Spent this hot, 83-degree December day (felt more like May) having a fun time at the Universal parks. A few stray observations that I thought I’d share:
The Christmas decorations at IOA are primarily restricted to Port of Entry and Seuss Landing. The decorations in Seuss are very well done (better than what I’ve seen at MK in recent years). There were a few Christmas trees and garland in the Jurassic Park stores and restaurants. As good as the decorations are in Seuss, IOA as a whole really could add decorations throughout the park.
The Studios park does a great job decorating the New York section. Lots of garland, lights, and Christmas tunes. Not many decorations elsewhere in the park.
We also did the Grinchmas show and Macy’s parade. Both were largely (or completely?) the same as in recent years. Grinchmas is a cute show, made less fun by having to queue up in the sun outside the soundstage. It’s a temporary show, so I wouldn’t expect them to put up a covered queue. We did the 11:45 show, and when we got out the 12:45 show looked like it was going to have a much longer line.
The Macy’s parade is longer than I remembered it being. Two high school bands, a number of floats, a bunch of balloons. I’m not a big fan of parades, but this one is suitably festive.
SeaWorld is definitely the best Orlando park when it comes to Christmas decorations and entertainment. But I really appreciate that Universal does the Grinchmas show and Macy’s parade for day guests. Irks me to no end that MK holds back on the festivities unless you’re willing to pay the upcharge. Not very magical if you ask me.
The crowds seemed mildly heavy, but the waits weren’t bad. The longest I saw was Despicable Me at 40-50 minutes and FJ at 45. Everything else was 15 minutes or less.
I continue to be impressed by Universal’s food. We ate at Three Broomsticks and had roasted chicken and fish and chips. The roasted chicken was a very generous and tasty portion. I liked the roasted potatoes, and the corn on the cob was all right. That dish was $10.99, I believe. The fish and chips were really good, too, and a couple of dollars more. I wonder what $10.99 would get me at Cosmic Ray’s? I doubt I’d want to consume it.
Pumpkin fizz is delicious. I’ll take it over pumpkin juice.
Until recently I didn’t know they sold baked goods at Honeyduke’s in WWoHP. I tried the cauldron cake ($3.50) and would get that again. Anyone have other suggestions for Honeyduke’s baked goods? Fudge or pumpkin tarts?
Underrated attraction at IOA: High in the Sky Seuss Trolley. Had only been on this back when it opened, but it’s really a nice little, zippy Peoplemover-like ride. Great views of Marvel Island, too.
We also tried out the magic show in Lost Continent, which was short but entertaining. The magician didn’t oversell the products (the show is a quasi-sales pitch for the magic tricks the store sells). Worth checking out if you’ve never seen it before.
I’d never noticed the fire-escape ladder effect on the left side of the first screen in Spider-man. I guess I’d always thought the physical prop of the ladder was part of the screen.
The queue for Dr. Doom is so good. I understand the appeal of the ride (brief thrill, great views), but I’m game for the upcoming polercoaster. /Parkscope
I rode Rip, Ride, Rockit because my wife had never been on it. I think it was my third time, her first and last. I wonder if it would be a more enjoyable ride with different lap bars. The ones they have are brutal if you’re over 6’0 and not stick-thin.
I’ve mocked the E.T. ride mercilessly in the past for its psychedelic second half, but I stand corrected. The scale of that ride is huge, much bigger than I remember! I know there are rumors that a lot of the current rides will get some upgrades over the next few years. With a little care (upgraded Animatronics, maybe replace the say-your-name ET at the end, adjust the awkward beginning of the queue that goes from the “passport” consoles to the forest), this ride could be stellar. I don’t think it’ll ever be a headliner, but it’s already a wonderful dark ride.
There’s enough to do in the two parks that there’s no way to do Universal in one day unless you’re willing to skip some major attractions. If your idea of “doing” Epcot involves only riding SSE, Test Track and Soarin, then yeah, you can “do” Universal in a day. But if you want to optimally "do" Universal, it’s two days at least. And that's before Diagon Alley (and JP...and anything else...).
