First trip and overwhelmed

[uandmfan]

Hi all

We are looking at tagging a few days of US onto our next Disney trip. Likely 2-3 days. Probably staying at Portfonio Bay for the free express pass.

I'm used to planning dinsey. I have no idea how to do US.

The kids are huge Potter fans. It seems like we need park to park passes to make the most of it? We would also like to see the Jurrasic Park stuff and probably Minions and Dr Seuss.

How should I go about planning??

TIA

 

[disney-inspired]

Hi! I find the planning to be a bit less stressful than Disney.

Yes, you will want park-to-park tickets so you can experience the Hogwarts Express from USO to IOA. If you want to save a few $, Royal Pacific might be cheaper depending on your dates.

Having the express plans makes things a lot simpler as you don't have to schedule a time like with the Genie+. You just go through the line.

Not knowing when you're going (so can't estimate crowds), I would suggest focusing on all the Harry Potter stuff on one day since WWOHP is open for early entry. Using the wands throughout each area is really fun. Don't forget to try the frozen butter beer (my favorite!)

2-3 days should be plenty to see all that you have listed. Just a note - Hagrid's isn't included in the express pass, so if they really want to ride it I would head there first. I'm not sure if it's included in the early entry attractions.

 

[uandmfan]

That's really helpful. Thanks!! We are planning to go in late January.

Early entry will be a priority and we will head to Hagrid's!! I really don't know much about US. So I should probably start looking at the maps. We never get hopper but it seems like park to park here would be worth it!

 

[Skippyboo]

The 2 parks are right next to each other. It’s easier to treat as one big park. Not a lot of planning involved.

 

[wdwrule]

That's really helpful. Thanks!! We are planning to go in late January.

Early entry will be a priority and we will head to Hagrid's!! I really don't know much about US. So I should probably start looking at the maps. We never get hopper but it seems like park to park here would be worth it!

I agree with PP… planning is less stressful than Disney. I think that’s a great idea to look at park maps to get the lay of the land. I would also download the Universal app which has lots of good info including mobile order menus etc. We do find mobile order is a huge time saver.

Late January is a wonderful time to visit and typically low crowds.

PBH is a gorgeous hotel and we also stayed there during our first trip. You can take the boat (or bus) or, as we always did, stroll the beautiful walkway to the parks which took about 15 minutes.

The footprint of the parks at Universal is very small. It’s an easy walk from park to park (or take the awesome Hogwarts Express from park to park with park-to-park tickets… or annual pass). Citywalk is basically like a miniature Disney Springs with restaurants and shops. You’ll go through Citywalk to get to the parks. But again, everything is a small footprint. Most restaurants are easy to get reservations days in advance, or even day of during less busy times. The restaurants that book a bit quicker than others are Cowfish, Toothsome, and Mythos (Mythos is in the park, Islands of Adventure). If you choose to go to one of these, you might want to book it at least a few weeks out. There’s no penalty by the way to cancel dining reservations.

Hagrids often ‘breaks down’ in the morning and we therefore never rope drop this ride. Unless you are in the front of the pack and already waiting at the gate 45 minutes before park opening you don’t have a great chance of a minimal wait. Not saying you shouldn’t do this… many do… but we’ve had better luck with lower waits for this ride in the early afternoon. You can gauge the wait times in the app; maybe start checking out those wait times a few weeks prior to your trip so you’ll know what to approximately expect. Of course weekends will be busier than weekdays. But again, if you’re going in late January, you should be fine.

If there’s any thrill seekers in the family, Velocicoaster is a must do. Oh my, this is an absolute amazing coaster and so incredibly smooth!

We find it’s easy to use a lanyard with a plastic sleeve to hold the room key which also acts as your Express pass and to also house your park ticket card. It makes it easily accessible to scan for EP. Waist packs aka Fanny packs are also convenient as all rides, except for 3 rides, allow three-prong Fanny packs on the rides. The 3 rides that do not allow any bags or phones, etc, are: Hulk, Velocicoaster, and Rip Ride Rockit because you’ll go through metal detectors. The free lockers are easy to use though… just scan your ticket or room key (anything with a barcode) to open/close your locker.

