How long does it take to do Universal?

[ssidiouss@mac.c]

Hey all.. im doing Universal one day on my next trip but i'm concerned with how long it will take to get done. Im doing there on a Thursday on the first week of march.

What time do you think we'll be able to get most of this wishlist done by:

SpiderMan
Hulk
Doom Free Fall
Doo Right Falls
Popeye River Thing
Jurassic Park River Adventure
Dueling Dragons
<LUNCH AT BUBBA GUMP SHRIMPS CO>
Revenge Of The Mummy
Blues Brothers
Jaws
Disaster

We are gonna buy the expresses.

 

[agent86]

Hey all.. im doing Universal one day on my next trip but i'm concerned with how long it will take to get done. Im doing there on a Thursday on the first week of march.

What time do you think we'll be able to get most of this wishlist done by:

SpiderMan
Hulk
Doom Free Fall
Doo Right Falls
Popeye River Thing
Jurassic Park River Adventure
Dueling Dragons
<lunch at="" bubba="" gump="" shrimps="" co="">
Revenge Of The Mummy
Blues Brothers
Jaws
Disaster

We are gonna buy the expresses.

First off, be prepared to see a few posts on here that will give inaccurate timelines in order to make Universal appear as something less than what it actually is. Every thread about Universal is guaranteed to have at least one. If someone tells you that the Universal parks can "easily be done in a day" don't believe it.

Having said that, the time it will take you to accomplish your mission depends on a few variables. First, the fact that you're going mid-week will help as far as crowds are concerned. Second, the fact that you are using express passes will help tremendously. Especially if this is your first time and if you are only planning to do each of those attractions once, that will cut a lot of time off of your day. This is one area where Universal really excels in comparison to Disney. With Disney's fastpasses, you still have to do a bit of pre-planning to take advantage of them, and you have the added hassle of only being able to get one at a time. With Universal's express passes, once you have them, you just go at your leisure. If there's any truth the claim that a Universal park can be done in less time than a Disney park, then its clearly due to this feature.

The other variable, and this is a big one, depends on how you like to see a theme park. If you're the type of person that gets to a ride as fast as you can, rides it, and then hurries to the next ride as fast as you can, then yes you should be able to do all of the above-listed rides in one day, with no problem and with time to spare. If, however, you are the type of person that likes to enjoy the ambience and take in the sights, then I'd expect a full day to be spent there easily. And expect that with only one day, you are still not going to be able to truly appreciate the parks. Universal's parks are very heavy on the attention to detail. For comparison's sake, the only Disney park that really is on a par with the Universal parks in this regard is DAK.

Have a great trip!

</lunch>

 

[ssidiouss@mac.c]

Thanks for the reply! Do you think its possible to do the rides I listed while grabbing lunch at bubba gumps and still have time to do a 9:15 hoop dee doo.. or would you not schedule any dinner that night?

 

[sknydave]

Well the parks will be closing 3 hours before your dinner reservations

 

[disney4life2008]

Thanks for the reply! Do you think its possible to do the rides I listed while grabbing lunch at bubba gumps and still have time to do a 9:15 hoop dee doo.. or would you not schedule any dinner that night?

Thats a very full day. Universal is not as tiring as any Disney park. If Universal closes at 6pm on the day you go, you should be fine for Hoop Dee Doo.

 

[Philo]

The Universal parks can "easily be done in a day"......

Actually, I do partially believe this. The first time I visited both parks I completed both in a day each. Admittedly it was a VERY quiet time but I still think I saw all that was on offer.

Perhaps I didn't notice all the small details but even after visiting several more times this is true.

I guess the bottom line is that you can easily spend several days in each park but you would still get a lot done in a day.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

If you are a Disney Fhanny Boy 30 milli secs.

With Express you can do it in a day, but youll struggle to take in the shows. You will also need a change of clothes if you are venturing on the wet rides.

 

[Pete C]

Why would you skip MIB and Simpsons? Those are two of the best attractions. Anyway, it's possible to get on most of those rides in a day if you are really determined and don't stop for breaks or get sidetracked.

 

[NemoRocks78]

If you're planning on doing absolutely nothing else and start off in the morning with the 2-Park Express Pass... yeah, sure. If you want to hit some other stuff (such as Simpsons and MIB) and the shows, you're gonna need another day.

 

[agent86]

I guess the bottom line is that you can easily spend several days in each park but you would still get a lot done in a day.

The same is true of Disney. If you rush through it and don't stop to enjoy the ambiance, then really any park can be done that way.

