So we leave in a week for an 8 day stay and I'm stressed!

[rotlex]

Ok, I'm actually "happy stressed". We are arrive at Univeral\Portofino Bay for an 8 day\7 night stay next Saturday! We are hard core Disney folk but this is our first Universal vacation. We have a 5 day 3 park "hopper" included with our resort stay. We have been reading a LOT about the parks, food and hotels the past few weeks in preparation, and while I feel good about the trip, I'm also stressed we are going to have enough time. We usually do two weeks at Disney, I realize there is more there, but tend to do a relaxed pace with a lot of resort time.

As I THINK our 5 day ticket is enough for the parks, the other side of me is freaking out over the possible wait times for things like Velocicoaster and Hagrid's. Then the other side says wait, we have express pass for everyone else, lol. In all reality though, over an 8 day span, 5 full days for the parks, and one resort day, do any Universal regulars feel we will be able to do it all and then some? This of course includes Volcano Bay which we have also never been too. (would like to do more than one "waterpark" day).

Overall we are very excited, but man, as crazy as it sounds, knowing Disney inside out forward and back for 20+ years makes it very scary going somewhere totally new no matter how much research you do!

Thanks for input, comments or smacks!

 

[lisam70]

You have waaaaaaay more than enough time to do everything multiple times plus VB twice and plenty of time to relax at the pool.
PB is gorgeous plus lots of fun pool activities
Velocicoaster is not a problem to ride
Hagrid's can be a challenge. If you don't make rope drop just keep an eye on wait times throughout the day if it drops to 60 min and you're close by jump in line. Can also get in line at park close with a (sometimes) shorter wait.
No worries, relax and have a blast !!

 

[AJA]

Two weeks for 4 parks is the same as One week for 2 (not counting waterparks).

With Express You have way more than enough time to do everything you want at several times.

Think of it as Magic Kingdom and Studios being right beside each other and you have anytime lightening lane access for almost every ride.

 

[schumigirl]

You`ll be fine!!!

It`s a decent amount of time to do the parks without running around and missing half of it.

Also try Hagrids later at night before park closing, it can quieten down some then.

You have Express Pass......winner already! You don`t need much more in planning with that....and most of all enjoy it and have the best time!!!

 

[wdwrule]

I agree with all of the above responses. We had always vacationed at WDW until we finally had our first trip to Universal last August with our family of four. We also chose Portofino that trip and it was fabulous!! Ah that lobby smell

You’ll have plenty of time with 5 park days and especially with Express included during peak season. Universal has a much smaller footprint than Disney which, for us, is a very positive thing. Everything is walkable which is a time saver on its own. It’s so convenient to either take Hogwarts Express or to walk from park to park. Enjoy! You’ll have a blast!

 

[rotlex]

Thank you all for these responses! It's making me feel better, lol. Really though, were are super excited to be going somewhere new. The last year we didn't go to WDW was during 2020\Covid. We wound up going to Dollywood and Gatlinburg area. Had a blast. Hoping we feel the same after this trip!!!!

 

[lisam70]

Thank you all for these responses! It's making me feel better, lol. Really tough, were are super excited to be going somewhere new. The last year we didn't go to WDW was during 2020\Covid. We wound up going to Dollywood and Gatlinburg area. Had a blast. Hoping we feel the same after this trip!!!!

I guarantee you will !!

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

With Express Pass, you're golden. The two parks can be visited back and forth several times a day, either with the train or if the wait for the train is too long, by walking. Plenty of spots around City Walk to eat or in the hotels. Love the night time boat ride to Portofino, it's so pretty!

 

[Kit Jackson]

5 full days in the parks is more than enough to do everything you want, and repeat your favorites, especially with ExpressPass. You will be able to hang out at the resorts and still do everything you want.

My advice: At the start of each day make a list of what you want to do, but be prepared to change it based on rain or other issues.

Before I go on with more advice, are there serious Harry Potter fans in the group, casual Harry Potter fans, or no Harry Potter fans? Any one in the group have issues with motion simulators? Are you total thrill seekers, ride cowards, somewhere in between, or a mix of all of them? I only bring this up because Universal has more thrill rides than WDW. No need to freak out, because I am almost a total ride coward and have enjoyed my trips to Universal.

Ride lockers are free and not a big deal at all. I use the same bags in the parks that I use in my day to day life, and the bags have fit. Unless you have a huge backpack/diaper bag, it will probably fit in the lockers.

 

[AngieInOH]

Please report back on your trip. Another avid Disney fan here but we're switching to Universal this year. I'd love to hear what you thought of it compared to your experience at Disney.

 

[rotlex]

Please report back on your trip. Another avid Disney fan here but we're switching to Universal this year. I'd love to hear what you thought of it compared to your experience at Disney.

Will do! We will be gone until August 12th, overall 15 day vacation! When back, I will definitely report back here!

 

[MICKIMINI]

You've got this!