Many coke freestyle machines are scattered throughout the parks. Lots of people purchase the freestyle mugs and then pay to activate them each day of use (it’s not a pay per length of stay like Disney). We just use collapsible cups/bottles to get the free water from them. The water is sooooo good and filtered unlike Disney courtesy cups of water.

Again, I would look at park maps and menus just to get an idea of a very general game plan, but Universal is very low-key and easy to just go with the flow. Enjoy!!

 

[uandmfan]

I agree with PP… planning is less stressful than Disney. I think that’s a great idea to look at park maps to get the lay of the land. I would also download the Universal app which has lots of good info including mobile order menus etc. We do find mobile order is a huge time saver.

Late January is a wonderful time to visit and typically low crowds.

PBH is a gorgeous hotel and we also stayed there during our first trip. You can take the boat (or bus) or, as we always did, stroll the beautiful walkway to the parks which took about 15 minutes.

The footprint of the parks at Universal is very small. It’s an easy walk from park to park (or take the awesome Hogwarts Express from park to park with park-to-park tickets… or annual pass). Citywalk is basically like a miniature Disney Springs with restaurants and shops. You’ll go through Citywalk to get to the parks. But again, everything is a small footprint. Most restaurants are easy to get reservations days in advance, or even day of during less busy times. The restaurants that book a bit quicker than others are Cowfish, Toothsome, and Mythos (Mythos is in the park, Islands of Adventure). If you choose to go to one of these, you might want to book it at least a few weeks out. There’s no penalty by the way to cancel dining reservations.

Hagrids often ‘breaks down’ in the morning and we therefore never rope drop this ride. Unless you are in the front of the pack and already waiting at the gate 45 minutes before park opening you don’t have a great chance of a minimal wait. Not saying you shouldn’t do this… many do… but we’ve had better luck with lower waits for this ride in the early afternoon. You can gauge the wait times in the app; maybe start checking out those wait times a few weeks prior to your trip so you’ll know what to approximately expect. Of course weekends will be busier than weekdays. But again, if you’re going in late January, you should be fine.

If there’s any thrill seekers in the family, Velocicoaster is a must do. Oh my, this is an absolute amazing coaster and so incredibly smooth!

We find it’s easy to use a lanyard with a plastic sleeve to hold the room key which also acts as your Express pass and to also house your park ticket card. It makes it easily accessible to scan for EP. Waist packs aka Fanny packs are also convenient as all rides, except for 3 rides, allow three-prong Fanny packs on the rides. The 3 rides that do not allow any bags or phones, etc, are: Hulk, Velocicoaster, and Rip Ride Rockit because you’ll go through metal detectors. The free lockers are easy to use though… just scan your ticket or room key (anything with a barcode) to open/close your locker.

Many coke freestyle machines are scattered throughout the parks. Lots of people purchase the freestyle mugs and then pay to activate them each day of use (it’s not a pay per length of stay like Disney). We just use collapsible cups/bottles to get the free water from them. The water is sooooo good and filtered unlike Disney courtesy cups of water.

Again, I would look at park maps and menus just to get an idea of a very general game plan, but Universal is very low-key and easy to just go with the flow. Enjoy!!

Thank you so much for all of this! It's so much great information!

 

[UOAP-Naples]

Universal is like if Epcot and Hollywood Studios were next door to each other with 8 of the Disney hotels and 1/3 of Disney Springs all together in one spot. Definitely get the park-to-park tickets. You can plan like it’s one big park.

The transportation is easier than Disney. Once you go through security for City Walk, you don’t have to do it again for the parks.

Express pass makes everything pretty effortless. Get an idea of the rides and layout of everything before you go. Maybe make a few meal reservations ahead of time if you like one planned meal per day to get off your feet. Other than that, you don’t really have to plan Universal. You’ll figure things out the first day and by day 3 you’ll be a pro. 3 days with express pass should let you do everything you want plus lots of re-rides.

 

[uandmfan]

Thanks everyone. This has been super helpful.

We were thinking of staying at Portfonio Bay club level for the food (breakfast and dinner) but the reviews are pretty meh. Has anyone been there recently? We usually stay at timeshares so aren't used to eating 3 meals a day in the parks!

