Some questions from a first timer.

[ladycameron]

This September will be my familys first Universal visit and i had a few questions. If anyone can help me out it will be greatly appreciated.

We will be staying on Disney property and we won't have a rental car. What is the best way to get from Pop Centuray Resort to Universal.? Shuttle? taxi? How much will it cost?

We will be going on a Wednesday and a Monday. How busy are these days and are there chasrcater meals we could do on these days?

My son is 3 years old and 41" tall so he'll be able to do quite a few rides. How does Flight of the Hipposgriff compare to Goofys barnstormer? Is it tamer? What about Woody's Nuthouse Coaster?

Has anyone taken their children on The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman? Did they find it scary? Is it loud?

Is the Jurrasic Park River Adventure scary? Loud? Do you get wet?

Is Popeye & Bluto's Bilge- Rat Barges similar to Kali River Rapids? Are their big drops? Do you get wet?

In the WWOHP where all can you purchase butterbeer?

Is Disaster loud? will it frighten young children?

Is the Simpson ride a rollercoaster? Are there lots of twists and turns?

Is Twister loud and scary for a child?

which characters can you meet around the parks? Do they do autographs?

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.

 

[norhel]

Howdy!

Regarding how to get to Universal an idea could be to use Mears Transportation.
http://www.mearstransportation.com/

 

[dave&di]

This September will be my familys first Universal visit and i had a few questions. If anyone can help me out it will be greatly appreciated.

We will be staying on Disney property and we won't have a rental car. What is the best way to get from Pop Centuray Resort to Universal.? Shuttle? taxi? How much will it cost?

We will be going on a Wednesday and a Monday. How busy are these days and are there chasrcater meals we could do on these days?

My son is 3 years old and 41" tall so he'll be able to do quite a few rides. How does Flight of the Hipposgriff compare to Goofys barnstormer? Is it tamer? What about Woody's Nuthouse Coaster?

Has anyone taken their children on The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman? Did they find it scary? Is it loud?

Is the Jurrasic Park River Adventure scary? Loud? Do you get wet?

Is Popeye & Bluto's Bilge- Rat Barges similar to Kali River Rapids? Are their big drops? Do you get wet?

In the WWOHP where all can you purchase butterbeer?

Is Disaster loud? will it frighten young children?

Is the Simpson ride a rollercoaster? Are there lots of twists and turns?

Is Twister loud and scary for a child?

which characters can you meet around the parks? Do they do autographs?

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.

Hi, I can't answer all your Qs but someone will! I can help on some.

We go in September, this time of year is not too busy.
Flight of the hippogriff is tame and rather short, IMO fine for a 3 yr old.
Spiderman is brilliant, not scary but bumpy, the car turns and swivels and at one point there is a 400ft sensory drop. Probably not for your son.
Jurassic Park is calm at first, the end is in the dark and a bit threatening for kids. Plus theres the drop, avoid the front if you don't want to get wet.
Butterbeer can be purchased from carts in WWOHP. Get it, its amazing I love the frozen version.
Disaster is long drawn out, the only bit that might frighten children is the subway ride at the end, but I've seen parents take toddlers on it with no problems.
Simpsons is a simulator of a rollercoaster, it's good but if you suffer from motion sickness it may not be fun!
Twister - Basically you stand at the side of a twister you see things fly thru the air, nothing amazing, you don't really feel the effect of it.
Yes you get characters & autographs, I've seen - The simpsons, Dora & pals, scooby doo & co, animals from 'madagascar'.

Hope some of this helps. Pumbas Nakasak is very informative on Universal. I'm sure he will be here to help at some point :sohappy:

 

[H20Babie]

I haven't been to Uni since 1999 ... "Ellen" will be doing her show from Universal this upcoming week. We, too, are planning my DS (10)'s first trip to Universal so we will be recording/watching her shows this week to check out some of the rides and entertainment.

 

[Disneydreamer23]

this september will be my familys first universal visit and i had a few questions. If anyone can help me out it will be greatly appreciated.