 

[SJFPKT]

How long does it take to do Universal?

Well you need to wine her and dine her. She normally won't go for it on the first or second date. I have found if she is really into you and feels you are committed to her then maybe by the third date you could accomplish your goals. I mean she's not "easy" but she isn't waiting for marriage either. I would be careful though I am sure there have been many visitors before you. :ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::lol:

 

[timeman]

It can be done as long as you start when they open especially since you are going on a weekday in March. During the summer it would be more difficult as they are busier. Since you are planning on buying the Express Pass you should have no problem seeing all the rides. If you don't mind paying a little bit extra you should check out their VIP tour. A two park VIP tour costs $150 and you are able to hit all the major rides except the water rides during the tour.

I did the VIP tour during the summer and it was worth every penny. You get free Valet parking and the tour starts at 10am and ends by 5pm. You get a hour for lunch and even with that we were able to hit the Hulk Coaster, Doctor Dooms Fearfall, Spider-Man, the Dr. Seuss ride, and both sides of Dueling Dragons in IOA. We were then able to hit Shrek 4D, Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, the Horror Make-Up Show, Terminator 2:3D, ET, the Simpsons Ride, Men In Black, Jaws, Disaster and Revenge of the Mummy. After the tour you are able to use the VIP Lanyard as an Express Pass until the parks close and then hit rides that you might want to do again. You also are able to use the VIP Lanyard to get 10% off food and merchandise.

 

[PinMadness]

The Universal parks can "easily be done in a day"......

They can especially be done if you're buying the Express passes as the OP stated.

My friend & I bought Premier Annual Passes which allow us Express pass privledges after 4pm. We've gotten to the park at 3:45 and still managed to do everything we wanted to do before the parks closed.

 

[lebeau]

My father-in-law and I did both parks in about half a day. But there were a lot of mitigating factors there.

1. The parks were dead. We walked on everything.
2. We skipped any and all shows.
3. Universal was experiencing problems which resulted in several attraction s being closed.

In truth, we really only saw about 1/2 of each park and we really rushed to do it. With lines, taking our time and everything being open I can easily see taking a full day at each park.

 

[BuddhasHomeGirl]

I find it amazing that people always want to rush through Universal/IOA....take 2 days, take your time, you may actually LIKE IT! (oh the horror!)

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Watching the Blues Brothers takes 15 mins

 

[Pete C]

I find it amazing that people always want to rush through Universal/IOA....take 2 days, take your time, you may actually LIKE IT! (oh the horror!)

I give people a pass on this forum because clearly you have people on here that are biased toward Disney and they see Universal as inferior by default or as a threat. In reality, Universal's quality is right there with Disney and in many cases better, it's just different. There is no reason to rush through Universal when there is so much to see and do. I think Universal almost encourages this with their ridiculously cheap 2-park daily passes. It makes people want to do it all in a day, but price is where Universal has to compete because Disney has the clout. People traveling from overseas are definitely taking notice of Universal though. Almost every other voice I heard in line at Uni attractions on Saturday was British.

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

First off, be prepared to see a few posts on here that will give inaccurate timelines in order to make Universal appear as something less than what it actually is. Every thread about Universal is guaranteed to have at least one. If someone tells you that the Universal parks can "easily be done in a day" don't believe it.

*sigh*

Nice try, but my best friend and I did almost everything in both parks in one day in late June 2004 without breaking a sweat. I think we maybe missed out on Sindbad that day. We had bought two day tickets, but didn't really need it. I would still recommend one day for each park to thoroughly enjoy them, because they are worth it.

ssidiouss, you won't have any problem getting through your wish list there, even probably without the Express passes. I would also highly recommend Men in Black (my favorite ride in either park), Terminator 2: 3-D (a very impressive show, even if you're not a fan of the franchise), and The Simpsons Ride (I'm never really watched the show, but this was still a blast).

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Almost every other voice I heard in line at Uni attractions on Saturday was British.

A lot of that is how the parks market themselves in the UK and the subsequent perceptions WDW = 12 and under, Universal teens and adults. Also many Brits buy the Orlando flex ticket that covers all the parks out with Disney + Busch.

 

[HITCH KING]

As people stated it cane be done but do you want to run from ride to ride. Slllllooooowww down enjoy the view. One thing that nobody stated is that the Universal charges for the Express Pass. It charges depending on how big the crowds are. Small crowd= small charge. Big crowd= Big $$$$. I believe anywhere from $35.00-$60.00 on top of the ticket price. I would allow 1 day each park.