Thoughts from our trip last week (3/20 through 3/27)

[Vacation_Commander]

My family and I just got back from a week at Universal Studios and I wanted to share a few tips from our trip that may help out others. We are a family of 4 (the kids are 11 and 8) and we stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort for 7 nights.

-The unlimited Express Pass was worth more than it's weight in gold...way more. Every single ride we did had less than a 15 minute wait by using Express Pass, but a lot of them were less than 5. The only 2 rides we couldn't us the pass on were Pteranodon Flyers (about 25 min. wait) and Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure (about 40 min. wait). We spent 4 days in the park and was able to ride absolutely every ride in the 2 main park and several others multiple times.

-Early entry to ride Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure is a must. If you don't wake up at 6am, leave by 6:30 and get to Islands of Adventure right before they open, you will have to wait for more than an hour to ride this...or good luck getting a virtual spot. They filled up in seconds. Also, let me say that this ride is well worth the effort needed to ride it. Not only is it the best ride at Universal Studios, but it maybe one of the best rides that I have ever been on in my life! Absolutely great story, scenery, and ride experience all the way through!

-Off days are a must. We put in somewhere around 66 miles of walking during this trip, so we had a couple of days where we just lounged by the pool for half the day and there is nothing wrong with that. We were also able to go and enjoy CityWalk on those days and had a blast playing the Hollywood Drive-In mini golf course.

-Dining plan was a good value. We got the higher plan were you get one table service meal, one quick service meal, and multiple snacks per day. Do your research on this. I read a lot of people thought it was a bad deal because they did the math, but for me it was a good deal because I had pre-paid for everything and it was nice knowing that I had 4 days worth of food already paid for and we could get whatever we wanted. Sure I would still order the steak or salmon to get my money's worth, but I liked it better knowing it was already paid for.
-One thing to keep in mind. They are really pushing the mobile ordering so you can just sit down and order without being crowded around, but the dining plan doesn't work with mobile order. You have to wait for someone to take you up to the register to order. So, it the plan is worth it, you just have an extra hoop to jump through.
-Also, get the freestyle cup. As a family of 4, we bought one and shared it throughout the day. It's only $10 to recharge it the following days and along with the drinks we got with the dining plan, getting only 1 worked out great.

-We didn't really like Volcano Bay. We stayed there maybe 4 hours one day and we thought the layout was poorly designed. Lots of walking around and no real way of knowing how to get to anything. Lines were insanely long for everything. Even using the taputapu band didn't matter. Plus when we did use the bands, the times on all 4 of ours were all different somehow. So, we mostly just enjoyed the river and the wave pool for a bit. But honestly, the kids had more fun in the amazing pool at the resort.

-Location. The water taxis were a great option if you were tired of walking at the end of the day, but really it was just as fast to walk back to the resort. It is nice to have both options. Some days we went back and forth several times because it was so close. That is something we hardly ever did at Disney because it took so long.

-Planning was a breeze. After 2 trips to Disney in 2015 and 2018, I was prepared to overplan, but found out that it really wasn't needed. Staying at the Royal Pacific covered me for transportation and Express Passes. So really the only thing I had to plan out was what days we wanted to go to parks (and if we wanted to wake early or not those days) and where to eat in case I needed to make reservation.

Hopefully this is helpful to some people. I know our trip was a success based on this stuff, so hopefully I can help out someone else.

 

[DisneyElite4]

My family and I just got back from a week at Universal Studios and I wanted to share a few tips from our trip that may help out others. We are a family of 4 (the kids are 11 and 8) and we stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort for 7 nights.

-The unlimited Express Pass was worth more than it's weight in gold...way more. Every single ride we did had less than a 15 minute wait by using Express Pass, but a lot of them were less than 5. The only 2 rides we couldn't us the pass on were Pteranodon Flyers (about 25 min. wait) and Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure (about 40 min. wait). We spent 4 days in the park and was able to ride absolutely every ride in the 2 main park and several others multiple times.

-Early entry to ride Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure is a must. If you don't wake up at 6am, leave by 6:30 and get to Islands of Adventure right before they open, you will have to wait for more than an hour to ride this...or good luck getting a virtual spot. They filled up in seconds. Also, let me say that this ride is well worth the effort needed to ride it. Not only is it the best ride at Universal Studios, but it maybe one of the best rides that I have ever been on in my life! Absolutely great story, scenery, and ride experience all the way through!