 

[greeneyedchick]

I suggest getting into the Hagrid's line shortly before park closing (The only risk is if it breaks down earlier in the evening, they may not open it back up). The lines before close are usually shorter than the early entry lines. Also, Hagrid's at night is tons of fun. I have never tried the club level at Portofino but have read other reviews on here saying that it was cheaper than always eating in the parks. We usually brought our own breakfast food to eat in the hotel room and caught a meal at City Walk for dinner. Then we ate one meal in the park, along with snacks that we packed.

 

[wilckepedia]

As a long-time Disney fan that got converted to Universal by HP, I think a lot of the bases have been covered here. Universal can definitely be a little less upfront planning, but a few additional notes...

- As others mentioned, lanyards and lockers are a THING at Universal. Lots of rides require storing your stuff in lockers, a lanyard to keep your ticket front and center is really helpful. Fanny pack/belt bag/bum bag or whatever you call it can minimize the rides you have to use the lockers for, but not eliminate them (see earlier poster on the metal detector rides). Mini backpacks or loungeflys are still totally workable in the free locker, much bigger than that and you have to squish or pay for a locker.
- If you're coming from off-site or take the buses, yes you will walk through City Walk to get to the parks. If you're coming from PBH or Royal Pacific as someone else suggested, the water taxis drop off on the park side of City Walk. It's also not a bad walk from those hotels. Think Poly to MK or the Crescent Lake hotels to HS or Epcot.
- Consider getting at least one person in your party an annual pass.. stick with me. Without specifically knowing your dates, a 2 day park hopper in January is going to run you about $270-$280. The price difference to the seasonal pass ($425) is about $155. However, any of the annual passes get you access to annual passholder discounts on hotels. APH discounts get released anywhere from 3-6 months out from your dates, they just came out for my upcoming November trip this weekend. The passholder discount on my November dates for PBH is $230/night. So after the first night, the pass has paid for itself. Unlike Disney, you can check the APH rates & book without being a passholder yet, you just have to activate your pass before checking out: APH Hotel Rates
- Early Entry: Changes monthly... sometimes it's Islands, sometimes Studios. You'll need to check back closer to your dates to know which one will be offered.
- Restaurants/Club level: Since you mentioned not being used to eating all the meals in park, you can definitely leverage the resorts and CityWalk to expand your dining options. There's some resort specific threads in this forum that will likely have more details on the club level offerings. Another plug for the passholder option, with the discount a club level room during my dates is still saving $175/night off the standard room rack rate.

 

[uandmfan]

As a long-time Disney fan that got converted to Universal by HP, I think a lot of the bases have been covered here. Universal can definitely be a little less upfront planning, but a few additional notes...

- As others mentioned, lanyards and lockers are a THING at Universal. Lots of rides require storing your stuff in lockers, a lanyard to keep your ticket front and center is really helpful. Fanny pack/belt bag/bum bag or whatever you call it can minimize the rides you have to use the lockers for, but not eliminate them (see earlier poster on the metal detector rides). Mini backpacks or loungeflys are still totally workable in the free locker, much bigger than that and you have to squish or pay for a locker.
- If you're coming from off-site or take the buses, yes you will walk through City Walk to get to the parks. If you're coming from PBH or Royal Pacific as someone else suggested, the water taxis drop off on the park side of City Walk. It's also not a bad walk from those hotels. Think Poly to MK or the Crescent Lake hotels to HS or Epcot.
- Consider getting at least one person in your party an annual pass.. stick with me. Without specifically knowing your dates, a 2 day park hopper in January is going to run you about $270-$280. The price difference to the seasonal pass ($425) is about $155. However, any of the annual passes get you access to annual passholder discounts on hotels. APH discounts get released anywhere from 3-6 months out from your dates, they just came out for my upcoming November trip this weekend. The passholder discount on my November dates for PBH is $230/night. So after the first night, the pass has paid for itself. Unlike Disney, you can check the APH rates & book without being a passholder yet, you just have to activate your pass before checking out: APH Hotel Rates
- Early Entry: Changes monthly... sometimes it's Islands, sometimes Studios. You'll need to check back closer to your dates to know which one will be offered.
- Restaurants/Club level: Since you mentioned not being used to eating all the meals in park, you can definitely leverage the resorts and CityWalk to expand your dining options. There's some resort specific threads in this forum that will likely have more details on the club level offerings. Another plug for the passholder option, with the discount a club level room during my dates is still saving $175/night off the standard room rack rate.

