Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure

[momoteens]

Just wondering if these parks are worth it, if we could do both parks in one day, and what days of the week are the least busy in August? A tall order , I know - sorry! We're travelling with 4 teens and they are really wanting to go to these parks. Thanks!

 

[Jonny_Duck]

Just wondering if these parks are worth it, if we could do both parks in one day, and what days of the week are the least busy in August? A tall order , I know - sorry! We're travelling with 4 teens and they are really wanting to go to these parks. Thanks!

I think they are worth it. Its cheaper then Disney and yea teens would love the big coasters. I would suggest staying onsite if its in your budget and go 2 days to get pretty much everything done. One day in Aug could be a problem to get it all done I would think. Onsite gets you unlimited Express pass!

ps. There is Universal forums down below if you have any more questions they can help you more I am sure.

 

[momoteens]

I'll look into staying onsite.
Oops! Didn't realize there was a Universal forum!

 

[michelle1]

If you are going in the last 2 weeks of August it won't be as busy due to the many kids that go back to school early. We stayed onsite and had the express pass which was invaluable since we were there in July and US/IOA were packed! You can purchase the pass separately if you don't stay onsite and in late August you may not even need it. You will need a couple days to do both parks as there will be some rides that your kids will want to do over several times!

 

[Cadillac_Dreamgirl]

One day will not be enough.. You guys will llike it.... IOA if very nicely themed.... dont miss poseidons fury !

 

[Jonny_Duck]

I havent seen Poseidons Fury yet /gasp

I will be staying onsite Dec I will have to see that.

The site to see the hotels is universalorlando.com incase you did not know.
They also have them listed on hotels.com and expedia etc I believe you could check there for a good deal. When you stay onsite you get 2 days of express, the day you check in and check out.

Also would depend if your going on a weekend depending on the crowds. I went during offtime and still there is a bit of a wait and between 2 parks there is a lot to see. From what I have heard Mondays and Tuesdays are less busy but I am not too sure when kids go back to school this year.

Whether its worth it or not is pretty much up to you. But if your kids are begging to go and you can give that to them imo it would be worth it!

If you have any other questions can post here or Universal forums and I am sure there will be plenty of help if you need it.

 

[Darcy03231]

We were there last August with teens and they had a blast!! We didn't stay on-site so we didn't have FOTL privileges. We found that we got there for rope drop and from that time until about 11-11:30 am there really weren't any lines. By 11:30-12 lines were starting to form. We left the parks every day by 1-2 pm. First it was very hot by then and 2nd, the lines were getting really long (90 min for Hulk, Spiderman, Popeye). We went back to our villa, ate, swam and then went back to the parks at night. We ended up spending 6-7 days just at US/IOA.

 

[calgarygary]

I havent seen Poseidons Fury yet /gasp

I will be staying onsite Dec I will have to see that.

The site to see the hotels is universalorlando.com incase you did not know.
They also have them listed on hotels.com and expedia etc I believe you could check there for a good deal. When you stay onsite you get 2 days of express, the day you check in and check out.

Also would depend if your going on a weekend depending on the crowds. I went during offtime and still there is a bit of a wait and between 2 parks there is a lot to see. From what I have heard Mondays and Tuesdays are less busy but I am not too sure when kids go back to school this year.

Whether its worth it or not is pretty much up to you. But if your kids are begging to go and you can give that to them imo it would be worth it!

If you have any other questions can post here or Universal forums and I am sure there will be plenty of help if you need it.

The savings on 3rd party sites for the 3 Loews hotels at Universal are usually minimal compared to the savings you can get through the Loews/Universal site. Also, by booking through a third party, you will not qualify for Loews First benefits which if you are a regular visitor to Orlando, can become very attractive - ie, Platinum level can be upgraded to a suite when making their reservation. I would first explore rates that qualify for LF benefits and then decide if the difference in cost is worth it to you.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Another vote for staying onsite!! Hard Rock Hotel is awesome. Our boys love it!! There is so much more to US/IOA than big coasters which is what so many people think of.
The parks are a 5 min walk from the Hard Rock or relaxing water taxi ride. They have dive in movies by the pool on certain nights and live music Sat. night.
Hotel rates are a little expensive but so worth it once you experience unlimited FOTL. We are so spoiled from this! (Now if Disney would offer this perk, I'd consider staying onsite there but that will never happen.) They are 4* Loew's Hotels so nothing feels like cheesy value motels.
To save some money, avoid Fri or Sat night stay and ask for AAA rate if you're a member. Also, show your AAA card for 10% off food, drinks and shopping throughout the parks and City Walk.
We enjoy it so much we bought APs which knock another $100/nt. off our room rate. We got the Royal Pacific for $134/nt. for Sept. Ds11 wants to try something "different" and we haven't stayed at RP in a couple years.

They've been offering 7 consec. day tickets for $85. Even if you only use 2-3 days, it's a bargain! Def. check out the Universal boards. Everyone is very nice and helpful!
Have a great time!!

 

[vellamint]

OMG your kids would LOVE Universal....and I would say that you really need 3 days to see it all.

 

[CarltonFamily5]

We went to UO for the first time this last December and we have 3 kids under 8 all of us LOVED these two parks. They are absolutely wonderful and I'd say you want a full day for each park.

We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel onsite and I have to say we'll never go back to Disney Resorts - we are HUGE Disney fans but there is just no comparison - we were treated like royalty at HRH - it was fantastic and we're going back again this December - yay!

Good luck with your planning!
Robin

 

[Atotty]

We just got back. We thought we'd spend one day each park.....we spent 3 1/2 days. It was great.

And I agree with styaing onsite if possible. FOTL was incredible and the people at the Royal Pacific treated us *very* well. Much better than any of the Disney hotels we've stayed in.

 

[Metro West]

OMG your kids would LOVE Universal....and I would say that you really need 3 days to see it all.

 

[thepwa]

If they like coasters and other thrill rides, it is well worth it! Spiderman could be the best attraction in Central Florida...

Now as for multiple days...I have, in the middle of July, on a Saturday, without any type of front of line privledges, done....

Hulk - Twice
Spiderman -Twice
Dueling Dragons, Ice and Fire, Front Row each
Dudley Do-Right
Jurrasic Park
The Mummy
Back to the Future
Twister
Earthquake
Men in Black
ET

And was out of there before 3 PM.

So, I say it can be done in one day.

Yes, I know, I didn't do everything, but I did everything I wanted to do.

 

[FayeW]

Of course they are worth it! What a silly notion...

I would suggest that if you are also doing the WDW parks, you do them first, because quite frankly, once your teenagers see US/IOA you will have to drag them kicking and screaming back to Disney. You will definitely need more than one day, I would recommend a minimum of 3 days. I don't usually promote staying onsite because I am thrifty and always get great deals offsite (2 or 3 bdrm condos), but in August I would say stay onsite and enjoy FOTL, and being able to walk to and from the parks for an afternoon rest and swim.

 

[DOOM1001]

How could they not be worth it,they're some of the best parks in the world!! As far as doing both in 1 day,no way!!! You gotta give yourself 2 days for both parks at least,even on slow days!!