Questions for first visit

skuttle · Jul 15, 2018

We are planning our first (one-day) Universal trip. It will just be me and DH. We are squeezing it in before a cruise with friends.

We arrive the day before Thanksgiving (landing around 1:30pm), will spend Thanksgiving day in the parks (I know, I know, but we've done MK on Thanksgiving day and survived!), and then check out to head to the cruise on Black Friday.

We are planning only one park day, but will get the park to park ticket because our main focus is Harry Potter.

We are staying at Portofino Bay.

Now that you have the background, here are my questions.

1. As I said, our focus is Harry Potter. If we can squeeze in anything extra, what would you focus on? We like all kinds of rides and attractions.

2. Any special holiday things we shouldn't miss?

3. The day we arrive we'll probably check out City Walk and hang out at the resort. What would you recommend for a nice, adult dinner? Do we need to make reservations, and if so, when? There's not really anything we wouldn't eat.

4. Where would you recommend we try to eat on our park day? Probably just quick meals to maximize park time, but if there is somewhere we cannot miss we'll consider it. Again, are reservations needed?

5. Any snacks we must try, aside from Butterbeer!

6. Best transportation from airport to resort?

Thanks in advance!

bobbie68 · Jul 15, 2018

Hi Portofino is a nice choice I just got back last week.

If you have time after the HP worlds I think Minion Mayhem, Mummy and Transformers are great in the studios. In IOA we like Spider man, Hulk and Kong.

A lot of people like Cowfish in City Walk. I have not been there. We always eat at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium at City Walk.

We always eat one meal in one of the HP restaurants. We prefer the Leaky Cauldron a bit better. Mythos in IOA is popular.

Most of the restaurants do not have reservations. Some have priority seating for the three deluxe hotels. This can cut you wait time down. Mythos is one of the few restaurants that takes reservations and you can do this on open table .com

Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour has great ice cream and unique flavors.

We use Tony Hinds when we fly. A lot of people also use him and he is awesome. He will pick you up right at the luggage area then stop at a store if you need too. His price is great and very reliable.

Enjoy your trip!

PantherPete · Jul 15, 2018

1. Spiderman, The Hulk in IOA and The Simpson’s, Minions and MiB in USF are non- HP favorites of mine.
2. The Macy’s parade and the decorations in The Dr Seuss area. You may catch a photo op with the Grinch.
3. Any of the resort sit downs would be good. But if you want the City Walk, I suggest Pat O’Brien’s. Really fun place. But it is loud.
4. Nothing is can’t miss in the parks. But since you are a HP fan, I’d go to the Three Broomsticks.
5. No can’t miss snack. Typical amusement park fare.
6. Tiffany Limo has always been good for us.

georgina · Jul 15, 2018

We will be there on Thanksgiving Day also (but we'll have 2 more days after that). I am looking forward to checking out the holiday things.

You will have the express pass, so there should be some time to check out other areas. Definitely ride Mummy and Kong. I love coasters so Hulk and Rip Ride Rockit are on my list, and either Spider Man or Transformers (they seem quite similar to me). I enjoy the atmosphere of the IOA lands, wandering through them.

Our last nice adult dinner outside the parks was at Jakes at RPR. The Kitchen at Hard Rock has always looked interesting, but have never made it there.

I use Lyft from the airport to the resort. A lot less expensive than car services.

skuttle · Jul 15, 2018

Thanks everyone! Lots to research! Hopefully this narrows it down a bit for us. We just went to Disneyland for the first time in June, and that was also overwhelming at first, but by the time we left I felt more prepared.

Our oldest went to Universal for the first time on a school trip earlier this year, and the younger two don't know what they are missing, so I don't feel quite as guilty popping in without the kids. Our oldest loved Rip Ride Rockit and Hulk. He sent me lots of HP pics, but I can't wait to see it for myself.

skuttle · Jul 15, 2018

Do the park hours generally stay the same? Looks like the parks are only open 9-9 on Thanksgiving day.

mel&me · Jul 15, 2018

Spiderman and hulk are a must for us

Lynne G · Jul 16, 2018

Since you are Potter fans, make sure you are in the Potter area in IOA, because the castle light shows are at night, and seeing the castle lighted up, is really nice. Can view from in front of the castle, it can get packed there, or from the bridge heading out of Potter area, towards the dinosaur ride.

Make sure to look in each window in the Potter areas, fun window scenes. And, candy, like chocolate frogs and cauldron cake, are favorites for us. In Simpsons area, the pink donuts are are favorite too.

For dinner, I'd check out Damo's food stickie at the top of the board here. She keeps the menus current, and you can review to see what restaurants interests you.. I'd definitely eat one meal at one, or at least go in and look, at the two Potter quick service restaurants. We like them both, though my picky eater likes the Three Broomsticks better.

Have an awesome time.

CAPSLOCK · Jul 16, 2018

Check out the Universal website to get a feel for the rides. Only you know your preferences. As stated above, check out the menus at the various City Walk & resort restaurants to make your decision for dinner.

For me, I love the Jurassic Park river ride, Simpsons, Kong, Mummy, Transformers. Minions is not a must do for me. Fun, as all the rides are, but not a favorite. The roller coasters are great, but just coasters.

