Universal Studios....convince me!

copcarguyp71

copcarguyp71

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
OK...so after 9 trips (#10 in september) to the house of mouse I am starting to have feelings of...well...inadequacy:oops:.

As someone who has never been tell me why I should go to and or stay at Uni for our next trip. We were planning to do our "bucket list" trip in October 2014 at the Contemporary with theme park view as I have wanted to stay there since I visited as a kid in 1977 and have yet to pull the pin on this one but I find that increasing feelings of questioning the value of my vacation dollar with Disney and feeling like the resort guests are starting to become second class citizens to DVC has me being a blasphemer and thinking of..crossing over:(.

I know literally NOTHING about Uni as I always felt like I was cheating on my best gal by even learning anything about "the other woman" but my heart is wandering and I want to learn more. I am really not a fan of Harry Potter so that is another reason why I question putting my vacation dollar there. How is the cost versus experience as compared to WDW? DD will be 11 in 2014 if that helps with advice as well. Please feel free to ask any questions you like about our vacationing preferences but I really want to be sure I am spending our dollars in a way that makes the most sense...heck, we might even just go to the caribbean and sink our toes in the sand instead!
 
TubaGeek

TubaGeek

God bless the "Ignore" button.
I say go. Some aspects are considerably better, some worse. But you should definitely catch the parade. ;)
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
I walked into Uni a bit of a Disney Snob last year, and was very pleasantly surprised (outside of their quick service, which makes even the ABC eatery at HS look gourmet)...

The parks are a heck of a lot of fun, and full of energy. I enjoyed my stay there. I planned 3 days, I wish it had been 5. I will certainly be back.
 
copcarguyp71

copcarguyp71

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
englanddg said:
I walked into Uni a bit of a Disney Snob last year, and was very pleasantly surprised (outside of their quick service, which makes even the ABC eatery at HS look gourmet)...

The parks are a heck of a lot of fun, and full of energy. I enjoyed my stay there. I planned 3 days, I wish it had been 5. I will certainly be back.
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Where did you stay and how was your experience with the lodgings?
 
RandomPrincess

RandomPrincess

Keep Moving Forward
We are planning a split stay after Diagon Alley opens. Couple night at a Uni hotel (gotta use that unlimited Express Pass), Then switch over to Disney to finish the week,

Uni is not Disney but that is okay. It's still a great world class park. I think they try to tell you it's not Disney the second you leave the parking garage. You hear Nirvana on the moving sidewalk and other similar bands through City Walk.

IOA Great rides. The Harry Potter area is awesome. Spider Man was my favorite ride pre Harry Potter and Hulk is still my favorite coaster. Jurassic Park is fun The area is small but looks right out of the movie.

Lots of fun new things going up on the US side as well. Simpsons area going to be fun and Transformers is going to be great. Mummy is fun. I like Men in Black ride even though I suck at it. I enjoy the Terminator 3D show (it's old but still good). I like the "behind the scenes" walk through things they have to.
 
copcarguyp71

copcarguyp71

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
englanddg said:
The lodgings were expensive, but top notch. I enjoyed it tremendously. We were at Royal Pacific, 4 days, 3 nights.
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Really? I was looking at pricing and it seemed like you could stay at one of their deluxe resorts for slightly less than Disney mods with park tickets on both.
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
copcarguyp71 said:
Really? I was looking at pricing and it seemed like you could stay at one of their deluxe resorts for slightly less than Disney mods with park tickets on both.
Click to expand...

I haven't stayed at enough Disney deluxe resorts to say their 3 resorts are better or worse, but as a consumer, I'd equal them, outside of Polynesian and Contemporary, which have their own flair.

The Royal Pacific was very nice. The room was immaculate, but the walk to it felt like a walk through any large hotel, with worn carpet and no views (though I could say that about Wilderness Lodge or AKL as well.

The room, however, was great. We had a wonderful view of an amazing garden setting, it had a Keurig with free tea/coffee refills for it, the beds were fantastic, and the bathroom well updated and comfortable. I felt I got my money's worth.
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Also, the Express Pass included for staying on property was fantastic. We quite literally nearly walked onto MIB over and over again...with maybe a 10 minute wait at most...and it puts Buzz or Toy Story to SHAME!

Having free reign over your "gun" makes all the difference...though only WDW's version of that ride has that issue...
 
danpam1024

danpam1024

Well-Known Member
I am a die hard HRH fan- stay there as much as possible. Much cheaper than Disney deluxes and leaps and bounds nicer. express pass is a MAJOR bonus. The parks are fresh, have far less strollers, EVCs, and people complaining. Smaller, but more compact. CS dining is fair, TS fantastic (we enjoy the Palm). City walk is what PI used to be (minus AC). UOR seems to be thankful to have your vacation dollars as Disney seems to expect it. APs seem to have better discounts etc. Geez- I want to drive up now!
 
grandmath

grandmath

Active Member
copcarguyp71 said:
OK...so after 9 trips (#10 in september) to the house of mouse I am starting to have feelings of...well...inadequacy:oops:.

