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End of Aug/early Sept trip - tips needed?
- Thread starter mdcpr
- Start date
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
My95cobras
Well-Known Member
exactly this, but a suite a at hard rock. The palm is there and the drinks and food are incredible.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
We're New Yorkers, too! We visited August 17-25, 2021 (4 nights at Universal, followed by 4 nights at WDW). Here are some thoughts based on our experience:
Recommendations:
- It's hurricane season, and you're likely to catch the tail end of some [hopefully distant] storm. Prepare for a few monsoon-like downpours with high winds. Bring good, sturdy-but-breathable rain ponchos (Frog Toggs that fold up into their own pocket, and had drawstrings to tighten the hoods, worked great for us). They'll give you much better coverage than the Dollar Tree disposables, which are great for a light rain, but don't work well if you have to contend with driving winds and heavy rains. Along those same lines, bring footwear (e.g., hiking sandals) that is comfortable when soaking wet, and dries quickly.
- Prepare for the heat. Wear moisture-wicking athletic clothing, and if desired, bring cooling towels.
- Do consider making restaurant reservations for table service locations. While advanced reservations haven't traditionally been required at Universal, the restaurants weren't fully staffed (whether this was because of COVID or because lower crowds were expected that week, I don't know), and walk-up diners were being quoted very long waits at dinnertime.
- If you're planning on 5 or more days in the parks, price out Seasonal Annual Passes and consider getting them instead of multi-day tickets. For us, it's generally been less expensive to get annual passes (*although this advice doesn't hold as true as it used to, given Universal's HUGE recent annual pass rate hikes), and at least half the time, we've been able to get annual passholder discounts on our onsite hotel as well (although Universal is getting stingier with those).
Crowds:
- This was AWESOME. Crowds were super-low that week, as Florida students were back in school. We were able to use Unlimited Express Pass because we stayed at premier hotels, but even if we hadn't, our waits would have been short. The longest lines in the parks were for Hagrid's and Velocicoaster (which don't offer Express Pass), and we never waited more than 25-40 minutes for either of them even at peak times of day, which is a very short wait for those particular attractions.
Weather:
- It was hot and humid, with highs in the 90s every day and rain/thundershowers that would come out of nowhere! That being said, it only took a couple of days before our bodies adjusted to the higher temperatures, and we were happy to trade a little extra sweating and a couple of rainy days for the privilege of enjoying lower crowds. (So many attractions are indoors and air-conditioned, that we were rarely standing out in the heat for long. For the few rides with mostly outdoor queues, we simply saved those until evening when temperatures began to fall.) The family unanimously agreed, when we left, that we'd come again at the end of August anytime.
Hotels:
- Our Universal stay was split between Hard Rock and Royal Pacific, both of which we loved (although we subsequently had a horrendously awful stay at Hard Rock last February, which I hope was anomalous). My take: if you can afford it, stay at one of the premier hotels for the Unlimited Express Pass benefit and the ability to walk to the parks (I think they offer comparable amenities so it just comes down to what theme you like; we don't find Portofino Bay's theme very appealing, which is the only reason we've never tried it). If not, stay at Cabana Bay (for the amazing theming, if you love MCM styling), which also offers a [longer] walking path the parks, and the ability to stroll over to Sapphire Falls and take the boat, if the walking distance is prohibitive.
Recommendations:
- It's hurricane season, and you're likely to catch the tail end of some [hopefully distant] storm. Prepare for a few monsoon-like downpours with high winds. Bring good, sturdy-but-breathable rain ponchos (Frog Toggs that fold up into their own pocket, and had drawstrings to tighten the hoods, worked great for us). They'll give you much better coverage than the Dollar Tree disposables, which are great for a light rain, but don't work well if you have to contend with driving winds and heavy rains. Along those same lines, bring footwear (e.g., hiking sandals) that is comfortable when soaking wet, and dries quickly.
- Prepare for the heat. Wear moisture-wicking athletic clothing, and if desired, bring cooling towels.
- Do consider making restaurant reservations for table service locations. While advanced reservations haven't traditionally been required at Universal, the restaurants weren't fully staffed (whether this was because of COVID or because lower crowds were expected that week, I don't know), and walk-up diners were being quoted very long waits at dinnertime.
- If you're planning on 5 or more days in the parks, price out Seasonal Annual Passes and consider getting them instead of multi-day tickets. For us, it's generally been less expensive to get annual passes (*although this advice doesn't hold as true as it used to, given Universal's HUGE recent annual pass rate hikes), and at least half the time, we've been able to get annual passholder discounts on our onsite hotel as well (although Universal is getting stingier with those).
Crowds:
- This was AWESOME. Crowds were super-low that week, as Florida students were back in school. We were able to use Unlimited Express Pass because we stayed at premier hotels, but even if we hadn't, our waits would have been short. The longest lines in the parks were for Hagrid's and Velocicoaster (which don't offer Express Pass), and we never waited more than 25-40 minutes for either of them even at peak times of day, which is a very short wait for those particular attractions.
Weather:
- It was hot and humid, with highs in the 90s every day and rain/thundershowers that would come out of nowhere! That being said, it only took a couple of days before our bodies adjusted to the higher temperatures, and we were happy to trade a little extra sweating and a couple of rainy days for the privilege of enjoying lower crowds. (So many attractions are indoors and air-conditioned, that we were rarely standing out in the heat for long. For the few rides with mostly outdoor queues, we simply saved those until evening when temperatures began to fall.) The family unanimously agreed, when we left, that we'd come again at the end of August anytime.
Hotels:
- Our Universal stay was split between Hard Rock and Royal Pacific, both of which we loved (although we subsequently had a horrendously awful stay at Hard Rock last February, which I hope was anomalous). My take: if you can afford it, stay at one of the premier hotels for the Unlimited Express Pass benefit and the ability to walk to the parks (I think they offer comparable amenities so it just comes down to what theme you like; we don't find Portofino Bay's theme very appealing, which is the only reason we've never tried it). If not, stay at Cabana Bay (for the amazing theming, if you love MCM styling), which also offers a [longer] walking path the parks, and the ability to stroll over to Sapphire Falls and take the boat, if the walking distance is prohibitive.
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EricsBiscuit
Well-Known Member
Sapphire Falls is amazing. As is Royal Pacific. Unfortunately, I have had consistently poor customer service at Portofino.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
Italian attitude - in theme
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
I’ve always been upset at Disney for not training CMs at BoardWalk to act like New Jerseyans. It breaks the illusion.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
The French waiters in Epcot are true to theme.....
EricsBiscuit
Well-Known Member
Just went to Portofino! The real one lol.
DonniePeverley
Well-Known Member
The Universal one looks better. lol
Some I know in NJ are actually nicer than some FL locals.
EricsBiscuit
Well-Known Member
It’s certainly bigger but it doesn’t have the charm of the real thing