We will be staying on disney property and we won't have a rental car. What is the best way to get from pop centuray resort to universal.? Shuttle? Taxi? How much will it cost? i would say taxi about 30 each way i did that last year

we will be going on a wednesday and a monday. How busy are these days and are there chasrcater meals we could do on these days? those arnt bad days weekends are busy

my son is 3 years old and 41" tall so he'll be able to do quite a few rides. How does flight of the hipposgriff compare to goofys barnstormer? Is it tamer? What about woody's nuthouse coaster? they are both tamer rides hell be able to go on

has anyone taken their children on the amazing adventures of spiderman? Did they find it scary? Is it loud? this might be a lil too much for him its very fast and in 3 d i would suggest not

is the jurrasic park river adventure scary? Loud? Do you get wet? sit in back row you dont get wet and not scary i would say yes

is popeye & bluto's bilge- rat barges similar to kali river rapids? Are their big drops? Do you get wet? kali you get soaked! Bring spare cloths!

in the wwohp where all can you purchase butterbeer?

Is disaster loud? Will it frighten young children? not at all its really nothing spectacular

is the simpson ride a rollercoaster? Are there lots of twists and turns? its a simulated ride dont bring ur 3 yr old on he wilol get sick and if any one in ur party gets sick easy i would suggest a nope for this!

is twister loud and scary for a child? twister has days where the wind is more than usual but nothing bad but the floor moves at the end for a second fyi for ur lil man

which characters can you meet around the parks? Do they do autographs? epcot has meet n greets usually in a time period they take pics and sign its mickey minnie goofy pluto daisy and donald!

thanks to anyone who can help me out.

good luck

 

[MrsHarvie08]

This September will be my familys first Universal visit and i had a few questions. If anyone can help me out it will be greatly appreciated.

We will be staying on Disney property and we won't have a rental car. What is the best way to get from Pop Centuray Resort to Universal.? Shuttle? taxi? How much will it cost?

I wish I could help you out here, but I am not sure about this, as we always drive to Orlando. We just got back from a quick trip to Universal last week and stayed about a mile away, so transportation wasn't an issue.

We will be going on a Wednesday and a Monday. How busy are these days and are there chasrcater meals we could do on these days?

We were there on a Monday & Tuesday. Universal Studios was not busy at all either day. I think the most we waited for any attraction was 15 minutes. Islands of Adventure was pretty packed both days, but the majority of the crowds seemed to be in WWOHP.

My son is 3 years old and 41" tall so he'll be able to do quite a few rides. How does Flight of the Hipposgriff compare to Goofys barnstormer? Is it tamer? What about Woody's Nuthouse Coaster?

We didn't ride Woody's Nuthouse Coaster, but we did ride the Flight of the Hippogriff. I think it would be fine for a 3 year old.

Has anyone taken their children on The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman? Did they find it scary? Is it loud?

I personally would not have taken my son on this when he was 3 years old. I think my son first rode this when he was 6. It's pretty intense.

Is the Jurrasic Park River Adventure scary? Loud? Do you get wet?

It doesn't get loud/scary until the end. We sat in the back and barely got splashed. The people who sat up front looked like they got wet, but they weren't completely soaked. I took my son on this one when he was very young, and he enjoyed it.

Is Popeye & Bluto's Bilge- Rat Barges similar to Kali River Rapids? Are their big drops? Do you get wet?

It is similar to Kali. You will get soaked.

In the WWOHP where all can you purchase butterbeer?

You can purchase butter beer in WWOHP. I suggest the frozen version. It's pretty good!

Is Disaster loud? will it frighten young children?

We did not experience Disaster on our most recent trip. If I remember correctly (it's been awhile since we did this one), they chose people from the audience to "star" in a movie and then they film the movie and then you experience the actual ride. The ride part may frighten your child.

Is the Simpson ride a rollercoaster? Are there lots of twists and turns?

It's a motion simulator that takes you through the Krustyland theme park. It's fun, although I would not recommend it if you suffer from motion sickness. I rarely experience motion sickness, but this one bothered me a bit.

Is Twister loud and scary for a child?

