Should we visit USO?

[agamble]

We live in California. This year we purchased tickets that allow us 3 days at Universal Hollywood. We have used one day and will use the other two in March or April. The tour is great, but does not exist in FL. Visiting Hogwarts was fun too, and I understand it is much larger in FL. The park in CA is small and very crowded, we visited over Memorial Day weekend. Wait times were long, but I understand they are much longer in FL.

We are going to Orlando for WDW for about 2 weeks this summer. I'm having second thoughts about including USO as the parks are likely to be extremely busy with wait times estimated to be 90-300 minutes for popular attractions. The express pass costs as much as the park tickets during June, so not worth it. Our kids will be 4, 7, and 10. Our 4 year old is tall (probably 44" by then), but will still not be able to ride several attractions, our 7 year old will make the 48" required of several rides. Mostly it is the crowds that concern me. I'm not sure it is worth $1,000 if the days will be hot and crowded with long lines for all attractions (we waited an hour at USH for Kung Fu Panda) and extreme lines for the popular ones. Disney makes things easy with FP guaranteeing a ride on a few good attractions each day with limited wait. We are staying in a Timeshare this trip, so onsite at USO is not an option.

Is Universal as busy as I am seeing online? Would we spend most of the day waiting in ridiculous lines?

 

[bchbetha]

Worth it! Universal is our favorite. Diagon Alley is amazing!
With good planning, your lines can be more manageable. Aka get there before opening, have a plan/must do list, do your must dos in the AM, eat lunch by 11:30, snack during the day and eat a late dinner. Use the app to see wait times and plan accordingly.
Yes, it seems silly to pay for lodging you do t need BUT don’t be shortsighted! If you only have 1 day in the summer then Express Passes can really help and booking a room is the cheapest way to get them.
You book a room for around $300, check in the afternoon before your park day and enjoy your resort. Pools, mini golf... early bed and roll off into the parks for early entry with a 10 minute walk vs a drive, park... It’s just a really nice way to do the parks. Buying Express Passes would run $100+ per person so you clearly come out ahead with that hotel stay. But, the biggest thing is that 1 night in the hotel actually gives you Express Passes from check in through check out day (2 days of Passes for 1 night stay). With only planning to do one park day you aren’t really maximizing the savings so play with the numbers. Even just early entry is pretty handy and the less expensive hotels give you that (just no Express Passes).
Yes, Disney gives you free fast passes but you have to know to book them and then there’s no guarantee of getting good ones at good times. At Universal with EPs you just walk up whenever and ride.
If you’re Harry Potter fans you’ll have to decide if the Hogwarts Express is a must do. You need park to park tickets if it is.

 

[maverik85]

If you're interested int hem I'd defintely give it a shot if it's within your budget. Crowds can get large but still be manageable. I know it's harder with younger children but if possible could do the single rider line, at least for stuff that the younger ones cant ride. Many times those lines can be much shorter, Have gone and had rides like Spider-Man and Forbidden Journey be at 2+hour waits and gotten on the ride in about 5 minutes with single rider

 

[bchbetha]

Wanted to add that ride swap works well at Universal. Everyone waits in line together and there’s a holding room off the ride platform (usually shows movies) and you immediately swap after the ride. No waiting in line a second time like at Disney.

 

[macraven]

It is definitely worth it to do a day at UO

You will find sections in each park geared toward your children’s ages

 

[agamble]

Worth it! Universal is our favorite. Diagon Alley is amazing!
With good planning, your lines can be more manageable. Aka get there before opening, have a plan/must do list, do your must dos in the AM, eat lunch by 11:30, snack during the day and eat a late dinner. Use the app to see wait times and plan accordingly.
Yes, it seems silly to pay for lodging you do t need BUT don’t be shortsighted! If you only have 1 day in the summer then Express Passes can really help and booking a room is the cheapest way to get them.
You book a room for around $300, check in the afternoon before your park day and enjoy your resort. Pools, mini golf... early bed and roll off into the parks for early entry with a 10 minute walk vs a drive, park... It’s just a really nice way to do the parks. Buying Express Passes would run $100+ per person so you clearly come out ahead with that hotel stay. But, the biggest thing is that 1 night in the hotel actually gives you Express Passes from check in through check out day (2 days of Passes for 1 night stay). With only planning to do one park day you aren’t really maximizing the savings so play with the numbers. Even just early entry is pretty handy and the less expensive hotels give you that (just no Express Passes).
Yes, Disney gives you free fast passes but you have to know to book them and then there’s no guarantee of getting good ones at good times. At Universal with EPs you just walk up whenever and ride.
If you’re Harry Potter fans you’ll have to decide if the Hogwarts Express is a must do. You need park to park tickets if it is.

