Universal first time, I have some questions!

Bren's Mom

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Aug 11, 2006
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4,191
Hello all,

My about to turn 13 year old has requested Universal for our next family trip. We know this will be an offsite trip as we have use of RCI timeshare condos.

We are pretty open as to WHEN so that's my first question: Any good resources on crowd levels like for Disney? Or are they pretty similar?

Is Volcano Bay a necessity? Are they open during winter months or is that hit or miss?

How many days does it REALLY take to do both parks? I was budgeting for the buy 3 get 2 free days UT tickets, but am reading about upgrading to AP for a similar price so is that the most economical? I don't want to spend 5 days in the parks, but would love to not have to go go go to see everything. I'm good with being there before opening, having a few hours and then retreating to resort pool.

What are the 'must know' things before I plan?

Any help is appreciated and thank you in advance!
 
When do you want to go? How many in your family? Ages? Is there anything you particularly want to do?

Volcano Bay is a pretty new water park. You will have to decide if it is something your family will enjoy.

3-5 Days should be enough.
 
Just dh, myself and 13 yo son. Possibly my 23 yo dss if he can get a few days off work he might be able to join us for part of the week.

I know virtually nothing about Universal. LOL My son loves to ride the big rides, but other than that I'm not sure what is there!

We'll enjoy a day or part of a couple days if it's really warm, at a water park. Otherwise I could take it or leave it, as would dh. Is it anything really 'different'? We have Six Flags New England passes, he does those water park rides all the time.
 
Read some of the trip reports to learn how others have done the parks and spent their time at the darkside.

A lot depends on when you are going on how many days you need to do the Studios and IOA

Check the website to see what is in each park and that way it can help you figure out how many days you want to be there.


If you go on a low crowd day, you could hit the rides in 2 days at a fast pass or 3 days at a slower pace.
There is City Walk and entertainment there for a few hours of the day.
Mini golf, cinema, eateries.

If you are a water person, I've read many great reports on Volcano Bay.
 

The rapid river at VB is different and a lot of fun. They also have a slide where you are face first on a mat. I'd go online and check out the rides at VB to see what would appeal. It is open through winter on days that are warm enough. And the lack of crowds at VB in winter is spectacular :)

Either way, you can have fun at VB or without, so price out whether it will be worth adding. Adding it on the promo tickets is cheap, adding the third park to an AP is more pricy.
 
There is nothing that can't be missed in my opinion, but with at least 3 days, you should be able to get it all done with only 3/4 people. Use single rider lines when they are available. Download the app so you will get an idea on wait times. If you want to ride the Potter rides, ride those early. Even on a low crowd day those rides get long fast. I looked this morning and the potter rides had hit 85 min by 10AM. The other rides around the park was averaging 20 min at that time.

I am assuming you will have park to park tickets, and if so, you will be able to ride the train from one park to the other. If the line is long, you can just walk from park to park, usually faster unless you just have to ride the train. I would concentrate on one park a day and use the 3rd day to go back and do your favorites again.

Most of the thrill rides are on the IOA side. Also the water rides. You WILL get wet on the water rides. Even if you somehow missed all the water pouring down on you, there is usually someone on the water cannons that will get you.

If you buy 3 days passes, it is about an even exchange for the lowest level annual pass. That pass would have black dates, basically the summer and Christmas holidays but you can check the website for exact dates. Also, that pass will not have free parking or discounts in the park. For approx $100 more you will get a pass with the free parking and 10% discount on food.
You would only need 1 of those passes and everyone else could stay with the lower cost pass.

You can check the stickies here to check out the dinning options. There is a dining plan, but you can buy it at the register when you buy your meal. My general rule is if my entree is around the $15 mark, the dining deal can be a small savings. You will get an extra snack credit and a extra drink to use later.

If you get a butterbeer, a nonalcoholic drink, it is considered a snack credit and it runs around $7 so that is usually a good deal and I do suggest everyone try butterbeer at least once. At least 2 different kinds. Frozen and reg. In the winter they also have hot butterbeer. I like the frozen, my son likes hot.

Also be sure to check out the UO website and check out the rides available. Except for the water rides, I can recommend everything, even the seemingly kiddie rides. They can be a hoot.
 
