1st time with 10 yr old big HP fan - CONFUSED

[1Tired1]

2 Adults, 10 yr old. Thinking of getting the 2 days 3 free park hopper unless there is a cheaper/better option?

After a lot of back and forth (in my own mind) I've decided October last week would work. I really wanted some time during the 2 weeks in August to work but when I read descriptions like it being hotter than Hades, I changed my plans.
Do we need 1/2/3 or all 4 nights at one of the Express pass hotels (considering the timing of our visit and coz US closes at 5pm for HHH)? First time traveling in 4 years due to family death/health issues but a US luddite so confused.

If we arrive late eve on 10/26 (thu) with 10/26 night near airport AND leave 10/31 evening (tue) - do we uber/car rental or US shuttle from/to airport?

I am seeing different data on different crowd calendar sites. Does the following itinerary look OK? VB shows as very busy all those days. Also we are getting hopper for more flexibility especially last 2 days.

10/27 Fri - IOA (go to hotel and get Express key)
10/28 Sat - US (with Express)
10/29 Sun - VB (with Express) Then Check in at Cabana Bay for 2 nights.
10/30 Monday - US (without Express)
10/31 Tue- IOA (without Express)

Is there a board preferred guide/plan to help map out rides/shows that 10 yr old would like?

 

[The Gatekeeper]

No one knows what the crowd level will be better than Universal so that's why I look at the prices of express passes to get an idea of what Uni thinks the crowds will be. The higher the prices, the more people they expect.

With regards to the 10 year old. My boys are 10 and 8. The 10 year old loves every ride, however, he's never ridden RRR or Hulk. He wasn't 54" to ride Hulk and he chickened out in line at RRR. He complains about Hagrid's but only because that's the 8 year old's favorite ride and there is NO WAY he could ever love the same ride as his brother, lol. His favorite is V-coaster.

As for your game plan, I would download the app and get an idea of what rides typically have the longer wait times. Then you can focus on riding those rides when you have an express pass ( VC, Spiderman, Gringotts, Mummy, etc.) and leave the typically lower wait times for when you are without EPs (FJ, ET, MiB, all the shows etc.). I would definitely leave Hagrid's for the day without express since it doesn't take EPs.

 

[1Tired1]

Thanks so much for the tip - that is very helpful. Seems then that my dates are some of the worst for crowds I just looked at the temps at Orlando and it is "feels like 107). I have some health issues so wouldn't be able to handle that. Will have to go back to the drawing board to figure this out. Not been a great 3 years so would like to do this for kiddo but this planning is very overwhelming.

Edit - I went back to the crowd calendar (undercover tourist) and it doesn't match what express pass prices have to say about crowd. What am I missing? Which crowd calendar is the best?

 

[Equestrian]

Also you didn’t specifically state that you were planning to buy express pass for volcano bay, but just a reminder in case you weren’t aware that the express pass you get with your premier hotel stay is only for IOA/US and does not include VB

 

[Lynne G]

Day times that time of year should be less crowded until late afternoon when many come to then stay in park for HHN on those nights. Weekends are almost always more busy, as locals also come then.

Since you are going the week of Halloween, lots of people will come for that week to do HHN. For reference, the Halloween party in Disney is already sold out, Halloween night.

And the express with the hotel stay is good the day you check in through and including the day you checkout. The express is your room key, and issued to each of the people, including kids, staying in the room. So the day you move over to CB, use your room key from whatever of the 3 express hotels you are staying at, to use the day you transfer to CB. Just keep your CB keys to use on your room that check in day. So your last 2 days would be no express. And note: as said above. the hotel express is not the same as the express at VB. That is a different express pass that also changes price depending how much Universal thinks there is more that will buy it.

Your schedule looks okay. Know you can have one AP and get a AP rate discount on the hotels. You can look and even book a AP rate without having your AP in hand. Should have it with you when you check in, if reserved with an AP rate. If you buy and AP right now, there is a 3 month extra to buying any level of an AP. Once bought, never starts until you enter the park the first time. Check out the price and times the power pass is not blocked out, it’s the lowest level pass May not be that much more money than the discount ticket you are thinking of getting. Only need one person to get the AP to get hotel discounted AP rate.

Yes, rental or taxi/Uber. Should not have any issue getting either from the airport. Universal does not provide transportation outside of going to parks and CityWalk from their hotels. And the hotels are owned by Lowes, so if a rental, unless you drop off at hotel or near it, you pay for parking at the hotels.

