Universal Studios Orlando

[Del Boy]

Going there for a week next summer. Anybody been? Any advice on buying tickets/hotels? Where to eat? would be appreciated. Going with Mrs and 2 kids aged 8 and 11.
Cheers!

[danhibees1875]

Went a few years ago and loved it. That's probably a great age to take the kids too.

We stayed in the Cabana Bay beach resort, it was great being on the doorstep of the parks with a shuttle bus and early entry. We didn't really spend much time at the hotel but it was certainly fine.

We bought the fast track passes which are quite pricey (can't remember how much but remember thinking it was a lot just to stand in shorter queues) but probably worth it as you're not there every day so want to make the most of it. We were only there for 3 days though - if you're there for a week then it's maybe less needed.

There was a Mexican restaurant in the park that was good IIRC - they had a big guacamole station and made it to order at your table.

The Harry potter sections of the park are sensational. If your kids aren't already fans then it would be worth watching the films to try to steer them towards liking it before you go.

[Sylar]

I love Universal. Two great parks (they may have also just opened a new water park too...?).

Definitely buy the flexipass that allows you entry to both parks. Islands of Adventure probably has the "bigger" rides (in terms of roller coasters etc), but I love Universal Studios (as a film buff).

In terms of where to eat in the parks (including the City Walk complex, which is quite good for nightlife), the Hard Rock is great, the Bob Marley Cafe do great jerk chicken (and Caribbean food in general). I've always stayed outside and eaten outside though. If you get a chance, pop up to the Mall at Millennia. Great shopping outlet, and the Cheesecake Factory is utterly incredible (doing more than cheesecakes, but do get one to takeaway (as their starter/mains portions are huge)).

If you (or any in your party) are Harry Potter fans, get to that part of the park early - some of the queues during peak season are insane.

[Killiehibbie]

Volcano Bay was new a couple of years ago and you couldn't even get in at 10am. What we done was head there after 3 as people start to leave and the closer it got to closing time the shorter the queues got, if only they had a lift to get you up half as fast as you came down.

[Hibby70]

Check prices of the premium hotels (Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, Portofino). A night there will get you free express passes for all of you for 2 days.

[Hibby70]

Volcano nachos at Jimmy Buffet. They are massive.

[Purple & Green]

Was there this week - I wasn’t impressed, and the hagrid attraction was shut both days. My bairns preferred Disney.

[Purple & Green]

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Check prices of the premium hotels (Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, Portofino). A night there will get you free express passes for all of you for 2 days.

That’s what I would have done in hindsight, I’d seriously consider this.

[Del Boy]

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated

[calumhibee1]

The two Universal Parks are streets ahead of the Disney parks imo. Your kids will absolutely love it

The water parks in Orlando are great for kids aswell with Aquatica being the best I’ve been to in Orlando, although I’ve never been to Universals newish Volcano Bay.

[H18 SFR]

Heading there on Monday, expect a full review!

[Future17]

My wife and I were at Universal and Islands of Adventure for two days at the end of June. She got loads of info from a Universal forum, so posted her review on there afterwards. I've pasted it below for you:

Hi. My husband and I have just done 2 days park to park at Universal/IOA. I used this group a lot beforehand to get ideas/tips and thought I should share our experience.

1. We stayed off site (Hampton Inn, International Drive). We walked to Universal to collect our tickets the day before (35 mins approx). In the heat though, it was tough and we didn't think it was a good idea to start each day with that. We decided to use our hotel's free shuttle going there both days and got a taxi back ($8-10 approx). Day 1 we were in the park by 915 and left 730. Day 2 were there 1030 until closing.

2 We had Express passes both days and they were so worth it. We went on everything! I would not have wanted to wait in regular lines and we definitely wouldn't have managed everything without them. We waited max of 20 mins on a couple of rides and only a few minutes for most of the others.

2. Shoes - I wore Crocs literide mesh flips solidly for the two days and my feet were absolutely fine (tired but not sore/blistered).

3. Food/drink - we took our own water bottles and just filled these up throughout the day, using fountains which are everywhere. If you are a big fan of soda, the refill cups are probably worth the cost because food/drink is expensive. We were happy with water, especially in the heat. We bought krusty burgers/fries/drinks one day for lunch and burger combos at Mel's drive-in the next day. We were around $35 each day. Snacks are pricey too - a pretzel was nearly $7.