Hi I think your plan is good with the tickets. Since you won't have the express pass you can take your time and not have to worry about missing stuff. We usually do a week and split up the days but we have the express pass. It is really a much more relaxing trip for planning. As far as the AP if you know you will go again I think it is worth the upgrade. We did this last year and upgraded to a Power Pass and just went in June. We got two visits on the pass otherwise I wouldn't have done it. I think the AP comes in handy if you are staying on site and want a discount on the on site resorts.

As far as VB we love it there. We do have Six Flags New England passes and are there once a week. I will tell you that this water park is a lot different. The rides at VB and the whole atmosphere is so different. The lazy river there you can walk through or use a tube. SFNE is a pain with sitting in the tube. The fearless river is great. It is a pretty wild ride where you where a life jacket. The wave pool is eh! I have been in better. Krakatau makes Typhoon look like a kiddie water coaster. The family raft rides are amazing. I can't talk about the winter time going there I only go in the summer months to VB. If the weather is good and you can swing it I would do it. The only thing is you will look at SFNE totally different when you get back. LOL!

There are two high thrill coasters, a few cool water rides there are more simulated screen rides but they are really good. The Harry Potter worlds are just amazing and the rides are good. They have an indoor coaster ride The Mummy. It is awesome. They have the best drop tower in my opinion. Lots of air time. If your son likes thrill rides he will enjoy Universal!

I think going when the park opens is a good idea without express pass. It really can help keep the wait times down. There are two rides that have the virtual queue line like the fast pass plus. You get a ticket with a return time. They are the fast and furious and Jimmy Fallon. What I like about these parks is they are pretty close together. They are easy to park hop between and they are not huge. I really feel like I get a lot done. The more popular rides you would want to start with is The Minion Mayhem ride in the studios. Outside of the Harry Potter worlds I would do that first.

I hope you enjoy your first trip!
 
Hello all,

My about to turn 13 year old has requested Universal for our next family trip. We know this will be an offsite trip as we have use of RCI timeshare condos.

We are pretty open as to WHEN so that's my first question: Any good resources on crowd levels like for Disney? Or are they pretty similar?

Is Volcano Bay a necessity? Are they open during winter months or is that hit or miss?

How many days does it REALLY take to do both parks? I was budgeting for the buy 3 get 2 free days UT tickets, but am reading about upgrading to AP for a similar price so is that the most economical? I don't want to spend 5 days in the parks, but would love to not have to go go go to see everything. I'm good with being there before opening, having a few hours and then retreating to resort pool.

What are the 'must know' things before I plan?

Any help is appreciated and thank you in advance!
A few disorganized but hopefully helpful thoughts.
I bought the buy 3 get 2 promo and plan to upgrade to annual passes for our end of August trip. We've done this before successfully....annual passes are not expensive comparatively, and we might go back next year, so why not!
I think everything in the main parks can be done effectively in 3 days, but I'd say 4 gives you more time to revisit favorites or just explore. ....3 is a bit rushed. Are you Potter fans? Because I could spend a day in the Potter areas alone. :-). Also, if you are adding Volcano Bay into the mix....well, that's probably another day (haven't been yet but going in a few weeks. Looks pretty amazing ). As a point of reference, my family trip (wife and teens, 19,17,15) is going for a full 7 days. We love to explore and reride favorites.

For crowd calendars, check out Orlando informer (which has lots of great Universal info) and Undercover Tourist. https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/
A couple of things not to miss....
Mummy is probably my favorite. It's a super combination of a rollercoaster and dark ride.
Also, Forbidden Journey. It uses ride tech unlike any other ride and it's impressive.
Also, and this one is odd....I love the Popeye wet ride....Bilge Rat Barges. It's just one of those crazy river raft rides, but the theming is so fun. Just keep in mind, no good if it is cold. You'll be soaked.
 
Oh, also consider eating at the Toothsome chocolate factory on City Walk. Especially if your son (or anyone) likes steampunk styling. It's a wickedly cool restaurant
 
We didn't love toothsome honestly. Kids met the robot and still liked every other meal better I think. The kitchen has magicians twice a week. Margaritaville has balloon animals. Not sure which days
 




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