Apr 2021 Universal Orlando Trip Report

DISR

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
As a long time Disney fanatic and occasional Universal visitor, I thought I would share a few thoughts on last week's trip.

We stayed at Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Room and resort were very nice. There is currently no maid service, but you get a text contact and they will bring you whatever you need...this should continue post-COVID. Just my opinion, but I think the lack of maid service has more to do with maximizing profits than any real risk to customers and staff. The room was definitely getting a "lived-in" look after four nights with no cleaning. Proximity to the parks and Express Pass were the best parts of this resort. The pool was nice, but lacked the water slide and some of the activities that Disney provides. They had a pretty cool splash pad, but small children may like the feature slides and activities provided at Disney resorts better. The hotel really needs a destination Signature Dining spot at this price point. Jakes is OK to satisfy hunger and the Island Dining room is decent food and follows the hotel theme, but I would not go to either if I was not staying there.

As for the parks, it is really nice to have one self-contained bubble. Once you go through security you have access to City Walk and both parks without any additional screening. That said, the morning crowds are much better managed at Disney. There are significant lines in multiple places to get into the parks at opening. Disney does a much better job at spreading things out.

At least two of the days, the parks were at capacity. With Express Pass, this was a non-issue. We did pretty much everything we wanted when we wanted. The biggest impact of crowds was on food and dining wait times/availability. If you want ice cream in Diagon Alley, it is best to get it for breakfast. The lines can be really long in the afternoon. Same with butterbeer.

Online ordering was hit/miss. It seems to be implemented differently at each location and you really have to figure out if that is the way to go each time. In many cases it is not clear where you pick up for online orders. In others, it is a huge benefit.

Overall IT and Virtual Line is a poor substitute for Disney's integrated system. There is no cohesive online reservation system on the top menu...you can get to it for some restaurants, but you have to drill down quite far and I believe it runs through a third party service. After four days, I never did figure out the virtual line process. I got reservations for Hagrids 2X, but it was by sitting on the app for extensive periods of time. There seemed to be some general rule as to when reservations slots would drop, but it was by no means a definitive process. At Disney, you know exactly what to do, and it is up to you to execute. Universal is a lot more guesswork and refreshing your phone for long time windows. At Disney, your reservation means you will show up and be on RoTR in fairly short order. At Universal you are getting access to the line. Our waits in that line ranged from 75-105 minutes. Bring water and make a bathroom stop prior. It did not look easy to leave the line and return at any point.

IMO, Hagrids is the best roller coaster in Orlando. I was disappointed with the loss of Dueling Dragons, but Universal hit a home run with Hagrids. It is well themed, decent thrill level, and long enough to be worth the effort....are you paying attention Disney? This is what Mine Train should have been. Velocicoaster was in testing while we were there. The theming and ride look really good, but from the outside, it looks like a very short ride. I'm not sure you will be moving for much more than a minute unless there are parts I did not see.

All the other Universal attractions are as expected and well documented. Lots of screens. I am not anti-screen, but they don't really age well and you start to see the similarities. I was left with the impression that Transformers and Spider Man are nearly the same ride differently themed. They could really use updates, but I have no idea if that is technically feasible.

I can't figure out the hours plan at Universal. The parks closed at 6:00 pm most days. There were still a ton of people in the parks and plenty of demand. The nighttime experience in theme parks is unique, but Universal seems to be passing on this except for Sat night when they were open until 9:00 pm. Big edge to Disney on this. The only thing I can come up with here is, are they attempting to force people into City Walk to spend more money there?

Speaking of City Walk, it is not a great post park experience. Closing two parks within an hour, right at dinner time means there is really no place you can go without advance reservations. I read several times prior to my trip that Universal is not Disney and you don't been much advance planning for dining. The caveat to that should be that popular places and times should absolutely be planning at least a week or two in advance. If you want Toothsome Chocolate Emporium at park closing, book it at least a week but probably several weeks out. Maybe this will improve when restaurants are at full capacity, but right now, plan ahead.

