Last May we took a trip to Disney World and Sanibel Island. We weren't expecting to take a trip again so soon but we couldn't pass up the opportunity. I learned a few things on this trip so I thought I would share my sage advice.
We stayed at the Doubletree Hilton right across from Universal. It was a great location and the walking distance to Universal was very doable. Although it was about a mile each way the walk was enjoyable (lots of pretty flowers and along a little man made river). We could have purchased a ticket ($15 per person round trip) to ride the bus over to Universal but the cost versus walking was not worth it to us.
Universal Studios and Island of Adventure are two separate parks that make up what is typically called "Universal Studios". Again, the distance between the parks is walkable but you have to buy a specific ticket to be able to get into both parks on the same day. You can also buy single park passes. Here is our view from our hotel. You can see Hogsmeade (Islands of Adventure) on the left and the Rock It Ride (Universal Studios) on the right.
"Do" at Universal:
Do only plan on 2 days for both parks (do one park each day or buy the 2 park pass so you can hop back and forth but you won't need more than 2 days to see everything). The only way you can get back and forth is to walk, so plan accordingly. Wish we could have taken one of these but this one was bolted into the ground.
Do buy 1 day of the Express Pass. This will increase the cost of your ticket by nearly half but you will be able to ride all of the major rides in one day (again, with the 2 park pass you can get express pass for both parks). Be aware that this pass only lets you use the Express Pass once per ride. We didn't realize that and went to get back in line at a ride and were told it was only good for 1 turn per ride. Again, lesson learned.
Do purchase the $11 refillable drink cup. It's only good for 1 day but you can add another day for $9. If your family can share this cup, you will get more than you money's worth out of it. (On the other hand, that might be why Cam has strep and I am getting checked later today). A bottle of water at the park costs $2.75 and soda is even more. The water from the water fountain is warm and tastes like dirt.
Do have Butterbeer. 'Nough said.
Do go to Harry Potter as early as possible in the morning. The ride lines get very long in the afternoon (90 minutes or more) and you can not use the express pass for the Harry Potter simulation ride (among others). It was worth the 45 minute wait for us to ride that once, but I wouldn't stand in line for it again. It was scary and short. Even though Cam was tall enough for the ride, had I known what it was I probably would not have let him ride it...too scary.
Do go over spring break. The lines were short (for every ride except Harry Potter) even without the Express Pass. Our favorite ride, the Rock It was never more than a 20 minute wait an sometimes only 5 minutes. It didn't take the Express Pass but the line was short enough anyway.
Don't at Universal:
Don't buy the Meal Plan unless you are going to eat three meals at the park (drinks are not included in this..again, buy the drink cup to get your money's worth). The meal plan does not start until 11am so don't plan on eating an early breakfast on the meal plan. We bought it the first day not realizing you were limited on the menu for kids. They are only allowed a few choices from the kids menu. Also, the lines at the meal plan restaurants were long. Although your meals on this plan are "unlimited" we only ate two meals per person. We were too tired to stay at the park much past dinner time to get a "late dinner" snack. We broke even with our money but did not purchase the meal plan the next day.
Don't split up buying your souvenirs at different shops. Plan your shopping strategically. Some of the stores offer a deal that is you buy $50 worth of merchandise, you get a free $10 gift card. We didn't realize this as we were buying one souvenir at a time. Although our receipts totaled more than $50, you could not combine receipts. The amount had to be spent in one transaction. Lesson learned.
Don't go to Universal/Islands of Adventure if you are looking for a super kid friendly theme park. Unless your kids are really into Dr. Seuss there are not many rides there for little kids. Even the shows can be scary for kids with all of the 4-D effects and scary content. It was okay for my kids but I would say toddler to age 5...head to Disney World instead. As it was, Cam couldn't ride 4 of the main attractions because he was too short. Several of the rides we did go on were probably not appropriate (Simpsons, Harry Potter and a few others come to mind). Universal/Island of Adventure are definitely geared towards and older crowd. It was not as clean, not as friendly and certainly not as magical as Disney World.
All in all we had a good time at Universal. The trip was worth the effort and planning but I don't know that we will go back to Universal again. It's a big "movie" theme park and we are just not that in to movies. If we do a theme park again, it will be Disney World. Universal was fun to see but just not something I need to do again. Next up, the beach review!
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