Hello everyone!
Sometime in the near future, I would like to go back to Universal Studios but this time I would be planning and going by myself. This would be my first time planning such a big trip all by my lonesome and it seems a bit overwhelming. Does anyone have any tips for me? I also am open to favorite places to stay, eat or visit while in the Orlando area!
Universal Orlando Trip Planning tips
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MarvelWorksWonders
- New Hopper
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue Jan 26, 2021 7:20 pm
Re: Universal Orlando Trip Planning tips
Depending on how long you plan to stay, there are different pieces of advise I could offer. We love Disney AND Universal!!! Four years ago, we learned some very good lessons on how to book a wonderful vacation and get a lot of great deals in the process. If you've ever booked a full Disney World vacation, there are times where they offer amazing package deals on their website. For Universal, that is not always the case. We just recently priced out a full vacation for our family of 4 to Visit Universal Studios for 6 nights. We love staying there a few days extra, because it's easier to enjoy a more relaxing vacation. We also enjoy pool hopping around the Loews Resorts pools on Universal property.
Here are the cost differences for us. All are staying at the Royal Pacific resort for 2 adults and 2 teens. I know you'll go on your own, but I just wanted to offer the cost differences for you...
Without Season passes VACATION PACKAGE booked THROUGH Universal Studios Orlando site:
Our 6 night package included 4 days of park to park tickets (most amount of days available when you don't opt for season passes). total: $3551.04
Booking separately on Loews website AND buying just tickets through Universal Site (same dates, hotel and tickets):
Hotel: $1995
Tickets: $1160
Total of $3155
Booking WITH season passes (on Universal website), same hotel, same dates: (season passes are good for 15 months with their current promo that ends in March)
Hotel: $1159 (THANKS TO THE ANNUAL PASSHOLDER DISCOUNT!!!!)
Season passes: $1220
TOTAL PRICE: $2519
There is an obviosly large price difference between booking a vacation package and booking separately. It was a large one for our trip thanks to purchasing the season passes.
With the season passes, we saved OVER $100 PER NIGHT staying at Loews Royal Pacific. The savings is just as great (or MORE) at the other 2 Loews higher end hotels. We also LOVE Sapphire and get WONDERFUL deals there...currently it's not open and no opening dates are listed...AND Sapphire DOES NOT include the express passes. Only the top three (Royal Pacific, Hard Rock and Portofino) include that.
We LOVE to stay at one of the higher end hotels (Hard Rock, Portofino, or Royal Pacific) because we are a family of 4 and all of those hotels INCLUDE unlimited Express passes (little to no waiting in line!) People pay anywhere between $100-250 PER PERSON PER DAY for those passes when they buy them separately! We LOVE the express passes at Universal. If the 'standby time' on a ride is an hour, you go in the express pass line and it cuts your wait in half (or even a fourth at times!!!)! MOST times, we get in the express pass line when the regular line is a 45 minute wait and we've WALKED ON to the ride!). The new Hagrids coaster does not include express passes AT THIS TIME. It's either Virtual que OR standby, but when you stay on property, you also get into the park an hour earlier than general public and can get in line for that ride with little wait time.
Four days is absolutely a great amount of time to be at Universal, Islands of Adventure!!! In fact, we always add an extra day or two (or this time, we're staying 6 nights) because we LOVE to have the occasional relaxing trip and spend a day POOL HOPPING at all of the Loews pools. It's not only allowed, it's encouraged! All of the pools are super nice and they all have different "feels".
Our family is usually a Disney family, but we really do like to go to Universal too! It's a much more 'relaxing vacation'. Our Disney vacations are CONSTANTLY GO, GO, GO, GO!!! Which is GREAT and we love to get EVERYTHING in that we can!!! But, Universal is much more "laid back" for us.
-Staying on site, the transportation is SO AMAZING. It's a nice, laid back boat ride through tropical trees, beautiful sites and it's not rushed or 'frantic' AT ALL. Take the boat from Sapphire, Royal Pacific, Portofino or Hard Rock (H.R is so close, you don't really even need to get on the boat, it's RIGHT there!).
-Other Universal "value type" hotels have bus transportation. Also, fine- but they drop you off at the transport station and you'll have a bit more of a walk to get into Universal and IOA. They definitely aren't as "relaxing" and calm as the boat ride.
-Some people don't stay on site, because they get "sticker shock" when they do a vacation package on the Universal site. I've given you three different prices of our same exact trip to show you that there are ways to save $$$ just by running numbers on your own. Universal Studios "Vacation packages" aren't usually a good deal, unlike Disney that offers huge deals on their Vacation packages.
-Don't go to Harry Potter areas right when the park opens (unless you stay onsite and take advantage of their early opening!). EVERYONE seems to go right there when the park opens and it's usually PACKED right away in the mornings. We usually tend to do other areas of the park right away with no waits at all. Go to Harry Potter areas later in the morning/afternoon/evening. It's MUCH less crowded.
