Switching Things Up: A Disney Lover's First Time at Universal - March 2021

[andy_dangg]

DAY 3

The parks opened at 8a again today, with only IoA offering Early Admission. However, after our super early start the day before, we were just not in the mood to rush out. We didn't feel too much pressure to get to the park early anyways, as we already decided today would be a more chill day.

We ended up waking up at 8a. We packed and got ready at a leisurely pace. This gave me time to enjoy the view on this gorgeous day--a stark comparison to the gloomy and rainy Saturday.

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Before heading back up to the room the night before, we checked out the microwave in the game room. It just seemed like too much of a hassle to take burritos 16 floors downstairs, find paper towels, microwave them in a random microwave, and look for a spot to eat. We just decided that we would "figure something out" like we did yesterday.

While we were relaxing in bed, I opened the Universal app to see which rides were offering virtual queues. Hagrid's had a virtual queue today, and much to my surprise there were plenty of windows open (this was at about 8:30a). We chose 10:15a-10:45a. Such a far cry from Rise of the Resistance where boarding groups are gone in seconds! I thought being able to reserve virtual queue spots from outside the park was the norm at Universal, but I found out that indeed it is not--I think you are supposed to be on property, be it in a park or CityWalk. This goes to show just how CLOSE the Doubletree is to Universal. If you're looking to snag virtual queue spots on a busy day but don't want to be up early or stay on property, this might be something to consider! I can't guarantee it will work, as I don't know just how far you can get from property.

We ended up making it over to the parking garage around 9:45a. The garage, walkways, and security were notably more busy than yesterday. We were thinking that people postponed trips due to the wet forecast for the day before.

The lack of food and caffeine was manifesting itself earlier than expected; I had a massive caffeine headache by the time we got to CityWalk. We remedied the situation by grabbing cinnamon cold brew and splitting a breakfast sandwich at Cinnabon. We were pretty hungry so I didn't manage to get a photo before we devoured the food. But we got a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich served on a cheddar roll, which sounds more indulgent than it actually was. It was just a normal breakfast sandwich roll with a slight cheese flavor--tasty, but not groundbreaking.

We made our way into Islands of Adventure, which again was noticeably crowded. The walk to Hagrid's went pretty quickly, but the entrance for the ride was allll the way at the entrance to Hogsmeade. Luckily, the line moved very consistently and we were through in probably 20 minutes.

This time, Jason rode the bike while I was in the sidecar. I definitely preferred the bike and Jason liked the sidecar more, so I guess our preferences align well The ride was fun as ever and this second ride cemented it as one of my favorite roller coasters of all time...which says a lot because I consider myself a roller coaster nerd. I even managed to convince my family to take a trip to Ohio primarily to visit Cedar Point!

When we exited Hagrid's we were faced with a pretty much shoulder to shoulder crowd in Hogsmeade. Everyone was looking at their phones so I presume they were trying to get virtual queue reservations. Regardless, it was WAY too busy for comfort so we decided to duck out of Hogsmeade ASAP.

I wanted to ride the Seuss trolley ride because it gives me Peoplemover vibes. However the line was an hour and we knew that it would not be worth it. Looking at wait times on the app we just decided that IoA would be a bust for the rest of the day, so after looking around in some Dr. Seuss stores, we made our way to the front of the park.

Right about when we were going to exit Seuss Landing, I saw a sign that said "Universal Studios Florida" with an arrow pointing towards a tent with a few team members. I read about the backstage path that is open during busy days so I figured this was it.

Indeed it was! Our tickets were scanned and then we were pretty much set free on this path, which felt kind of illegal. But it was cool seeing the park from a different angle and I love seeing not commonly trafficked areas. Now only if I can manage to take the Main Street backstage bypass...

After the tent, the path led to a short boardwalk...

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Which took you to a backlot/parking lot looking area...

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That squeezed by Hard Rock...

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Before taking you past the old Blue Man Group theater and underneath the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit break run...

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Finally dumping you next to Minion Mayhem and across from Shrek and the Hello Kitty store.