Happy to answer any questions. Disney has a ton of planning information and experts to answer questions. I am not a Universal expert, but with fewer resources available, I am happy to help where I can.
 

Rob562

Well-Known Member
One thing I can comment on with the hotels, is that the text message interaction with the front desk has been around a while. At both Cabana Bay and Sapphire Falls pre-pandemic we got room-ready texts, and then another inquiring how the room was. Later on in the trip when we texted that number back asking about pool hours, we got a reply back within a minute or two with pool hours and what time the movie at the pool started.

Royal Pacific used to have Emeril's Tchoup Chop, which I believe was their "Signature" restaurant, but it closed a few years ago (followed soon after by Emeril's restaurant in CityWalk). The CityWalk location is now Big Fire, and I don't think anything has taken Tchoup Chop's place at RPR.

As for VelociCoaster, timing videos on YouTube that show trains running through the two parts of the track (the initial "spaghetti bowl" portion, followed by the top-hat and the speed run over to Hogsmeade and back), I clock it at about 80 seconds. That's from first launch into the spaghetti bowl, to the train fully entered into the brake run building. Comparatively Hulk is about 70 seconds from initial launch to the brake run, as is RnRC over at Disney. VelociCoaster will also have some kind of show scene before the first launch, and possibly one heading into unload.

-Rob
 

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
One thing I can comment on with the hotels, is that the text message interaction with the front desk has been around a while. At both Cabana Bay and Sapphire Falls pre-pandemic we got room-ready texts, and then another inquiring how the room was. Later on in the trip when we texted that number back asking about pool hours, we got a reply back within a minute or two with pool hours and what time the movie at the pool started.

Royal Pacific used to have Emeril's Tchoup Chop, which I believe was their "Signature" restaurant, but it closed a few years ago (followed soon after by Emeril's restaurant in CityWalk). The CityWalk location is now Big Fire, and I don't think anything has taken Tchoup Chop's place at RPR.

As for VelociCoaster, timing videos on YouTube that show trains running through the two parts of the track (the initial "spaghetti bowl" portion, followed by the top-hat and the speed run over to Hogsmeade and back), I clock it at about 80 seconds. That's from first launch into the spaghetti bowl, to the train fully entered into the brake run building. Comparatively Hulk is about 70 seconds from initial launch to the brake run, as is RnRC over at Disney. VelociCoaster will also have some kind of show scene before the first launch, and possibly one heading into unload.

-Rob
The unload scene was cut
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
If they add hagrids to express pass...it will be a significant benefit. Also if they can get it to ever run 🤪

heading to portofino for the first time in a few months. I liked Royal pacific enough but it felt bland as if iger/chapek had greenlit it.

actually...a 50/50 split between DAKL and Portofino. Never tried that before but it made too much sense not to do it.
 

Minnesota disney fan

Well-Known Member
If they add hagrids to express pass...it will be a significant benefit. Also if they can get it to ever run 🤪

heading to portofino for the first time in a few months. I liked Royal pacific enough but it felt bland as if iger/chapek had greenlit it.

actually...a 50/50 split between DAKL and Portofino. Never tried that before but it made too much sense not to do it.

I hope you do a trip report after your Universal visit. We love Universal and have stayed at RPR. The tropical atmosphere suited us but I've wanted to try POrtofino Bay. So, I hope you will let us know what Portofino and Universal were like! Thanks:)
 

lebeau

Well-Known Member
I hope you do a trip report after your Universal visit. We love Universal and have stayed at RPR. The tropical atmosphere suited us but I've wanted to try POrtofino Bay. So, I hope you will let us know what Portofino and Universal were like! Thanks:)

Portofino Bay is our favorite hotel in Orlando. Here are a couple trip reports from our visits:

2018 (bayview room)

2019 (stayed at Club Level)

I covered the hotel a lot in the second report.
 
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rreading

Well-Known Member
As a long time Disney fanatic and occasional Universal visitor, I thought I would share a few thoughts on last week's trip.

