Universal First Timer

[hwdelien]

Let me start by saying, I've had a timeshare in Orlando for 5 years and am leaving Friday 9/4/09 to spend a week there. I have been traveling to Orlando almost every year since 1997.

BUT...

I have NEVER been to Universal Studios.

To be honest, the main reason I'm going is because I have 2 of the free passes from the Superbowl.

I've been to Universal's web site, but would like to hear from some experienced people. What are "don't miss" attractions? What isn't worth the time? Where's the food the best/worst. Anything you can/want to tell me. I know WDW like the back of my hand, but the first trip there, I went with the Bernbaum (sp?) guide book. Haven't seen anything like that for Universal.

Is it strange that I'm actually nervous.

I can't believe that I'm going to Orlando and not going to WDW.

 

[kap91]

Well I can't really comment on the restaurants because I don't have much experience but I can give you info on rides.

If you are just going to Universal Studios and not IOA I would say that all the rides but Jimmy Neutron and Shrek 4D are worth seeing especially The Mummy and Hollywood Rip Ride Rock-it. As far as shows their the only one I personally care for is Terminator 3-D but its more of preference thing. I'll tell you now that the Simpson's ride is way overhyped and while fun and still enjoyable don't expect amazement.

If you are going to IOA then the two must-sees there (asides from the coasters obviously) would be Spiderman and Poseidon's Fury-which is a quite often overlooked walkthrough show then when everything works is pretty darn awesome-especially the first time you do it. Most of Suessland sp? aside from The Cat in the Hat is passable unless you're a real fan, have spare time, or have small children with you.

In most cases it is possible to hit the majority of both parks in one day. I would suggest if that is what you want to do to start off with Spiderman at IOA, proceed counterclockwise through the park and then head over to Univesal Studios hit the Mummy and Rock-it (if its open) and then do everything else. Now, since Rockit just opened the crowds might be drastically different than they usually are but if they're not this plan should work fine. Let me know if you want any more details.

 

[hwdelien]

I am traveling with kids ages 4, 7, and 13. I am doing both parks. And, we have passes that are valid for 7 days.

Based on what you're saying, 2 days are more than enough. Is it possible to stretch it out to 3 or more days without getting bored?

 

[kap91]

In that case you should definitely take one day per park. It is possible to stretch it out to three days, especially if you make sure you do everything, take time to take lunches etc, explore Citywalk a bit Since you're traveling with a couple younger ones there are areas in Jurassic Park and for lack of a better tern "kiddieland" at Universal (It has Barney, Curious George, and Fieval the mouse areas) that a several hours could be spent in. There are many rides in both parks that are definitely ones you're going to want to repeat, so three days probably wouldn't get too boring.

 

[Skip]

Based on what you're saying, 2 days are more than enough. Is it possible to stretch it out to 3 or more days without getting bored?

I've stayed at Universal for 3 nights, 4 days before and had no trouble finding stuff to do. Especially with that age group, you'll probably move through the parks at a leisurely pace - and particularly with the shorter operating hours - you'll have plenty to fill at least 3 days. If you move a little faster, you can probably hit everything you need to see in 2 days, as well.

Let me just begin with this: If you want to do Rockit, you either have to be there first thing in the morning and wait for them to open it, or be there at the very end of the day and pray it doesn't break down. They opened it a bit sooner than they should've and it's been running at a very limited capacity. So either make that your first or your last stop on one of the days - I haven't ridden it yet, so I can't comment on its actual quality... but most people who have tried it enjoyed it considerably.

Here's my list of attraction opinions:

Not to be Missed
Revenge of the Mummy
Jaws
E.T. Adventure
The Simpsons Ride
Men in Black: Alien Attack
Terminator 2:3D
The Universal Horror Make-Up Show
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
Dueling Dragons
Jurassic Park River Adventure
The Incredible Hulk Coaster
Cat in the Hat

Priority B
Disaster Studios
Twister
Shrek 4D
Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls
Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges
Poseidon's Fury
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
Beatlejuice's Graveyard Revue

Priority C
Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast
Doctor Doom's Fearfall
The 8th Voyage of Sinbad
Carouseussel
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Pteranadon Flyers
Storm Force
Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster
A Day in the Park with Barney

I think I got them all in there... I didn't include Fear Factor since it's currently closed, but don't worry, it was a crappy show anywho. If you only have one day or something, then the "Not to be missed" attractions are obviously the best both parks have to offer. Priority B are still excellent, but if there are time constraints they can be overlooked. Priority C are mostly the smaller or less elaborate rides - again, most of these are still fun and enjoyable, especially for younger children. (I did not include Rockit on the lists since as I mentioned I haven't gotten a chance to go on it yet, and in addition, its operating schedule has been quite erratic.)