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Interestingly, it seemed like it was only one way traffic: they weren't letting people go from USF to IoA. I wonder if IoA was at or nearing capacity.

Up next: using up the rest of our Mardi Gras credits and the most relaxing afternoon at a theme park!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Loving your trip report! Thank you.

We haven't been to US/IOA in several years, but we bought 15 month annual passes and we plan to get there again next year.

 

[Daisy7425]

DAY 3
While we were relaxing in bed, I opened the Universal app to see which rides were offering virtual queues. Hagrid's had a virtual queue today, and much to my surprise there were plenty of windows open (this was at about 8:30a). We chose 10:15a-10:45a. Such a far cry from Rise of the Resistance where boarding groups are gone in seconds!

We made our way into Islands of Adventure, which again was noticeably crowded. The walk to Hagrid's went pretty quickly, but the entrance for the ride was allll the way at the entrance to Hogsmeade. Luckily, the line moved very consistently and we were through in probably 20 minutes.

When we exited Hagrid's we were faced with a pretty much shoulder to shoulder crowd in Hogsmeade.

I wanted to ride the Seuss trolley ride because it gives me Peoplemover vibes.

I found all of this above very helpful. I really appreciate any comparison to Disney. I'm never been to Universal and I'm a Disney fan, so these comparisons help me a lot.

Sounds like a really fun vacation you're having. You have a great mix of seeing it all at a fast pace and also being more leisurely.

 

[andy_dangg]

HI everyone, sorry for the brief hiatus! Had some friends in town and we were busy spending time with them.

Loving your trip report! Thank you.

We haven't been to US/IOA in several years, but we bought 15 month annual passes and we plan to get there again next year.

The 15 months really is a great deal! Hope you have a great trip.

I found all of this above very helpful. I really appreciate any comparison to Disney. I'm never been to Universal and I'm a Disney fan, so these comparisons help me a lot.

Sounds like a really fun vacation you're having. You have a great mix of seeing it all at a fast pace and also being more leisurely.

I think Universal is a great park for a Disney fan--lots of theming to scratch a similar itch but different enough to feel new! And yes, that was the goal. We were obviously excited to see everything, but we also knew that we had passes and could take it a little slower since we'd be back soon.

 

[andy_dangg]

After we scooted in the side entrance, we were just meandering through some of the shops. We weren't really looking for anything in particular, but it's just fun to look at all the merch.

Since we split the Cinnabon breakfast sandwich, we started to get a little peckish. We decided to go use up our Mardi Gras lanyards.

I really wanted to try to the Puerto Rican mofongo and pernil yesterday, but the line was too long, so we got it today. The line still took a while and they just ran out of mofongo before we got our food. The woman cooking the food told us it would be 5-6 minutes and that she would "hook us up" (her words) since we had to wait.

She didn't lie: we got plates that had maybe two to three times the amount of food that everyone else got. Jason's plate in particular had a TON of food--it filled him up pretty fast! The food was tasty too. The mofongo was a little less garlicy than I like, but the pernil had a good flavor and it was a very satisfying entree. Thanks again to Liz for her generosity!

The second thing we decided to get was the arepas AGAIN. We also sat on one of the little stoops again. They're by far the best place to eat: sorta private, and you can peoplewatch without people constantly walking in front of you while you're eating. They were just as delicious as before. We also decided to try the limonada de coco with it, which was a limeade with coconut juice. While small, it was really yummy. If we hadn't used our lanyards, we would have thought it was a little overpriced, especially considering the alcoholic version is only a dollar more. Maybe that's what they want you to think...

We still had three punches but were pretty full at this point, so we thought it would be a good idea to get some desserts. The first one we got was the beignets. There was no line (yesterday had a massive one) and we brought them down to the waterfront area behind the beignet stand to eat.

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These were a solid 7/10. They were much better than the beignets Busch Gardens had at their Mardi Gras event, but not as good as the ones Disney sells at Port Orleans French Quarter (which my mom swears are mediocre compared to beignets from the *actual* New Orleans). These weren't hot enough, but tasted decent. You can't really go wrong with fried dough and sugar...but I would only recommend these if you're really in the mood.