We stayed at Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Room and resort were very nice. There is currently no maid service, but you get a text contact and they will bring you whatever you need...this should continue post-COVID. Just my opinion, but I think the lack of maid service has more to do with maximizing profits than any real risk to customers and staff. The room was definitely getting a "lived-in" look after four nights with no cleaning. Proximity to the parks and Express Pass were the best parts of this resort. The pool was nice, but lacked the water slide and some of the activities that Disney provides. They had a pretty cool splash pad, but small children may like the feature slides and activities provided at Disney resorts better. The hotel really needs a destination Signature Dining spot at this price point. Jakes is OK to satisfy hunger and the Island Dining room is decent food and follows the hotel theme, but I would not go to either if I was not staying there.

As for the parks, it is really nice to have one self-contained bubble. Once you go through security you have access to City Walk and both parks without any additional screening. That said, the morning crowds are much better managed at Disney. There are significant lines in multiple places to get into the parks at opening. Disney does a much better job at spreading things out.

At least two of the days, the parks were at capacity. With Express Pass, this was a non-issue. We did pretty much everything we wanted when we wanted. The biggest impact of crowds was on food and dining wait times/availability. If you want ice cream in Diagon Alley, it is best to get it for breakfast. The lines can be really long in the afternoon. Same with butterbeer.

Online ordering was hit/miss. It seems to be implemented differently at each location and you really have to figure out if that is the way to go each time. In many cases it is not clear where you pick up for online orders. In others, it is a huge benefit.

Overall IT and Virtual Line is a poor substitute for Disney's integrated system. There is no cohesive online reservation system on the top menu...you can get to it for some restaurants, but you have to drill down quite far and I believe it runs through a third party service. After four days, I never did figure out the virtual line process. I got reservations for Hagrids 2X, but it was by sitting on the app for extensive periods of time. There seemed to be some general rule as to when reservations slots would drop, but it was by no means a definitive process. At Disney, you know exactly what to do, and it is up to you to execute. Universal is a lot more guesswork and refreshing your phone for long time windows. At Disney, your reservation means you will show up and be on RoTR in fairly short order. At Universal you are getting access to the line. Our waits in that line ranged from 75-105 minutes. Bring water and make a bathroom stop prior. It did not look easy to leave the line and return at any point.

IMO, Hagrids is the best roller coaster in Orlando. I was disappointed with the loss of Dueling Dragons, but Universal hit a home run with Hagrids. It is well themed, decent thrill level, and long enough to be worth the effort....are you paying attention Disney? This is what Mine Train should have been. Velocicoaster was in testing while we were there. The theming and ride look really good, but from the outside, it looks like a very short ride. I'm not sure you will be moving for much more than a minute unless there are parts I did not see.

All the other Universal attractions are as expected and well documented. Lots of screens. I am not anti-screen, but they don't really age well and you start to see the similarities. I was left with the impression that Transformers and Spider Man are nearly the same ride differently themed. They could really use updates, but I have no idea if that is technically feasible.

I can't figure out the hours plan at Universal. The parks closed at 6:00 pm most days. There were still a ton of people in the parks and plenty of demand. The nighttime experience in theme parks is unique, but Universal seems to be passing on this except for Sat night when they were open until 9:00 pm. Big edge to Disney on this. The only thing I can come up with here is, are they attempting to force people into City Walk to spend more money there?

Speaking of City Walk, it is not a great post park experience. Closing two parks within an hour, right at dinner time means there is really no place you can go without advance reservations. I read several times prior to my trip that Universal is not Disney and you don't been much advance planning for dining. The caveat to that should be that popular places and times should absolutely be planning at least a week or two in advance. If you want Toothsome Chocolate Emporium at park closing, book it at least a week but probably several weeks out. Maybe this will improve when restaurants are at full capacity, but right now, plan ahead.

Happy to answer any questions. Disney has a ton of planning information and experts to answer questions. I am not a Universal expert, but with fewer resources available, I am happy to help where I can.
For the virtual line, does being in the park on the app allow you to make a reservation for everyone in your party; or do all your tickets need to be in the same app; or does each person need to make a reservation separately?

