7 days at Universal

[hulk51382]

I love Universal, but honestly 7 days would be too many for DH and me. We do everything we want to do in the parks over 3 days, and we also sleep in and take mid-day breaks. We always have express pass as well. City Walk is great, but we experience what we want in one evening. Much smaller than Disney Springs.

Your ticker says 5 months until your next vacation, so are you traveling in January? I would normally say that you could spend the rest of your time enjoying Universal's great pools and the pool hopping privileges, as well as Volcano Bay. But in January, it may be too cold for those to be options.

Have you considered a split stay with WDW? That's what we usually do - 4-5 days at WDW, followed by 3 or so days at Universal.

I need to delete that ticker. That's from this past January when we went to Disney in January. We were thinking about doing a split stay for our May trip though if we decide 7 days is to long at Universal. I was leaning toward not doing Disney this time since we always go and want to try something new.

 

[mjhtvchick]

I am staying at Cabana Bay with my 14 year old daughter and her friend in a few weeks time for 7 nights.

We have 5-day park-to-park tickets and plan to also visit Disney Springs and do some shopping - maybe at Florida Mall or the outlets. Aside from that we will divide our time between IOA, USF, VB, the hotel pools and Citywalk - can't wait to just go at our own pace, relax and enjoy!

 

[smiths02]

Have you every been to Universal? We stayed 6 nights in April (our first trip) with kids ages 12, 6, and 6 at PBH (so we had express pass)
We basically did not leave Universal property (my DH and older son did go to the mall on our pool day, but that wasn't a boredom issue as much as DH wanting to try on watches and he never has time to go to the store when we are at home). We did not do Volcano Bay. I don't feel like we did it "all" by any stretch.
Our trip was something like this
Day 1-Drive down, get to hotel late afternoon, eat dinner at Toothsome's, prepare for next day, bed
Day 2-Do most things Harry Potter (both parks), dinner at hotel quick service (Sal's)
Day 3-IOA morning to afternoon, dinner at Mama Della's, bed
Day 4-Rented cabana at Pool...spent basically all day at the pool, dinner at Cowfish, bed
Day 5-USF morning to afternoon, break at hotel, Mardi Gras dessert party, parade, and cinematic spectacular, bed
Day 6-(Later start because up late the night before), Voodoo donuts, Go back and do favorites in the parks 10-4:30, dinner at the Palm, pack up a little, bed
Day 7-Pack up, Minions Breakfast at RPR, drive home

So things we didn't even do that we thought about...Volcano Bay, catch a movie, mini golf, no shows or parades (with the exception of Mardi Gras, we just ran out of time)
I know that you can do everything faster, especially with express pass, but we liked doing more 6-8 hour days in the parks and also re-riding something.

For our upcoming trip, we will have 7 nights, and I am thinking about maybe doing SeaWorld one day because I think we might get discounted tickets and it might not be good weather for rented a cabana like we did before, but we like down time. My kids enjoy some time to be at the pool or hang out with their souvenirs in the room or watch movies in the room. We also like sleeping (which works better for us than naps).

 

[nkereina]

I need to delete that ticker. That's from this past January when we went to Disney in January. We were thinking about doing a split stay for our May trip though if we decide 7 days is to long at Universal. I was leaning toward not doing Disney this time since we always go and want to try something new.

In this case, May would be a great time for pool hopping and Volcano Bay!

If you want to skip Disney all together and try something new, maybe consider a day doing other things in the area - Sea World, Legoland, shopping outlets. Even Busch Gardens in Tampa or the beach (Cocoa is closest, Clearwater is my favorite). If it were me, I could do 7 days at a Universal resort, with 3-4 park days, Volcano Bay, a day doing something else, and the rest of the time at the pool. The park days can be broken up with pool time mid-day as well because with EPs, you can really tour the parks at your leisure.

Also, if you decide to get 4+ days of park tickets, get an annual pass. The cost difference is negligible and it comes with discounts on other things, such as on-site hotel rooms. It would also give you the flexibility to go in the parks whenever you want during your 7 day trip.