We sat on our powdered sugar coated table for a few minutes enjoying the beautiful weather and the view.

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Looking through the map of Mardi Gras booths, I spotted that the Canadian booth with poutine was nearby, so we went over and grabbed some poutine and water. We wanted to sit somewhere scenic again, so we sat in the grassy park area against the water.

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I love poutine and this was no exception. The beef had a delicious wine flavor that went well with the cheese curds. The curds were a little more melted than I prefer (I enjoy a good texture contrast) but overall this was so delicious. I prefer the poutine in Disney Springs a smidge more, but I would 100% order this again.

We really loved this area of the park. We just sat on the grass chatting and relaxing. Moments like these are why I love having passes. I didn't feel any pressure to ride anything, and we were just able to chill on a patch of grass away from people without a care in the world. I know Universal parks aren't always known to be the most beautiful, but this area was really pretty.

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We even got to see a brief water fountain show!

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After a while of sitting, the grass was making marks in our hands so we got up to use our final Mardi Gras credit. We chose to get a crepe from the France booth, which was really more like a wine bar attached to the creperie booth that opened a few months ago. The line was lengthy and we ended up waiting about 40 minutes. It definitely felt long but not that long--talking and enjoying the view passed the time.

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We finally got our crepe, which was the special Mardi Gras crepe. It had creme brulee filling with poached pears.

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The crepe was absolutely massive and delicious. The pears were SO good. They had cinnamon so they almost tasted like apple pie, but the slight tartness of the pears prevented the dessert from being too sweet. Jason in particular liked it a lot; he said it was probably his favorite thing we got.

After finishing the crepe on the patio of a little cafe (I can't remember what it's called), we decided to head out. We didn't want to get back to Gainesville too late, especially considering we had some homework to do.

We ended up leaving the park around 3p. Jason found a Japanese food and boba place in northern Orlando, so we decided to stop there to get some food to take home for dinner--we knew we wouldn't feel like cooking when we got home. It's called Boba Queen and I HIGHLY recommend. We both got the Japanese curry with chicken katsu. The portion was great and the food was SO delicious and satisfying. It kept really well over the drive as well. We also got some boba tea; Jason got taro milk tea with taro boba while I got a fruit tea. His was a lot better than mine. I don't like taro, but I liked his a lot. My fruit tea was a little too perfumey tasting, so next time I think I would stick to the milk teas.

We got back to Gainesville soon enough and our trip had sadly come to a close. Our last day at Universal for this trip was not the most exciting, so I'm sorry about the lack of action and the surplus of food reviews. But we REALLY enjoyed it. The weather was perfect, and we were able to avoid crowds for most of the day. It was by far the most relaxing day I've had in a theme park.

Up next: final thoughts and future trip plans!

 

[disneyseniors]

Wow, what a great trip report! You are an awesome writer
We love disney, too, but are leaning more towards Universal lately. I like the laid back type of touring with nothing preset up that you have to get to. The EP's are great too, and you can ride your favorite rides back to back if you want. Universal is a fantastic park. Your report made me want to get an AP and go to Universal ASAP. Thanks so much for the great pictures and report!

 

[mickeymom22]

Thank you for sharing your trip with us. We are a Disney family, but are wanting to visit Universal. We are really interested in all the Harry Potter attractions. Thanks again for sharing in such an insightful manner!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Great Trip Report! Thank you for sharing your adventures! Can’t wait to hear about future trips

 

[andy_dangg]

Wow, what a great trip report! You are an awesome writer
We love disney, too, but are leaning more towards Universal lately. I like the laid back type of touring with nothing preset up that you have to get to. The EP's are great too, and you can ride your favorite rides back to back if you want. Universal is a fantastic park. Your report made me want to get an AP and go to Universal ASAP. Thanks so much for the great pictures and report!