Seeing as you have a 4, 7, and 13 year old, plan to spend a lot of time in "Me Ship, the Olive", Camp Jurassic, If I Ran the Zoo, Fievel's Playland, and Curious George goes to Town... these are all very elaborate play areas that offer surprises even for adults. Let your kids loose here if you get tired - they'll collectively get hours of enjoyment out of these children's wonderlands. There's even a water slide over in Fievel's Playland if you're interested. As far as rides are concerned, I've always found that if the child is tall enough to ride it, they can probably handle it. The water rides aren't scary other than the drops they entail... though there a few frightening carnivorous dinosaurs on Jurassic Park you might want to be cautious of. Your 13 year old should be fine on everything, assuming he doesn't mind coasters. One thing I'd reccomend though is to tell your younger children that there will be some moments during Poseidon's Fury! where the theater is plunged into complete darkness... in addition, during the Horror Make-up Show, there's a film reel with clips from a bunch of very frightening movies. They give you ample warning when they show you this clip, but I'd reccomend covering your younger children's eyes if scary images bother them at all.

As for dining... 3 of the 4 full service restaurants in the parks have given me great experiences. Lombard's Landing and Finnegan's Bar & Grill in Universal Studios are excellent, and Mythos in Islands of Adventure has been consistently rated the best theme park restaurant world wide. Confisco's Grille I found to be meh, but it's been quite a while since I've dined there, so it may have changed. Citywalk offers a plethora of full service, as well as quick service, eateries as well, which is especially useful during this time of the year when the parks start to close earlier and it's still too early for dinner. If you need any recommendation for counter service, I always found Circus McGurkus, Cafe 4, The Burger Digs, Midway Grille, International Food & Film Festival, and the Kidzone Pizza Company to be the best counter service locations in the parks.

If you have any other questions, please do feel free to ask! :wave:

 

[Mukta]

I agree with Skip on the don't miss attractions. Since you have a younger child with you, you can definitely stretch it out over 3 days. You should be able to enjoy every single attraction over 3 days. Your 4 year old won't be tall enough for all of them, but there is stuff for all ages to enjoy.
Mythos is my favorite restaurant. I can't wait to go back there on the 13th of this month!

 

[hwdelien]

Thanks to all of you. This is some great information. Still not sure how I feel about going to Orlando and not visiting WDW, but I can't afford both. We toyed with the idea of stopping over on the 11th for MNSSHP, but, in the end, the budget won't work. Too much money for a couple of hours in the park, too.

Your 4 year old won't be tall enough for all of them, but there is stuff for all ages to enjoy.

Sad, but there are a few that my almost 8 year old isn't tall enough either. I looked up the height restrictions yesterday. She'll be so disappointed.

 

[hwdelien]

One more question:

We're planning on going to the park on Sunday, any feel for crowd levels knowing that this is a holiday weekend? We're not going to the park on Monday since we're going to meet up with some relatives and spend the holiday with them. I'm sure the rest of the week the park'll be dead.

 

[Skip]

One more question:

We're planning on going to the park on Sunday, any feel for crowd levels knowing that this is a holiday weekend? We're not going to the park on Monday since we're going to meet up with some relatives and spend the holiday with them. I'm sure the rest of the week the park'll be dead.

Eh, the Universal parks tend not to be nearly as crowded as Disney. My guess is you'll encounter some nasty lines only on Rockit, Hulk, Spider-Man, Mummy, and Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls. My reccomendation to you would be obviously to hit these first... I believe Spider-Man, Mummy, and Hulk all still have single rider lines, so if that works for you and you want to cut down on waits that'd be the way to go. Everywhere else should be 30 minutes or less I'd say...