-Since you haven't been in a while, 4 days (or more) is a great amount of time. It allows you to take your time and 'experience everything' without being rushed. Definitely get a pass that AT LEAST has park to park. Especially if you're a Harry Potter fan. The train ride is so much fun and such a great experience. The ride is different each way. You'll want to take the train each way multiple times to 'take in the full experience' they've really gone above and beyond.
-A lot of the "favorite foods and treats/snacks" at Universal differ from person to person. Of course, there's the butterbeer. Some people LOVE the frozen butter beer, but our family things that it lacks the depth of butter beer flavor, we LOVE the cold. You'll want to get a "big pink donut" if you're a Simpsons fan. Even if you aren't, you'll still want one! Our family buys 1 and SHARES the entire thing. Pictures don't do it justice, it's GIGANTIC. And YUM. We REALLY like to go into bakeries while at Disney and Universal. Our favorite bakery stops at Universal are in Suess Landing and there are two that we love in the Harry Potter areas. If you like the butter beer, you should really try the butterbeer FUDGE. Get one piece for the two of you and share it. It's sweet, but it is SO GOOD. It's also a "good value"
-get a refillable cup. We all get really thirsty when we're in Florida and walking a lot. The refills are very cheap (or free depending on the cup you get).
-If you have an American Express card, book your tickets with it. That gives you access to the American Express members lounge. Last time we were there, we went in there a few times. There are chips, granola bars, waters and a super nice and clean bathroom. It's next to the meet and greet area for Shrek
-ALSO, if you stay ON SITE, you are guaranteed to have entry into the parks. Currently, they have a max amount of people per day that they allow into the parks and once that number is reached, they don't allow additional guests to enter. If you are staying on site, there' s a special entrance to get in and you will get in for sure. They have been known to reach max compacity over holiday breaks and some weekends. I would hate to arrive for a vacation there, stay off property and find out that I couldn't get into the parks.
All of the above costs I posted are obviously much higher than you'll spend. A single season pass ranges from $304 up to $500+ depending on the season pass you'd wish to purchase. There are also cheaper rooms on site available than where we stay, but (like I said) we love the Universal unlimited express passes and getting them included in the room rate is a large bonus for our family!
We're going to be there soon and hopefully I'll be able to share some updated information once we return. Compared to Disney, there's a lot less information about Universal!!!! It's almost frustrating, because it seems like so much of the info is even years old or outdated. When it comes to Disney, there's thousands and thousands of posts, videos and blogs about EVERYTHING.
Here are the cost differences for us. All are staying at the Royal Pacific resort for 2 adults and 2 teens. I know you'll go on your own, but I just wanted to offer the cost differences for you...
Without Season passes VACATION PACKAGE booked THROUGH Universal Studios Orlando site:
Our 6 night package included 4 days of park to park tickets (most amount of days available when you don't opt for season passes). total: $3551.04
Booking separately on Loews website AND buying just tickets through Universal Site (same dates, hotel and tickets):
Hotel: $1995
Tickets: $1160
Total of $3155
Booking WITH season passes (on Universal website), same hotel, same dates: (season passes are good for 15 months with their current promo that ends in March)
Hotel: $1159 (THANKS TO THE ANNUAL PASSHOLDER DISCOUNT!!!!)
Season passes: $1220
TOTAL PRICE: $2519
There is an obviosly large price difference between booking a vacation package and booking separately. It was a large one for our trip thanks to purchasing the season passes.
With the season passes, we saved OVER $100 PER NIGHT staying at Loews Royal Pacific. The savings is just as great (or MORE) at the other 2 Loews higher end hotels. We also LOVE Sapphire and get WONDERFUL deals there...currently it's not open and no opening dates are listed...AND Sapphire DOES NOT include the express passes. Only the top three (Royal Pacific, Hard Rock and Portofino) include that.
We LOVE to stay at one of the higher end hotels (Hard Rock, Portofino, or Royal Pacific) because we are a family of 4 and all of those hotels INCLUDE unlimited Express passes (little to no waiting in line!) People pay anywhere between $100-250 PER PERSON PER DAY for those passes when they buy them separately! We LOVE the express passes at Universal. If the 'standby time' on a ride is an hour, you go in the express pass line and it cuts your wait in half (or even a fourth at times!!!)! MOST times, we get in the express pass line when the regular line is a 45 minute wait and we've WALKED ON to the ride!). The new Hagrids coaster does not include express passes AT THIS TIME. It's either Virtual que OR standby, but when you stay on property, you also get into the park an hour earlier than general public and can get in line for that ride with little wait time.
Four days is absolutely a great amount of time to be at Universal, Islands of Adventure!!! In fact, we always add an extra day or two (or this time, we're staying 6 nights) because we LOVE to have the occasional relaxing trip and spend a day POOL HOPPING at all of the Loews pools. It's not only allowed, it's encouraged! All of the pools are super nice and they all have different "feels".
Our family is usually a Disney family, but we really do like to go to Universal too! It's a much more 'relaxing vacation'. Our Disney vacations are CONSTANTLY GO, GO, GO, GO!!! Which is GREAT and we love to get EVERYTHING in that we can!!! But, Universal is much more "laid back" for us.