That said, you should have time to hit most rides with your EP. Hit HP area and explore during early entry, before it gets jam packed. Ride the train to the other park, explore HP before it is a total madhouse. Do your selections in that park, then train back (the train is different each direction). Enjoy the 2nd park. HP crowds lighten a bit in the evenings too, so that can be a good area to end your day. You can also hop between parks by walking, if you are near the entrance or don't want to wait for the train again.

Lard Lad in Simpsons makes a donut sundae. Though the HP ice cream flavors are also excellent. Tough decision for only one day...

fely1st · Jul 16, 2018

With the express pass you can ride the Potter rides with little wait so you will have time for other things. I would start with Diagon Alley and Gringotts, then take the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade. Do the rides there and have an early lunch at Three broomsticks. It is fun for Potter Fans but had a long line at our last visit. So I would go early if you like to eat there.Then you can do other rides in IOA ( we like Jurassic Park, Spidermann and Ripsaw falls best, but you will get wet). Then take the train back to US, do some rides (Mummy and Minions) and enjoy the Potter area at night. Have fun.

skuttle · Jul 16, 2018

Love hearing everyone's favorites, thanks! I know I can research rides and restaurant menus, but we are pretty open for anything, especially since we will be kid-free, so I like to hear what other people enjoy.

nighttowll · Jul 16, 2018

skuttle said:
1. As I said, our focus is Harry Potter. If we can squeeze in anything extra, what would you focus on? We like all kinds of rides and attractions.

If I could only do one coaster, it would be the Mummy.
MIB is a fun interactive ride, and I can’t imagine skipping it. It is also back near HP, so easy to get to.
Either Transformers or Spiderman, so you can experience that type of ride. Both are great, but they are basically the same ride, just with different theming, so if short on time, pick the one that appeals to you the most character wise.
The Talking Fountain.
Check out Toon Lagoon. It will probably be too cold to do the water rides as they completely soak you, but there are lots of great photo ops there.
Raptor Encounter or the Dino nursery if you are into dinosaurs.

There are tons of other great attractions. I’d just pick out the ones whose movies appeal to you the most.

skuttle said:
2. Any special holiday things we shouldn't miss?

The Christmas parade.
The Dr. Seus area.

skuttle said:
3. The day we arrive we'll probably check out City Walk and hang out at the resort. What would you recommend for a nice, adult dinner? Do we need to make reservations, and if so, when? There's not really anything we wouldn't eat.

The Kitchen at the Hard Rock hotel is my favorite outside park restaurant as far a food goes. It’s nothing fancy or themed as far as atmosphere, but we love the food. Never had anything bad.
Cowfish is a favorite of ours in Citywalk. However, they mainly serve burgers or sushi, so if neither of those appeal to you, it might not be the right choice. They do have a couple of other options on the menu, but not many. I personally like the Asian salad and the crab dip.
Toothsome is fun for the desserts and atmosphere. It is also a “character meal” to some extent. I’m not a big fan of the regular food, but it is fun to do at least once. I recommend going only for dessert.
I’m not a big fan of the Mexican or Italian places in Citywalk, but you can’t really go wrong choosing any of the Citywalk restaurants. None of them are outright horrible.
I’ve never made a reservation before and never had any issues. However with your dates, it wouldn’t hurt. You can check Open Table or call the restaurants directly to see about reservations if you decide you want to make one.

skuttle said:
4. Where would you recommend we try to eat on our park day? Probably just quick meals to maximize park time, but if there is somewhere we cannot miss we'll consider it. Again, are reservations needed?

Three Broomsticks or Leaky Cauldron, depending on which park you are in when you get ready to eat. You are going for HP after all, you have to eat in the HP restaurants. The food is also very good at both these restaurants for being park food. These are quick service, no reservations taken.
If you want a nicer sit down restaurant, Mythos. It has over the top theming inside and out, and the food is very good. It’s worth seeing at least once if there’s time. However it is only open for lunch, so if you are interested, you have to plan ahead.
If choosing between a HP restaurant or Mythos, I’d choose the HP restaurant.

skuttle said:
5. Any snacks we must try, aside from Butterbeer!

If you like Pumpkin Pie, then I suggest the Pumpkin Pasties. Especially, with it being Thanksgiving.
There are a number of candies and snacks from the books you can try in the candy stores in the HP sections. Check out whatever appeals to you. It’s really fun to browse through them. There use to be an amazing chocolate cauldron, but they replaced it with a subpar version, so nothing really stands out to me anymore.
If you guys drink, there are different alcoholic HP drinks you can try.
I’ll also point out there are 4 different types of Butterbeer to try (regular, frozen, hot, and ice cream).
Outside the HP section, there is a giant Simpsons donut, the nachos at the pool at RPR are amazing, and I personally love the chocolate peanut chunk cookie sold in all the Universal bakeries. Nothing special about the cookie. It’s just a cookie, but I really like it.

skuttle said:
6. Best transportation from airport to resort?

We’ve used Tony Hinds when we had a big group. For two people, I think he’ll be too high.
We usually just take the Mears shuttle. It’s easy and cheap and doesn’t need to be arranged in advance. That or Uber.