It would be great for them to have better instructions and a better interface. It is not at all intuitive.
 

DISR

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
You can make the reservations for everyone in your party on the app. Not only that. I am told another person with the app can also make reservation. We did not try that though.
 
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The_Jobu

Well-Known Member
Did you use the boat shuttle to the parks?

Stayed at Sapphire Falls when it opened and it's my favourite hotel right now. Tentatively planning an October trip and aiming to spend more time at Uni than Diz for the first time.

Originally got Sapphire at a great price but now we're priced out so we're trying Cabana Bay. Do you know if CB has enough to do/eat that we can relax inside?
 

DISR

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Did you use the boat shuttle to the parks?

Stayed at Sapphire Falls when it opened and it's my favourite hotel right now. Tentatively planning an October trip and aiming to spend more time at Uni than Diz for the first time.

Originally got Sapphire at a great price but now we're priced out so we're trying Cabana Bay. Do you know if CB has enough to do/eat that we can relax inside?
We ended up walking every time (did not do Volcano Bay). It is much faster than the boats. Royal Pacific is closer than Cabana Bay or Sapphire Falls though. We picked RP for the Express Passes, but we really loved our previous stay at Cabana Bay. The pools there are great. The food court was also good. It is an easy in and out to hit Sand Lake restaurants. Also walk to Volcano Bay. It is a bit longer, but we actually ended up walking most days to and from the parks at Cabana Bay. The family rooms are awesome if you have kids. Other hotels are a pretty close if you want to use their restaurants. Our stay at Cabana Bay was also in Oct. The weather on that trip was nice enough for the pool, but not too hot to walk. If you are doing without Express Pass, you will be happy at any of the resorts. If you want EP, it is probably cheaper to upgrade your resort, than to buy it as a standalon.
 

The_Jobu

Well-Known Member
We ended up walking every time (did not do Volcano Bay). It is much faster than the boats. Royal Pacific is closer than Cabana Bay or Sapphire Falls though. We picked RP for the Express Passes, but we really loved our previous stay at Cabana Bay. The pools there are great. The food court was also good. It is an easy in and out to hit Sand Lake restaurants. Also walk to Volcano Bay. It is a bit longer, but we actually ended up walking most days to and from the parks at Cabana Bay. The family rooms are awesome if you have kids. Other hotels are a pretty close if you want to use their restaurants. Our stay at Cabana Bay was also in Oct. The weather on that trip was nice enough for the pool, but not too hot to walk. If you are doing without Express Pass, you will be happy at any of the resorts. If you want EP, it is probably cheaper to upgrade your resort, than to buy it as a standalon.

That's great. Part of the reason for Cabana Bay was because Sapphire was across the street and I wanted to eat there again and use the boat shuttle. I love the Strong Water bar and the restaurant had a delicious roast chicken dinner for around $25.

I got express pass in 2015 and it was great. Trying to stay in budget this year.
 

DISR

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just a quick update to my previous report. We returned for two days June 21-22 and stayed at the Royal Pacific again.

The parks were absolutely packed compared to April. Clearly Universal is past COVID from an attendance ceiling standpoint, and it really shows. The good news is that you can get in. The bad news is that Universal is obviously still struggling to staff the park for the attendance levels they are experiencing. On Tues, starting around lunchtime and and continuing through the afternoon, there were at least 30 people in line at any kiosk that sold any type of food or beverage (the only exceptions were souvenir stands that also had a bottled water/soft drinks). We chose the shortest line we could find for lunch at 2:00 pm and waited 45 minutes for our counter service food after ordering. 40 minutes for one last butter beer later in the afternoon. I would say that staffing is probably at 25% of where it needs to be. When there should be 3-4 people working an outlet, there were often just 1. I really felt bad for the staff. It was a fast paced and overwhelming grind to try and keep up with an impossible task.

The City Walk situation isn't any better. Please don't advise people that you do not need reservations there. Between 1:00-2:00 on Tues we tried Margaritaville and were told the next available table was at 10:00 pm that night. The situation was similar or worse at the other dining outlets in City Walk. You absolutely need reservations for the majority of dining times and dining options.

