Such a NOOB!

[Spriesty]

Planning an early 2015 trip, I'm a little indecisive, and it's probably because I literally am just starting to learn about Universal. I think I know, but I'm not sure I know, ya know?

The difference in the amount of information about Universal and the amount of information on WDW is staggering! Not to mention that I've had a few problems with the Universal website the last couple of days. Which is why I'm here, with the experts.

I'm a huge Disney fan, been to WDW 3 times so far, and don't feel like I could ever get enough of it. It's my Happy Place, and I annoy everyone I know with constant chatter about it. Even at work, I am labeled the Gamer Geek and Disney Freak.

Being such a big Disney fan leaves me a little scared of The Dark Side. I'm a little hesitant, and searching for clarification, advice, and answers to some (probably dumb) questions.

Please be patient, I'm not familiar with most of this stuff, or abbreviations, so feel free to correct me, just do it kindly.

1) There are 2 parks. One is Universal Studios. The other is Islands of Adventure. The Wizardy Harry Potter thing is inside one of them, right? Which one?

2) When going to WDW, we can plan for 5, 6 or 7 days at the parks and know that we will see different rides, different shows, and not get bored. This isn't the case at Universal, is it? I see people going to WDW and planning a day to do Universal. I also read the FAQ's and see that 2-3 days could be plenty at Universal. So when planning, should I just plan like Sunday - Thursday, and move to WDW Friday-Sunday? Or less at Universal, more at WDW? Even the way they sell tickets suggests 2-3 days.

3) This front of the line thing. If I stay at 3 of the 4 resorts, I automatically get it, right? Even if I buy my tickets separately? That's for all the rides, multiple times? It's different than the pass you buy at the park, which is good for a ride once?

4) When looking at room options for those 3 resorts, I get confused because there are 3 different booking options. Some kind of Save N Stay or Stay N Play thing, which is basically, the longer you stay, the cheaper the room. Another which is seasonal pricing, I think? And a third option that didn't interest me and I don't remember what it is. Which of these should I be looking at? Should I price them both and just book the cheaper of the two? Will it affect anything if I book one way or the other?

5) I noticed Park Hopping is an option. Is that something I should pay extra for, or is it really not necessary, especially if we do 3 or more days?

6) This City Walk thing. What is that? In my mind, I liken it to Downtown Disney, with a mini golf course. Does that about sum it up?

7) I think I read that the parks close early (like 6pm). What do you do the rest of the evening? I'm used to being in WDW parks later, and using that time to my advantage, since a lot of people with younger children have headed in for the day. Is City Walk still open? Is it crowded since the other parks are closed then? I'm not really interested in giving the kids tons of money to spend in an arcade to keep them entertained for the evening, and sitting in a hotel room for 3 or 4 hours before bedtime isn't an option with my kids.

8) I'm not on a shoestring budget, but I don't like to spend money frivolously either. So two parts about that: a) is it on par with Disney? More expensive overall, less expensive? and b) any extras we should try to include to make our stay more enjoyable (like Blue Man Group, although I'm not sure my husband and 3 year old would be into that)?


I'm sure I will have more noob questions, but this is plenty to get me started. I'm not sold on Universal, but it seems more laid back and less strenuously planned than WDW, which is how we like it, and why I'm considering it. Feel free to let me know why you enjoy Universal more than WDW (if that's the case).

Thanks in advance for help/advice!

 

[tweak89]

1) IoA

2) With the unlimited Express Pass perk of the resort, 2 days is plenty.

3) You get the perk at all but the new "budget" resort. You can actually purchase the unlimited version but it is quite pricey, enought that a hotel stay makes a better option.

4) Those are promotional offers, pick the one that best suits you.

5) Not necessary, but very useful on conjunction with the Express Pass. Unlike WDW, you can travel between parks in just a few minutes.

6) Think a slight more adult skewed Downtown Disney.

7) Check the calendar, open and close times are seasonal. Mini-Golf, Movies and plenty of places to eat after hours.

8) I would liken the overall cost as slightly lower. Not sure what "extras" I could recommend, especially for small children as it is just my wife and I.

Just another observation, based on the makeup of your party. You child will likely not be tall enough to ride the majority of rides at US or IoA. I believe all but four rides across the parks have height requirements of 40" and up.

Much like City Walk, the parks themselves skew to an older demographic than Disney as whole. Whereas at any of the four WDW parks, you would find perhaps one or two "thrill" rides with the rest being suitable for riders of any age, it's the opposite at the two Universal Parks.

