US/IOA w/kids first time....expectations?

[stlLarryC]

I'm attending a 4 day convention at WDW but am going to stay at the Portofino taking advantage of the 5 day for the price of 2 park passes and the FOTL benefit. The thinking was that my family (wife and two kids 9 and 6 years old) could come and go as they please to the two parks and/or go swimming during the day then I would join them each night and go park hopping with them. After doing massive amounts of reading over the weekend on these boards (a great resource) and books, I have few concerns that may alter my plans....

First, I'm concerned that there won't be enough rides and activities for my kids to do (especially at IOA) because of their age and intensity of many of the rides to fill up 4 days...I'm thinking 2 days max. Also, what do kids think of the Portofino? I know my kids last year wished we would have stayed at one of the All-Stars instead of the Carribean though I know my wife will enjoy the larger rooms at Portofino.

We hadn't planned on doing WDW but am now thinking of dropping a day from Universal and picking up a day at MK or MGM which the kids want to go back. We have a couple of hopper days leftover from 12 years ago and can pick up some 1/2 day WDW tickets at a decent price through the convention with the money we'll save moving to an All Star or a downtown Disney hotel.

Second, keeping food costs down. We typically eat breakfast in the room and I'll probably pick up drive-thru dinners at McD or Taco Bell on my way back from the convention. Can the honor bar be used to store milk or leftovers or do we need to bring in a cooler and keep stuff like that iced down?

Which leaves lunch. Any recommendations for in-park (Universal/IOA) that have larger portions that can be split/shared? We really liked Pecos Bill and the italian place in MGM last year as far as portions/values are concerned. My wife and I could have easily split an entree and the kids could have split a pizza. Also, how is the food at Margarittaville? That was the one menu that really peaked my interest.

I've skimmed through the menus online and for a little extra I think I would rather save my money for a character brunch or dinner later in the week at WDW that the kids really enjoyed last year.

So many questions...so little time before I need to finalize my hotel plans! Any input would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[phamton]

When my kids were younger their favorite places to eat were:
Mel's, Monster Cafe, and Louie's at Universal.
Mel's has a 50's theme with food comparble to Pecos Bills. Monster Cafe is fun for kids too. Louies has pizza very cheap and other Italian foods

At IoA: Oak Tavern and Burger Digs.

For things that kids like to do, check out: http://www.usoinfo.com/Parkinfo/kids.html

Sure they could do the park in 2 days but if they are like my kids, they will want to do many rides more than once. I think there will be plenty for them to do to keep them occupied as there are also lots of water play areas.

If you do decide to drop a day for Disney, I would choose MK. I definitely wouldn't drop a day to do MGM. There is not near as many things to do at MGM compared to universal.

 

[stlLarryC]

Thanks for the recommendations. We will definetly be doing MK and dropping a night at the Portofina and picking up 2 nights for the same price.

 

[themepark]

There is alot to do for kids at USF. They will be able to ride everything there plus really enjoy the attractions made specifically for kids like Fievel's Playland and the urious George water play area. I spent 2 1/2 hours at Curious George with a 10 yr old and two 8 year olds. They would have stayed even longer. There will be plenty for your kids to do at IOA also. If they like roller coasters, they will love the kiddie coaster, The Flying Unicorn. My DS8 LOVES this and will ride it repeatedly. Seuss Landing is great for kids and the water rides in Toon Lagoon at IOA are fantastic! And I haven't even mentioned Spiderman, the best ride anywhere. They should be able to do everything at IOA with the exception of Dueling Dragons, Dr. Doom, and The Hulk.

There are character appearances at both parks. At USF, they will likely see Rugrats, Jimmy Neutron, Wild Thornberrys, Scooby and Shaggy in the Mystery Machine, Flintstones, Woody Woodpecker, Curious George, Shrek and Fiona. At IOA, they might see Spiderman, X-Men, Captain America, Hulk, Bullwinkle, Popeye, Bluto, Olive Oyl, Broomhilda, Betty Boop, Cat in the Hat, Sam I Am, Thing One and Thing Two, The Grinch, Merlin and characters from the Sindbad show. I have probably forgotten some.

As for food, the Enchanted Oak at IOA gives you huge portions of food. My kids have shared chicken tenders and fries at Burger Digs at IOA. It was enough for both of them. We love Margaritaville. It's our kids favorite place to eat at Citywalk. They usually have stilt walkers in the restaurant making balloon hats for the kids and it is just a fun, festive atmosphere there. Our second favorite Citywalk restaurant is NBA City. They have great food!

I think your kids will enjoy the Portofino Beach Pool. It has a great slide and the pool area is pretty neat too. There is an area where they can swim under the bridges and there is a waterfall to swim under at one point. You can always pool hop and visit the HRH or RPR pool if you want to try something different. We prefer the PBH pool as the kids loved the slide and it was not crowded.


Have a great time!!

 

[stlLarryC]

Thanks themepark! Pool-hopping sounds like a good idea. We're also going to try to walk through some of the other resorts both at Universal and Disney for future visits. Thanks for the additional dining tips too!

 

[msr709]

In case you find yourself wanting something more, there is also Seaworld! There is a bus that goes there from RPR (no cost) and SW can definitely be done in one day! Our kids loved it (when my daughter was 15 and my niece was 6 at the time) and now we're going back with grandkids! Anyway, staying at Portofino is nice but be warned its the furthest of all three hotels from the parks. HRH is the closest and RPR is the second closest. HRH is literally a 5 minute walk to USO and RPR is about 7 to 10 minutes. I've never stayed at PB but have stayed at RPR and HRH and I love them both. The rooms at HRH are little bigger than at RPR, but the beds are heavenly, they are 2 queens in a standard room so you can imagine the club level. Anyway, have fun and HTH!

 

[RescueRanger]

We just got back and there was plenty for my DD9 and DD6 to do at Universal. We were in the parks for 5 days and the girls didn't want to leave. We spent a week at Disney back in March so I asked the girls where they would like to go next year, Disney or Universal? There answer...Universal. They said they liked it better. We still love WDW but they do have a new favorite. I agree that if you are going to go to WDW, go to MK. MGM just can't compare to Universal. Be forewarned....after the FOTL privilege at Universal, your kids may be a little frustrated having to wait in lines at WDW. We stayed at RPR and the kids loved it. Haven't been to PBH so I really can't say anything about it. You can use the refrigerator in the room if you pay to have it emptied (it has a supply of drinks and snacks that are VERY expensive). I think it costs around $30 to have it emptied. I would just bring a cooler. There are ice machines on each floor. Don't worry...ya'll will have a great time.