[WDWMom]

Dare I say the "U" word on this Disney site.
Allow me to preface this with Disney will always be #1 for us. However, this year we plan to venture over to Universal for the first time. The 8 & 6 year olds have been asking long enough. Time to give in to their craving for more intense rides, Shrek, ET, Spiderman, etc. etc.

Any tips for a Universal newbie? How many days should I allow for each park? Anyone tried their character breakfast?

[E&B's Mom]

We LOVE universal. We went last AUgust and stayed at the Royal Pacific. We are going back soon and staying at Hard Rock hotel. I HIGHLY recommend staying on-site if you can swing it. Your room key gets you into every express line. We never waited more than 10 minutes for attractions that had a 90 minute regular wait. I htink how long you allow depends on what time of year you go, and weather you stay on-site (and thus avoid lines). I would think one day for each park would be enough with kids in tow. We are allowing 5 days this time so we can go at our own pace and enjoy it more (plus lounge by the pool).

We did the character breakfast at Confisco Grill. It was OK. The food was basic Breakfast buffet fare. IMHO Chef Mickey's has MUCH better food. The character interaction was great, but the only had Cat in the Hat, Thing1 &2, and Spiderman. Spiderman was really great with the kids, and Thing 1 & 2 were very michievous - steeling the kids cups etc. It was cut, but I don't think we'll do it this next trip.

[WDWMom]

We're already booked at Riverside for the week. Are you not allowed to use their fast pass system if you aren't staying in one of their hotels?[/size]

[E&B's Mom]

They did have a fastpass system like Disney, but I have been reading the boards at Disboards.com and it seems it has been shut down for a while now. They also have a expresspass book you can buy for each park (somewhere between $15-$35 per person per day per park depending on when you go), but this only allows you one express entry per ride. If you have 4 people that's the same as the extra $ it would be to stay on-site and with theon-site priveledges you get unlimited express.

[missy H]

It depends if you are going to do all the rides. We went as soon as the parks opened and did all the big rides and attractions in both parks and finished just after lunch.

I would say go early in the day before it gets too busy. I think 2 days is plenty of time.

[ddoll]

What time of year are you going? Will it be busy or not?

If it's busy, you may need more than one day per park. If it's not the busy season, I think one day per park would do it. Of course, your kids may want more time there if they're into the big rides. And they really do have some good shows there as well that you may want to see.

I guess I'd recommend you go for three days if you can manage it. That way you can always go back and repeat things you especially liked if you have the extra day.

Uni frequently offers special online passes that allow you to go for up to 5 days consecutively for the price of one or two days admission. Check out the official website to see what deal are currently being offered.

Don't forget to check out some of the great restaurants too!

[WishUponAStar]

i've only been to Universal and IoA during REALLY REALLY slow times. During the slow times we were able to do Universal in about 7 hours and IoA in literally FIVE. Mind you the park was pretty empty but they are pretty small parks AND I have no children. From what I hear the lines for major attractions like "Spiderman," "Fire and Ice," and "the Hulk" can get REALLY out of control during busy season. I remember Florida residents complaining of 2 hour waits PLUS on some of those rides and from what I remember the flow of the parks do not really lend themselves to handling overflow very well.

Anyway, I will be the FIRST to admit that some rides like Spiderman and the Dr. Seuss ride are SO worth the visit alone. I would suggest if you are going during the slow, or mid season to allot a day for each with not a lot of rushing. If you are going during the busy season I would allot 3 days; one for each park, then the 3rd to "catch up" on what you didn't get to try. I would also suggest getting to the park at opening. I remember a lot of friends in Florida saying this is when they got A LOT of the "big rides" done with quickly.

It's definately worth a visit though.

oh PS: save the Popeye water ride in IoA for last b/c MAN you get COMPLETELY soacked no matter what or where you are sitting!!!!!!!

[E&B's Mom]

I second Wish's comments. Spider-man is THE best ride EVER! And yes, save Popeye's Bilge Barges for last. We did this one right before going back to the hotel for a swim.

[WDWMom]

Originally Posted by ddoll

What time of year are you going? Will it be busy or not?

Feb 2 & 3. Are these dates considered a slow time of year for them?

[ddoll]

Originally Posted by WDWMom

Feb 2 & 3. Are these dates considered a slow time of year for them?

Oh yeah. You can't beat that for low crowds. You should be able to get a lot done. In fact, you should be able to go on the hot rides more than once.

[Cavey]

lol!

Threads like this make me think of some guy saying to his girlfriend, "Your sister's hot! Do you think she'd go out with me if I asked?"

[E&B's Mom]

Cavey - when your kids get older you will see that US is fun too! Sorry if we hurt anybody's feelings.

[llama]

Originally Posted by ddoll

Oh yeah. You can't beat that for low crowds. You should be able to get a lot done. In fact, you should be able to go on the hot rides more than once.

We visit Universal every year - and try as hard as we can - we're still through Islands of Adventure by noon. It's a very well-organized park, no unnecessary steps, and everything just flows from one attraction to another. Turn left when you enter the park and you'll have The Hulk and Spiderman completed first - and both are GREAT! Especially Spiderman. If you continue on, right around the park, you should complete it in about 3 to 4 hours. Universal does take a little longer - it's much more spread out - but it has wonderful rides to. The Mummy, Men in Black, and ET should not be missed. Shrek is hysterical and Jimmy Neutron is so funny. I guarantee you that 2 days will be ample time to see it all.

E&B'sMom - I'm dying to stay at the Royal Pacific. Maybe next year (I hope).

[E&B's Mom]

Originally Posted by llama

E&B'sMom - I'm dying to stay at the Royal Pacific. Maybe next year (I hope).

Just to let you know - The rooms are SMALL. I think they are 345 sq ft. I'm not a good judge of space, but the 4 of us were very cramped the 4 days we were there. We're staying at HRH next time. I'll let you know if that is better. Ddoll has stayed at both and I think she said she noticed a difference.

[ddoll]

Originally Posted by llama

We visit Universal every year - and try as hard as we can - we're still through Islands of Adventure by noon. I

Heh-heh! You must skip the shows. We go through everything and it does take us longer. Of course we can't ride Hulk and/or Dueling Dragons just once either. I mean, Dueling Dragons can't be considered done until you've been on both Fire AND Ice, right?

Yes, the rooms at HRH are a little bigger. They definitely feel bigger.
DH preferred RPR, while I preferred HRH.

Either way, staying onsite is wonderful!!
Be sure to take advantage of their front of the line restaurant seating policy too. We didn't know about it the first year we stayed onsite and waited in the long lines.