I'm a huge fan of the Disney parks (we also have visited DL and DLP). Universal parks have their own identity and it's really hard to gauge if you would like it based on how much you like Disney parks. We travel to a lot of the Six Flags parks as well and I would put Universal Orlando/Islands of Adventure squarely between them. The thrills of Six Flags rides with the theming and technology of Disney parks.

Of course, YMMV, so keep that in mind! Good Luck!

As an aside, we are returning to US/IoA in February of this year. We are bringing my niece (16) and nephew (20). We gave them the option of going to WDW instead, an it wasn't even close.

 

[Spriesty]

1) IoA

2) With the unlimited Express Pass perk of the resort, 2 days is plenty.

3) You get the perk at all but the new "budget" resort. You can actually purchase the unlimited version but it is quite pricey, enought that a hotel stay makes a better option.

4) Those are promotional offers, pick the one that best suits you.

5) Not necessary, but very useful on conjunction with the Express Pass. Unlike WDW, you can travel between parks in just a few minutes.

6) Think a slight more adult skewed Downtown Disney.

7) Check the calendar, open and close times are seasonal. Mini-Golf, Movies and plenty of places to eat after hours.

8) I would liken the overall cost as slightly lower. Not sure what "extras" I could recommend, especially for small children as it is just my wife and I.

Just another observation, based on the makeup of your party. You child will likely not be tall enough to ride the majority of rides at US or IoA. I believe all but four rides across the parks have height requirements of 40" and up.

Much like City Walk, the parks themselves skew to an older demographic than Disney as whole. Whereas at any of the four WDW parks, you would find perhaps one or two "thrill" rides with the rest being suitable for riders of any age, it's the opposite at the two Universal Parks.

I've been to WDW, DL and DLP and we try and hit WDW every other year, Universal parks have their own identity and it's really hard to gauge if you would like it based on how much you like Disney parks. We travel to a lot of the Six Flags parks as well and I would put Universal Orlando/Islands of Adventure squarely between them. The thrills of Six Flags rides with the theming and technology of Disney parks.

Thank you Tweak, very informative!!! And thanks for the extras as well. I do have a 3 year old, and a husband that can sometimes get motion-sick on some rides (even the teacups, lol). But I'm an adventurous rider, and that goes double for my 14 and 9 year old. What you said about height requirements and it being more of a thrilling park is sticking in my head. I know some of us would love it, and others may not enjoy it so much. It might be better to put Universal off for another few years, until the youngest can enjoy it as much as the rest of us.

I still haven't decided. But I'm thinking maybe it's just better to do WDW, and possibly throw in a day at Universal to get a feel for it and do some thrill rides with my bigger boys.

IF that's the case, would you do one park or the other? Or a 1 day hopper?

 

[damo]

Planning an early 2015 trip, I'm a little indecisive, and it's probably because I literally am just starting to learn about Universal. I think I know, but I'm not sure I know, ya know?

The difference in the amount of information about Universal and the amount of information on WDW is staggering! Not to mention that I've had a few problems with the Universal website the last couple of days. Which is why I'm here, with the experts.

I'm a huge Disney fan, been to WDW 3 times so far, and don't feel like I could ever get enough of it. It's my Happy Place, and I annoy everyone I know with constant chatter about it. Even at work, I am labeled the Gamer Geek and Disney Freak.

Being such a big Disney fan leaves me a little scared of The Dark Side. I'm a little hesitant, and searching for clarification, advice, and answers to some (probably dumb) questions.

Please be patient, I'm not familiar with most of this stuff, or abbreviations, so feel free to correct me, just do it kindly.

1) There are 2 parks. One is Universal Studios. The other is Islands of Adventure. The Wizardy Harry Potter thing is inside one of them, right? Which one? Diagon Alley will be in the studios and Hogsmeade is in IOA

2) When going to WDW, we can plan for 5, 6 or 7 days at the parks and know that we will see different rides, different shows, and not get bored. This isn't the case at Universal, is it? I see people going to WDW and planning a day to do Universal. I also read the FAQ's and see that 2-3 days could be plenty at Universal. So when planning, should I just plan like Sunday - Thursday, and move to WDW Friday-Sunday? Or less at Universal, more at WDW? Even the way they sell tickets suggests 2-3 days. I like a minimum of three days. One day for each park and one day for favourites