-Staying on site, the transportation is SO AMAZING. It's a nice, laid back boat ride through tropical trees, beautiful sites and it's not rushed or 'frantic' AT ALL. Take the boat from Sapphire, Royal Pacific, Portofino or Hard Rock (H.R is so close, you don't really even need to get on the boat, it's RIGHT there!).
-Other Universal "value type" hotels have bus transportation. Also, fine- but they drop you off at the transport station and you'll have a bit more of a walk to get into Universal and IOA. They definitely aren't as "relaxing" and calm as the boat ride.
-Some people don't stay on site, because they get "sticker shock" when they do a vacation package on the Universal site. I've given you three different prices of our same exact trip to show you that there are ways to save $$$ just by running numbers on your own. Universal Studios "Vacation packages" aren't usually a good deal, unlike Disney that offers huge deals on their Vacation packages.
-Don't go to Harry Potter areas right when the park opens (unless you stay onsite and take advantage of their early opening!). EVERYONE seems to go right there when the park opens and it's usually PACKED right away in the mornings. We usually tend to do other areas of the park right away with no waits at all. Go to Harry Potter areas later in the morning/afternoon/evening. It's MUCH less crowded.
-Since you haven't been in a while, 4 days (or more) is a great amount of time. It allows you to take your time and 'experience everything' without being rushed. Definitely get a pass that AT LEAST has park to park. Especially if you're a Harry Potter fan. The train ride is so much fun and such a great experience. The ride is different each way. You'll want to take the train each way multiple times to 'take in the full experience' they've really gone above and beyond.
-A lot of the "favorite foods and treats/snacks" at Universal differ from person to person. Of course, there's the butterbeer. Some people LOVE the frozen butter beer, but our family things that it lacks the depth of butter beer flavor, we LOVE the cold. You'll want to get a "big pink donut" if you're a Simpsons fan. Even if you aren't, you'll still want one! Our family buys 1 and SHARES the entire thing. Pictures don't do it justice, it's GIGANTIC. And YUM. We REALLY like to go into bakeries while at Disney and Universal. Our favorite bakery stops at Universal are in Suess Landing and there are two that we love in the Harry Potter areas. If you like the butter beer, you should really try the butterbeer FUDGE. Get one piece for the two of you and share it. It's sweet, but it is SO GOOD. It's also a "good value"
-get a refillable cup. We all get really thirsty when we're in Florida and walking a lot. The refills are very cheap (or free depending on the cup you get).
-If you have an American Express card, book your tickets with it. That gives you access to the American Express members lounge. Last time we were there, we went in there a few times. There are chips, granola bars, waters and a super nice and clean bathroom. It's next to the meet and greet area for Shrek
-ALSO, if you stay ON SITE, you are guaranteed to have entry into the parks. Currently, they have a max amount of people per day that they allow into the parks and once that number is reached, they don't allow additional guests to enter. If you are staying on site, there' s a special entrance to get in and you will get in for sure. They have been known to reach max compacity over holiday breaks and some weekends. I would hate to arrive for a vacation there, stay off property and find out that I couldn't get into the parks.
All of the above costs I posted are obviously much higher than you'll spend. A single season pass ranges from $304 up to $500+ depending on the season pass you'd wish to purchase. There are also cheaper rooms on site available than where we stay, but (like I said) we love the Universal unlimited express passes and getting them included in the room rate is a large bonus for our family!
We're going to be there soon and hopefully I'll be able to share some updated information once we return. Compared to Disney, there's a lot less information about Universal!!!! It's almost frustrating, because it seems like so much of the info is even years old or outdated. When it comes to Disney, there's thousands and thousands of posts, videos and blogs about EVERYTHING.
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DLandChris
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Re: Universal Orlando Trip Planning tips
I agree with most of the tips above and would reiterate staying on site and at one of the higher end hotels for Universal Express. I've Cabana Bay, which is a really great hotel, but the first time I ever went I got the Express pass added on (I was staying off-property) and it was worth it for my first trip. If you just do day tickets add-on the park hopping because of Hogwarts Express. The parks are also really close together that it's easy to jump back and forth.
The food in the parks is actually pretty good. Food at the hotels is as well. Toothsome's is worth checking out for food and is in City Walk. I really like the food and drinks at both Wizarding World locations.
I think all you need is two full days at the parks, maybe three if you want to do Volcano Bay. I'm not a big water park person but liked Volcano Bay. So, if you're doing a whole Orlando trip, I'd just stick to a couple days at Universal and more days at Disney. With an Express pass you'll get through most things.
The food in the parks is actually pretty good. Food at the hotels is as well. Toothsome's is worth checking out for food and is in City Walk. I really like the food and drinks at both Wizarding World locations.
I think all you need is two full days at the parks, maybe three if you want to do Volcano Bay. I'm not a big water park person but liked Volcano Bay. So, if you're doing a whole Orlando trip, I'd just stick to a couple days at Universal and more days at Disney. With an Express pass you'll get through most things.
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