Thoughts on food/my itinerary....

[chimo2u]

Hi All!
My son and I will be at Universal Studios for the ending portion of our February WDW trip. I chose to end it with Universal as I've heard others say US will spoil you with it's FOTL privileges and beautiful accomodations.

I switched my reservation from PBH over to Hard Rock Hotel as a suprise for my son....He has mentioned many times that he wishes we where staying there, ....little does he know!

Our WDW trip ends Feb 10th. I am having a car service pick us up at 10:00AM and take us to US. I am thinking we will be checking in around 11 am and hitting the park to maximize our short 2.5 days there.
My thoughts are:

Arrive 11am. Go to WWoHP to scope it out/perhaps have lunch at 3 Broomsticks.

Take the boat over to PBH and have pizza at Sal's for dinner, perhaps Gelato as dessert

Friday, FEB 11th
Early Entry to WWoHP
Do WWoHP then IOA
Lunch: either at Mythos or Margharitaville
Dinner: either at Mythos or Margharitaville??? Thoughts on which one should be for dinner/and which one for lunch???

Saturday Feb 12th
Universal Studios today
Lunch at Nathan's Hot Dog Stand
Dinner at NBA City

What do you think? do my plans seem to flow well/ and are the restaurants a good pick/fit for my plans??

Thanks for helping this US Newbie

~ Marie

 

[chimo2u]

One more quick ??? Would you choose Bubba Gumps/ or NBA city?
That was another restaurant that was catching my interest!
TIA for ideas/thoughts!

 

[Metro West]

Your schedule looks good. Mythos is only open for lunch so you couldn't have dinner there. Margaritaville is great for dinner and so is NASCAR Cafe. Bubba Gump's and NBA City are decent places to eat...I would suggest NASCAR over NBA City though.

Going to Nathan's for lunch huh? I like to eat but those hot dogs are huge! I didn't know if was going to be able to finish it and the fries! You might also consider Finnegan's and Louie's at the Studios...depending on what you want to eat. I would also suggest taking a look at Thunder Falls Terrace and Comic Strip Cafe at IOA...if you didn't want Mythos.

 

[schumigirl]

Does look good

Would recommend Margaritaville a million times over.........fantastic place with really good atmosphere and of course excellent food.

We had a lovely lunch at Confisco Grille last year......DS and DH said they much preferred it to Mythos. Would also recommend Thunder Falls Terrace.

As for US........I don`t know about Nathan`s........can`t even think where it is to be honest , but we love Lombards over there, and thanks to the lovely Metro West we now love Louie`s for pizza

 

[Metro West]

As for US........I don`t know about Nathan`s........can`t even think where it is to be honest , but we love Lombards over there, and thanks to the lovely Metro West we now love Louie`s for pizza

Well Carole...we will have to have lunch at Louie's when you guys come over next summer.

 

[schumigirl]

Well Carole...we will have to have lunch at Louie's when you guys come over next summer.

Looking forward to it already

 

[chimo2u]

Thanks for all the replies so far .... ok, so Mythos for lunch it is and Margharitaville for dinner.

Boy, I wish I had a tour guide for this trip, I am so lost....don't even know where things are! This is all being thought out via recommendations online and my universal touring book! I heard glowing recommendations for the hotdogs at Nathan's (are they as big as the ones at Costco) if they are, I guess I don't have to eat ALL of it

What is the differences between NBA city and NASCAR restaurants?
I heard good reviews for pasta at NBA city...thus my reasoning for thinking of trying there. And....Bubba Gumps, would that trump either NASCAR or NBA City?
I have a teenage boy to feed, so as long as there are good staples like hamburgers, pasta, steak....he's all good!

Thanks for the recommendations!

 

[Metro West]

What is the differences between NBA city and NASCAR restaurants? I heard good reviews for pasta at NBA city...thus my reasoning for thinking of trying there. And....Bubba Gumps, would that trump either NASCAR or NBA City? I have a teenage boy to feed, so as long as there are good staples like hamburgers, pasta, steak....he's all good!

Thanks for the recommendations!

I think anywhere in CityWalk you choose will be good and your son will enjoy it. Don't forget about Hard Rock Cafe...it's right beside NBA City. Check out the website to get an idea of where everything is located. It's very easy to navigate so don't worry about that.

 

[Planogirl]

Both parks are laid out like circles. It's very apparent at IOA and not so much at Universal but we learned that if you just keep on going, you eventually get there.

Any of the restaurants you're considering should be fine. I would go for theming and menu.

 

[Pumbaa7287]

NBA city is really cool if you're basketball fans. They show a lot of old clips and current games on all the televisions. Some of the booths even have tv's in the wall right at your table if I remember correctly.

NASCAR cafe is based around racing. It's a lot of fun if that's your thing, but the food isn't the best.

Bubba Gump's, IMHO, has the best food of the three, and it's not even close. Plus there are a lot of fun little touches if you're a fan of the movie.