Similar experience for our check in at the Royal Pacific. There was one person working the desk at 7:00 am and it took about 45 minutes to check in. The line was snaked through the lobby. They just don't have the staff available yet.

Virtual queue was not in use during our trip except for Jimmy Fallon....maybe they are moving away from that process? They don't really publish any info on this. Basically you are told that you will see it if it is in use. You won't see it if it is not. Also, they appear to have eliminated most online food ordering. I don't know if it has been removed or was just too hard to find in the app, but I could not find a way to check for any dining reservations online. I don't get why Universal doesn't up there technology game a bit.

Those issues aside, there were some great things about our trip. We road Hagrids 2X during early entry, and it was as good as I remember. Velocicoaster exceeded my expectations. The thrill level is great, but what I really judge a coaster on is smoothness of the ride. I don't care how many loops and corkscrews it has, if it jerks me around and rattles my teeth....Velicoaster delivers on both levels. I also attended the Jason Bourne stunt show for the first time. I don't know why this doesn't get more press. IMO, it is one of the best theme park shows in Orlando.

As always, happy to answer any questions I can help with.
 

The_Jobu

Well-Known Member
Just a quick update to my previous report. We returned for two days June 21-22 and stayed at the Royal Pacific again.

The parks were absolutely packed compared to April. Clearly Universal is past COVID from an attendance ceiling standpoint, and it really shows. The good news is that you can get in. The bad news is that Universal is obviously still struggling to staff the park for the attendance levels they are experiencing. On Tues, starting around lunchtime and and continuing through the afternoon, there were at least 30 people in line at any kiosk that sold any type of food or beverage (the only exceptions were souvenir stands that also had a bottled water/soft drinks). We chose the shortest line we could find for lunch at 2:00 pm and waited 45 minutes for our counter service food after ordering. 40 minutes for one last butter beer later in the afternoon. I would say that staffing is probably at 25% of where it needs to be. When there should be 3-4 people working an outlet, there were often just 1. I really felt bad for the staff. It was a fast paced and overwhelming grind to try and keep up with an impossible task.

The City Walk situation isn't any better. Please don't advise people that you do not need reservations there. Between 1:00-2:00 on Tues we tried Margaritaville and were told the next available table was at 10:00 pm that night. The situation was similar or worse at the other dining outlets in City Walk. You absolutely need reservations for the majority of dining times and dining options.

Similar experience for our check in at the Royal Pacific. There was one person working the desk at 7:00 am and it took about 45 minutes to check in. The line was snaked through the lobby. They just don't have the staff available yet.

Virtual queue was not in use during our trip except for Jimmy Fallon....maybe they are moving away from that process? They don't really publish any info on this. Basically you are told that you will see it if it is in use. You won't see it if it is not. Also, they appear to have eliminated most online food ordering. I don't know if it has been removed or was just too hard to find in the app, but I could not find a way to check for any dining reservations online. I don't get why Universal doesn't up there technology game a bit.

Those issues aside, there were some great things about our trip. We road Hagrids 2X during early entry, and it was as good as I remember. Velocicoaster exceeded my expectations. The thrill level is great, but what I really judge a coaster on is smoothness of the ride. I don't care how many loops and corkscrews it has, if it jerks me around and rattles my teeth....Velicoaster delivers on both levels. I also attended the Jason Bourne stunt show for the first time. I don't know why this doesn't get more press. IMO, it is one of the best theme park shows in Orlando.

As always, happy to answer any questions I can help with.

Did you have express pass with Royal Pacific?
 

DISR

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Did you have express pass with Royal Pacific?
Yes...we were actually staying at a Margaritaville resort villa for the week and booked a room in the middle of that stay just for the express pass. As I've mentioned before, it is usually cheaper to book the room than buy the express pass ala carte. You get express pass access on the day of check in and the day of check out, so 2 days for a 1 night stay. We did stay in our hotel room for that one night though. As someone who usually stays in the resort bubble during my trips, I got to truly experience the legendary Orlando traffic a couple of times on this trip.
 