The Christmas decorations at IOA are primarily restricted to Port of Entry and Seuss Landing. The decorations in Seuss are very well done (better than what I’ve seen at MK in recent years). There were a few Christmas trees and garland in the Jurassic Park stores and restaurants. As good as the decorations are in Seuss, IOA as a whole really could add decorations throughout the park.
The Studios park does a great job decorating the New York section. Lots of garland, lights, and Christmas tunes. Not many decorations elsewhere in the park.
We also did the Grinchmas show and Macy’s parade. Both were largely (or completely?) the same as in recent years. Grinchmas is a cute show, made less fun by having to queue up in the sun outside the soundstage. It’s a temporary show, so I wouldn’t expect them to put up a covered queue. We did the 11:45 show, and when we got out the 12:45 show looked like it was going to have a much longer line.
The Macy’s parade is longer than I remembered it being. Two high school bands, a number of floats, a bunch of balloons. I’m not a big fan of parades, but this one is suitably festive.
SeaWorld is definitely the best Orlando park when it comes to Christmas decorations and entertainment. But I really appreciate that Universal does the Grinchmas show and Macy’s parade for day guests. Irks me to no end that MK holds back on the festivities unless you’re willing to pay the upcharge. Not very magical if you ask me.
The crowds seemed mildly heavy, but the waits weren’t bad. The longest I saw was Despicable Me at 40-50 minutes and FJ at 45. Everything else was 15 minutes or less.
I continue to be impressed by Universal’s food. We ate at Three Broomsticks and had roasted chicken and fish and chips. The roasted chicken was a very generous and tasty portion. I liked the roasted potatoes, and the corn on the cob was all right. That dish was $10.99, I believe. The fish and chips were really good, too, and a couple of dollars more. I wonder what $10.99 would get me at Cosmic Ray’s? I doubt I’d want to consume it.
Pumpkin fizz is delicious. I’ll take it over pumpkin juice.
Until recently I didn’t know they sold baked goods at Honeyduke’s in WWoHP. I tried the cauldron cake ($3.50) and would get that again. Anyone have other suggestions for Honeyduke’s baked goods? Fudge or pumpkin tarts?
Underrated attraction at IOA: High in the Sky Seuss Trolley. Had only been on this back when it opened, but it’s really a nice little, zippy Peoplemover-like ride. Great views of Marvel Island, too.
We also tried out the magic show in Lost Continent, which was short but entertaining. The magician didn’t oversell the products (the show is a quasi-sales pitch for the magic tricks the store sells). Worth checking out if you’ve never seen it before.
I’d never noticed the fire-escape ladder effect on the left side of the first screen in Spider-man. I guess I’d always thought the physical prop of the ladder was part of the screen.
The queue for Dr. Doom is so good. I understand the appeal of the ride (brief thrill, great views), but I’m game for the upcoming polercoaster. /Parkscope
I rode Rip, Ride, Rockit because my wife had never been on it. I think it was my third time, her first and last. I wonder if it would be a more enjoyable ride with different lap bars. The ones they have are brutal if you’re over 6’0 and not stick-thin.
I’ve mocked the E.T. ride mercilessly in the past for its psychedelic second half, but I stand corrected. The scale of that ride is huge, much bigger than I remember! I know there are rumors that a lot of the current rides will get some upgrades over the next few years. With a little care (upgraded Animatronics, maybe replace the say-your-name ET at the end, adjust the awkward beginning of the queue that goes from the “passport” consoles to the forest), this ride could be stellar. I don’t think it’ll ever be a headliner, but it’s already a wonderful dark ride.
There’s enough to do in the two parks that there’s no way to do Universal in one day unless you’re willing to skip some major attractions. If your idea of “doing” Epcot involves only riding SSE, Test Track and Soarin, then yeah, you can “do” Universal in a day. But if you want to optimally "do" Universal, it’s two days at least. And that's before Diagon Alley (and JP...and anything else...).