Thank you so much! One thing I also think Universal is doing better currently is live entertainment. I know Disney has more shows with Equity actors, but from a guest perspective, there is a lot more going on at Universal. Not even just in the theaters, but in terms of “streetmosphere” as well. Hope you can make it to the parks soon!

Thank you for sharing your trip with us. We are a Disney family, but are wanting to visit Universal. We are really interested in all the Harry Potter attractions. Thanks again for sharing in such an insightful manner!

Thank YOU for following along! I would definitely recommend a visit, the Harry Potter stuff is amazing! You’ll love it.

Great Trip Report! Thank you for sharing your adventures! Can’t wait to hear about future trips ☺

Thank you, glad you enjoyed!

 

[DL1WDW2]

Great trip report. I have gotten to know Universal after many years of Disney loyalty.... My first year was the year before Covid and now Covid Makes me so glad I experienced the real Universal for holidays that first year . The Grinch stole my heart and Mickey will never get it back!
You will love Universal for Halloween and Xmas even more!

 

[macraven]

Thanks for taking the time and making an awesome trip report!

 

[schumigirl]

Loved your TR....it was interesting to hear the views from first timers.....I`m so glad you enjoyed your time there......

And look forward to the next one.......

 

[andy_dangg]

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m sure you can tell that we really enjoyed our trip, so there’s no need to think of ten different ways to say how much how much fun we had...instead, I thought it would be more interesting to break down aspects of our trip that I find to be important and discuss! Here goes!

HOTEL: We really liked the Doubletree, the rooms were nice and the location couldn’t be better. However, once we’re 21 (Jason will be first), I’m thinking that we’ll stick to the Universal hotels. Cabana, Endless Summer, Aventura and Sapphire Falls all have comparable pricing to Hilton properties in the area but are a bit more convenient to the parks. I also love an immersive environment—for example, I’m absolutely in love with Disney resorts like Wilderness Lodge. One issue I had with the Doubletree is occurring more after my stay. I accidentally left my Roku stick plugged in to the TV. Two weeks and multiple calls later I still have not heard back from housekeeping. They always say they’ll call me back and never do. Not the worst item to leave behind, but it was $60+ and I’d like it back! I don’t like being too pushy but I think I might escalate this to the manager or corporate. Would still stay there again though.

PARK ATMOSPHERE: I feel like I may be in the minority but I liked the atmosphere of Universal Studios a lot more than Islands of Adventure. IoA was technically more themed but I felt lacked charm in some areas like the Marvel area. Obviously the Potter stuff is on a whole other level. There were also more green and open areas in USF which I made for nice areas to sit. The whole waterfront area in USF was very nice and better integrated than IoA. Ironically, I felt like in most areas of Islands the lake was a bit obscured. IoA is by no means an ugly park and I don’t mean this as a diss on IoA—it’s still very nice with great attractions. I just enjoyed relaxing in Universal Studios much more. In comparison to Disney parks, USF was VERY similar in feel to Hollywood Studios, while IoA felt it’s own thing.

ATTRACTIONS: I’ll try to avoid too much comparison to Disney here because I feel like the attractions should be enjoyed with a different mindset at each resort. Yes, there are more screen based attractions at Universal, but they are done extremely well. They also don’t shy away from physical sets—Hagrid’s, Forbidden Journey and Mummy are all great examples. They also do an impressive job with integrating digital and physical, with Spiderman coming to mind. I know Universal has some weak spots (Fast and Furious) and we didn’t really experience them this trip, but that’s true of any park. If anything, Disney seems to be following Universal in some aspects; for example, Ratatouille looks very similar to Spiderman, albeit debuting over two decades later. I still have my favorite Disney rides (FoP is literally perfect) but I’ve discovered that Universal has created some of my favorite theme park attractions ever.

