Anybody been to Universal in Orlando?

McCracken

McCracken

Logan Can't See This
Joined
Jul 9, 2005
Location
With your mom at a nice seafood dinner
In a unbelievable turn of events, I have convinced my wife to not go to Disney World. Universal has some really good deals right now to the tune of half of what Disney is charging. Plus, you get better amenities. Having never been I was wondering if anyone has and could offer up some tips. I've checked the website and honestly I find it lacking on the details.
 
No tips here bc my wife planned it all for us, but imo, Universal beat the heck out of Disney.
 
My wife is skeptical but I'll be interested to see. We've only ever been to Disney. We plan on hitting the water park too. I don't think we've ever been to Typhoon Lagoon because it's being rebuilt every time we go.
 
And if you plan on going soon, you still won't get to Typhoon Lagoon. Only Blizzard Beach is open and that was just a few days ago.
 
We are headed to Orlando spring break. Headed to Sea World and have plans to hit up Universal at least one of those days. Did the Disney thing but this time there doing other things besides Disney. I’m also curious about feedback about Universal. :)
 
We're heading down in May so no feedback here. Back when we first started going to Disney the Mrs would do lots of research. Now we've got it down pat. If we were to go today we'd be going in blind. The biggest thing, as with most people, is making sure we have good use of our time. One thing we did get was the Express Pass unlimited. That should insure we get to hit most the rides we want.
 
McCracken said:
We're heading down in May so no feedback here. Back when we first started going to Disney the Mrs would do lots of research. Now we've got it down pat. If we were to go today we'd be going in blind. The biggest thing, as with most people, is making sure we have good use of our time. One thing we did get was the Express Pass unlimited. That should insure we get to hit most the rides we want.
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When we went to Disney in 2019, we got a lot of help with planning from the touring plans site. They have a Universal page, also.

Universal Studios Florida | Universal Orlando | Touring Plans | Crowd Calendar | Wait Times | Park Hours | Attractions | Dining

When visiting Universal Studios Florida at Universal Orlando Resort, we provide info on Universal Express, a Wait Time App, Touring Plans, Ride Reviews, and Restaurant Reviews.
touringplans.com touringplans.com
 
Last time we went in '13 or '14 we just did Islands of Adventure as it seemed like it had more rides than Universal, whereas Universal had more shows. Reminded me of how Magic Kingdom has a lot of rides compared to Epcot having more shows/tours. We are planning to go back this fall and hit all the Disney and Universal parks so looking forward to hear how things has changed.

Duane
 
I haven't been to Universal in years and it's been close to 10 years since I worked at Disney so things have changed a lot.

Universal was always a 1 day park, even with the Harry Potter additions, it's still a 1 a day park. Lots of rides but few shows. Universal claims that Volcano bay is a 3rd theme park, in reality, it's a well themed water park. So you can spend 3 days at Universal if you do the water park. Express Pass is definitely a worthwhile expense if rides are a priority, Staying at Portifino Bay or Hard Rock gets you unlimited Express Pass.

Aquatica is reported to be a great water park. Discovery Cove is great if you like to interact with the animals close up and the right Discovery Cove ticket includes days at Sea World and Aquatica for a very small upgrade fee.
 
Especially if your kids are into wild animals, plan on a half day at Gatorland!
 
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