4. Lockers - plentiful and easy to use. We paid for them at IOA for water rides but probably not needed. For Popeye and Bluto, even though you get absolutely drenched, there is space to cover belongings. We didn't use for Jurassic and were fine. Ripsaw Falls...you probably need for this.

5. Hagrids - we queued up at 730pm on our second day when it said 180 mins. We got on in just over an hour. It actually broke down half way through for us but it meant we got to ride twice! It is an amazing coaster and was easily our favourite so worth the wait!

6. HP - Diagon Alley/Hogsmeade/Hogwarts Express are all fantastic and so cleverly done. We also loved the Forbidden Journey. Ollivanders was okay - we didn't wait long and I'm glad we never. Maybe better with kids!

7. Shows - everything we saw was good especially Animal Actors, The Blues Brothers and Beat Builders.

7. Stay for the Hogwarts light show and the US cinematic experience at night. The are both fantastic and were a magical way to finish our Universal experience!

I hope this is of use to those of you planning your adventures! Enjoy!

I'd agree with most of what she said (which is rare!) but if you have any specific questions, I'm happy to try and answer them.

[Killiehibbie]

The single rider lane usually saves a fair bit of time. We often ended up beside each other anyway.

[Del Boy]

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Heading there on Monday, expect a full review!

Excellent, cheers!!!

[Del Boy]

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My wife and I were at Universal and Islands of Adventure for two days at the end of June. She got loads of info from a Universal forum, so posted her review on there afterwards. I've pasted it below for you:

Hi. My husband and I have just done 2 days park to park at Universal/IOA. I used this group a lot beforehand to get ideas/tips and thought I should share our experience.

1. We stayed off site (Hampton Inn, International Drive). We walked to Universal to collect our tickets the day before (35 mins approx). In the heat though, it was tough and we didn't think it was a good idea to start each day with that. We decided to use our hotel's free shuttle going there both days and got a taxi back ($8-10 approx). Day 1 we were in the park by 915 and left 730. Day 2 were there 1030 until closing.

2 We had Express passes both days and they were so worth it. We went on everything! I would not have wanted to wait in regular lines and we definitely wouldn't have managed everything without them. We waited max of 20 mins on a couple of rides and only a few minutes for most of the others.

2. Shoes - I wore Crocs literide mesh flips solidly for the two days and my feet were absolutely fine (tired but not sore/blistered).

3. Food/drink - we took our own water bottles and just filled these up throughout the day, using fountains which are everywhere. If you are a big fan of soda, the refill cups are probably worth the cost because food/drink is expensive. We were happy with water, especially in the heat. We bought krusty burgers/fries/drinks one day for lunch and burger combos at Mel's drive-in the next day. We were around $35 each day. Snacks are pricey too - a pretzel was nearly $7.

4. Lockers - plentiful and easy to use. We paid for them at IOA for water rides but probably not needed. For Popeye and Bluto, even though you get absolutely drenched, there is space to cover belongings. We didn't use for Jurassic and were fine. Ripsaw Falls...you probably need for this.

5. Hagrids - we queued up at 730pm on our second day when it said 180 mins. We got on in just over an hour. It actually broke down half way through for us but it meant we got to ride twice! It is an amazing coaster and was easily our favourite so worth the wait!

6. HP - Diagon Alley/Hogsmeade/Hogwarts Express are all fantastic and so cleverly done. We also loved the Forbidden Journey. Ollivanders was okay - we didn't wait long and I'm glad we never. Maybe better with kids!

7. Shows - everything we saw was good especially Animal Actors, The Blues Brothers and Beat Builders.

7. Stay for the Hogwarts light show and the US cinematic experience at night. The are both fantastic and were a magical way to finish our Universal experience!

I hope this is of use to those of you planning your adventures! Enjoy!

I'd agree with most of what she said (which is rare!) but if you have any specific questions, I'm happy to try and answer them.

Great info, thanks!!