Also, on day 1, I'm not sure rushing to HP midday is a great idea. That's usually when the crowd is the biggest, and I wouldn't want you to get discouraged. It's usually cleared out by late afternoon/evening, as everyone does it first and then goes elsewhere later in the day.

 

[braddillman]

I think there's a Mardi Gras parade in USF that evening, followed by a free concert (headline not yet announced).

 

[Metro West]

I think there's a Mardi Gras parade in USF that evening, followed by a free concert (headline not yet announced).

Yes...it's the first one of the season.

 

[chimo2u]

Yes...it's the first one of the season.

What exactly is that?? Is it in Universal Studios, and Is it the evening of Thur. Feb 10? will it make for much larger crowds? I was hoping that being the second week of Feb, things would be relatively quiet and WWoHP may not be overly crowded. I thought I should try and hit it on Thur afternoon right when we get there as Fri, Sat will be much busier (I am assuming), at least we could experience some of it and then go for Early Entry on Friday morning.
I hope the crowds aren't crazy!
Marie

 

[damo]

What exactly is that?? Is it in Universal Studios, and Is it the evening of Thur. Feb 10? will it make for much larger crowds? I was hoping that being the second week of Feb, things would be relatively quiet and WWoHP may not be overly crowded. I thought I should try and hit it on Thur afternoon right when we get there as Fri, Sat will be much busier (I am assuming), at least we could experience some of it and then go for Early Entry on Friday morning.
I hope the crowds aren't crazy!
Marie

Starts Saturday Feb 12. There will be a parade (you've gotta go, it's fun) where there are floats and they throw beads at you. Then there is a concert. This is all at Universal Studios, not IOA.

http://www.universalorlando.com/Events/mardigras.aspx?ComponentId=15209&SourcePageId=7805#3

 

[ladylinda65]

If you are going to spend an entire day inside the parks and you enjoy eating I would always recommend the Meal Deal. You get to eat at three different restaurants all day till 1/2 before the park closes. Depending on the plan you take it costs either 19.99 or 23.99 for adults.

If you are just looking for lunch then either Mythos (for a real sitdown meal) or Thunder Falls Terrace would be the way I would go. Thunder Falls has great roasted chicken and ribs. The roasted corn is delicious and I can personally attest to the fact that ALL desserts at Universal are baked in the park....No outside bakery for them!!

I would avoid Three Broomsticks at Harry Potter unless you relaly want to wait (especially since most of the food can be gotten elsewhere). Additionally, Harry Potter area DOES NOT serve soda so if you are a soda drinker stop somewhere inside JP or Lost continent first.

sorry to say that when you are here...Ripsaw Falls will still be closed. The fire they had on the ride is putting it out of commission for awhile.

Enjoy your stay....it's a blast!!!

 

[Metro West]

What exactly is that?? Is it in Universal Studios, and Is it the evening of Thur. Feb 10? will it make for much larger crowds? I was hoping that being the second week of Feb, things would be relatively quiet and WWoHP may not be overly crowded. I thought I should try and hit it on Thur afternoon right when we get there as Fri, Sat will be much busier (I am assuming), at least we could experience some of it and then go for Early Entry on Friday morning.
I hope the crowds aren't crazy!
Marie

The Studio crowds for Mardi Gras on Saturday nights can be huge depending on who's performing that night. There are usually some smaller concerts (local bands) playing on Friday and Sunday nights but no parade...it's only on Saturday nights. You should definitely check the parade out...it's a lot of fun! You should check out this thread...I posted some pictures of the parade on it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2623393

 

[chimo2u]

The Studio crowds for Mardi Gras on Saturday nights can be huge depending on who's performing that night. There are usually some smaller concerts (local bands) playing on Friday and Sunday nights but no parade...it's only on Saturday nights. You should definitely check the parade out...it's a lot of fun! You should check out this thread...I posted some pictures of the parade on it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2623393

Thanks Metro Well, since this is on our planned touring day for US, I guess I should learn more about it! Does this parade close down the park (ie) are the rides still open during the parade, or is it usually after the park closing?
I truly wasn't really planning on watching a parade, but this might be worth a second look!

Thanks again for all your help!
Thankfully we will have our Express Pass to help us with our touring comfort A good enough reason for staying at HRH, I'd say!

 

[damo]

Thanks Metro Well, since this is on our planned touring day for US, I guess I should learn more about it! Does this parade close down the park (ie) are the rides still open during the parade, or is it usually after the park closing?
I truly wasn't really planning on watching a parade, but this might be worth a second look!

Thanks again for all your help!
Thankfully we will have our Express Pass to help us with our touring comfort A good enough reason for staying at HRH, I'd say!

It isn't the actual parade that is fun but catching the beads. Your son will get a kick out of catching tons of them and displaying them around his neck. It is a big deal, lol. Some of the rides toward the back of the park are closed but Mummy stays open and a few others.