Have fun. My kids were about that age when we first started going to Universal.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

No one knows what the crowd level will be better than Universal so that's why I look at the prices of express passes to get an idea of what Uni thinks the crowds will be. The higher the prices, the more people they expect.

This exactly!

I agree with pretty much everything @Lynne G posted.

Other than VB, I wouldn't bother to plan even as much as you have. Head back & forth between the parks as the mood strikes. Hit rides as the mood strikes.

I'm surprised they are listing VB as busy every day. That's fight when the weather starts to cool & VB crowds will vary based on temp.

Any way you can shift your plan to the following weekend? Or do Sat 10/28-Wed 11/1 in the parks instead of Fri-Tues? I go that week of Halloween because it is pretty quiet, and the EP prices support that. Kids in Orlando have 10/27 off which will impact crowds.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

BTW the AP hotel rates are out now. They just came out and in the past, more availability has opened in the Premier hotels a few days or a week after the AP rates first came out. I would suggest booking whatever you like when you see it - then you can change/cancel it later, but you have it reserved in case it sells out. The availability changes quickly sometimes.
Here's the link (change to your dates): https://res.windsurfercrs.com/ibe/d...hildren=0&promo=aph&iata=&group=&hotels=&ada=

There is also changing availability depending on which combo of days you choose, so play around with it.

A Seasonal AP is all you'll need, it is not blocked out in Oct.

 

[Skippyboo]

Treat it as one big park instead of 2 . If it starts to rain majority of IoA rides are outdoor so would be shut down, you want the park to park access to go over to the studios side. I would think Friday through Tuesday will be super crazy with the last nights of HHN. I would consider if you could shift it to after Halloween, you would be sort of in the post HHN, pre Grinchmas zone .

I looked at AP rates for Friday through Sunday before HHN. Royal Pacific was cheapest but still it’s 560 on average per night.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Yes, you get most of the Christmas lights up on that last week of Oct/first week of Nov, but no holiday shows yet. Makes the parks very pretty, especially HP and Seuss areas.

That last weekend of HHN looks to be busy, then the weekdays following should be nice. I hope. The AP rates for those weeknights are quite attractive. Sat night is about 80% more than Sun & the weekdays following.

 

[greeneyedchick]

Agree that if you can go after Halloween, it will be less crowded and cheaper. As for rides for a 10 year old....Make sure your son meets the minimum height requirements for the rides. Does he like coasters and simulation rides? If not, there won't be a lot to ride. I highly recommend taking meds for motion sickness before you start the day. My 10 year old son and I take Bonine (meclizine). It doesn't make you drowsy like Dramamine. Hagrid's is super smooth and Escape from Gringott's is pretty tame, even if you child isn't a super fan of coasters. Don't miss the old-school ET dark ride. It's rather hidden. The Bourne stunt show and special effects make-up shows are highly entertaining, even if you child hasn't seen the Bourne movies.

 

[1Tired1]

You guys are amazing. My daughter is the HP fan and doesn't like high adrenaline rides (fast coasters, inversions etc.) though she is 54"+ but has no problem with all else (dark rides, simulation/VR etc.).

Some follow-up questions -

1) So maybe I can do 10/29 check in and 10/31 check out at a Premier Hotel and then 2 nights at Cabana Bay.
or
11/1 to 11/5 - but for these dates undercover tourist crowd calendar looks TERRIBLE. Not so for the Express Pass Calendar. Why is that?

2) Do y'all think 4 nights at a Premier hotel is better than 2 with these dates now? Maybe I can look at US vs Costco vs AP pricing.

3) I didn't see any place to buy the Express Pass for VB as I was pricing the package. I read that it's not needed in October - am I wrong?
Also if I do get it, if kiddo is not doing the coasters do I need the Express Plus for VB?

4) Also if I show up at the premier hotel say at 7am on check in day will they give the EP to me that early? Can I use the shuttle/water taxi and will they let us store our luggage?

It seems getting a car is more trouble than it's worth. Will use Uber/cab.

