Universal - Help

[lisv]

I am looking to take my family to Universal in 2007 - possibly march if the weather is not bad and the lines are not bad. I have been to Disney and did all of that and know that park inside and out but the kids want to ride better rides now being they are 8 years old. Any info on the hotels within the park, if there is shuttle service like over at disney resorts, lines at that time of year, weather etc....

I am just in the beginning stages of planning seeing I just got back from Hawaii and it is hard to think about planning another vacation when school is starting next week, but I am trying for the kids. Thanks.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Universal has 3 onsite resorts. In order of price (most expensive to the least) they are Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, & Royal Pacific Hotel. All 3 of them are deluxe resorts. You can't go wrong with any of them. It just depends on which your family prefers. The great thing about staying onsite at UO is that it doesn't matter what the crowds are like. With your room key, you get FOTL access to all rides as many times as you want to ride. You can also use your room key to get next available seating at the restaurants.

Another great thing is that you can walk most everywhere. There's also boats & busses to ride, if you'd prefer. If you choose to stay at RPR, you could walk to IOA in less than 15 min. Another 5 min., & you could be at US. Citywalk connects the 2 parks. From HRH, you can walk to US in 5 min. An additional 5 min., & you will be at the gates of IOA. PBH is walkable, but it's further. From PBH, you walk past HRH to get to the parks. If you're not up for the walk, you can always take the boat or bus. The boats load & unload in the center of Citywalk, & provide a pleasant ride. We usually rode the boat from RPR also, but many people don't. From HRH, it's faster to walk.

UO's set up is nothing like what you're used to at WDW. It's really convenient. The best comparison to WDW that I can think of would be to consider the proximity of the Epcot resorts to the Boardwalk, Epcot, & MGM. That would give you an idea of what UO's set up of the hotels, parks & CW is. Not exactly, but close. I hope that makes sense. Feel free to ask about anything you don't understand.

 

[ChrisFL]

I dont see how a bus would help at UO, the resorts are THAT close, and the boat is a very nice ride if you dont want to walk the brief distance

As far as crowds, make sure its not during Spring Break which can sometimes start in mid-to-late March IIRC, early March should have good weather usually and lighter crowds

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I dont see how a bus would help at UO, the resorts are THAT close, and the boat is a very nice ride if you dont want to walk the brief distance

As far as crowds, make sure its not during Spring Break which can sometimes start in mid-to-late March IIRC, early March should have good weather usually and lighter crowds

We've never used the buses either, but I've seen them there. From what I've gathered, people mostly use them to travel between resorts &/ or when it's raining. Don't quote me on that though. Recently we've been staying at HRH & always walk. We did occasionally take the boat, when we stayed at the other 2 resorts. I agree that it's a nice ride.

 

[Cinderella822]

I dont see how a bus would help at UO, the resorts are THAT close, and the boat is a very nice ride if you dont want to walk the brief distance

We did take the bus once on our visit because a thunder storm was approaching and they won't run the boats during a thunder storm. So they do come in handy in a case like that. Other than that, we really enjoyed the short boat ride back and forth or the nice walk if we weren't in a rush. Everything is so conveniently located.

 

[lisv]

We did take the bus once on our visit because a thunder storm was approaching and they won't run the boats during a thunder storm. So they do come in handy in a case like that. Other than that, we really enjoyed the short boat ride back and forth or the nice walk if we weren't in a rush. Everything is so conveniently located.

Thanks for explaining the bus and boat situation. I did not know they were so close and that is why I asked. We are a fit family so the walk will be no problem for us and it will be nice. Thanks again for the information, it is nice to have all the positive info I can get.

 

[bubba's mom]

As far as crowds, make sure its not during Spring Break which can sometimes start in mid-to-late March IIRC, early March should have good weather usually and lighter crowds

spring break, bike week "leftovers", school trips, etc......

 

[Ametsfan18]

I am looking to take my family to Universal in 2007 - possibly march if the weather is not bad and the lines are not bad. I have been to Disney and did all of that and know that park inside and out but the kids want to ride better rides now being they are 8 years old. Any info on the hotels within the park, if there is shuttle service like over at disney resorts, lines at that time of year, weather etc....

I am just in the beginning stages of planning seeing I just got back from Hawaii and it is hard to think about planning another vacation when school is starting next week, but I am trying for the kids. Thanks.

The best thing about Universal is there are 3 onsite Hotels. Portofino, Hard Rock Cafe (right onsite) and the Pacific Bay. The best thing about staying at one of these hotels are that you get an express pass. The pass lets you cut the line on any ride. Now a fast pass that you could buy only lets you use it once per ride. The fast passes at disney are not as good. You move only a little bit faster then then normal line. Take it from me, just got back 2 days ago.

 

[bubba's mom]

The best thing about Universal is there are 3 onsite Hotels. Portofino, Hard Rock Cafe (right onsite) and the Pacific Bay.

In case there is any confusion....it's Portofino Bay, Royal Pacific & Hard Rock Hotel (there is a Hard Rock Cafe in CityWalk too).....I think Ametsfan18 is so sad to be home, they sounded confusing...either that, or it was my blonde moment.

 

[Our2Girls&Disney]

We want to go in April of 2007. How many days do you typically go to Universal (both parks)? I am just trying to estimate how long we should plan.

 

[bubba's mom]

We want to go in April of 2007. How many days do you typically go to Universal (both parks)? I am just trying to estimate how long we should plan.

Factor in spring breaks and Easter.....if you stay onsite, you can do most things at both parks in a day....more leisurely, two days. (Staying onsite gives you Express Pass for your entire length of stay). If you're not staying onsite, you will probably need a minimum of two days, maybe three to do all you want. (Most people don't get just a one day pass....Universal's home page usually has good ticket deals for multi-days.)

 

[Our2Girls&Disney]

Factor in spring breaks and Easter.....if you stay onsite, you can do most things at both parks in a day....more leisurely, two days. (Staying onsite gives you Express Pass for your entire length of stay). If you're not staying onsite, you will probably need a minimum of two days, maybe three to do all you want. (Most people don't get just a one day pass....Universal's home page usually has good ticket deals for multi-days.)

Well, we are not going for Easter Break, we will be leaving around April 23rd ish. The day depends on air line prices. My daughter has school vacation that week. Is it really crowded in that time frame?

 

[tarheelmjfan]

We want to go in April of 2007. How many days do you typically go to Universal (both parks)? I am just trying to estimate how long we should plan.

Well, those who have been around here a while would probably tell you I'm not the person to ask. We're a little more laidback than most. We've only had one 3 night visit. All the others were 4 or 5 nights. Next time, we'll probably stay 7, if we go at a time that our DS is out of school. We like to take our time & enjoy the resorts, as well as the parks. We've never gotten bored yet.

 

[bubba's mom]

Well, we are not going for Easter Break, we will be leaving around April 23rd ish..... My daughter has school vacation that week. Is it really crowded in that time frame?

Well, if YOUR daughter has spring break then, other peeps might also..... One would think it's not too crowded, being 2 weeks after Easter and all, but, I would think 2 days minimum for both parks....MHO: better to have an extra day to re-do favorites, than cut it short and not see what's important to you to see..JMHO