Universal Newbies #help

[Andrea464]

Guys...we're in over our heads.

We're going on a Disney cruise in January and decided to hit Universal for a few days before. We've never done Universal. I think my last visit was over 20 years ago (which was high school, but I still swear that was only 5 years ago).

It'll be me, my spouse, a two year old, and a 12 year old who turns 13 during the cruise. The 12 year old (and husband) like Harry Potter, so I figured they'd like some of the stuff there. Husband and I are both bigger, so we're used to the fact most of the WDW rides will accommodate us.

We'll be there on a Saturday/Sunday (and maybe the following Friday). We're checking in at CBBR on Friday night (late). We have no idea where to start- rides, food, character stuff... HELP. We purchased just park tickets- no hopping, no train ride.

 

[macraven]

You will have fun exploring a new park!

Since you are not staying at one of the hotels that gives the free ep, take advantage of the one hour early entry for all hotel guests
Potter section will be open for you so take advantage of it

Read the stickies for personal experiences others share

Weekends can have crowds if the weather is good
Many locals hit the parks then

What dates in January will you be at the darkside?

 

[bchbetha]

If they’re big HP fans, you really might want to upgrade. The Hogwarts Express is a pretty big deal. Hopping is super nice- both parks are just right there so bouncing between them is so nice.
Your little one will really like some of the play areas, especially Curious George. Seuss Landing is really fun too.
Read over other current threads from new people. I just gave some HP advice earlier today.

 

[bchbetha]

Oh, and do look at a park map on the Universal website.
Characters are listed in the app usually as well as the paper guide at admission. If you see someone you want to meet, get in line. The lines move fast and the characters don’t stay out long. While debating the meet, you could totally miss them.
Orlando Informer has great info in addition to the stickies here.

 

[gotomu212]

So the really good news is that Universal is pretty simple and doesn’t take a ton of planning. I’d check out the website for ride ideas, the restaurant stickies here are great. You don’t need any advanced reservations and don’t need to plan out every second.

I’d echo the suggestion to upgrade to park to park if you’re really big HP fans. Hopping is super easy at Universal- more like going from Tomorrowland to Adventureland in Disney speak.

Characters are laid back. Get a map (or the app) with the times and show up about 10 minutes early.

There are a couple of good threads about HP ideas for those that really love it. Early entry will be worth it for you.
Hope you have a great time!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

The 12 year old (and husband)

Okay I have to laugh because I read this totally wrong the first time. I read it as the 12 year old and their husband, not yours. For a second I thought this might turn into an entirely different discussion

Anyway yeah Universal is much easier compared to WDW, and the HP areas rival Disney for immersion. Definitely try butterbeer (though if it's your first maybe get one to share since they're pricey and not everybody loves the butterscotch-y taste). If you do end up liking it, then the souvenir mug is refillable and can be used for a discount on soft drinks at other locations in the parks (though sadly not for discounted butterbeer).

I think that the best quick food at Universal is in the HP areas (Leaky Cauldron and Three Broomsticks). The food at each location is similar but both are infinitely better than most of the other QS locations. The ice cream in Diagon Alley is delicious, as well.

The rides at Universal are fantastic and many of them incorporate 3D effects. If anyone in your party gets motion sick, please consider this! There are plenty of threads around Universal rides and motion sickness so do a quick search through the forums and you'll find some personal experiences.

 

[skylock]

I completely disagree about that train ride.

It is something like $60 to upgrade your ticket to park to park.

I don't understand how anyone can think a 3 min train ride is worth $60.

My group has annual passes so we ride the train, but I would not pay an extra $60 for it.

 

[bchbetha]

I’m just saying that if your family loves Harry Potter then taking the train and going through platform 9 3/4 is a big deal. Depends on your level of fandom.

 

[slpeters]

I guess the way I would think about it is if you're already in at least several hundred dollars a person (tickets, hotel, transportation) to do Harry Potter, there are five Harry Potter rides at the moment--I'm not going to miss two of them to save $60.

 

[bobbie68]

Hi I have to agree with pp about if you have HP fans and can swing the extra money the train is really not to be missed. I had been there before the train and after and it is a whole different experience going through it.

I agree with Macraven above you should take advantage of EE. HP worlds get very crowded as do some of the rides.

Besides the HP worlds in the Studios I would suggest Minions as early as possible, Mummy, Rip Ride Rocket and Transformers. If you are interested in Jimmy Fallon or Fast & Furious you will need to get a virtual wait time ticket. You go to the entrance and they will show you where to get it. This is like Disney's fast pass system where you get a return time. These are the only two rides for that.

For IOA early entry besides HP I would do Kong, Spiderman and Hulk if interested.

CBBR is a great resort! The bus service is amazing. The food court here is really good and reasonable for a resort.

Food in the parks - we enjoy the HP restaurants even though they are a little pricey. It is good food with a nice atmosphere. We like Thunderfalls Terrace in IOA. It is a quick service but the food is really good and nice choices. City walk we usually do Toothsome and Bubba Gump. Louie's in the studios gets good reviews for pizza.

