HM
My tag from the Tag Fairy is now too long to use.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2001
My DD (23) and I just visited Universal from Aug 12-14. We stayed at Cabana Bay from the 11-14th and moved to Drury Inn for our last night (14th). Our arrival on the 11th was by car at 11:30 at night. Several people checking in at that hour.
Our pool view room was in Americana 5320. It actually faced the sand beaches being closer to the main areas than the pool itself. Quite a good location actually as the elevator at one end of our hall led out to the pool gate and the other to the area by the food court/access to the buses. The room was good but had two flaws....a very noisy refrigerator (about every 30 minutes or so it sounded like a plane taking off) and when people let their doors slam down the hallway, we could feel it in the wall behind our bed.
My only other real problem with the hotel rooms is the tiny towels and two few pillows. I didn't recall the towels being that small on previous stays, but maybe they were. And for only two of us, the two pillows per bed were plenty, but had we brought more family, we'd have needed more.
We used the food court a couple of times. Pizza one night and Burgers another after returning from the parks. The burgers were huge and we wished we'd shared. We felt both were a good deal and tasty.
We spent a couple hours at the pool on Sunday after leaving the parks around 11. And then again on Tuesday from 8:30-11 pm. We brought our own tubes for the river and had them blown up (quite a line at 11:30 on Sunday). We enjoyed the DJ and music on Sunday afternoon. Had a drink each from the Hideaway...nice frozen drinks...it was HOT out. We also got the nachos which we deemed decent.
The parks were least busy on Sunday, and more-so on Monday and Tuesday. The longest wait we ever saw on the App was for Kong at 120 but mostly nothing got over 80 minutes. We didn't have EP, so did the attractions standby or single rider (second time only). We were able to do everything we wanted with less than a 30 minute wait by being conscious of the wait times and what would get busy and stay busy. (We did not do Hulk, RRR, or water rides, but did most everything else at least once). And I will say this....the parks were full of Brits. We estimated that about 60% of the people we encountered were British. It was amazing. I'd say that the American ration was likely around 25% of the park-goers with the rest of other nationalities. What a melting pot it was.
Sunday- got there around 8:30 entering Universal first. Minions was down so when to Gringotts. Rode that with a 20 minute wait and then went to the train to Hogsmeade. No wait, then FJ with a 30 minute wait. After that we did Kong with no real wait. Spiderman with 25 minute wait and then to the pool. There was a big rain storm with thunder/lightening so we stayed in our room for awhile. We did return to the park for the evening but didn't get a whole lot done and I'm having trouble recalling what we did do other than Make-up show and Fallon. I know we stopped for beers at the bar in SF area and people watched a good while. We hung out in the Fallon ride for one whole round of colors watching the videos and Ragtime gals. The TM kept urging us to join one of the rides, but the waiting area is a fun part for us and we waited until we were ready. Hashtag asked for my DDs phone and did a selfie with us.
Monday- got to the park around 8:30 again started with Minions which said 20 minutes but was more like 30 and then said 45 when we got out. Transformers next was a walk-on basically. We spent our day doing rides and shows, lunch in Hogsmeade and went back to get our raincoats before the finale show after dinner at Bubba Gump. It was good with the new water cannons and fireworks, but I missed the old film clips from the previous show. This one left out so much.
Tuesday- Got up later and went to the pool for the morning. Asked for a late checkout. Left the pool at 11 got showered, finished packing and loaded up the car. Then to the bus for the parks. We ate at Finnegans. Once again we should have shared. There was just too much food. Pork plate and Fish and Chips. We could have fed two more people. Then we did Animal Actors and ET which we'd yet to do, back to MIB (Single rider...walked on). DD rode with some people who were very impressed with her score so she had to tell them what she did for the high score. She always beats me. I did remember to get the bonus this time though. We were able to do Mummy with about 15 minute wait, Fallon with Virtual Pass and a couple other things. We left the park around 4:30 to go check in to Drury Inn and have their dinner there. We decided on seeing a movie and chose Mission Impossible at the AMC so drove back over and loved the free parking after 6. The movie was fine.....I think that these action adventure movies are just getting too full of chases and fights and impossible situations these days. Voodoo Donuts afterwards for our late night snack and a few to bring home.