 

[PollyannaMom]

It's not too long!! We love Universal, and could easily spend a week there.

 

[hulk51382]

Have you every been to Universal? We stayed 6 nights in April (our first trip) with kids ages 12, 6, and 6 at PBH (so we had express pass)
We basically did not leave Universal property (my DH and older son did go to the mall on our pool day, but that wasn't a boredom issue as much as DH wanting to try on watches and he never has time to go to the store when we are at home). We did not do Volcano Bay. I don't feel like we did it "all" by any stretch.
Our trip was something like this
Day 1-Drive down, get to hotel late afternoon, eat dinner at Toothsome's, prepare for next day, bed
Day 2-Do most things Harry Potter (both parks), dinner at hotel quick service (Sal's)
Day 3-IOA morning to afternoon, dinner at Mama Della's, bed
Day 4-Rented cabana at Pool...spent basically all day at the pool, dinner at Cowfish, bed
Day 5-USF morning to afternoon, break at hotel, Mardi Gras dessert party, parade, and cinematic spectacular, bed
Day 6-(Later start because up late the night before), Voodoo donuts, Go back and do favorites in the parks 10-4:30, dinner at the Palm, pack up a little, bed
Day 7-Pack up, Minions Breakfast at RPR, drive home

So things we didn't even do that we thought about...Volcano Bay, catch a movie, mini golf, no shows or parades (with the exception of Mardi Gras, we just ran out of time)
I know that you can do everything faster, especially with express pass, but we liked doing more 6-8 hour days in the parks and also re-riding something.

For our upcoming trip, we will have 7 nights, and I am thinking about maybe doing SeaWorld one day because I think we might get discounted tickets and it might not be good weather for rented a cabana like we did before, but we like down time. My kids enjoy some time to be at the pool or hang out with their souvenirs in the room or watch movies in the room. We also like sleeping (which works better for us than naps).

Thank you for the breakdown of your trip. I think our plans would be very similar to yours. My wife likes to add in some nap time even though the kids might not like it. lol. My wife and I have been to Universal but that was about 15 years ago so a lot has changed since then. How was the Minions Breakfast? One of the things we love about Disney are the character breakfasts and was wondering if Universals are worth it.

 

[hulk51382]

In this case, May would be a great time for pool hopping and Volcano Bay!

If you want to skip Disney all together and try something new, maybe consider a day doing other things in the area - Sea World, Legoland, shopping outlets. Even Busch Gardens in Tampa or the beach (Cocoa is closest, Clearwater is my favorite). If it were me, I could do 7 days at a Universal resort, with 3-4 park days, Volcano Bay, a day doing something else, and the rest of the time at the pool. The park days can be broken up with pool time mid-day as well because with EPs, you can really tour the parks at your leisure.

Also, if you decide to get 4+ days of park tickets, get an annual pass. The cost difference is negligible and it comes with discounts on other things, such as on-site hotel rooms. It would also give you the flexibility to go in the parks whenever you want during your 7 day trip.

If we buy an annual pass and stay at Royal Pacific would we still get Express Passes for the week?

 

[macraven]

Yes

All staying at one of the 3 premier hotels have free ep usage.
It is a hotel perk

Park tickets not included

 

[CyndiLooWho]

Hello! We normally head to Orlando for a full week, but we don't do the parks every day. We stay offsite in a condo and typically hit the parks 5 days and do a day trip to the Kennedy Space Center (75 minute drive, enough to fill 2 days if you are a space geek). The 7th day is our leaving day, and we don't go to the parks bc we have a long drive back to KY.

The great thing about a full week stay is that we normally rope drop the parks, have a late lunch, and leave at 2ish. We can then use the lazy river at the condo, or go to the outlet malls, or see a movie, or just relax with a book or dvd in the evenings. We can eat at Citiwalk or a Disney resort or drive into Orlando for dinner. Or we can go back into the park. We pick one day for the wet rides, ride until we're soaked, and go back to the condo to shower. Our boys LOVE the trip to KSC. We just do what works for each day, and if it rains, we adjust and stay out of the parks.

That's the beauty of Universal; we plan everything on the fly, and it is so great.