[IWasThere2016]

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The two Universal Parks are streets ahead of the Disney parks imo. Your kids will absolutely love it

The water parks in Orlando are great for kids aswell with Aquatica being the best I’ve been to in Orlando, although I’ve never been to Universals newish Volcano Bay.

Volcano Bay is the best locally IMHO.

We stayed at Universal's Cabana Bay last Oct. We were walking on/off rides at all Universal Parks. It is the time of year to go IMHO (I've been 7 or 8 times)

[Del Boy]

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Volcano Bay is the best locally IMHO.

We stayed at Universal's Cabana Bay last Oct. We were walking on/off rides at all Universal Parks. It is the time of year to go IMHO (I've been 7 or 8 times)

Was actually looking at Cabana Bay as a possible hotel to stay at? Prices seem reasonable, would you recommend?

[speedy_gonzales]

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Was actually looking at Cabana Bay as a possible hotel to stay at? Prices seem reasonable, would you recommend?

When are you going? If going during our traditional "holiday" times I'd suggest booking an onsite hotel, choose from Royal Pacific, Hard Rock or Portofino. They are not cheap but they come with unlimited front of line passes (some passes only allow one ride per attraction). Make sure you ship around, best price I got this year was from myamericaholiday.co.uk, Virgin Holidays & BA are quite good for hotel only too.
During busy times the pass is priceless. First time we went, we were unprepared for the length of the lines (queues), we spent 3hrs waiting for the Spiderman ride at Easter.
Nowadays, we always book one of the above hotels, even during busy times you can do all the rides, in both parks, over 2 days.
We're currently at Disney but staying at Hard Rock this coming Sunday and although I'm not a comic book fan, I have to say I love the place, truly something for everyone!

[IWasThere2016]

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Was actually looking at Cabana Bay as a possible hotel to stay at? Prices seem reasonable, would you recommend?

We loved it - so easy to get to the parks.

My 18 y/o and I stayed 4 days/3 nights - with tickets and dining - was c. £1k

[Hibby70]

If you go on either of the wet rides at IoA expect to get soaked , like right through, no exceptions it's not just bad luck it's a drenching.

Stay at Royal Pacific, we do Jurassic park, then go on both Bluto and Dudley one after the other for a few hours with your express pass. Don't bother drying off.

We always have a dedicated wet ride morning (think we rode them over 10 times) then back to the hotel pool. Before returning later on for the rest of the rides.

In regards to the other rides - Spiderman, Both Harry Potter rides, Men in Black, Simpsons, Hulk are the best.

ET is also brilliant and they better not get rid of it.

Kong, Fast and Furious and Jimmy Fallon are pretty disappointing seeing as they are the newest ( Hagrid not open when we were there)

[calumhibee1]

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If you go on either of the wet rides at IoA expect to get soaked , like right through, no exceptions it's not just bad luck it's a drenching.

Stay at Royal Pacific, we do Jurassic park, then go on both Bluto and Dudley one after the other for a few hours with your express pass. Don't bother drying off.

We always have a dedicated wet ride morning (think we rode them over 10 times) then back to the hotel pool. Before returning later on for the rest of the rides.

In regards to the other rides - Spiderman, Both Harry Potter rides, Men in Black, Simpsons, Hulk are the best.

ET is also brilliant and they better not get rid of it.

Kong, Fast and Furious and Jimmy Fallon are pretty disappointing seeing as they are the newest ( Hagrid not open when we were there)

I thought the Jimmy Fallon ride was great. Hulk and what used to be Dueling Dragons (can’t mind its new name) are far and away my favourite rides, with DD regularly having tiny queues for some reason.

[Hibby70]

Dueling dragons was great. Now Hagrid Big Beastie Barry Sheen Challenge or something.

[MountcastleHibs]

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Volcano nachos at Jimmy Buffet. They are massive.

Second this! Absolutely incredible and you won’t need anything for a main course.

We went in 2016. Stayed at the Avanti resort on International Drive. They had a shuttle bus to both the Disney parks and Universal. We got a 3 day pass for Universal and a 10 day pass for Disney, if my memory serves me correctly. I would recommend investing in a fast track pass for one of your days at Universal as it’ll save you a lot of time and gets you on almost all of the rides.

