Should we bother with IOA??

[Carrieberry]

We will be at Disney (without a rental car) in the beginning of December. We will be staying on Disney property. We really want to see IOA but are wondering if it is even worth spending the extra $150 to go out of our way to see it. We will need to pay $50 to get there and back (round trip) and $100 for two adults to get in. We love coasters, but understand that without FOL acess the waits could be literally hours! Is this a slow time of year? We would go in the middle of the week like on a Wedensday. We don't want to rent a car while there either, just to see IOA. Let me know what you think! Thank you!

 

[MsDisney]

We will need to pay $50 to get there and back (round trip) and $100 for two adults to get in. We love coasters, but understand that without FOL acess the waits could be literally hours! Is this a slow time of year? We would go in the middle of the week like on a Wedensday. We don't want to rent a car while there either, just to see IOA. Let me know what you think!

Ok...first off, the answer to your question is YES (the first question, that is!!!) Early December is one of the slowest times of year for the theme parks here. Mid-week makes it even better! Grinchmas will be going on, which is cute...you HAVE to visit the Grinch in his lair...he's very Grinchy !!!!
Now...where is this $50 figure coming from? I seem to recall Mears offered pretty reasonable transportation from WDW to Universal and $50 sounds steep for two...
AAA has a deal on one day admission, I believe...although I'm not sure if there are residency restrictions on it or not. Either way, they usually offer a discount off of a one day admission.
I visited IOA back in May of 99 for one day and it was when I first fell in love with IOA. It's a wonderful park....so much detail. It's just about my favorite all-around park now!!!

I say go and enjoy!
Karen

 

[Carrieberry]

$50 is round trip for two through Your Ride-the sponser on this site. Is Mears cheaper? What about a cab? We thought that might be best since we don;t know how long we will want to stay and enjoy everything. We would like to see Citywalk too. What time does the park usually close at this time of year? How much do you think it would be for a cab?

 

[MsDisney]

$50 is round trip for two through Your Ride-the sponser on this site. Is Mears cheaper? What about a cab? We thought that might be best since we don;t know how long we will want to stay and enjoy everything. We would like to see Citywalk too. What time does the park usually close at this time of year? How much do you think it would be for a cab?

Sometimes I think I should offer my own shuttle service...I could charge half that and still do well!
That seems a bit pricey...but flexibility is definitely a plus, with Mears, I know they have set pickup times...
Cabs are definitely more expensive, I'd say. Perhaps you should post a separate question asking about transportation from WDW to Universal and see what people have done and suggest.

and I would keep your eyes open on these boards for specials on tickets that will surface as we enter the slow time of year...the AAA one seems to only be valid until Dec. 1st, but there will be others!

Karen

 

[Carrieberry]

You are right! Mears is only $12 per person to Universal! Anyone know if you need advance times set up for this or you just call them when you want to go and when you are ready to return?

 

[Carrieberry]

I have a Fan Club card too, but I don;t think it offers discounts on one day passes.

 

[dcookies]

Just to add my 2 cents ....

I definitely think you could do everything you want at IOA at the beginning of December. I had gone once in May with my sister - we got there late - about 10:30 (she's not a morning person!) and left about 6:30. In that time, we managed to do every major ride - including both Dragons, the Hulk 3 times, Spiderman, Jurassic Park, Dudley Do-right, Bluto, etc. The parks weren't too busy, the longest we waited was about 45 minutes in Spiderman, and that's because the ride broke down. We saved the Hulk for last, and were able to walk right on it (when we were there last week, I noticed the lines are very short in the afternoons).

We took our time, did some shopping and ate a leisurely lunch. I think May is busier than December, so if you can work out your transportation issues, I'd say go for it!

 

[Cindy B]

It is so worth it...

You will love it, it is my sons favorite park!

I've always had multi day tickets, but I'm not sure if Express (sort of like Fastpass, but better IMHO), is valid on one day tickets, can someone verify that?

The themeing is incredible, the rides fantastic. I did not stay onsite, so I did not have "Express Access" (or whatever they are calling it now, not TRUE FOTL)

But remember there is also single riders as well, in Spiderman , Dr. Doom and Hulk. You can cut your wait time considerably with single riders.

(There may be more attractions with single riders, but we did use them for that, and most times we (as a party of two, one adult, one kid) they kept us together.

 

[damo]

If Mears is $12/person one way, you are only saving $2 total. Your Ride is great and very reliable and will be there when you want. My daughter and I used them last year when it was just the two of us alone in Orlando and I was leary about transportation. They were great.

 

[Carrieberry]

Mears is actually $12 pp round trip. At least that is what their website says. It is different for each zone but it lists round trip rate as $12 pp round trip from the zone where our hotel will be.

 

[damo]

Then go for it! IOA and UF are the best parks! Just be careful, you may not want to go back to Disney

 

[Carrieberry]

LOL! No the town car service was $50 for both of us, round trip. So $50. But we are going to just use Mears.

 

[gschmerl]

We stayed at WDW Dolphin in July and there was a Mear's desk in the lobby. You hotel might have a Mear's desk also. They had a schedule of times the shuttle went different places. I think they wanted two hour notice to go to other parks.

 

[Carrieberry]

Thanl for the heads up. We will be at Beach Club, so only a short walk to Dolphin. We will check that out!

 

[julfre]

You mentioned in your note that you were afraid to be "waiting for hours". Universal express is like Disney's fastpass as everyone who has a ticket can get a express pass every 2 hours etc. Hotel guests use the same line and just show the room key to get in the line. So just like a fastpass, you can get your express pass for a ride with lines, do something else until your time comes up and then ride with a minimal wait. I went last year in October mid-week and did not even need express passes for most rides.

 

[julfre]

You mentioned in your note that you were afraid to be "waiting for hours". Universal express is like Disney's fastpass as everyone who has a ticket can get a express pass every 2 hours etc. Hotel guests use the same line and just show the room key to get in the line. So just like a fastpass, you can get your express pass for a ride with lines, do something else until your time comes up and then ride with a minimal wait. I went last year in October mid-week and did not even need express passes for most rides.