3) This front of the line thing. If I stay at 3 of the 4 resorts, I automatically get it, right? Even if I buy my tickets separately? That's for all the rides, multiple times? It's different than the pass you buy at the park, which is good for a ride once? That is correct. However you can also purchase an unlimited express pass

4) When looking at room options for those 3 resorts, I get confused because there are 3 different booking options. Some kind of Save N Stay or Stay N Play thing, which is basically, the longer you stay, the cheaper the room. Another which is seasonal pricing, I think? And a third option that didn't interest me and I don't remember what it is. Which of these should I be looking at? Should I price them both and just book the cheaper of the two? Will it affect anything if I book one way or the other?Stay more save more is basically the default rate. If it is available and is cheapest, that's what you should take

5) I noticed Park Hopping is an option. Is that something I should pay extra for, or is it really not necessary, especially if we do 3 or more days?I like the two park pass best

6) This City Walk thing. What is that? In my mind, I liken it to Downtown Disney, with a mini golf course. Does that about sum it up?There are tons of restaurants and a little bit of shopping. There are night clubs, a large movie theatre and the mini putt courses

7) I think I read that the parks close early (like 6pm). What do you do the rest of the evening? I'm used to being in WDW parks later, and using that time to my advantage, since a lot of people with younger children have headed in for the day. Is City Walk still open? Is it crowded since the other parks are closed then? I'm not really interested in giving the kids tons of money to spend in an arcade to keep them entertained for the evening, and sitting in a hotel room for 3 or 4 hours before bedtime isn't an option with my kids. Parks close early in quiet times. With the new Diagon Alley opening this summer, parks may start to be open later. You can swim in the evenings, dive-in movies are great.

8) I'm not on a shoestring budget, but I don't like to spend money frivolously either. So two parts about that: a) is it on par with Disney? More expensive overall, less expensive? and b) any extras we should try to include to make our stay more enjoyable (like Blue Man Group, although I'm not sure my husband and 3 year old would be into that)?I find it less expensive. I've done BMG and we all enjoyed it. The three year old and hubby would probably like it too


I'm sure I will have more noob questions, but this is plenty to get me started. I'm not sold on Universal, but it seems more laid back and less strenuously planned than WDW, which is how we like it, and why I'm considering it. Feel free to let me know why you enjoy Universal more than WDW (if that's the case).

Thanks in advance for help/advice!

my answers are in red

 

[tweak89]

Thank you Tweak, very informative!!! And thanks for the extras as well. I do have a 3 year old, and a husband that can sometimes get motion-sick on some rides (even the teacups, lol). But I'm an adventurous rider, and that goes double for my 14 and 9 year old. What you said about height requirements and it being more of a thrilling park is sticking in my head. I know some of us would love it, and others may not enjoy it so much. It might be better to put Universal off for another few years, until the youngest can enjoy it as much as the rest of us.

I still haven't decided. But I'm thinking maybe it's just better to do WDW, and possibly throw in a day at Universal to get a feel for it and do some thrill rides with my bigger boys.

IF that's the case, would you do one park or the other? Or a 1 day hopper?

With a park hopper and 1 day you could hit all the headliner attractions. You would have Harry Potters Forbidden Journey as the only major ride not included with Express Pass. You would want to hit that first thing in the morning or a couple of hours before closing. That part could change as (and I missed that part initially) you would be there well after the new Potter expansion opens, so that could change things.

Attractions like Twister, Disaster!, E.T., Shrek 4D, Fear Factor Live, Terminator 2 and the Horror Makeup Show could be enjoyed by the non-riders while the thrill seekers in your family pursue their interests. I believe there are non-motion seats for Despicable Me as well.

 

[Spriesty]

my answers are in red

Thank you for your responses!! I was just now reading about the new Diagon Alley opening this summer. Park hopping passes is a definite now.

With a park hopper and 1 day you could hit all the headliner attractions. You would have Harry Potters Forbidden Journey as the only major ride not included with Express Pass. You would want to hit that first thing in the morning or a couple of hours before closing. That part could change as (and I missed that part initially) you would be there well after the new Potter expansion opens, so that could change things.

Attractions like Twister, Disaster!, E.T., Shrek 4D, Fear Factor Live, Terminator 2 and the Horror Makeup Show could be enjoyed by the non-riders while the thrill seekers in your family pursue their interests. I believe there are non-motion seats for Despicable Me as well.