We didn’t do Wet n wild before it was replaced by Volcano Bay, but that looks awesome so I’d recommend that. We also spent a day at each of the outlets (North and South). You can get discount books at the reception desks which get you even more discounts. My wife ended up with a 70% discount in total at Michael Kors.

International Drive also has plenty of eateries with lots of different cuisine. We loved the Outback Steakhouse, but also ate in several other places including somewhere called Chilis which serves good food for really low prices. Would recommend for families!

[Pretty Boy]

We are currently looking at Florida as a longer term holiday project (bairn is 2 next month and we are thinking when she is 5 or 6).

For those who have been what would you recommend as a good number of days split between Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens etc? A few people I know who have been recently seen to be getting good deals booking the Disney hotels and taking the free meal plan then booking their flights separate rather than doing a set package through the likes of Virgin. Is there better ways to do it?

It seems that almost everyone has their own ideas on how best to do Florida and a lot of it seems to contradict others advice. I've been looking into all lately and my heads all over the place with it.

[speedy_gonzales]

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We are currently looking at Florida as a longer term holiday project (bairn is 2 next month and we are thinking when she is 5 or 6).

For those who have been what would you recommend as a good number of days split between Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens etc? A few people I know who have been recently seen to be getting good deals booking the Disney hotels and taking the free meal plan then booking their flights separate rather than doing a set package through the likes of Virgin. Is there better ways to do it?

It seems that almost everyone has their own ideas on how best to do Florida and a lot of it seems to contradict others advice. I've been looking into all lately and my heads all over the place with it.

Firstly, start spending less time on here and head over to thedibb.co.uk there's plenty good information to be had there.
I first went in 2013 and had to do a lot of research to make sure I could do everything I wanted to do. I still ended up doing too much so have came back 5 times since then.
There's so much to do, and there will always be something suitable for your kid, no matter the age.
1st time, we came for 2 weeks, did Disney, Universal & Busch along with an airboat ride.
2nd time, spent less at Disney, more at Universal with a couple of beach days (Atlantic coast)
3rd time, no Disney, some Universal and a week on the Gulf Coast (Clearwater is outstanding!).
Since then, we've had a few days down in Miami and a week in a villa (Gulf Coast).
This year, 8 days Disney (which is too much) 2 days I-Drive and 5 days Universal.

I always book my flights direct with BA/Virgin and accommodation through whoever is cheapest online.

I dunno if coming here is the best or worst thing I've done because it ain't cheap but we seem to thoroughly enjoy ourselves every time!!!!

[calumhibee1]

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I dunno if coming here is the best or worst thing I've done because it ain't cheap but we seem to thoroughly enjoy ourselves every time!!!!

Likewise. I probably now prefer NYC and Miami but I find myself thinking every time I go anywhere else “it was good, but it’s not as good as Florida”. I’ve been to Florida 23 times or so

[HappyAsHellas]

There are plenty of cheaper hotels etc on International drive and you can easily book your own accomodation and flights online. Eating out is incredibly cheap compared to here with buffet type places easily available for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Other better restaurants are there too, but you can do it on a bit of a budget if required. We booked our tickets for the different parks online which is a lot cheaper than buying them when there.

[calumhibee1]

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There are plenty of cheaper hotels etc on International drive and you can easily book your own accomodation and flights online. Eating out is incredibly cheap compared to here with buffet type places easily available for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Other better restaurants are there too, but you can do it on a bit of a budget if required. We booked our tickets for the different parks online which is a lot cheaper than buying them when there.

Don’t quote me on this but I’m sure we found that it was quite a bit cheaper buying passes in Wal Mart than at the parks. Or maybe it was just that it was more convenient.. I’m pretty sure they were cheaper though.

[speedy_gonzales]

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Heading there on Monday, expect a full review!

You weren't sporting a "Frank Graham" top were you?
Spotted one earlier this morning outside Hogsmeade!
I called out "Go Hibernators" in a faux American accent but was slung a deafy :-)

[Hibs Class]

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Heading there on Monday, expect a full review!

We were there yesterday too, and I spotted someone with the Hibs badge tattooed on their calf... was that you?

Re the park, Hulk was great, Hagrid superb and the water rides both give you a complete soaking.