The_Jobu

Well-Known Member
Yes...we were actually staying at a Margaritaville resort villa for the week and booked a room in the middle of that stay just for the express pass. As I've mentioned before, it is usually cheaper to book the room than buy the express pass ala carte. You get express pass access on the day of check in and the day of check out, so 2 days for a 1 night stay. We did stay in our hotel room for that one night though. As someone who usually stays in the resort bubble during my trips, I got to truly experience the legendary Orlando traffic a couple of times on this trip.

Im guessing the express pass made a big difference? Sounds like the regular lines would have been extra slow.

How was Margaritaville? Did you stay in the hotel proper or one of the cottages?
 

DISR

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Im guessing the express pass made a big difference? Sounds like the regular lines would have been extra slow.

How was Margaritaville? Did you stay in the hotel proper or one of the cottages?
Express Pass was huge. We did Harry Potter in about 10 minutes when the standby line was listed as 120 minutes. I'm sure there are people who think money is more valuable than time, but I am the opposite...I will often spend money to save time. I figure I got 4 days worth of Universal experience in just two days due to express pass....essentially two more days to do something else on vacation.

We stayed in a 4 bedroom villa with a private pool. I thought we would use the pool sporadically and be at the larger resort pool most of the time. This kids loved the private pool and that is all they wanted to do. I guess the allure of on-demand snacks, bathrooms, toys, etc was the clincher. I think rental homes with private pools will be a fixture in our future vacation plans. Margaritaville is nice...no complaints, but I would not stay there on theme park trip and I would look at other options just for comparison next time around.
 

The_Jobu

Well-Known Member
Margaritaville is nice...no complaints, but I would not stay there on theme park trip and I would look at other options just for comparison next time around.

Thanks for the tip! We were batting around the idea of a Margaritaville cottage for our upcoming trip. I think we will stay with our current plan of a CB suite, extra legroom for a family of four (and SF is across the street, heh).

Might consider a micro-stay at RP for the express passes though!
 

DISR

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for the tip! We were batting around the idea of a Margaritaville cottage for our upcoming trip. I think we will stay with our current plan of a CB suite, extra legroom for a family of four (and SF is across the street, heh).

Might consider a micro-stay at RP for the express passes though!
You don't have to stay at the Royal Pacific...just check in and get your Express Passes. I have considered the same thing...stay at CB and do a dual stay at RP. The family will definitely fit better in CB. The RP rooms are nice enough, but pretty small. As I mentioned, get there pretty early to check in. The desk can get really backed up with other people doing the same thing. Also, if you book through Loews Hotels directly, I think you may be able to do online check in. There was a separate line for that that seemed to move much quicker. I booked through Expedia for some reason on this trip and missed that. On the last one I booked direct with Loews.

Margaritaville would be doable, but not ideal for Disney. For Universal, you would experience the I-4/Hwy 192 nightmare every day. I would not wish that on anyone.
 

The_Jobu

Well-Known Member
You don't have to stay at the Royal Pacific...just check in and get your Express Passes. I have considered the same thing...stay at CB and do a dual stay at RP. The family will definitely fit better in CB. The RP rooms are nice enough, but pretty small. As I mentioned, get there pretty early to check in. The desk can get really backed up with other people doing the same thing. Also, if you book through Loews Hotels directly, I think you may be able to do online check in. There was a separate line for that that seemed to move much quicker. I booked through Expedia for some reason on this trip and missed that. On the last one I booked direct with Loews.

Margaritaville would be doable, but not ideal for Disney. For Universal, you would experience the I-4/Hwy 192 nightmare every day. I would not wish that on anyone.

Definitely want to stay off I4 as much as possible.

Right now I'm booked through Universal using the AP discount. Crunched some numbers and it worked out as net benefit for the discount on room, tickets, food, etc. Even though we wont be back for at least 2 years.

I would love to dual stay at the RP one day as you did. Right now the CB suite brought me right to the edge of my budget and I dont want to put travel on credit, but good idea for the next time.
 

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