Thanks again, Tweak! I think I will plan on doing WDW, with a day trip to Universal this time. If we run out of time, and it leaves us wanting more, I will likely do a split stay for a couple nights there before moving to WDW on another trip in a couple years when the youngest is a bit older.

You all have been very helpful, thank you so much!

 

[heidijanesmith]

Planning an early 2015 trip, I'm a little indecisive, and it's probably because I literally am just starting to learn about Universal. I think I know, but I'm not sure I know, ya know?

The difference in the amount of information about Universal and the amount of information on WDW is staggering! Not to mention that I've had a few problems with the Universal website the last couple of days. Which is why I'm here, with the experts.

I'm a huge Disney fan, been to WDW 3 times so far, and don't feel like I could ever get enough of it. It's my Happy Place, and I annoy everyone I know with constant chatter about it. Even at work, I am labeled the Gamer Geek and Disney Freak.

Being such a big Disney fan leaves me a little scared of The Dark Side. I'm a little hesitant, and searching for clarification, advice, and answers to some (probably dumb) questions.

Please be patient, I'm not familiar with most of this stuff, or abbreviations, so feel free to correct me, just do it kindly.

1) There are 2 parks. One is Universal Studios. The other is Islands of Adventure. The Wizardy Harry Potter thing is inside one of them, right? Which one?Hogsmead is at IOA the 1st HP land and Diagon Alley will be at US, the second area to open. The Hogwarts Express will connect the two parks. You must have a park-to-park pass for this ride

2) When going to WDW, we can plan for 5, 6 or 7 days at the parks and know that we will see different rides, different shows, and not get bored. This isn't the case at Universal, is it? I see people going to WDW and planning a day to do Universal. I also read the FAQ's and see that 2-3 days could be plenty at Universal. So when planning, should I just plan like Sunday - Thursday, and move to WDW Friday-Sunday? Or less at Universal, more at WDW? Even the way they sell tickets suggests 2-3 days. We really like US for it's compactness and ability to walk to the parks quickly. It makes for a much more relaxing trip as we can spend less time dealing with transportation issues and more time at the pool or parks. We spend 3 1/2 days at US and find that there is plenty to do with out any boredom. With the new Diagon Alley, we will probably bump up to 4 1/2 days.

3) This front of the line thing. If I stay at 3 of the 4 resorts, I automatically get it, right? Even if I buy my tickets separately? That's for all the rides, multiple times? It's different than the pass you buy at the park, which is good for a ride once? We stay at HRH and you receive an unlimited Express Pass the day we check in. It is not necessarily front of the line access, but it is much like a fastpass line, a separate line that is MUCH shorter, we rarely wait more than 5-7 min for headliners with Express Pass, sometimes no wait at all. The EP is good at most rides at US. For example, FJ at WWoHP Hogsmead does not have an EP, we hit that 1st thing, Olivanders does not have it, so we hit that 2nd thing. Then with the EP we are free to tour how we like, going on our favorite rides over and over through the EP line.

4) When looking at room options for those 3 resorts, I get confused because there are 3 different booking options. Some kind of Save N Stay or Stay N Play thing, which is basically, the longer you stay, the cheaper the room. Another which is seasonal pricing, I think? And a third option that didn't interest me and I don't remember what it is. Which of these should I be looking at? Should I price them both and just book the cheaper of the two? Will it affect anything if I book one way or the other? When I make a reservation I ask for specials like the Stay-more discount. I have an AP and get an AP discount for our HRH room every year. The amount of discount varies per stay.

5) I noticed Park Hopping is an option. Is that something I should pay extra for, or is it really not necessary, especially if we do 3 or more days? We always park hop, the parks are 3 min walk from each other. We will hit early morning WWoHP at IOA and then walk to US for morning touring. Take a daily break and then walk to City walk for dinner and then back to the park of our choice for evening touring.

6) This City Walk thing. What is that? In my mind, I liken it to Downtown Disney, with a mini golf course. Does that about sum it up? I have not explored all of City Walk but we do like to eat there. I have not tried the clubs or movies. If you stay on site (not sure about Cabana resort) when you walk up and ask for a table, show them your hotel key card and you get priority seating. We love Bubba Gump and Margaritaville

7) I think I read that the parks close early (like 6pm). What do you do the rest of the evening? I'm used to being in WDW parks later, and using that time to my advantage, since a lot of people with younger children have headed in for the day. Is City Walk still open? Is it crowded since the other parks are closed then? I'm not really interested in giving the kids tons of money to spend in an arcade to keep them entertained for the evening, and sitting in a hotel room for 3 or 4 hours before bedtime isn't an option with my kids. We like to eat at City Walk at night and we have watched the dive-in movie at HRH. City Walk is open late. My kids (teens) could spend all day and night at the HRH pool.

