Universal Orlando

[scritchell]

Hi All

How many days do you think I would need to cover all of the park, and anyone have any tips/advice

Also, does anyone know of any good sites for cheaper tickets etc

TYIA

 

[Disneyhead'71]

2 days min. and be sure to get the "park to park 2 park tickets".

 

[JoeCamel]

Hi All

How many days do you think I would need to cover all of the park, and anyone have any tips/advice

Also, does anyone know of any good sites for cheaper tickets etc

TYIA

Cheaper is not really available. Buy more days or an annual pass and be sure to purchase in advance online from Universal to save $20. AS DH posted you really should have the park to park. If you get there and feel the lines are too long for you then you can purchase an express pass in the park. I would not get an EP in advance as many days it is not necessary

 

[Weather_Lady]

If it's a first visit, I think you'll want at least two full days. If you're doing the waterpark as well or want to spend a lot of time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (or just want an extra day to lounge by the pool, play minigolf at CityWalk, etc.), add another day or two.

As for tickets, price out all of the options. You might be able to save a few dollars by purchasing your tickets on Undercover Tourist, or by purchasing an annual pass for one person and then using the passholder discount to buy tickets at the gate for the rest of your party.

For my family, the 4-day P2P tickets we wanted to purchase were only $20 cheaper than buying seasonal annual passes -- and the passes will potentially net us up to 30% off of our hotel (assuming that annual passholder rates end up being offered for our dates), and will allow us to make a second trip to Universal later in the year without having to pay for more tickets. For us, it was a no-brainer.

 

[scritchell]

If it's a first visit, I think you'll want at least two full days. If you're doing the waterpark as well or want to spend a lot of time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (or just want an extra day to lounge by the pool, play minigolf at CityWalk, etc.), add another day or two.

As for tickets, price out all of the options. You might be able to save a few dollars by purchasing your tickets on Undercover Tourist, or by purchasing an annual pass for one person and then using the passholder discount to buy tickets at the gate for the rest of your party.

For my family, the 4-day P2P tickets we wanted to purchase were only $20 cheaper than buying seasonal annual passes -- and the passes will potentially net us up to 30% off of our hotel (assuming that annual passholder rates end up being offered for our dates), and will allow us to make a second trip to Universal later in the year without having to pay for more tickets. For us, it was a no-brainer.

I will be a first time visitor from the UK and will want my son (7) to experience every thing and not miss out

 

[lebeau]

For my family, the 4-day P2P tickets we wanted to purchase were only $20 cheaper than buying seasonal annual passes -- and the passes will potentially net us up to 30% off of our hotel (assuming that annual passholder rates end up being offered for our dates), and will allow us to make a second trip to Universal later in the year without having to pay for more tickets. For us, it was a no-brainer.

We're doing the same thing. I floated the idea last summer and was shot down. This year, my wife regretted not getting the passes cause she can't wait to go back.

 

[scritchell]

I don't think the annual pass will be for me as I wont be going back within the same year (I am from the UK)

 

[macefamily]

Check if Universal is offering their "buy two days, get one free" promotion. That has been offered online a few times and I've taken advantage of it. Depending on what time of year you're going to be there will determine how much of the parks you can do each day. The Express Pass option is nice. You can do an entire park in one day if you have that. There's alot of great food options on Citywalk. Hope your trip is enjoyable.

 

[scritchell]

Hi,
Thanks for the info
I have looked at package prices through the WDW website, and they throw in the Fastpass for free, which help us with the queue times...
I am choosing the 21 day ultimate ticket so we are not stuck on what days to visit which park, we can change plans if needs be
I wouldnt say i dont want to spend a ton of money... I am just looking at how i can keep the cost down so i have more dollars to spend once I am there

 

[scritchell]

Hi
Yes I've looked at the fastpass process, and what people have been saying on here.... If i plan them out for WDW then fingers crossed I can cross of some of the better rides with the FP

I am going to really plan it properly, i am aware of that

The 21 day package is just for WDW

 

[scritchell]

If it's a first visit, I think you'll want at least two full days. If you're doing the waterpark as well or want to spend a lot of time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (or just want an extra day to lounge by the pool, play minigolf at CityWalk, etc.), add another day or two.