 

[Squirlz]

That's the minimum time for us. We're staying at RPR in September for 7 nights and that's our 'short' trip this year. We gor back in December for 12.

 

[Rowlf the Dog]

Everybody is different, of course, but for me the longest I "need" at Universal with express-pass are 2,5 days and this is very relaxing, with midday-breaks, multiple rerides (esp. each coaster 10-20 times), meet and greets, each ride and show at least one time and multiple dining-experiences. So for stays of more than 3 days, I would always include the FunSpot (Skycoaster), shopping at International Outlet and as posted before visits to SW and BG. But so I'm also not the type for pool-days and people-watching, I always need action and something to do in my vacations....

 

[nkereina]

If we buy an annual pass and stay at Royal Pacific would we still get Express Passes for the week?

Yes! The express pass privilege is tied to your hotel stay and is good for the duration of your stay at the hotel. They don't even know what kind of tickets you have, and it doesn't matter.

 

[smiths02]

Everybody is different, of course, but for me the longest I "need" at Universal with express-pass are 2,5 days and this is very relaxing, with midday-breaks, multiple rerides (esp. each coaster 10-20 times), meet and greets, each ride and show at least one time and multiple dining-experiences. So for stays of more than 3 days, I would always include the FunSpot (Skycoaster), shopping at International Outlet and as posted before visits to SW and BG. But so I'm also not the type for pool-days and people-watching, I always need action and something to do in my vacations....

It also depends on how many people are with you and their ages.
We had 4 park days and still didn't time it right for many shows. With 5 people (with 3 kids), we had a lot more bathroom breaks, child swap, and just general opinions on what to ride.

 

[smiths02]

Character breakfast review

Cons:
--The buffet is limited
one side is: bananas, watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes (with peppers and onions), bacon, sausage links, pancakes
Cereals: corn flakes, raisin bran, fruit loops
Pastries: bagels, bread, donut holes (glazed and jelly), 2 mini muffins, 4 danish type items
drinks: coffee, tea, water, milk, orange juice, apple juice
condiments: ketchup, syrup, hot sauce, cream cheese
All items were fresh and tasty, though
(We don't have food restrictions so I can't comment on what they would do for that)
--You are seated with another family (the tables seat 10 or 12). The other family we got sat with were not native English speakers, so I am not sure they understood that tables would be shared. They were seated first and just sat willy nilly around the table (leaving chairs between them), so our servers had to spend a lot of time explaining to them that maybe they should sit together so we could sit together. Awkward!
--Characters do not sign autographs and really you only see them for a few minutes to take pictures (they come next to your table for pictures, but they aren't mingling and having conversations, which they can't talk since they are not face characters), there is no "character parade" or extra interaction time [They might do a few silly things like steal a banana from you]

Pros:
--Food is fresh and tasty
--They keep two sides to the buffet and seatings are limited so there is not a long fight or lines at the buffet
--The Tahitian room is a lovely space (I think a wedding reception would be lovely here)
--Characters are cute and you do get to take pictures with all of them, since there are seating times and the space is in one room, it is not random, you know when the characters are coming
--There are a lot of characters...Gru, a few minions, all 3 girls
--It is prepaid (including tip-if you want to leave extra, you'll need cash as you don't get a bill) and not as expensive as some character meals
--It is an easy in and out in terms of time

 

[DisneyMomx7]

We leave in 5 days for a 7 day trip to Universal. We are looking forward to a relaxing trip. We have 5 day park hopper tickets including volcano bay (which we intend to upgrade to APs) and we are doing MNSSHP on the 16th. This is a last hurrah trip since we leave right from Universal to drop off 2 of our kids in St Augustine to go back to college. We plan on sleeping in, lots of pool time and hitting the parks whenever we feel like it. No chasing FP or ADRs!

 

[Chickinvic]

That's the beauty of Universal; we plan everything on the fly, and it is so great.