8) I'm not on a shoestring budget, but I don't like to spend money frivolously either. So two parts about that: a) is it on par with Disney? More expensive overall, less expensive? and b) any extras we should try to include to make our stay more enjoyable (like Blue Man Group, although I'm not sure my husband and 3 year old would be into that)? We rented a cabana at HRH this year, it was great. We also tried the Horror Night for the 1st time, perfect for adults and my teen DD who loves haunted houses. We find US to be on par with Disney as far as theming , superior to Disney for the amount of thrill rides, and just as expensive


I'm sure I will have more noob questions, but this is plenty to get me started. I'm not sold on Universal, but it seems more laid back and less strenuously planned than WDW, which is how we like it, and why I'm considering it. Feel free to let me know why you enjoy Universal more than WDW (if that's the case).

Thanks in advance for help/advice!

Staying on property also allows you into the park an hour early. I think this is a wonderful perk that we have always taken advantage of to explore the IOA WWoHP Hogsmead area. We will use the early entry for sure to explore the new US Diagon Alley area on our next trip.

I am a crazy WDW planner and find that I relax more at US, not as necessary to make food reservations and with the EP easier touring ability.

We like to go to WDW and US as we enjoy both so much.

 

[Spriesty]

Staying on property also allows you into the park an hour early. I think this is a wonderful perk that we have always taken advantage of to explore the IOA WWoHP Hogsmead area. We will use the early entry for sure to explore the new US Diagon Alley area on our next trip.

I am a crazy WDW planner and find that I relax more at US, not as necessary to make food reservations and with the EP easier touring ability.

We like to go to WDW and US as we enjoy both so much.

Thanks so much, Heidi! I definitely want to stay on property. I love the idea of a short walk or boat ride between the hotels and parks. And of course the Express Pass perk.

Like you said, Universal just seems so much more leisurely, which is kind of what our touring style is. Don't get me wrong, we go-go-go while there. We just don't like being held to such a strict schedule of ADR's and FP+ reservations. I think it will be more our style, especially when our youngest (3) gets a little older.

 

[Cielei]

Looks like quite a few people have already answered your questions and given you some great advice. I just wanted to relay a little personal experience. I have 2 boys who are 10 and 11 right now and we went to Universal (I think it was 3 years ago now) and they absolutely loved it. They couldn't ride some of the bigger coasters (Hulk, Dragon Challenge, etc ...) at that time, but they still really enjoyed the park - they were over 42"; so they got to ride everything else. This year, they picked Universal as their top choice for vacation. When we went last, we took 4 days for Universal, but I think you could easily condense that to 1-2 days and still catch almost everything that you would want to try. I agree with the previous poster in that we actually spent more time at the pools and relaxed much more at Universal than we ever do at any of the Disney resorts (we've done WDW and Disneyland resorts).

We enjoyed breakfast in the Potter themed areas for the atmosphere, and I think there are quite a few good restaurants along City Walk and in the resorts. It's a completely different experience, but one that we really enjoyed. If I get my way (Happy life, happy wife? right?), we are doing a mini trip to Disney World right before my brother's wedding in May and then coming back in September for a few days at Universal.

Have a great time on your vacation - whatever you choose will be wonderful!

 

[sandyplayer]

When I booked my first trip to universal in 2012 I was nervous because of the lack of information. But the reason is that if you stay on site you don't need touring plans to see everything. Focus on seeing the rides without express pass first, and all else will be easy by just touring as you feel like it. It's that easy. I didn't believe it, but when my daughter and I rode MIB three times in a row without a wait because of express pass ( at noon during spring break) I realized how easy it was. Even the character wait times are short. There aren't two hour lines like for the fairies. You don't have to plan your day and then call 180 days for a dining reservation. I booked and changed my mind and rebooked reservations up to a week ahead. And we still got our choices easily.

It's crowded, but if you do what makes sense (rope drop, leave middle of the day for the pool, back at night....stay on site and get your early entry and express passes) it is so much easier than Disney.

We are doing disney and universal (split stay boardwalk and hard rock) this summer and my disney trip is almost over planned, I have my dining reservations, etc.....but I can chill out about universal....it's a more relaxing trip because of it.