It is very loud and windy. Could potentially be scary for a young child.

which characters can you meet around the parks? Do they do autographs?

My son is 13, so we didn't spend any time looking for characters (although he did have to have his picture taken with the Simpsons!). We saw the Simpsons, Dora, Spiderman, the Green Goblin, the Scooby Doo characters, & Shrek and Fiona. The majority of them appeared to be signing autographs.

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.

Hope you have a great time!

 

[Skip]

This September will be my familys first Universal visit and i had a few questions. If anyone can help me out it will be greatly appreciated.

We will be staying on Disney property and we won't have a rental car. What is the best way to get from Pop Centuray Resort to Universal.? Shuttle? taxi? How much will it cost?
Can't help you here, apologies. Look up taxi rates I suppose. I doubt there's a shuttle available to get you (especially at a Disney property).

We will be going on a Wednesday and a Monday. How busy are these days and are there chasrcater meals we could do on these days?
Comparatively not as bad as say Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Potter World will still be packed regardless, so try to hit this area first thing (before there's a line to enter) or in the evening where again there won't be a line.

My son is 3 years old and 41" tall so he'll be able to do quite a few rides. How does Flight of the Hipposgriff compare to Goofys barnstormer? Is it tamer? What about Woody's Nuthouse Coaster?
Same type of ride; if he could handle Barnstormer, he can handle either of these rides.

Has anyone taken their children on The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman? Did they find it scary? Is it loud?
I would not classify this ride as "scary" - there's a lot of action (pumpkin bombs, electrical fights, a villainess briefly seen called "Scream". It does however get quite loud, especially in portions where practical effects are used (such as a blast of real fire or some launches of concentrated mist). Use your judgement - it's a big animated action movie. Spider-Man is present most of the ride rattling witty jokes.

Is the Jurrasic Park River Adventure scary? Loud? Do you get wet?
First part of the ride is very calm and relaxing - big herbivore dinosaurs, non-threatening. Soon you enter the Carnivore habitat, however, where you enter a dark building and ascend to find various meat-eating dinos. This part gets deafeningly loud due to the Raptors messing with electrical cages, the screech of the "Spitters," and the roar of the T-Rex. There's also a sizable drop. Again, use your judgement.

Is Popeye & Bluto's Bilge- Rat Barges similar to Kali River Rapids? Are their big drops? Do you get wet?
It's similar to Kali in the ride system - however, it's several minutes longer. Instead of the dense jungle forest with the fire effects you get cartoon animatronics; the whole thing is very light-hearted and nonthreatening, though there is one imposing octopus you pass by. There is one sizable "drop" - but it's over quickly and then you're back on your merry way. There is a 90% chance you will get SOAKED. I recommend purchasing a locker ($2 or so) for a change of clothes, there's a massive "body heater" outside the ride for $5 (not all that effective), or you can take your chances. One recommendation regardless - remove your socks if you're wearing them. You will be miserable with wet socks! It's a great ride, so if the weather's warm, go for it. MUCH better than Kali.

In the WWOHP where all can you purchase butterbeer?
Several locations. There's a main cart right smack dab in the middle of the walkway - this is the most crowded location so I wouldn't recommend it. There's another full-sized cart tucked near the Snowman, near the Jurassic Park arch; this one can also get lines but it's not nearly as bad. The Hog's Head Pub also sells it - it's adjacent to the Three Broomsticks. That's the final place where you can buy it, in the restaurant proper. I recommend the frozen drink, but try both!

Is Disaster loud? will it frighten young children?
The majority of the attraction is an exhibition/interactive show that takes volunteers. There's a ride sequence at the end that simulates an Earthquake - it is pretty loud and there's some motion of the "quake", as well as a flash flood and some fire/explosions. If you don't think your son can handle it, you can skip the ride portion by asking a ride attendant. I highly recommend it though, as there's a fun surprise at the end.

Is the Simpson ride a rollercoaster? Are there lots of twists and turns?
Simulator ride - the first portion simulates riding on a roller coaster about to be demolished. It's good fun, and nowhere near as intense as a real coaster, but stay away if you're motion sick.

