Universal Orlando Newbie Trip Planning....HELP!

[alaskanmommy]

Hi Everyone. My DD,13 and I are coming to WDW for 7 days in November and are planning on doing a few days at Universal Studios. We have never been and are very excited, especially to check out the Harry Potter themed areas. I've been researching tickets and hotels and have some questions:

How many days to do both parks?

Is it necessary or worth it to stay at the deluxe onsite hotels to get the express pass or will Cabana Bay be good enough? (It will be mid-November)

Any must dos?

What are the best ticket options? (We are park hoppers at WDW)

Best restaurants?

Best shows?

Any other tips and tricks would be fantastic!

I'm thinking anywhere between 2-4 days at US.

Thanks much!!!

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

DD(12) and I love Universal and are in Universal planning mode now.

How many days to do both parks? I would try for 2 full days as a starting point. We haven't been since the 2nd Harry Potter area opened, but we like to start with Harry until the lines build up, try out other things, and come back to Harry at night.

Is it necessary or worth it to stay at the deluxe onsite hotels to get the express pass or will Cabana Bay be good enough? (It will be mid-November) The advantage to the deluxe, IMO, is the Unlimited Express Pass. However, mid-Nov. should be lower crowds, so it isn't necessary (though it is really nice). You can purchase it in the parks if a day ends up much busier than expected. Also, if you and your DD don't have to be seated right next to each other, all of the big rides have single rider lines. DD and I used those as our express pass last trip. We were never more than a car or two apart, and the only hiccup was once when my ride vehicle stalled, and they sent it back through the Hogwarts ride again (DD just waited at the end for me).

Any must dos? Everything in the Harry Potter area. Many of the other rides are great. I like the ones that are kind of combo simulator/coaster - Spiderman, Mummy, Simpsons (mostly simulator).

What are the best ticket options? (We are park hoppers at WDW) It is EASY to move between the two parks, so we always do park-to-park. Plus, if you want to ride the Hogwarts Express, you have to be able to get in both sides of the ride.

 

[alaskanmommy]

Thanks so much JustCallMeMommy!!

 

[PixieT78]

We (DH and I) just came back from Universal on the weekend. We had 3 full days at the parks and took advantage of the early entry each day. We got so much done with early entry and express pass that we felt like 2 days would have been enough (luckily with our ticket the third day was free anyway!). We are big HP fans and we were able to explore everything we wanted with minimal waits in the HP section during early entry and the first hour the parks were opened. If you and/or your child want to do a bunch of re-rides, then you may want more than 2 days - it was the end of our trip so we were pretty worn out. Although our crowds weren't super ridiculous, we really liked having the express pass - just made everything work so smoothly. We stayed at the Hard Rock and were very happy only to be a short boat ride or walk away. And no doubt, definitely park to park so you can enjoy the Hogwarts Express.

 

[alaskanmommy]

Thanks for the quick report! I'm leaning towards one of the deluxe hotels but they are a bit more costly. I'm thinking we will do three days......thanks PixieT78!!

 

[macraven]

i think it will depend on when in november you will visit the darkside if 2 days will be enough or too much.

(can't believe i wrote too much of the darkside......lol)

i feel 3 days will be great if you can swing those days away from being at the motherland.

start with the motherland and switch to the resorts at the darkside for a stay, so you can immerse yourself completely with harry and the rest the park has to offer.

the express pass is great if there are lines for the rides in the parks.
most of the harry potter rides do not have an express line, exception dueling dragons and hippograpf.

 

[alaskanmommy]

We will be there 11/14 or 15 - 11/16 or 17. We will be a WDW for 6 or 7 days before that (free dining and Food and Wine!). I am a bit nervous about heading to the darkside because I would like to stay at Disney! We do want to stay on property but I'm debating Cabana Bay or Royal Pacific..... We are really excited about Harry Potter but would like to be able to explore all the parks have to offer. We are rope droppers at Disney and find we can get alot more done that way so will probably do that at Universal as well.

 

[nkereina]

We were there 11/19-11/22 last year. Just my opinions:

How many days to do both parks? We had three full days for the parks and frankly were bored by mid-day of day 3. We arrived late on our arrival day so just did City Walk, spent day two at Uni, day three at IOA, and re-visited both parks on our last day. We're just doing two park days next trip. We're also just two adults, so no kiddie rides were in the mix.

Is it necessary or worth it to stay at the deluxe onsite hotels to get the express pass or will Cabana Bay be good enough? (It will be mid-November) - We found it necessary, but were also looking to maximize our time. You could get away without it. Cabana Bay is a great resort, but we loved the convenience and amenities of Royal Pacific. We were able to walk to the parks, didn't bother with the water taxi. You can walk from Cabana Bay too but it will add another 10-15 minutes.

Best restaurants? Our favorites are at City Walk - Red Oven Pizza Kitchen for QS and Antojitos Mexican for TS.

 

[alaskanmommy]

Awesome! Thanks so much, we are totally unaware about US/IOA, not really sure what to expect.