As someone who has never been tell me why I should go to and or stay at Uni for our next trip. We were planning to do our "bucket list" trip in October 2014 at the Contemporary with theme park view as I have wanted to stay there since I visited as a kid in 1977 and have yet to pull the pin on this one but I find that increasing feelings of questioning the value of my vacation dollar with Disney and feeling like the resort guests are starting to become second class citizens to DVC has me being a blasphemer and thinking of..crossing over:(.

I know literally NOTHING about Uni as I always felt like I was cheating on my best gal by even learning anything about "the other woman" but my heart is wandering and I want to learn more. I am really not a fan of Harry Potter so that is another reason why I question putting my vacation dollar there. How is the cost versus experience as compared to WDW? DD will be 11 in 2014 if that helps with advice as well. Please feel free to ask any questions you like about our vacationing preferences but I really want to be sure I am spending our dollars in a way that makes the most sense...heck, we might even just go to the caribbean and sink our toes in the sand instead!
Click to expand...

For as long as I've visited WDW, I always made a point tospend at least 1 day at Universal Orlando (out of generally a week at Disney). That was 12 years ago and for the first time in 2012, I decided to split the stay between WDW and Uni, despite getting huge (Cast) discounts at WDW properties. I will never look back.

Both resorts are different, yet offer a great experience. Uni is smaller in size, and therefore more confortable, kinda like the Disneyland Resort. You can stroll to the parks or take a short boat trip, very relaxing. And because it's Loews and not Disney, resort prices are much more affordable.

Parks experience: on par. Except all you care for is Disney, the experiences are often as good, and sometimes even better than Disney. It's "magical" in its own way to become part of your favorite movies. Theming is great and technology is first rate. You won't always find the same attention to detail, but it's definitely going there. I think the mood of those parks is great. It's less geared toward children,it's more about pop culture than nostalgia. Less "relaxing" perhaps, but more fun. All in all, Universal and Disney are leaps and bound above the competition, so don't worry about that.

Should you skip Disney for Universal? Absolutely not. But if it's your 10th or 11th visit to the Mouse, I guess the time has come for you to try a new experience, just 20 min north. Event for one day, if you're not sure. Buy a 2 park ticket with an Express add-on, and enjoy, you won't regret it!
 
BryceM

BryceM

Well-Known Member
I won't tell you how to spend your vacation, but I will strongly, STRONGLY, recommend a visit to Universal Orlando.

The parks (IOA and USF) are amazing. You will find some of the best attractions and theming in the world at both of these parks, from IOA's Port of Entry to USF's New York. From IOA's The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man to USF's Revenge of the Mummy. Both parks are just incredible. No, they aren't Disney. They don't have Mickey Mouse dancing around in front of a castle. But they also aren't crowded with some of the most terrible and rudest crowds you will find at MK on your average day that can make your visit to the world's most visited theme park miserable.

The hotels are extremely nice. Since everything is so close together at Universal Orlando, you can walk anywhere or take the water taxi. If you're staying at Hard Rock, you're a 5 minute walk away from the gates of Universal Studios, CityWalk and Islands of Adventure. The walks to these hotels are serene and beautifully landscaped. Very relaxing. CityWalk is loud and exciting, but it's supposed to be. It serves as a center of nightlife, dining and shopping. There is also a movie theater, the Blue Man Group and a really awesome mini golf course.

If you stay on-site, you get probably the best perk in the theme park world; Unlimited Express Pass. Even on the busiest days, your hotel room key can save your life and make your day all the more enjoyable. It's not like at Disney, where you have to wait until a later time. You just walk right to the front of every line as you please. It's amazing.
 
copcarguyp71

copcarguyp71

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hmmm....all very convincing:( LOL.

So if we stay at a Disney resort what is the best way to get to Uni? I do not care to drive on vacation so I am guessing a cab ride? Maybe we would consider split stay but I hate the thought of settling into a resort only to pack and leave for another.

I get to write off our trip in 2014 due to a convention and since it will be our DD's last year in grade school before heading into middle school it will be the last time we would feel comfortable pulling her out of school to take advantage of low crowd levels so I gotta make that one count!!! I won't do Disney during the heat/crowds of the summer months so it may be our last venture to the world for quite some time and I want to go out with a bang!
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
copcarguyp71 said:
Hmmm....all very convincing:( LOL.

So if we stay at a Disney resort what is the best way to get to Uni? I do not care to drive on vacation so I am guessing a cab ride? Maybe we would consider split stay but I hate the thought of settling into a resort only to pack and leave for another.

I get to write off our trip in 2014 due to a convention and since it will be our DD's last year in grade school before heading into middle school it will be the last time we would feel comfortable pulling her out of school to take advantage of low crowd levels so I gotta make that one count!!! I won't do Disney during the heat/crowds of the summer months so it may be our last venture to the world for quite some time and I want to go out with a bang!
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I also don't drive on vacations.

If you don't want to drive, I'd say taxi. You could also get a towncar service (not that much more).

You can get there through the Lynx busses, but it will take about a hour to an hour and a half. Not worth going that route.

Does your kid like wrestling?
 

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