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universal orlando tips

Milhouse

Milhouse

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all knowing pit,

i am forced to take my family to universal orlando, and am wondering if there are any tips/tricks to the place such as where to buy cheap(er) tickets, restaurants, etc. we will be there for one day plus another day to dick around in orlando.

no disney, already done that crap.

thanks!
 
Will your family be interested in the Harry Potter section?

If so, I'd recommend getting to the park when it opens and going directly to that section of Islands of Adventure. It will be the most crowded part of the park.
 
Make sure you stay at Universal. You get some front of the line passes or something like that.
 
This summer I had a conference at Orlando's Rosen Shingle Creek. Really nice hotel and great value. My wife and kids bought discounted tickets at the hotel, and hired a limo to take them to Universal Studios and pick them up. The limo was only $5 more than a taxi and well worth it. I can PM you the limo driver they liked if you're interested. The hotel is nice enough to take an R & R day from the park in the summer time (four swimming pools).

After the conference, we did Disney @Disney and laughed at difference in price and quality of rooms. Rosen + limo >>>> Disney Caribbean + bus.

And yeah, everybody lines up at the gate and rushes to Harry Potter in the morning.
 
Milhouse said:
all knowing pit,

i am forced to take my family to universal orlando, and am wondering if there are any tips/tricks to the place such as where to buy cheap(er) tickets, restaurants, etc. we will be there for one day plus another day to dick around in orlando.

no disney, already done that crap.

thanks!
Click to expand...

are you this much fun around your kids? :)
 
HailToTheDeacons said:
Will your family be interested in the Harry Potter section?

If so, I'd recommend getting to the park when it opens and going directly to that section of Islands of Adventure. It will be the most crowded part of the park.
Click to expand...

yes, my oldest is definitely going to be interested in this.


timthedeac said:
are you this much fun around your kids? :)
Click to expand...

you know it!
 
Good stuff. We're going in January, but we're doing Disney too because I love Disney.
 
PhDeac said:
Make sure you stay at Universal. You get some front of the line passes or something like that.
Click to expand...

Yepz, last time we went we stayed at a Universal hotel and the hotel/room cards basically act as a quick pass for most of the rides. You also get in during some special/limited hours for Harry Potter world, which is a bonus because it's a lot less crowded.
 
i will be constrained (probably not the right word since it's the ritz) to using hotel points so not staying on the property.

is both universal and island of adventure worth it and doable in one day?
 
(1) Islands of Adventure is like 10x better than Universal, although Universal has the new Simpsons stuff. It would be tough to fully do both parks in one day, but you might could do 1.5 parks if you hustle.
(2) Buying the line pass is worth every fucking penny, especially if you only have one day. Laugh at the ham-and-eggers as you skip by them.
(3) The line pass doesn't work at Harry Potter, so go there first.
(4) At some point, a character actor will approach you and invite you to come inside and see a magic show. Do not trust this man.
(5) Make the kids do the Dr. Seuss stuff, even if they think they are too old. It's really well done.
(6) Remember to bring phone cards and your mylifecard in case of an emergency.

Oh, and be sure to get a picture in front of the famous Universal globe:
1xqRpaC.gif
 
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Whoa tell me more about these magic shows?
 
I've heard that some people will stay at Universal for one night so they can get the line access for two days then do the rest of the trip.

Paying for the hotel one night may be cheaper than buying the pass for one day.
 
Milhouse said:
i will be constrained (probably not the right word since it's the ritz) to using hotel points so not staying on the property.

is both universal and island of adventure worth it and doable in one day?
Click to expand...

IOA is tough to even get in in one day especially if you have a Harry Potter nerd in your group. You could pretty much spend a whole day there geeking out. I haven't been to Universal Studios in a while, so I can't answer that part. It is significantly smaller.
 
I would say skip Universal, except for Hollywood Rip Ride Rock It and The Mummy are both pretty cool coasters (especially the former). Luckily they're both near the front of that park, so you could just swing in there and ride those and bounce.

The hotel is worth it just for the one hour early access to HP World, might the only way you could see the whole park in one day to be honest (and even then you'd be rushing).
 
+1 on the Mummy, it's one of my favorite coasters period. As for the rest of Universal, the Simpson's Ride is just a sim, but it's pretty awesome IMO, I also liked the Terminator theater show and the ET ride just for the memory.

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Depending on when you are actually going.... stepson went with a friend of his last friday and did both parks, every major ride in 5 hours. no lines at all...

between now and Christmas will be absolutely empty at universal... but if you are going over the hoidays...buy the fast pass or whatever they call it. basically double the admission price but worth it. ANy place telling you they are selling discount tickets is pretty much crap IMO
 
Wow - I'm sorry I didn't get in on these tags sooner.
 
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