On another note, Portofino Bay is my favorite of the Universal hotels. The bathroom is huge. The beds are amazing, and the rooms beautiful. Be aware, though, it is very spread out, and it’s also the farthest walk to the parks. I’d request to be close to the boat stop if possible.

bumbershoot · Jul 16, 2018

skuttle said:
We arrive the day before Thanksgiving (landing around 1:30pm), will spend Thanksgiving day in the parks

Go to the parks that first day, too! Add that day. Go to portofino, check in, use that room key (yes they give it to you even if your room isn’t ready; they just don’t tell you what room at that time) as the express pass! Make the most of your stay onsite.

Not sure of park hours during that time but I doubt it’ll be too overly late for closing, so you can hit citywalk after closing.

That’s my advice.

skuttle · Jul 16, 2018

bumbershoot said:
Go to the parks that first day, too! Add that day. Go to portofino, check in, use that room key (yes they give it to you even if your room isn’t ready; they just don’t tell you what room at that time) as the express pass! Make the most of your stay onsite.

Not sure of park hours during that time but I doubt it’ll be too overly late for closing, so you can hit citywalk after closing.

That’s my advice.

I've thought about that, but not sure if we want to do that or just have a more relaxing day. Parks look like they are only open until 9pm. Our flight lands at 1:30pm.

skylock · Jul 16, 2018

skuttle said:
I've thought about that, but not sure if we want to do that or just have a more relaxing day. Parks look like they are only open until 9pm. Our flight lands at 1:30pm.

It is only a few dollars more to add a day, and even if you don't get there until 4 or even 5, with express pass you can do a lot even at a leisurely pace on that first day. I really like the place at night.

skuttle · Jul 16, 2018

skylock said:
It is only a few dollars more to add a day, and even if you don't get there until 4 or even 5, with express pass you can do a lot even at a leisurely pace on that first day. I really like the place at night.

Am I doing something wrong? It shows that it would be $358 for one day, and $529 for two days. So $171 more for essentially half a day. That seems like a lot. But I have to admit the universal site isn't the easiest to figure out.

nighttowll · Jul 16, 2018

skuttle said:
Am I doing something wrong? It shows that it would be $358 for one day, and $529 for two days. So $171 more for essentially half a day. That seems like a lot. But I have to admit the universal site isn't the easiest to figure out.

No, you aren’t. There’s almost always a big jump in price from a 1 day ticket to a 2 day ticket, usually around $100.

After that, adding more days ends up about the same because there is usually some kind of buy 2 days get 1 or 2 days free deal going on. Also, the cheapest season pass isn’t much more than what you’d pay for a 2 day ticket either.

Just looked on Undercover:

Park to Park Pricing:

1 day (value) $176
1 day (regular) $182
2 day (regular) $270
3 day (2 day plus day fee) $270
3 day (regular) $290
4 day (regular) $293
4 day (4 day plus 1 free) $307
5 day (3 day plus 2 days free) $278
5 day (regular) $335

Season pass $284

So you can see, it is pretty much the same price to go anywhere from 2 to 5 days, but just under $100 more to go from 1 day to 2 days.

skylock · Jul 16, 2018

Sorry, I never go only 1 or 2 days and did not realize it is that high.

If you do 2 day park tickets no park to park it is a lot less and frankly that train ride is not worth the extra dollars. You could do IOA the first part day because that HP area is really tiny. The interesting area is over in Universal studios.

1 day park to park 170 pp
1 day one park 115 pp

2 day park to park 265pp
2 day one park at a time 205pp

I have APs which is the only reason I will do the train. I would never pay that much extra just for the train.

skuttle · Jul 16, 2018

Thanks, seems similar to WDW. And this is why we never go to universal as part of our WDW trips. It’s so much cheaper to add a day at WDW than a single day ticket at a different park.

only hope · Jul 18, 2018

Even if you don’t eat at both HP restaurants, check them both out. The theming is incredible. At the Leaky Cauldron you can enter through the double doors and just walk around; at the Three Broomsticks you can enter through the bar or go around back to the patio and enter that way to walk around. You can not get a table unless you have already ordered food though. You could get a meal at one and butterbeer inside at the other. They may have hot butterbeer by then- it’s really good.

I wouldn’t buy an interactive wand unless you plan on coming back, but it’s fun to watch other people do it. There are tons of details that are easy to miss. Take time to look in the windows, read the ads all over the walls in Diagon Alley, look up in the shops, visit the Money Exchange and ask the goblin questions, and check out the merchandise even if you don’t plan on buying- lots of fun stuff to look at. Since you will have express pass, I would spend the early entry time just looking around while it’s not wall to wall people.

I’m not a foodie; I don’t eat at expensive resaurants and even I think a lot of the qs is not very good at USR. Wizarding world is mostly good, as is Monsters Cafe. Avoid meals in kids lands, though Seussland has some fun snacks. If you like classic horror films, check out the inside of Monsters Cafe.

If you like The Grinch, def watch the live show they do during the holidays. It’s excellent and does require lining up early.

Questions for first visit

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