mean to the OP but, just as with any adventure in the world, all you can do is give it a try and see what YOU think.

 

[mdhkitten]

I had to chime in as a hard core WDW lover and say that I visited both Universal parks about 3 years ago for the first time. There were several rides that I enjoyed, and the coasters are out of this world. Unfortunately though, Universal is definitely missing the Disney "magic". The employees aren't anywhere near as friendly, in fact we witnessed more than one be very short with people in lines when people didn't understand what was asked of them. There's no excuse for that. Also, where you can get "lost" at WDW, and forget that you're right smack in the middle of Florida because WDW is SO good at disguising everything, Universal definitely is not. There were rides that you could see the backs of (like the working areas), which is something that you don't see at WDW. When I did stay there, we stayed at Royal Pacific Resort and I will say that it was a nice hotel and the staff was great, but let's keep in mind that these hotels are run by Loews, and are staffed by Loews as well. I found that out when I stayed there. Anyway, I would probably go again, but it will never compare to WDW for me. Then again, everyone has their own opinion! BTW, the front of the line pass was definitely nice..........that's one thing that would be great at Disney, but unfortunately they have too many onsite hotels to make this work I would think.

 

[Fan2CSkr]

I had to chime in as a hard core WDW lover and say that I visited both Universal parks about 3 years ago for the first time. There were several rides that I enjoyed, and the coasters are out of this world. Unfortunately though, Universal is definitely missing the Disney "magic". The employees aren't anywhere near as friendly, in fact we witnessed more than one be very short with people in lines when people didn't understand what was asked of them. There's no excuse for that. Also, where you can get "lost" at WDW, and forget that you're right smack in the middle of Florida because WDW is SO good at disguising everything, Universal definitely is not. There were rides that you could see the backs of (like the working areas), which is something that you don't see at WDW. When I did stay there, we stayed at Royal Pacific Resort and I will say that it was a nice hotel and the staff was great, but let's keep in mind that these hotels are run by Loews, and are staffed by Loews as well. I found that out when I stayed there. Anyway, I would probably go again, but it will never compare to WDW for me. Then again, everyone has their own opinion! BTW, the front of the line pass was definitely nice..........that's one thing that would be great at Disney, but unfortunately they have too many onsite hotels to make this work I would think.

Amazing isnt it? Universal missing the Disney magic? Could it be because Universal is NOT Disney? And, its NOT supposed to be! Thought you might find it interesting that many employess work at both Universal and Disney and we all know a bad experience could happen at either. The parks fault or a lone bad mood of an individual? RPR was great but what? Universal is not supposed to be compared to Disney, they arent the same. They are separate experiences designed to be just that. Kool Aid or rose colored glasses? Sorry, I see you already have both.

 

[Amity 3]

Amazing isnt it? Universal missing the Disney magic? Could it be because Universal is NOT Disney? And, its NOT supposed to be! Thought you might find it interesting that many employess work at both Universal and Disney and we all know a bad experience could happen at either. The parks fault or a lone bad mood of an individual? RPR was great but what? Universal is not supposed to be compared to Disney, they arent the same. They are separate experiences designed to be just that. Kool Aid or rose colored glasses? Sorry, I see you already have both.

it's just not worth it anymore.

I'm just going to lay down and accept that the TM's at Universal are teenage slackers and the CM's at WDW are 'Magical Beings Coated in Pixie Dust and Prayers for Dead Kittens'.

it's easier that way.