-Off days are a must. We put in somewhere around 66 miles of walking during this trip, so we had a couple of days where we just lounged by the pool for half the day and there is nothing wrong with that. We were also able to go and enjoy CityWalk on those days and had a blast playing the Hollywood Drive-In mini golf course.

-Dining plan was a good value. We got the higher plan were you get one table service meal, one quick service meal, and multiple snacks per day. Do your research on this. I read a lot of people thought it was a bad deal because they did the math, but for me it was a good deal because I had pre-paid for everything and it was nice knowing that I had 4 days worth of food already paid for and we could get whatever we wanted. Sure I would still order the steak or salmon to get my money's worth, but I liked it better knowing it was already paid for.
-One thing to keep in mind. They are really pushing the mobile ordering so you can just sit down and order without being crowded around, but the dining plan doesn't work with mobile order. You have to wait for someone to take you up to the register to order. So, it the plan is worth it, you just have an extra hoop to jump through.
-Also, get the freestyle cup. As a family of 4, we bought one and shared it throughout the day. It's only $10 to recharge it the following days and along with the drinks we got with the dining plan, getting only 1 worked out great.

-We didn't really like Volcano Bay. We stayed there maybe 4 hours one day and we thought the layout was poorly designed. Lots of walking around and no real way of knowing how to get to anything. Lines were insanely long for everything. Even using the taputapu band didn't matter. Plus when we did use the bands, the times on all 4 of ours were all different somehow. So, we mostly just enjoyed the river and the wave pool for a bit. But honestly, the kids had more fun in the amazing pool at the resort.

-Location. The water taxis were a great option if you were tired of walking at the end of the day, but really it was just as fast to walk back to the resort. It is nice to have both options. Some days we went back and forth several times because it was so close. That is something we hardly ever did at Disney because it took so long.

-Planning was a breeze. After 2 trips to Disney in 2015 and 2018, I was prepared to overplan, but found out that it really wasn't needed. Staying at the Royal Pacific covered me for transportation and Express Passes. So really the only thing I had to plan out was what days we wanted to go to parks (and if we wanted to wake early or not those days) and where to eat in case I needed to make reservation.

Hopefully this is helpful to some people. I know our trip was a success based on this stuff, so hopefully I can help out someone else.

This is all so helpful, thank you.

Were there any issues with pool overcrowding at RPR such as having to wait to get into the pool areaor not being able to find a lounger?

Did you make dining reservations for table service, or just walk up? Were the waits for table service long?

We will be there in May with our 3 children.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We’ll be at Royal Pacific for 4 days before our Disney trip in January. Was debating on getting the dining plan. Beautiful resort! And the express pass is amazing. It’s nice not having to over plan. Main reason why we stay there. Glad you had a great trip!

 

[macraven]

Op, thanks for sharing with us

I’m sure it will help many of the newbies!

( have you started to plan for your next trip to the Darkside?)

 

[mamapenguin]

My family and I just got back from a week at Universal Studios and I wanted to share a few tips from our trip that may help out others. We are a family of 4 (the kids are 11 and 8) and we stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort for 7 nights.

-The unlimited Express Pass was worth more than it's weight in gold...way more. Every single ride we did had less than a 15 minute wait by using Express Pass, but a lot of them were less than 5. The only 2 rides we couldn't us the pass on were Pteranodon Flyers (about 25 min. wait) and Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure (about 40 min. wait). We spent 4 days in the park and was able to ride absolutely every ride in the 2 main park and several others multiple times.

-Early entry to ride Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure is a must. If you don't wake up at 6am, leave by 6:30 and get to Islands of Adventure right before they open, you will have to wait for more than an hour to ride this...or good luck getting a virtual spot. They filled up in seconds. Also, let me say that this ride is well worth the effort needed to ride it. Not only is it the best ride at Universal Studios, but it maybe one of the best rides that I have ever been on in my life! Absolutely great story, scenery, and ride experience all the way through!

-Off days are a must. We put in somewhere around 66 miles of walking during this trip, so we had a couple of days where we just lounged by the pool for half the day and there is nothing wrong with that. We were also able to go and enjoy CityWalk on those days and had a blast playing the Hollywood Drive-In mini golf course.