Thank you!! I never would have considered an AP. I'll go check out all this info. We aren't 100% set on dates yet so it's still a bit up in the air. But it never would have crossed my mind to get an AP for one of us! Thanks for that idea. And the rest of the info!

 

[wilckepedia]

Thank you!! I never would have considered an AP. I'll go check out all this info. We aren't 100% set on dates yet so it's still a bit up in the air. But it never would have crossed my mind to get an AP for one of us! Thanks for that idea. And the rest of the info!

Once you figure out your dates, check against the blockout calendars and you can likely price things out. But it's a fairly safe bet that if you're staying for more than one night, the discount will probably pay for itself. There's more math too depending on how much you spend on food/merch that the higher level passes give discounts. As a mostly solo traveler, this year's round of perks doesn't break even for me to get more out of the discounts. Universal also just released 3 extra months free on your annual pass (tentatively available on AP purchases through September according to @CAPSLOCK recent post in another thread). Your dates don't "start" until you activate. So purchase this summer, book your hotel at a discount, then activate in January. You'd then be able to use the same annual pass through March 2025 theoretically if you plan another trip.

 

[wdwrule]

Thanks everyone. This has been super helpful.

We were thinking of staying at Portfonio Bay club level for the food (breakfast and dinner) but the reviews are pretty meh. Has anyone been there recently? We usually stay at timeshares so aren't used to eating 3 meals a day in the parks!

We’ve stayed at PBH club level and really enjoyed it. This was 2 years ago so not quite recent. There’s definitely plenty of food to make a meal and from the reviews I’ve read PBH seems to have the most variety, including hot items for breakfast. We really enjoyed breakfast every morning there and we usually stopped back for dinner. We had a table service lunch most days either at the parks or Citywalk so we weren’t in the lounge midday. Note that it’s more time consuming though to leave the parks and then go back in. We also enjoyed the included beer and wine as well. We would stroll back to the parks with one but you can’t take alcohol through security… so finish it first. The room was huge too… deluxe room when staying club level instead of standard.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I also stayed PBH club level one night 2yrs ago (Nov 2021). Breakfast was mostly good and definitely filling, a few warm items and also some "continental" items. Dinner was fine for your whole meal, rolls & main dish & side dish all of reasonable quality. If you're eating lunch out anyways (we did), then it's just a fairly quick and easygoing dinner. We did dinner then went back to the parks to see the Hogwarts light show. They crack open the beers there so you can't stockpile them, but we brought an open bottle back to the room & set a soda can on top for a "cap," then it was still fresh for a few hours later when we made our way back from the parks (and got a plateful of desserts on the way back). We intentionally maximized it because premier and especially club level was a splurge. We got breakfast on check in, dinner, desserts, and breakfast on check out day - we only skipped the "afternoon snacks" which I understood were prepackaged baggies of chips & such. We each brought back 2-3 beverages on each of our trips to the lounge, so we probably had 10+ sodas/waters for the rest of our trip.

 

[Kit Jackson]

There is so much less advance planning required. If you want to eat at Mythos, Toothsome, or Cowfish, make a reservation a month in advance.

You will have ExpressPass, so think about getting a lanyard. Have your ticket facing on one side, and the ExpressPass/Hotel Key facing the other side. Buy the plastic key holder in advance (they will be significantly more expensive in the park), but if you want a themed lanyard, you can buy it in the park. They sell them everywhere.

Some Disney people get freaked out over the lockers, but it's not that big a deal. Unless you are carrying a giant bag that is completely stuffed, you will probably be fine. I use the same pocketbooks in the parks that I use in my everyday life and I have never had a problem fitting them into the lockers.

This book was incredibly helpful when I planned my trip.

https://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-G...iversal+orlando+guide+book+2024,aps,95&sr=8-3

 

[mickeyluv'r]

If you can go bagless at Universal it is easier than using the lockers. You can also reduce locker use if you are willing to use a fannypack. (Or fannypack that converts to a sling!) Locker are fine, but using them takes a little time. You can usually get water at the Freestyle machines.

For wands, we find it easiest to do wands (just) after PM appetizers, rather than carrying them around all day. Try to go through Olivanders to get one. They are a bit $$, but Universal will fix them if they ever stop working. I also think they are more magical at night.