Is Twister loud and scary for a child?
VERY loud, just like Jurassic Park. You basically watch a drive-in movie theater and gas station get torn apart by a twister... really I guess it depends if your son comprehends what's going on, as twisters are of course very real situations. Use your judgement, but it IS loud.

which characters can you meet around the parks? Do they do autographs?
They sell autograph books everywhere - there are plenty of characters out and about, specifically at the front of the Studios, Seuss Landing, Toon Lagoon, and Marvel. Specifically, you'll always find the Marvel Super Heroes (Spider-Man, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Captain America), some of the Toon Lagoon characters (Popeye, Olive Oil, and Betty Boop), the Seuss Landing characters (Cat in the Hat, Things 1 & 2, and The Grinch), the Simpsons (Homer & Bart are most common), some assortment of Nick characters (Dora & Diego and Spongebob), Woody Woodpecker, Curious George & Man in the Yellow Hat, Scooby & gy, and Doc Brown (from Back to the Future).

Other characters you can sometimes find (depending on how busy it is I suppose) include Doctor Doom, Cyclops, Gambit, Bullwinkle, Sam I Am & "Guy" (characters from the Green Eggs & Ham book), Marge & Lisa from Simpsons, Winnie Woodpecker (she's been out more recently apparently), Shrek & Donkey (the latter of which does not sign autographs as he's a puppet). You can always ask character employees what characters'll be visting that day.

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.

Answers in bold - hope this helps!

 

[ladycameron]

Thank You to everyone who has responded. The answers will help me greatly in planning our days at Universal.

 

[Alexx]

This September will be my familys first Universal visit and i had a few questions. If anyone can help me out it will be greatly appreciated.

We will be staying on Disney property and we won't have a rental car. What is the best way to get from Pop Centuray Resort to Universal.? Shuttle? taxi? How much will it cost?
Mears Transportation look on the site

We will be going on a Wednesday and a Monday. How busy are these days and are there chasrcater meals we could do on these days?
http://www.universalorlando.com/Theme_Parks/Dining/characterdining.aspx

My son is 3 years old and 41" tall so he'll be able to do quite a few rides. How does Flight of the Hipposgriff compare to Goofys barnstormer? Is it tamer? What about Woody's Nuthouse Coaster?
They're both pretty tame, i'd compare them too goofys barnstormer, he should be fine if he does goofys

Has anyone taken their children on The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman? Did they find it scary? Is it loud?
I went on spiderman when I was around 6 and it's loud but not really scary, the only scary bit i suppose is the "drop" if you wanna see what it's like beforehand check out youtube and search the ride, they'll have videos on it.

Is the Jurrasic Park River Adventure scary? Loud? Do you get wet?
Jurassic park isnt scary EXCEPT the drop at the end. Not loud and you get soaked in the first row, you get wet in the others but not as much.

Is Popeye & Bluto's Bilge- Rat Barges similar to Kali River Rapids? Are their big drops? Do you get wet?
Haven't been on this so can't comment.

In the WWOHP where all can you purchase butterbeer?
You can purchase it from carts around the place.

Is Disaster loud? will it frighten young children?
It's loud but it's not scary, the only "scary" bit is when the water comes gushing out.


Is the Simpson ride a rollercoaster? Are there lots of twists and turns?
It's not a rollercoaster, it's a simulator, but it's pretty bumpy.

Is Twister loud and scary for a child?
Not really, the ride itself is pretty poor and on the universal site it says it's suitable for families.

which characters can you meet around the parks? Do they do autographs?
Depends really, different characters come out at different times so it should tell you when you go in the park but usually it's like shrek, spongebob, dora etc.

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.

Hope this helped

 

[uiowahawk]

I'm making my first trip to Orlando this September and found DestinationsinFlorida.com has a 1 day/2 park pass that includes shuttle service.

 

[AswaySuller]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you're concerned about things being scary and loud maybe you should go to Lego land until your child is old enough to enjoy a more adult aimed park.

You don't want to scare the wits out of them and scar them for life.