We slept in a bit and left for home around 9 after the buffet breakfast. 10 hours later.... we arrived.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Our pool view room was in Americana 5320. It actually faced the sand beaches being closer to the main areas than the pool itself. Quite a good location actually as the elevator at one end of our hall led out to the pool gate and the other to the area by the food court/access to the buses. The room was good but had two flaws....a very noisy refrigerator (about every 30 minutes or so it sounded like a plane taking off) and when people let their doors slam down the hallway, we could feel it in the wall behind our bed.
My only other real problem with the hotel rooms is the tiny towels and two few pillows. I didn't recall the towels being that small on previous stays, but maybe they were. And for only two of us, the two pillows per bed were plenty, but had we brought more family, we'd have needed more.
We used the food court a couple of times. Pizza one night and Burgers another after returning from the parks. The burgers were huge and we wished we'd shared. We felt both were a good deal and tasty.
We spent a couple hours at the pool on Sunday after leaving the parks around 11. And then again on Tuesday from 8:30-11 pm. We brought our own tubes for the river and had them blown up (quite a line at 11:30 on Sunday). We enjoyed the DJ and music on Sunday afternoon. Had a drink each from the Hideaway...nice frozen drinks...it was HOT out. We also got the nachos which we deemed decent.
The parks were least busy on Sunday, and more-so on Monday and Tuesday. The longest wait we ever saw on the App was for Kong at 120 but mostly nothing got over 80 minutes. We didn't have EP, so did the attractions standby or single rider (second time only). We were able to do everything we wanted with less than a 30 minute wait by being conscious of the wait times and what would get busy and stay busy. (We did not do Hulk, RRR, or water rides, but did most everything else at least once). And I will say this....the parks were full of Brits. We estimated that about 60% of the people we encountered were British. It was amazing. I'd say that the American ration was likely around 25% of the park-goers with the rest of other nationalities. What a melting pot it was.
Sunday- got there around 8:30 entering Universal first. Minions was down so when to Gringotts. Rode that with a 20 minute wait and then went to the train to Hogsmeade. No wait, then FJ with a 30 minute wait. After that we did Kong with no real wait. Spiderman with 25 minute wait and then to the pool. There was a big rain storm with thunder/lightening so we stayed in our room for awhile. We did return to the park for the evening but didn't get a whole lot done and I'm having trouble recalling what we did do other than Make-up show and Fallon. I know we stopped for beers at the bar in SF area and people watched a good while. We hung out in the Fallon ride for one whole round of colors watching the videos and Ragtime gals. The TM kept urging us to join one of the rides, but the waiting area is a fun part for us and we waited until we were ready. Hashtag asked for my DDs phone and did a selfie with us.
Monday- got to the park around 8:30 again started with Minions which said 20 minutes but was more like 30 and then said 45 when we got out. Transformers next was a walk-on basically. We spent our day doing rides and shows, lunch in Hogsmeade and went back to get our raincoats before the finale show after dinner at Bubba Gump. It was good with the new water cannons and fireworks, but I missed the old film clips from the previous show. This one left out so much.
Tuesday- Got up later and went to the pool for the morning. Asked for a late checkout. Left the pool at 11 got showered, finished packing and loaded up the car. Then to the bus for the parks. We ate at Finnegans. Once again we should have shared. There was just too much food. Pork plate and Fish and Chips. We could have fed two more people. Then we did Animal Actors and ET which we'd yet to do, back to MIB (Single rider...walked on). DD rode with some people who were very impressed with her score so she had to tell them what she did for the high score. She always beats me. I did remember to get the bonus this time though. We were able to do Mummy with about 15 minute wait, Fallon with Virtual Pass and a couple other things. We left the park around 4:30 to go check in to Drury Inn and have their dinner there. We decided on seeing a movie and chose Mission Impossible at the AMC so drove back over and loved the free parking after 6. The movie was fine.....I think that these action adventure movies are just getting too full of chases and fights and impossible situations these days. Voodoo Donuts afterwards for our late night snack and a few to bring home.
We slept in a bit and left for home around 9 after the buffet breakfast. 10 hours later.... we arrived.
Let me know if you have any questions.
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What was your favorite kind? Mine was The Chuckles- the one with peanuts and caramel! Yum!