 

[greeneyedchick]

I wouldn't get express passes for volcano bay. I live near Orlando and to me, it's too cold to swim in October. For people from the north, they are okay with swimming. I don't think it will be super crowded at the water park. I think you'll be ok with express passes from staying 2 nights at a deluxe hotel. You should be able to see all the high demand rides in that time (keep in mind that Hagrid's and I think Velocicoaster are not eligible for express pass). The last 2 days will be bonus to see shows and re-ride rides. Cabana Bay has a great pool!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I think you'd want EP for weekend days and maybe Halloween (which I find odd, it's a Tues, kids are in school, and the rest of the week looks slow, but it's got a pretty high EP price?). I think/hope they won't be needed the rest of that week.

CB is my favorite non-EP hotel (actually, Sapphire Falls is but it's a big jump up in price and CB is very fun & kid oriented).

Definitely Uber/Lyft is cheapest & easiest. They are so plentiful at MCO & Universal resorts, you want to be ready to hop in when you request one. I've had 2min waits. It's great.

 

[Kit Jackson]

Knowing more information about your kid would help with ride recommendations. Where is the kiddo on a scale from total thrill seeker to absolute ride coward? Does the kid have any issues with drops, simulators, 3D, or roller coasters? Does the kid have issues with motion sickness? What movies/franchises are favorites/or are really into.

 

[1Tired1]

I've spent many hours this week trying to piece this together and I really appreciate all your responses. If traveling after Halloween, 1-2 days premier hotel should be plenty I am guessing. May do all 4 nights at premier due to health issues - EP helps.

BIG QUESTION -Why does the AP hotel discount (considerable amount) disappear after adding tickets? It just shows me 20% discount for 4 nights when I tested it multiple times with 2 different premier hotels.
Guess I should buy the hotel nights (premier + regular) and 1 AP + 2 tickets separately??

The AP doesn't come with VB access, so would have to add it for $80 but based on comments above about weather thinking of skipping VB and just doing 2 park hopper 5 days. Dunno.
Also just for future reference, how does one buy the EP for VB? I didn't see any option to add express pass for VB when doing the package.

Also if I show up at the premier hotel say at 7am on check-in day will they give the EP to me that early? Can I use the shuttle/water taxi and will they let us store our luggage?

Do people typically add insurance? Do they honor easily?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Guess I should buy the hotel nights (premier + regular) and 1 AP + 2 tickets separately??

Yes, there's really no benefit to lumping it together anyways.

Also if I show up at the premier hotel say at 7am on check-in day will they give the EP to me that early? Can I use the shuttle/water taxi and will they let us store our luggage?

Yes to all. Your EPs are your room keys. You can also pick up tickets/AP at the ticket desk in the lobby.

You can get a 3 park AP w/ VB access. If you're only doing one day there, it would probably be cheaper to buy that one day separately than to upgrade the AP to 3 park.

 

[1Tired1]

Thank you again. I am thinking of adding insurance so $150 for 3 - will that fully refund everything (hotel nights, AP and tickets)?

Do people typically buy directly on the US site? Or are there other sites...like warehouses.

This will probably be our 1 and only trip to Universal (like Disney was) so just crossing my t's and dotting my i's.

 

[Lynne G]

Most of us book the hotel separately, as you pay one night deposit, to confirm the booking. Then you can cancel up to 5 days before check in and get your deposit back if you cancel. If you book a package, with room and tickets, the cancel terms are different and have a cost to cancel.

AP passes can be bought anytime, the “voucher” you get, has no expiration, and your year starts the first day you enter a park. Right now, they are offering 3 months free with an AL buy or renewal. For tickets, sometimes there is a ticket deal, though those do have expiration date. I think there is a buy 2 day get 3 days free right now. I don’t remember the date they expire.

 

[Skippyboo]

Cabana Bay has 2 pools - slide in one and a lazy river. You have to bring your own tube or buy one there so you have a mini water park at the hotel.

For the premier hotels you can check in first thing in the morning, they will give you room keys for your whole party. The room keys are your express pass. Bell services will hold your luggage. They will text you when your room is ready.

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Just my 2 cents on VB in October. It is not too cold at all, in my opinion, and I'm not a hearty northerner but reside in very hot Texas. You can get an unseasonably cool day, of course, and that's why I would not purchase EP for VB in advance. You want the flexibility of pivoting to a dry park in case of a cool day or changing your VB day, but the average temperature in Orlando for late October is in the low eighties. They also heat the water to 80, I believe. I don't like cold water and I won't swim in our pool when it's cool. We've gone to VB in Oct and on New Year's day and were fine. Early March, we were chilly when the high was 70 or so and breezy but would definitely go on a sunny mid-70 degree day.