DINING: I'll admit, most of our dining was Mardi Gras food, which I don't feel is a judge of the dining quality as a whole. In fact, our only meal at a Universal restaurant was Mythos, which we loved. Next trip we plan on visiting a lot more of the counter service options and a meal in CityWalk, so I'll have more to talk about then

SERVICE: Overall, I found the service at Disney to be a little more polished than Universal, but we interacted with a lot of great, friendly team members. It's still far better than you'd find at Busch Gardens or other amusement parks. One thing that Jason said that I found interesting was that he felt the Universal team members were a little more genuinely nice than Disney's cast members. At first I was a little confused, but looking back, I did feel like the Universal employees did feel a little more down to earth. Service at Disney is almost always excellent, but always a little over-the-top nice. I'm really splitting hairs on service though--both parks have great employees.

COVID PROTOCOLS: We felt pretty comfortable at the parks, except on Sunday in Hogsmeade. Mask compliance was very good to excellent, but there were more people walking around eating maskless than Disney. I don't get too worried about it outdoors if it's just the occasional person. In the queues, I felt that the spacing was better than Disney. They seemed to leave more than six feet in some areas to account for large parties. We overall found it easier to distance from big groups in the queues at Universal than Disney. Our last Disney trip was in August so I'm sure crowd levels are larger now, so I think both parks do similar, good jobs.

 

[andy_dangg]

UPCOMING PLANS

In addition to a few day trips here and there, I'm hoping to take maybe three more overnight trips in the coming months.

The first one will probably be in late April to mid May to take advantage of the low post spring break but before summer crowds. Since we're still going to be 20, we'd probably just stay at an inexpensive off property hotel again and spend most of our days in the parks. This would probably be a really short one night trip (MAYBE two) so I don't know if I'd do a trip report.

Jason's birthday is in June, so we were thinking maybe in late June or July we can just spend a weekend at Cabana Bay or maybe Aventura. Both resorts are affordable and Cabana looks really fun (especially because Jason loves to bowl). This would be a chill trip, not going too crazy at the parks but who knows. It's hard to nail down a date for this because of summer classes and may need to be last minute--does anyone know if Cabana ever sells out?

Finally, my birthday is in August and I'd love to spend three, maybe four nights at Universal then. My original plan was to stay at Royal Pacific or Portofino Bay, but at $1000+ for three nights I don't know if it would be possible, even with my parents helping out a bit as a birthday present. Instead, I was thinking maybe Cabana Bay or Sapphire Falls. Sapphire is a little more expensive, but still affordable and it would allow us to go to Cabana earlier in the summer without the trips feeling redundant. I still really want to stay at one of the premier resorts, but it just don't know when--what's usually the cheapest season for these hotels? Do you guys prefer Cabana Bay or Sapphire Falls?

With that, this is officially the end of my trip report! I really enjoyed writing this and seeing everyone's comments. Feel free to ask any questions you might have, and if you can help me with hotel advice mentioned above, that would be awesome! Until next time, stay safe, healthy, and I hope to see y'all in the parks soon

 

[Erica Ladd]

Thanks for the report! Since CoVid we have been going solely to Universal- once in December at HRH and once in February at RPH! Going again at the end of April to RPH again. I love the EP!! We have seasonal passes and have rooms booked at SF and don’t mind not having EP because we planned to do the meetup so no need to cram it all in! I thought that would be a great time to try a non premier resort but not sure if that trip will happen now...

anyway it’s great to make little trips to escape and Uni is perfect for that! Thanks for the doubletree info - always good to have options and I’ve been wanting to go to Millers Ale House over that way and hope to walk (at least there lol). Keep us posted on future travels!

 

[JaxDad]

@andy_dangg, thanks for the great trip report!

The next time you want mofongo in Orlando, try Tropico Mofongo. I haven’t been recently, but it was always very good, and garlicky!
https://www.tropicomofongo.com/
Is there a good mofongo place in Gainesville? We get over there occasionally and are always looking for new restaurants to try. My son will be applying to UF next year.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Great trip report!

I still really want to stay at one of the premier resorts, but it just don't know when--what's usually the cheapest season for these hotels? D

You should look at the AP rates for the hotels - link is on the first post here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/o...for-universal-loews-hotel-properties.3771155/

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Oh also, regarding your hotel ice cream - one of your Universal visits, give Florean Fortescue's a try - nice big creamy soft serve cones. I can't wait to go back & hopefully try a new flavor, although the Butterbeer soft serve does just talk to me every time.