Oh and another quick warning or two as long as we're talking about lines -
*Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls is a notoriously slow loader. Like, ridiculously slow. So if the wait time sign out front says 120 minutes, but the line doesn't seem THAT long, believe it. It's gonna move like molasses.
*On the other end of the spectrum, Jurassic Park River Adventure loads extremely fast thanks to its massive boats. Even if the line extends to the front of the entrance, I've typically only waited a maximum of 20 minutes, regardless of the wait sign up front says. Naturally this experience could change, but it's been pretty consistent for me.
*Poseidon's Fury's queue is mostly in a very dark stone corridor just inside the chamber. As it is a timed show, the line won't move for around 10 minutes at a time, but when it moves, it MOVES. Be prepared to wait 20-30 minutes for this one, but it's well worth your time.
*High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride is another deceptively slow loader. Once you begin your ascent up the twirly-curly ramp, you've got about 20 minutes of queuing remaining... though I have gotten lucky and they've been working particularly fast. Just expect slow loading.
*Revenge of the Mummy loads pretty quickly from mid-day on (when they start using both sides of the dual loading station), but its queuing space is deceptively long. There are three areas - the Paradise Theater, where you first enter. It's rather dark and you'll pass through several rooms of switchbacks... this is almost never used nowadays. You'll then cross out in front of the main building and enter a "studio" with another set of switchbacks. This is often where the line will stop. Be warned: If you're stopping here, you've got about 45-50 minutes to go. Beyond this is a winding section of darkened Egyptian chambers. There's plenty of hieroglyphics and interactive elements to keep one's attention occupied, but it's a damn long queue.


That should about cover it. Have a great trip!

 

[hwdelien]

Thanks again, Skip, your posts are extremely detailed and helpful. I really appreciate it. :sohappy:

 

[hwdelien]

Not much fun.

Well I'm here:

The park opens at 9 but we didn't rush and pulled up to the gates at 10:30. The pace for the day was set right off the bat. My wife is handicapped so we were directed to follow the blue line with our emergency flashers on. We got into the garage and a guy directs us down an aisle of handicapped spots. There were no parking spots available. All lanes are one way so I had to loop all the way back around. Told the guy there no spots and he said 'that's as close as you can get' you'll have to park in a regular spot.'

Next we get to the gate of Universal Studios and eventually find that we have to walk around the back of the building to redeem our tickets. After a 45 minute wait in this line it is now 12:30 and we are heading into the park. Shrek is the first ride we see, so we head for that. The kids are big fans. horrible! that's all I can say. They bounce the seats around like you're riding in a carriage, or whatever, meanwhile the camera angle is aerial. It didn't sync. Plus the air valves for this effect were VERY LOUD and distracting. After the show we spot a Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey meet and greet. This was the highlight of the day:

Donkey was absolutely hilarious. He talked to the kids and messed with them. We really enjoyed it.

We had lunch at Finnigan's and found it very nice (AAA discount too). We finished a little after 3. A guy performed an acoustic set named Paul Vernon. He was really good and I hated to leave, but the kids were getting anxious. Besides the park closes in less than 4 hours and we have only ridden 1 ride.

Next, it's Twister, followed by the Mummy. Both Excellent! Although my 7 year old may need therapy after twister. She wouldn't talk for 10 minutes afterwards. But she loved the Mummy. Go figure! While we rode the Mummy my wife took my 4 year old on Jimmy Neutron. When done we exited our rides to find a torrential downpour.

By the time that let up and we got back together, it was almost 5:30. Continued to walk and the next attraction we came across was Disaster Studios. That line was short, but we stood there forever. It turns out that they were only letting in groups every 30 minutes. The way the show was set up with three separate areas, it appears they could let people in every 10 minutes, but they weren't doing that. By the time the show was over it was 7:05 and the park was closed.

4 rides. Can you believe it?:veryconfu

 

[Skip]

Sorry for the less-than-perfect first day! I'm sure it can only get better from here.

The Shrek attraction, as I noted earlier, isn't the best. A bit bland, and as you said, the seats are annoying. I too love Finnegan's - great little place. Mummy is excellent, and Twister is indeed good on the first and second visit. Disaster is also great... the 30 minute thing is an unfortunate byproduct of the off-season. Usually, they do perform 10 minute cycles.

Oh, and that Donkey character is hilarious! I'm glad your kids enjoyed them!

Here's to a rest-of-a-great vacation! If you have any other questions mid-trip, feel free to ask! :wave:

 

[hwdelien]

Here's to a rest-of-a-great vacation! If you have any other questions mid-trip, feel free to ask! :wave:

Thanks. Going to park again today, Tuesday. I'll let you know how it goes.