Universal for beginners

[TammyLynn33]

I know I know there’s a whole board but well I like us better ha ha .
who has been ? What were your must dos..
We have two nights book at Royal Pacific in a Jurassic suite for my little guy with ASD.. ( big kids are convinced they are taking him on the new velosicoaster.. I’m not so sure ha ha )
Foods ? Rides ? What are your must do’s ?
Anyone use their dining plans? ( I know I’ll get a refillable cup ) have you taken snacks in ?
Room keys express pass ? What ?? So when I get there I can check in whenever and get my express pass which is on my room key ? And I need a lanyard to carry it all in ? Well we would need 5 right ? One for each of us ? Is that easiest ??
Thanks so much
So excited to be planning but feeling out of my Disney comfort bubble here lol

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

If staying at RP you get free express passes for the length of your stay. I believe you get a separate pass for it as most people use a lanyard with their room key and pass in it.

 

[hdrolfe]

When I was researching, yes you all need a lanyard, I mean you can carry the hotel key (which is your express pass) and ticket other ways but that seemed the easiest.

I looked at their dining plans, you don't need to buy it in advance, just at the time so you can make that decision then. I think in some cases it's worth it, I was looking at breakfast in the Harry Potter areas, and certain combos at other places. Their refillable mugs aren't the same as Disney. I can't remember exactly but you want to look at how much that will cost. My kiddo doesn't like soda/pop so it wasn't really worth it for him, but I love it so would be for me

Touringplans does have a Universal membership as well if you use it for Disney. The nice thing is you don't have to plan fastpasses and such though, so easier to manage your days I think.

 

[marchingstar]

my last universal stay was a few years back. then, your room key and express pass were separate. you needed to check in to get the express pass, but it was a separate thing with a barcode that they scan at the rides. you’ll have the express pass the day you check in through the day you check out.

one lanyard each is definitely the easiest option. you’ll want to carry your park pass, express pass, room key. plus you could throw in your credit card or some cash to pay. you can charge things back to your room, but it’s a much less developed system vs. the magic bands. from what i remember, there were quite a few places that wouldn’t do room charges.

we haven’t done the dining plan because we didn’t see value for us, so no advice there. other planning stuff...my feeling is that with the express pass, you really don’t need to plan much at all. we used to stay a few nights at a universal hotel at the end of a disney trip. it’s a very different vacation. the express pass means you have unlimited fast passes, so we never planned our universal days.

 

[Chickinvic]

I know I know there’s a whole board but well I like us better ha ha .
who has been ? What were your must dos..
We have two nights book at Royal Pacific in a Jurassic suite for my little guy with ASD.. ( big kids are convinced they are taking him on the new velosicoaster.. I’m not so sure ha ha )
Foods ? Rides ? What are your must do’s ?
Anyone use their dining plans? ( I know I’ll get a refillable cup ) have you taken snacks in ?
Room keys express pass ? What ?? So when I get there I can check in whenever and get my express pass which is on my room key ? And I need a lanyard to carry it all in ? Well we would need 5 right ? One for each of us ? Is that easiest ??
Thanks so much
So excited to be planning but feeling out of my Disney comfort bubble here lol

I love Universal. Of course the Harry Potter lands are very immersive. I am one who LOVES the Jurassic Park ride. I also absolutely love the Simpsons Ride. I've never stayed on site, so can't comment on that. I really enjoyed the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium restaurant with their insane milkshakes (the food was very decent too - but let's face it I was there for the milkshakes lol).

 

[TammyLynn33]

Thanks guys.. such a diff bubble and the lack of need to plan is throwing me lol

 

[damo]

We've been going a few times a year for the past 20 years.

I've never used a lanyard but many people swear by it especially with kids. I use a fanny pack since you can bring it on more rides than a normal purse.

We always stay at an express hotel. Your room key is your express pass. They are amazing and you'll love them. It is so easy to get to the parks from Royal Pacific. It's a beautiful walk or a lovely boat ride.

We're not big foodies but don't eat at Mel's Burgers. Check out my food sticky on the Universal Forums.

 

[Chickinvic]

Thanks guys.. such a diff bubble and the lack of need to plan is throwing me lol

I hate planning on vacation. WDW bothers me. I by far prefer DL Anaheim for this reason.

 

[macraven]

Stickies are your friend !

Do check out damo’s food sticky as it is kept current
and amazingly helpful to all.

 

[TammyLynn33]

I hate planning on vacation. WDW bothers me. I by far prefer DL Anaheim for this reason.

agree 100% But if you are used to all the planning required to do WDW and go elsewhere you feel so unprepared and well for me anxious( never had anxiety prior to Covid)

 

[pigletto]

agree 100% But if you are used to all the planning required to do WDW and go elsewhere you feel so unprepared and well for me anxious( never had anxiety prior to Covid)

If you do make your way down to the Universal forums the sticky threads are awesome . Those forums are really well run and full of really nice people who love those parks and are always so helpful whenever I’ve had questions ! I love the Universal forums .
We have been annual pass holders at Universal and stayed 6 or 8 times . We love Cabana Bay but you can’t beat the Deluxe hotels and included express passes for when you are going . You will love having them .
We are also doing four nights at Universal in January and staying at Royal Pacific. It’s a beautiful hotel, you will love it I’m sure !

( and wow it feels amazing to be taking about vacations on our board again !! )

 

[Nahanni]

We went a few years ago after DD finished reading Harry Potter so that was our focus and we got good use of express pass for rides. Not sure if it played into the marketing but DD was wearing her new Hufflepuff robe when we went to Olivanders and she was picked for wand selection ceremony which was a nice added touch. We ate a both HP restaurants and got the giant (Simpson's) Lard Lad donut. Loved getting absolutely, soaking drenched on the water rides at the end of a summer day then walking back to hotel (seriously, running shoes were still damp the next morning)!

We stayed 2 nights at Portofino Bay Hotel on an Annual Pass rate. The additional cost for one AP (with regular tickets for 3 guests) was well worth it for the room rate and AP discounts.