 

[andy_dangg]

Great trip report. I have gotten to know Universal after many years of Disney loyalty.... My first year was the year before Covid and now Covid Makes me so glad I experienced the real Universal for holidays that first year . The Grinch stole my heart and Mickey will never get it back!
You will love Universal for Halloween and Xmas even more!

I am so excited for the Christmas celebrations! I think Jason has convinced me to go to HHN this year...Haunted Mansion is normally the most I can deal with...but I guess it will be a fun trip.

Thanks for taking the time and making an awesome trip report!

Thanks for tagging along!

Loved your TR....it was interesting to hear the views from first timers.....I`m so glad you enjoyed your time there......

And look forward to the next one.......

I hope the next one will be soon! Thinking of staying at Sapphire Falls, which judging by your signature, is one of your favorites...

Thanks for the report! Since CoVid we have been going solely to Universal- once in December at HRH and once in February at RPH! Going again at the end of April to RPH again. I love the EP!! We have seasonal passes and have rooms booked at SF and don’t mind not having EP because we planned to do the meetup so no need to cram it all in! I thought that would be a great time to try a non premier resort but not sure if that trip will happen now...

anyway it’s great to make little trips to escape and Uni is perfect for that! Thanks for the doubletree info - always good to have options and I’ve been wanting to go to Millers Ale House over that way and hope to walk (at least there lol). Keep us posted on future travels!

The EP sure sounds awesome, although for two of us I don't know if it's worth 2x the price over SF or 3x the price over CBBR. Are you talking about the Orlando Informer meetup? I keep getting FB and Instagram ads for it.

@andy_dangg, thanks for the great trip report!

The next time you want mofongo in Orlando, try Tropico Mofongo. I haven’t been recently, but it was always very good, and garlicky!
https://www.tropicomofongo.com/
Is there a good mofongo place in Gainesville? We get over there occasionally and are always looking for new restaurants to try. My son will be applying to UF next year.

I'll have to try that place out! I think Orlando has a really underrated food scene--you can find so much delicious + authentic foods of nearly every cuisine all around town. The best ones are always in the strip malls!

In terms of Gainesville, I have not had mofongo here. But I can offer a few restaurant recs! La Tienda has really awesome Mexican food, really authentic and inexpensive. Mi Apa has pretty good Cuban food, it's one of my go-to lunch places up here. For a splurge Dragonfly is a must. The portions are small for the price but the sushi is easily the best I've had in Florida. I also yesterday went to Alpin Bistro and it was fantastic, it's bistro-style French food (think croque monsieur, quiche, brie, and the best crepes you'll have anywhere). I'm half Vietnamese and also love Pho Hanoi for viet food! I hope your son gets in. I like it a lot here, very competitive but a great school + culture.

Great trip report!


You should look at the AP rates for the hotels - link is on the first post here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/o...for-universal-loews-hotel-properties.3771155/

Thanks for the link! The AP savings are for sure a great perk. CBBR hovers right around $100 most of the year and I saw RPR for about $200 with the discount (I forgot when)

Oh also, regarding your hotel ice cream - one of your Universal visits, give Florean Fortescue's a try - nice big creamy soft serve cones. I can't wait to go back & hopefully try a new flavor, although the Butterbeer soft serve does just talk to me every time.

I'll have to give that place a try! I love soft serve so much!

 

[schumigirl]

I hope the next one will be soon! Thinking of staying at Sapphire Falls, which judging by your signature, is one of your favorites...

We adore Sapphire. We always enjoy our stays there for many reasons, not least including Strong Water Bar which for us is the best bar in Universal Orlando Resort. Hard to beat it for many reasons.

The resort is just wonderful and has everything you need for a longer or shorter stay and if you are still considering there or Cabana Bay, go with Sapphire every time. You can visit CBay for some pool time if you wanted if Pool hopping is back, but it is a far superior resort in lots of ways.