Meet and greets with characters. This is where I fall short. I must have the worse luck because on our last 3 trips I have only seen a handful. I know they are there and maybe someone has some good advice. The only ones I guarantee myself is Transformers (they have an area) Marvel in IOA is pretty good.

If you want ice cream Fleur's in Diagon Alley is great.

I hope this helps anything else just ask

 

[only hope]

The official app is very helpful in the park. It's got wait times and show times on it, and some other information. You can download it before your trip and watch wait times to get an idea of what gets busiest first. I would just read descriptions of the rides and shows before you go so you know what you all want to do and what to skip. Some rides have a single rider line, which usually saves time. Since you've never been, I wouldn't utilize the single rider line the first time through the rides as the theming in the queues with single rider lines is excellent at most of them. The wizarding world lands are more immersive than anything Disney has done (though Galaxy's Edge could change that). It's a ton of fun to just walk through the shops and look at the little details everywhere. I spent an hour once just reading all the ads outside in Diagon Alley.

For food, it may be a good idea to buy the dining plan. I think it's $22, unless they raised it again. It is very easy to lose money doing this though, so it's best not to buy it unless you know you will be saving money. It's available for purchase at all the counter service restaurants, so if you find yourself buying a higher priced meal and know you will buy a higher price snack, it's probably worth it. The quick service dining plan gets you one meal with a fountain drink, one drink excluding frozen/specialty drinks, and one snack (frozen drinks and all butterbeer are a snack). If you get a combo meal, one of the $5.49+ snacks, and a drink at one of the Harry Potter restaurants, you do save some money. There's also a plan that includes a freestyle cup and free refills the day of purchase, so if your group plans on having a lot of fountain drinks that may be worth it.

 

[macraven]

I buy the counter dining plan when I pay for the meal

The beverage and snack coupons are valid for a good week to use

You don’t have to use them the same day you buy the meal plan

 

[Andrea464]

Following up with some feedback from our experiences:
1. Meals were alright. We did some meals in the HP area and they were good. Like WDW, ask for cups of ice water (especially since they didn't have traditional soda there).
2. Character experiences were good. My youngest is still easily frightened by masked characters, but wait was minimal for the ones we did see. We stayed at Cabana Bay and were pleasantly surprised to see a Minion and Lucille Ball in our lobby for meetings and pictures.
3. I liked the lines and child swap better than WDW, customer service is far better at WDW. Child swap was awesome, but was horribly explained. We get in the first day and go to EFG. I can't find the thing to test to see if I fit, so we just get in line b/c it's already crazy. We put the stroller in the waiting area. We then get told we have to check our bag. It doesn't tell you that you need your ticket and money to check the bag, so I'm all over the place. I lose my husband at this point b/c i left them in line. Finally find out when I'm asking to just go get money from my husband in line that since we're child swapping I don't have to put the bag in a locker. The woman trying to get us to child swap tells us we'll go upstairs. I say ok and try to keep going. She's like no, we're going upstairs. There are stairs in front of me, which I assume is what she's talking about. It's loud, I'm hard of hearing, and she's assuming I can hear her and understand that she's trying to say I'm bringing my toddler in the elevator and going to a waiting area. Holy cow, the communication differences between WDW staff and UO/IOA staff are miles apart!!! That being said, the child swap areas were awesome. Trash cans, changing table, window to see the line (and be able to wave at Daddy getting on the ride), and themed tv (this one showed parts of the movies) kept things going well during the wait. I will say this does beat the WDW child swap mess (go find a seat outside and keep that toddler entertained in a store where they then cry b/c they can't bring all 400 Winnie the Pooh toys with them).
4. I was also pleasantly surprised that I fit on almost every ride I tried to ride. I was really afraid of that. I couldn't fit into the Hulk ride, but that's ok. HP area staff did a great job in being discreet about seating me in the bigger seats- I knew what they were doing b/c I read up on sizing before going, but the others probably had no clue as to why I had a certain row or seat.
5. We did use the park hopper, and I think if you're interested in HP area items it's a good thing to have. We didn't get to test it, but my idea was to ride the HP ride in UO, then hop on the train to be in the other park as soon as they opened and hopefully beat some of their crowd and get to those rides sooner. No idea if it would have worked, b/c our ride kept breaking down so it was well after opening before we go over to the other side.
6. I was surprised at how much stuff my little one *couldn't* ride. The only rides she was tall enough to ride (besides some of the motion shows with stationary seats like Shrek and Minions) was E.T. and the merry go round.

 

[bchbetha]

Were you able to research the locker and swap stuff ahead of time? The lockers should have been free unless you carried a lot of big bags. I'm sorry it was confusing. It doesn't sound like it was a "Disney employees would have handled it better" thing as just hard to be anywhere new and get the lay of the land. The kid swap at Disney isn't intuitive either.
Hopefully you visited some of the shows and play areas mentioned in the thread- those would have been good for filling a 2 year old's day.
I'm glad it seems like a mostly ok visit!

 

[macraven]

Andrea thanks for posting how the trip went at uo !

I was hoping you would return here and you did !