First Timer Help Please

Disneykings

Disneykings

Active Member
Original Poster
Hi, sorry to post a new thread, sorry if this has already been answered..

We are heading back to WDW at the end of October this year for our second trip from the UK. Staying on site in Disney Springs area. We want to do 2 days in Universal but I have no idea where to start. Not got tickets or anything sorted yet, only decided yesterday!!

Do we need to go on the late night opening days? We love the night shows at Disney after falling in love with Dreams but the opening hours on days we can do are - Studios is 5pm / Islands of Adventure is 8pm both days. Do we need Studios late night?

Is it worth buying the skip the queues pass for both days?

Can we buy a photo package from the UK, like Memory Maker?

Sorry for all the questions, many thanks in advance
 
matt9112

matt9112

Well-Known Member
Disneykings said:
Hi, sorry to post a new thread, sorry if this has already been answered..

We are heading back to WDW at the end of October this year for our second trip from the UK. Staying on site in Disney Springs area. We want to do 2 days in Universal but I have no idea where to start. Not got tickets or anything sorted yet, only decided yesterday!!

Do we need to go on the late night opening days? We love the night shows at Disney after falling in love with Dreams but the opening hours on days we can do are - Studios is 5pm / Islands of Adventure is 8pm both days. Do we need Studios late night?

Is it worth buying the skip the queues pass for both days?

Can we buy a photo package from the UK, like Memory Maker?

Sorry for all the questions, many thanks in advance
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ok so the short answer from me would be no on the express passes based on when you are going it should be relatively slow and the potter rides are exempt anyway. keep in mind Halloween horror nights will be running as well {this is why the studios is closing at 5} as HHN wont affect islands of adventure. i would do two day park to park passes so you can ride the hogwarts express, keep in mind the experience is unique each way. You dont need late hours for the studios but you MAY miss one or two rides (we missed terminator and twister last October but rode everything else before 5) we only waited in somewhat of a line for rip ride rock it and the minion mayhem honestly. i would do studios and than toward the end of the day hop on the train from kings cross and shoot over to islands of adventure for a few hours.

(few opinionated tips below)
*When you go to islands of adventure do the forbidden journey at park opening than work your way around.
*if you decide to eat lunch at harry potter lands i preferred the three broomsticks over the leaky cauldron.
*if your big into harry potter dont forget to buy an interactive wand and use it to make magic happen.
*the Hogwarts express can ONLY be ridden with a park to park ticket
*the incredible hulk is probably one of the best coasters in the state and with the new stuff will be even better when you go.
*city walk has alot of really neat food experiences if your a foodie.

hope this helps. have fun.
 
Disneykings

Disneykings

Active Member
Original Poster
matt9112 said:
ok so the short answer from me would be no on the express passes based on when you are going it should be relatively slow and the potter rides are exempt anyway. keep in mind Halloween horror nights will be running as well {this is why the studios is closing at 5} as HHN wont affect islands of adventure. i would do two day park to park passes so you can ride the hogwarts express, keep in mind the experience is unique each way. You dont need late hours for the studios but you MAY miss one or two rides (we missed terminator and twister last October but rode everything else before 5) we only waited in somewhat of a line for rip ride rock it and the minion mayhem honestly. i would do studios and than toward the end of the day hop on the train from kings cross and shoot over to islands of adventure for a few hours.

(few opinionated tips below)
*When you go to islands of adventure do the forbidden journey at park opening than work your way around.
*if you decide to eat lunch at harry potter lands i preferred the three broomsticks over the leaky cauldron.
*if your big into harry potter dont forget to buy an interactive wand and use it to make magic happen.
*the Hogwarts express can ONLY be ridden with a park to park ticket
*the incredible hulk is probably one of the best coasters in the state and with the new stuff will be even better when you go.
*city walk has alot of really neat food experiences if your a foodie.

hope this helps. have fun.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much, that is such a great help. Just called and booked tickets, will make a note of all your tips. Thanks again
 
Jimmy Thick

Jimmy Thick

Well-Known Member
We have a lot of great experiences here at the Universal Orlando Resort, here are some tips I would personally like to share so you can get the most out of your vacation with us.

I highly recommend staying onsite at one of the beautifully themed resort hotels we offer. My personal favorites are the Hard Rock Hotel which if you stay there gives you an automatic express pass to bypass the lines for attractions and for those on a budget the stunning Cabana Bay resort which blows away the very best resort hotels on Disney property in my opinion.

The best places to dine by far are The Palm, where you can get a steak so tender you can cut it with a fork, and Emeril's Tchoup Chop. Depending on when you visit you may need to make reservations in advance especially for Tchoup Chop. Friday's fill up fast.

As for attractions, the busiest attraction is Minions followed by Forbidden Journey. If you're planning on two days try and get those two done as soon as possible or avoid them until the later evening.

Quick tip. Avoid using a straw when drinking Butterbeer, it alters the taste.;)

My personal favorite attraction is The Transformers, lines are always manageable and its a breathtaking experience.

I also highly recommend if visiting in October to attend our yearly scarefest Hollywood Haunted Nights. We have a lot of great new stuff planned this year that will set the bar for scares even higher than years past. Just so you know, we created the bar. :)

Also our newest attraction Skull Island: Reign of Kong will be open!

I hope you have a great time, if you have any questions about the resort feel free to message me, I'll be more than happy to answer them.
 