Despite the storyline, you can get one wand and share it, unless the kids are likely to fight over one wand.

If you get EP there isn't much to plan at all. We pretty much just wander as we please. Sometimes makes sense to go to HP for the headliner during EE, then go elsewhere when the rest of park opens, and later return to HP, but that isn't critical if you have EP.

The new Minions area will probably be popular, so heading there early would be smart.

Many/most Universal eateries are great, but a few are duds. We usually stay out of Simpson's dining area. Choco emporium chocolate shop confections are great. (right side)
We don't worry much about making dining reservations at Universal. Maybe make reservations if you want to eat at a popular time in a popular location, but US dining is laid back compared to WDW.

 

[uandmfan]

If you can go bagless at Universal it is easier than using the lockers. You can also reduce locker use if you are willing to use a fannypack. (Or fannypack that converts to a sling!) Locker are fine, but using them takes a little time. You can usually get water at the Freestyle machines.

For wands, we find it easiest to do wands (just) after PM appetizers, rather than carrying them around all day. Try to go through Olivanders to get one. They are a bit $$, but Universal will fix them if they ever stop working. I also think they are more magical at night.

Despite the storyline, you can get one wand and share it, unless the kids are likely to fight over one wand.

If you get EP there isn't much to plan at all. We pretty much just wander as we please. Sometimes makes sense to go to HP for the headliner during EE, then go elsewhere when the rest of park opens, and later return to HP, but that isn't critical if you have EP.

The new Minions area will probably be popular, so heading there early would be smart.

Many/most Universal eateries are great, but a few are duds. We usually stay out of Simpson's dining area. Choco emporium chocolate shop confections are great. (right side)
We don't worry much about making dining reservations at Universal. Maybe make reservations if you want to eat at a popular time in a popular location, but US dining is laid back compared to WDW.

What do the wands do? I'm so lost

 

[UOAP-Naples]

What do the wands do? I'm so lost

Magic







There are spots around Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, and Hogsmeade where the wands do magic spells in the store windows. There is a show at Olivander’s where you can see a wand choose a wizard. They have wands for sale of most of the major characters.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

What do the wands do? I'm so lost

If you have seen the movies, Universal has done a pretty good job of recreating the look and wand-casting ability of the wands in the movies.

If you go to Olivander's they do a fun job of recreating the Olivander's that is in the movie. In each group, one (or two) people get chosen for a wand. Again, it is like the scene in the movie where, "the wand chooses the wizard." If you are chosen, then they'll tell you which wand fits you. Wands are all the same price. You can also just buy whatever wand you want after the show is over, or you can try again. A FEW carts sell wands that do NOT interact, if you want an interactive wand, buy it at one of the Olivander's shops. They are $63, though the shops also sell a few collector's wands that can be more in the $100 range.

Throughout both lands are interactive spell stations. the wands come with a map which shows you where the stations are, or at least most of them. (There are a couple of wand stations that are not on the map. ) I suspect when the new park opens, it will have more wand spell stations.

If you do each spell correctly, the spell happens. If not, you can - more or less - keep trying. Staff is on hand at some stations to help, other spellcasters are usually also happy to help. Simply watching others is another way to learn. Everyone struggles a bit at first, but most figure it out with a bit of practice. Though every so often a spell doesn't work at all.

Eventually, you might need your wand serviced, which Universal does for free to keep them working. Unlike another poster, ours have never otherwise broken, and we've had ours for 9 and 7 years. We tend tour wand-free most of the time, then designate a day or evening as wand-time.

OH- one last thing to know about IoA is that the 3 wet rides are REALLY wet: Bilge Rat Barges, Ripsaw, and JP River Adventure. It is obvious when you see them, and Universal has lockers, but if we stay onsite we cluster those as well. Unlike ALL the other lockers, the wet ride ones cost $, or did the last time I used them. We tend to pair the wet rides with swimming at our hotel. Universal allows people to wear a swimsuit+shirt+shorts in the parks. Other times, we just skip them. IMO, they are not Universal's most impressive rides.

 

[Skippyboo]

You can also get the interactive wands at the big Universal gift shops at the front of each park and the one at Citywalk.