Sounds great. This is what a HATE about WDW. I'm still a Disney fan, but honestly going to WDW is just becoming like a job. Plus, if you don't stay on their property (which I don't) you are screwed. Disneyland California still has the "Disney" magic to me since you have equal chance at Fastpasses as everyone else (and you actually have to be there to get them instead of planning ahead - so much more fair to all). I would pick the California parks hands down over Florida (but unfortunately we don't live on the west coast anymore so Florida is easier to get to).

I am tempted to do much more Universal in the future.

 

[CPanther95]

Have you every been to Universal? We stayed 6 nights in April (our first trip) with kids ages 12, 6, and 6 at PBH (so we had express pass)
We basically did not leave Universal property (my DH and older son did go to the mall on our pool day, but that wasn't a boredom issue as much as DH wanting to try on watches and he never has time to go to the store when we are at home). We did not do Volcano Bay. I don't feel like we did it "all" by any stretch.
Our trip was something like this
Day 1-Drive down, get to hotel late afternoon, eat dinner at Toothsome's, prepare for next day, bed
Day 2-Do most things Harry Potter (both parks), dinner at hotel quick service (Sal's)
Day 3-IOA morning to afternoon, dinner at Mama Della's, bed
Day 4-Rented cabana at Pool...spent basically all day at the pool, dinner at Cowfish, bed
Day 5-USF morning to afternoon, break at hotel, Mardi Gras dessert party, parade, and cinematic spectacular, bed
Day 6-(Later start because up late the night before), Voodoo donuts, Go back and do favorites in the parks 10-4:30, dinner at the Palm, pack up a little, bed
Day 7-Pack up, Minions Breakfast at RPR, drive home

So things we didn't even do that we thought about...Volcano Bay, catch a movie, mini golf, no shows or parades (with the exception of Mardi Gras, we just ran out of time)
I know that you can do everything faster, especially with express pass, but we liked doing more 6-8 hour days in the parks and also re-riding something.

For our upcoming trip, we will have 7 nights, and I am thinking about maybe doing SeaWorld one day because I think we might get discounted tickets and it might not be good weather for rented a cabana like we did before, but we like down time. My kids enjoy some time to be at the pool or hang out with their souvenirs in the room or watch movies in the room. We also like sleeping (which works better for us than naps).

Yeah, we give the keys to the valet - then never see the car again until we are packing the car to go home. We never leave the property.

EDIT: ...unless someone forgot their sunglasses, phone charger, etc. and we have to get them to bring the car back up.

 

[tony67]

I pretty much always do a 10 night stay during HHN - and this year I also did a 10 night stay during Mardi Gras.
I still dont get done everything a I want to do.
I usually do a day at seaworld - they have a free shuttle bus from Universal
I've been wanting to do a day trip to Busch Gardens - there is also a free shuttle for that
I have also done a day trip to NASA

Basing out of Universal is much less expensive than Disney and the hotels are on par or better.
You also typically get a better rate for staying more nights
The last few trips I have skipped Disney completely

One benefit of staying for several days is your in no rush - you can hang out at the pool or in one of the bars fro a few hours and just relax.
There have been days where I go into the park - walk around - hang out at Backwater bar for a few hours and go back to the hotel and did not even ride anything
There is zero pressure to get things done and there is no planning - just go with the flow

 

[Chickinvic]

I pretty much always do a 10 night stay during HHN - and this year I also did a 10 night stay during Mardi Gras.
I still dont get done everything a I want to do.
I usually do a day at seaworld - they have a free shuttle bus from Universal
I've been wanting to do a day trip to Busch Gardens - there is also a free shuttle for that
I have also done a day trip to NASA

Basing out of Universal is much less expensive than Disney and the hotels are on par or better.
You also typically get a better rate for staying more nights
The last few trips I have skipped Disney completely

One benefit of staying for several days is your in no rush - you can hang out at the pool or in one of the bars fro a few hours and just relax.
There have been days where I go into the park - walk around - hang out at Backwater bar for a few hours and go back to the hotel and did not even ride anything
There is zero pressure to get things done and there is no planning - just go with the flow

Sounds like a perfect vacation to me. I wish it was still like that at Disney.

 

[snappy]

Wonderful to not have people stopping right in front of you with their noses in their phones! Magical!