Disneyhead'71

Disneyhead'71

Well-Known Member
Some general Universal Tips:

I rarely eat counter service at Universal. Between the resorts, CityWalk, Mythos, and Finnigan's, there are so many great options that counter service seems a waste. Exceptions being the 2 Potter restaurants and Springfield. Thunder Falls is also pretty good. CS to avoid at all costs: Circus McGurkus, Comic Strip Cafe, Fantastic 4 and Captain America Cafes, and all CS pizza. If you want a GREAT CS pizza Red Oven is just outside the parks in CityWalk.

If you don't have small children with you, Halloween Horror Nights is sooo much fun!

Have Dinner in CityWalk or at one of the resorts after the parks close. Maximizing available park hours.
 
F

fosse76

Well-Known Member
Unless it's a peak time, there's no reason to rush to Harry Potter in the morning (at either park). The wait times are usually an hour or less, and the queue is so detailed it's an attraction itself. Since the OP is travelling before the crowds really hit, attendance should be modest. Simply work your way back to Harry Potter. If you arrive at the parks at opening, you'll have minimal waits on non-Potter attractions (since the crowds rush there first). There've been many times I've gone to IOA and ridden every ride by noon, including Harry Potter. It gets trickier around noon when the crowds have arrived and wait times have gone up, but two days will be plenty of time to see everything, even without Express Passes.
 
Disneykings

Disneykings

Active Member
Original Poster
fosse76 said:
Unless it's a peak time, there's no reason to rush to Harry Potter in the morning (at either park). The wait times are usually an hour or less, and the queue is so detailed it's an attraction itself. Since the OP is travelling before the crowds really hit, attendance should be modest. Simply work your way back to Harry Potter. If you arrive at the parks at opening, you'll have minimal waits on non-Potter attractions (since the crowds rush there first). There've been many times I've gone to IOA and ridden every ride by noon, including Harry Potter. It gets trickier around noon when the crowds have arrived and wait times have gone up, but two days will be plenty of time to see everything, even without Express Passes.
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Thank you so much, that's such a great help. We didn't really want to do Harry Potter first really as we where going for the main rides and theme of the parks. To date we are not Potter fan's (sorry everyone) but our daughter has outgrown almost everything Disney Princess and wants to go on every possible roller coaster now. Sure she will be a Potter fan by October though :joyfull:
 
Disneykings

Disneykings

Active Member
Original Poster
Sorry couple more questions please..

Just started my Universal planning and looking at the My Universal Photo Package. Currently not sure its worth the money (which isnt helped by current exchange rate in UK) The list below is from there website but I don't understand why you would want in-queue photos? Plus are photo op locations meet and greets? I used the Disney equivalent last year and it was great, would you rate this the same? - One last question, these locations don't seem to be listed on there printable maps. At first we thought the CC in the key box was it but now I'm confused..

Universal Studios Florida® Locations:
  • On Location (Park Entrance Photos)
  • E.T.'s Toy Closet & Photo Spot
  • SpongeBob SquarePants Meet and Greet
  • MEN IN BLACK™ Alien Attack™
  • Revenge of the Mummy®
  • Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit®
  • Donkey Photo Op (near Shrek 4-D)
  • TRANSFORMERS In-Queue Photo Op
  • The Simpsons™ Photo Op
  • Roaming Universal Studios Florida® characters where applicable
  • Despicable Me Super Silly Stuff Store Photo Op

Universal's Islands of Adventure® Locations:
  • DeFotos Expedition Photography (Park Entrance Photos)
  • Spider-Man™ Photo Op in Marvel® Alterniverse
  • In-Queue Photo Op at The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man®
  • Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls®
  • Jurassic Park River Adventure®
  • T-Rex Automated Photo Capture in Jurassic Park®
  • Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™
  • The High In The Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!™ In-Queue Photo Op
  • Roaming Islands of Adventure Characters where available
  • The Grinch™ Seasonal Photo Op

Thank you in advance for the help, sorry for the stupid questions.
 
JillC LI

JillC LI

Well-Known Member
If you are spending 2 days there, you might want to consider putting those 2 days at the beginning or the end of your trip and actually staying on site. You could get free express passes that way, and you would get early entrance to the parks on both days (even if you only stay 1 night).
 
Rutt

Rutt

Well-Known Member
These tips are all great! We are actually going the start of October and while originally staying off site, have decided to stay at Cabana Bay instead. No express passes but early admission will be nice. I have the same question about the photo pass though. Is it worth it?

Many would say Disney's wasn't but we love it, so wondering if UO is as good?
 
Disneykings

Disneykings

Active Member
Original Poster
JillC LI said:
If you are spending 2 days there, you might want to consider putting those 2 days at the beginning or the end of your trip and actually staying on site. You could get free express passes that way, and you would get early entrance to the parks on both days (even if you only stay 1 night).
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I have already purchased our tickets so this isn't an option. But thanks for the advise.

Sorry one last question, we have already booked and received express passes. It says on the back we have to collect them on arrival at the park. Does the guest services open at park opening? The days we are going, Studios opens at 8am so we would aim to be there then but not sure about tickets.
 
Disneykings

Disneykings

Active Member
Original Poster
RH Kelly said:
These tips are all great! We are actually going the start of October and while originally staying off site, have decided to stay at Cabana Bay instead. No express passes but early admission will be nice. I have the same question about the photo pass though. Is it worth it?

Many would say Disney's wasn't but we love it, so wondering if UO is as good?
Click to expand...

Hi.. We're going in October too :) I've been looking into the photo package all day and currently I don't think its anywhere near as good as disney. We have used the Disney version in Paris and WDW, both where amazing. Plus the quality is great. I've read the Universal ones are low resolution and the copy right is different so might be a problem printing in a shop? (But that's only from reviews so dont hold me to it) With the quick pass, we would even miss the queue photos. So hard starting from scratch, forgot how hard it is :arghh:
 

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