-Dining plan was a good value. We got the higher plan were you get one table service meal, one quick service meal, and multiple snacks per day. Do your research on this. I read a lot of people thought it was a bad deal because they did the math, but for me it was a good deal because I had pre-paid for everything and it was nice knowing that I had 4 days worth of food already paid for and we could get whatever we wanted. Sure I would still order the steak or salmon to get my money's worth, but I liked it better knowing it was already paid for.
-One thing to keep in mind. They are really pushing the mobile ordering so you can just sit down and order without being crowded around, but the dining plan doesn't work with mobile order. You have to wait for someone to take you up to the register to order. So, it the plan is worth it, you just have an extra hoop to jump through.
-Also, get the freestyle cup. As a family of 4, we bought one and shared it throughout the day. It's only $10 to recharge it the following days and along with the drinks we got with the dining plan, getting only 1 worked out great.

-We didn't really like Volcano Bay. We stayed there maybe 4 hours one day and we thought the layout was poorly designed. Lots of walking around and no real way of knowing how to get to anything. Lines were insanely long for everything. Even using the taputapu band didn't matter. Plus when we did use the bands, the times on all 4 of ours were all different somehow. So, we mostly just enjoyed the river and the wave pool for a bit. But honestly, the kids had more fun in the amazing pool at the resort.

-Location. The water taxis were a great option if you were tired of walking at the end of the day, but really it was just as fast to walk back to the resort. It is nice to have both options. Some days we went back and forth several times because it was so close. That is something we hardly ever did at Disney because it took so long.

-Planning was a breeze. After 2 trips to Disney in 2015 and 2018, I was prepared to overplan, but found out that it really wasn't needed. Staying at the Royal Pacific covered me for transportation and Express Passes. So really the only thing I had to plan out was what days we wanted to go to parks (and if we wanted to wake early or not those days) and where to eat in case I needed to make reservation.

Hopefully this is helpful to some people. I know our trip was a success based on this stuff, so hopefully I can help out someone else.

Thank you for your report. It’s nice to hear that the pool was a hit. We are staying there in October for the first time and we did not care for the pool at the Hard Rock.

 

[Vacation_Commander]

This is all so helpful, thank you.

Were there any issues with pool overcrowding at RPR such as having to wait to get into the pool areaor not being able to find a lounger?

Did you make dining reservations for table service, or just walk up? Were the waits for table service long?

We will be there in May with our 3 children.

We had absolutely no issues or waits to get in the pool. One of the days when it was mid 80s, it was crowded and we had to get some lounge chairs near the back area, but that is it. FYI... the hot tub and kiddie pool are both closed right now.

I made dinner reservations for all of the table service places, but most of them probably would have been smaller wait times anyway. Bigfire and Lombards were the only two that would have had a wait had we not had reservations most likely. We actually had bigger waits at the quick service places like Burger Digs and Krusty Burger.

Side note we hit the Three Broomsticks for breakfast one morning and had pretty much no wait at all. We went before 8 right after we rode Hagrids. There was a line by the time we had our food.

Have fun in May, you will enjoy it!

 

[Vacation_Commander]

We’ll be at Royal Pacific for 4 days before our Disney trip in January. Was debating on getting the dining plan. Beautiful resort! And the express pass is amazing. It’s nice not having to over plan. Main reason why we stay there. Glad you had a great trip!

Thanks, it really was amazing there!

 

[Vacation_Commander]

Op, thanks for sharing with us

I’m sure it will help many of the newbies!

( have you started to plan for your next trip to the Darkside?)

It's funny you say it that way.... Haven't started planning it yet, but it looks like Disney may be a 2023 trip. We really want to go see the Star Wars stuff that is there now.

 

[bchbetha]

Thanks for sharing your report.

Over on another forum people were saying how much Disney was than Universal with Covid compliance, especially masks. That hadn't tracked with previous reports so I was curious what your thoughts were.

You haven't sold me on the dining plan. I like Universal gift cards if I want to pre-pay because then I can use them for souvenirs...just a bit more flexible.

 

[a-mad]

Great report! Thanks for sharing...