 

[christophfam]

What are you doing with your extra days? Just a suggestion if your plan is to just chill by the pool… once you have checked in and have your tickets check to see what the cost would be to upgrade to an annual pass (lowest tier). I’ve upgraded before for a minimal amount ($30) although that was for 2 parks. Might be worth a quick stop at guest services (go inside the park for shorter lines) just to see and to give yourself the flexibility of hitting a park every day you’re there.

 

[martikus]

You canot even imagine how amazing express passes are. You will fit everything in you want plus get to redo your favorites. We usually go for rope drop and then return to hotel for a couple pool hours in afternoon and then back.

Highly recommend the Bourne show and horror makeup show too.

My son preferred to try hagrids after dinner and velocicoaster during early entry.

We did one day at volcano bay and it was plenty. Get there during early entry and tap into the water coaster than do other things.

Have a great time. We find universal so relaxing with express pass we won’t return to Disney anytime soon.

One morning we always wear bathing suits and do Popeyes and the log flume. You get soaked so we liked to do them over and over and then return to room to change.

The mini golf (alien side) in city walk is super fun.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Universal is so much less stressful than Disney. My older kids actually prefer it to Disney. We do 3 days there before each Disney trip snd it’s more than enough time (we don’t do the water park). Especially with the express pass you’ll be great. My kids got on velocicoaster 4 times on our last visit in may, never waiting more than 30 minutes. Maybe that was a fluke or something but that’s how it was. Take the time to soak in the amazing details at WWoHP, it’s truly amazing. You can really take your time and enjoy everything. Ride hogwarts express both ways too. And we’ve never not been able to get a last minute reservation for wherever we wanted to eat, universals way different than Disney and doesn’t require all the planning. You’ll have a blast!

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

We're actually here now and have a similar situation to yours -- as in only Disney -- this is our first trip to Universal. We have 4-day 3-park passes with Express pass. After reading all of the responses I just want to say that our experience with Express pass has been mixed. I know it is a very busy time so I understand there will still be a wait with it, but I read so many positive reviews of it that I think my expectations were unrealistic. There are definitely still some waits. For example, we waited 40 minutes for Minions with it while the regular wait was 60 minutes. The line for Dudley Do-Rights today was also close to that as was Kong (although our wait for that one was probably closer to 30). On the other hand, it was a big time saver for Forbidden Journey, Gringotts, and Hulk. I'm not saying it's not worth it because I still think it is, but just be prepared to wait on some attractions. Velocicoaster has been about an hour later at night. We were in line at 7:45 this morning and waited 90 minutes to ride Hagrid's (the posted wait was 100 minutes by the time we got there). The line actually moved pretty quick but you might want to get there a little earlier. As everyone says, all the Harry Potter stuff is amazing. Hagrid's and the Velocicoaster are worth planning for, but I have no desire to do any of the screen rides again (and neither does anyone in my family). Anyway, we're having a good time and I'm sure you will too!

 

[maverik85]

One morning we always wear bathing suits and do Popeyes and the log flume. You get soaked so we liked to do them over and over and then return to room to change.

The mini golf (alien side) in city walk is super fun.

I'd probably recommend that too on a pool day, hit up the water rides so you can stay dry on regular park days then and be more comfortable (or just reserve them for a cool off if needed.) There are 3 water rides (Popeye's -rapids ride, Dudley Do Rights - log flume, Jurassic Park River Adventure - large flume) and they are all together so it would be easy to marathon them as much as you want then go back to your room to change or hit up Volcano Bay.

I also agree about the mini golf being fun there. We did the monster side and loved it. It has a lot of lighting to it so is really nice to do at night as well.

As others mentioned, with having Express Pass you will have plenty of time to do everything. However, if you are Harry Potter fans I recommend using the standby line at least once on Forbidden Journey as it goes through Hogwarts castle and you will miss a good bit of it in the express line.

 

[rotlex]

Thanks again for the input all.

Getting very excited now - we leave tonight to start the drive, arrive in Orlando tomorrow morning and will spend a day and a half at a local Hampton before checking into Portofino on Saturday. We usually get down to the area a little early to recover from the drive from PA. (Do Disney Spring\swim etc). Really can't wait!!!!

 

[wdwrule]

from the drive from PA.

Enjoy and “We Are…”

 

[RJstanis]

Also former every year Disney visitors that made the switch to Universal before covid. We love Universal and the laid back vibe of it. We've only had Express Passes once or twice and albeit convenient to have, theyre not necessary most days. So with them, you should be able to get everything done like other people said with less worrying. The othwr poster is correct that when its busy some rides will have waits with EP but those rides are usually the ones with longer load times (think Peter Pan, etc), but still manageable. There's some things we miss about Disney but with all the changes and cutbacks it's just not the same.

Also, try to ride Velocicoaster and Hagrid at least once during daylight and when it's dark. It feels like different rides!