As for tickets, price out all of the options. You might be able to save a few dollars by purchasing your tickets on Undercover Tourist, or by purchasing an annual pass for one person and then using the passholder discount to buy tickets at the gate for the rest of your party.

For my family, the 4-day P2P tickets we wanted to purchase were only $20 cheaper than buying seasonal annual passes -- and the passes will potentially net us up to 30% off of our hotel (assuming that annual passholder rates end up being offered for our dates), and will allow us to make a second trip to Universal later in the year without having to pay for more tickets. For us, it was a no-brainer.

I cant find the option of AP for either universal or wdw, can you help please?

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

I just bought 2day park to park -with 2 days free - tickets at Orlando Funtickets - for hubby and me. so - a total of 4 days...$259 ea. we leave end of the month !!!

 

[Seeshark]

Just got back from a Universal trip - I bought the 2-day, get 2 days free P2P tickets off of Undercover Tourist. Didn't save a ton, but more than I did at Universal's site, Groupon, Plum Benefits (work discounts) or one of those "Best of Orlando" type sites. Every little bit helped I suppose. Stayed at Portofino Bay, mostly for the express passes. A really cool place, though pricey. I originally booked a kids suite at Sapphire, but knowing the park would be super busy, I really wanted express passes. The cost of staying at Portofino was the same as Sapphire plus passes. I did stay in a Minion Suite, which also really boosted the cost, so there were definitely cheaper on-site ways to go (i.e., a smaller room at Portofino, Hard Rock or Royal Pacific). And the suite, although nice, wasn't all that. Would have preferred to have living room-type area with a pull-out couch (not for me to sleep on).
The four days to do the parks was perfect for us. I'm good for about 4 hours, then I'm ready to call it a day. The express passes were key - though on a couple rides, it was still a bit of a wait. King Kong was maybe 45 minutes - but compared with the 175 on the board out front, I'm not complaining...
Couple other thoughts:
- Got a milkshake at Toothsome ... awesome!
- Salsa and fajitas at Antojitos was great, as was the mariachi band. Overall, a fun dinner.
- Lunch at Hard Rock pretty unmemorable ... not bad, just no big whoop.
- Dinner at Mama Dellas at Portofino. Sat outside - nice view, cool with the singers and all, but the food wasn't anything special in my opinion. Again, not bad, just not memorable.
- We avoided the "get wet" rides, except for Jurassic Park, and the Hulk and Rock-It coasters were a bit too intense for my kid, so what we were left with was an awful lot of 3-D rides. They're very cool, but after a while, felt a bit repetitive.
- King Kong scared the crap out of my 7-year-old.
- We're not Harry Potter people, but my daughter may have just become one. The wand stuff was kind of silly given how busy it was. By the time it was your turn, she had seen what was going to happen 5 times. Guess you need to be there first thing or during serious off-season.
- I'm glad we were able to do the train between parks just to say we did it, but I think once is enough if and when I go back. Not sure it was worth the higher ticket price. But then we're not Harry Potter people.
- We also took in a Blue Man Group show. That was a lot of fun. My daughter giggled for 90 minutes straight and bought home a fistful of toilet paper shot into the crowd. Oddest souvenir ever...
- Liked the Jimmy Fallon ride much more than I expected to. Also dug the Simpsons.
All in all, I liked the compact feel of the parks and citywalk area compared to Disney, and although it was nice to have the express cards for everything, I kind of like the planning and all that goes into the Fast Passes. I guess that's just me. With my kid aging out of "princess-world," Universal was a good next step.
We also did Sea World. It was a nice day, but she was too short for any of the roller coasters, so we just checked out animals. She loved feeding the manta rays.