We will be there in 3 weeks. We are doing a WDW-centered trip but will be going to USF a couple of weekdays in the middle of our trip. Luckily we were able to get Early Entry access by purchasing our tickets through a travel agent. There is Early Entry into IoA for both days we are there. We are planning on going straight to Hagrid's both days. Question for you - when does the Virtual Line open for Hagrid's? Is it right at Park Open? So basically, if the park opens at 10am, and they are using a Virtual Line you just need to jump in then? Since we will be trying to multiple rides on Hagrid's we just wanted to be prepared... we will likely either be in line or just completing our first run when the park officially opens.

Given that we will be there on a weekday at the end of April and touring plans show that it is a lower-attended day, do they wait to turn on "Virtual Queue" until later in the day (if at all?)

Sorry for all the questions... we have the WDW process down pretty well, but are unfamiliar with USF.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Vacation_Commander]

Thanks for sharing your report.

Over on another forum people were saying how much Disney was than Universal with Covid compliance, especially masks. That hadn't tracked with previous reports so I was curious what your thoughts were.

You haven't sold me on the dining plan. I like Universal gift cards if I want to pre-pay because then I can use them for souvenirs...just a bit more flexible.

They were pretty strict from what I saw. They had people dressed undercover making sure people kept on their masks. You are allowed to eat and drink without one, but you have to be stationary. I got stopped once because I popped some food in my mouth while still walking. They also have hand sanitizer put directly into your hands before you get on every ride.
The the Suess Fish ride, they almost stopped it because some guy wouldn't put his mask back up. They called him out 2 times on the overhead speaker.

I hear you about the dining plan, that was just why I liked it so much. It's a good time either way!

 

[Erica Ladd]

Thanks for the report! We were at RPR in February and are going back in 3 weeks!!

 

[Vacation_Commander]

Great report! Thanks for sharing...

We will be there in 3 weeks. We are doing a WDW-centered trip but will be going to USF a couple of weekdays in the middle of our trip. Luckily we were able to get Early Entry access by purchasing our tickets through a travel agent. There is Early Entry into IoA for both days we are there. We are planning on going straight to Hagrid's both days. Question for you - when does the Virtual Line open for Hagrid's? Is it right at Park Open? So basically, if the park opens at 10am, and they are using a Virtual Line you just need to jump in then? Since we will be trying to multiple rides on Hagrid's we just wanted to be prepared... we will likely either be in line or just completing our first run when the park officially opens.

Given that we will be there on a weekday at the end of April and touring plans show that it is a lower-attended day, do they wait to turn on "Virtual Queue" until later in the day (if at all?)

Sorry for all the questions... we have the WDW process down pretty well, but are unfamiliar with USF.

Thanks in advance!

That's actually a very good question. Like I said, we got in line pretty early and only had to wait about 40 minutes (which goes fast because you pretty much move non-stop), but I opened up the app and was watching the number climb as we were in line. It seemed to go to about a 2 hour wait when the virtual queue kicks in. That is not exact of course, but that is what I noticed. But that fills up fast...almost immediately, then they release more spots at 11am, 2pm, and 4pm. All 3 of those are gone within seconds.
If you have the early entry, I would just go straight there and you won't have an issue. There were people being crazy and running, but it's really not needed if you are there right as the gates open.

We would normally be walking towards the ride a little before 7 on the 2 days that we did it. It all depends on which line you are in and how fast it moves people through. We saw people running like mad and then only be a spot or 2 in front of us!

 

[a-mad]

That's actually a very good question. Like I said, we got in line pretty early and only had to wait about 40 minutes (which goes fast because you pretty much move non-stop), but I opened up the app and was watching the number climb as we were in line. It seemed to go to about a 2 hour wait when the virtual queue kicks in. That is not exact of course, but that is what I noticed. But that fills up fast...almost immediately, then they release more spots at 11am, 2pm, and 4pm. All 3 of those are gone within seconds.
If you have the early entry, I would just go straight there and you won't have an issue. There were people being crazy and running, but it's really not needed if you are there right as the gates open.

We would normally be walking towards the ride a little before 7 on the 2 days that we did it. It all depends on which line you are in and how fast it moves people through. We saw people running like mad and then only be a spot or 2 in front of us!

Great advice! Thanks so much for your response... we'll keep that all in mind when we visit.