Thank you for your very enthusiastic response. Yes EP is $149 a person on our dates. I did forget to say my mother was coming with us (paying her own ticket costs). For a room with EP it would cost $1,000-1,300 a night for 6 people. Even a regular room with just early entry is $250. It may be worth it if I can get a discount. But it does mean the two days cost even more than $1,000. If we were just a group of 5 we could get an EP room for $444-550 a night. Yikes! It's like staying at Disney, which we're not doing this trip. We will keep USO on our list of things to consider. It does look like a lot of fun and many people relate it to the experience of Disneyland where there are two close parks with so many attractions. BUT all the tips I see say get EP or use early entry. I haven't found any tips for avoiding crowds that don't involve staying on property. We can arrive before opening to hit an attraction or two before the crowds descend. I was thinking they may have early entry to both parks in the summer since it is busy, but maybe we'll luck out and can visit the park without. We do like Harry Potter, and the Spiderman ride sounds awesome (7 year old is a boy), but we are also going back to USH for two days this spring and can ride the original Harry Potter rides there. But I would like to experience Gringotts. The Seuss stuff also looks great, and may not be as appealing when the kids are older. This is not a one time only trip as we will return at least once more when our kids are a few years older.

Do you have any good tips besides stay on site and eat early? We are also coming from 3 hours away so might be a bit time lagged.

 

[agamble]

If you're interested int hem I'd defintely give it a shot if it's within your budget. Crowds can get large but still be manageable. I know it's harder with younger children but if possible could do the single rider line, at least for stuff that the younger ones cant ride. Many times those lines can be much shorter, Have gone and had rides like Spider-Man and Forbidden Journey be at 2+hour waits and gotten on the ride in about 5 minutes with single rider

Thank you! The single rider may be a good tip. Do they have an age requirement like Disney, would my 7 year old be allowed to do a single rider for Spider-Man? Are there a lot of rides with Single Rider?

Wanted to add that ride swap works well at Universal. Everyone waits in line together and there’s a holding room off the ride platform (usually shows movies) and you immediately swap after the ride. No waiting in line a second time like at Disney.

We used the rider swap at USH for Harry Potter and I liked that there was a video and no one had to wait again. Plus they got to walk through Hogwarts too. I actually felt it was better than Disney's rider swap for both time used and keeping the party together. Our little kids enjoyed watching the Harry Potter movie while waiting too.

 

[martikus]

Nope. As much as I love universal I wouldn’t do it for your kids young ages. We took DS when 10 and it was perfect age to start liking all the rides.

wait until kids are older and you can stay onsite with EP passes. They truly are game changing. Enjoy your other plans and honestly if Disney is what you are doing then you’ll be pooped from all that. I’ve never understood everyone who tries to pack it all in. The cost, the exhaustion, etc.

If you are looking for something else and will have a rental car. Your kids are great ages to enjoy LEGO land. It’s about 45’min from Orlando.

 

[maverik85]

I don't know of any age limits for single rider. probably more up to you to decide if you're comofrtable with them being alone for any period. Most of the major rides have single rider. some of them are hidden a bit so can always ask an employee

Nope. As much as I love universal I wouldn’t do it for your kids young ages. We took DS when 10 and it was perfect age to start liking all the rides.

wait until kids are older and you can stay onsite with EP passes. They truly are game changing. Enjoy your other plans and honestly if Disney is what you are doing then you’ll be pooped from all that. I’ve never understood everyone who tries to pack it all in. The cost, the exhaustion, etc.

If you are looking for something else and will have a rental car. Your kids are great ages to enjoy LEGO land. It’s about 45’min from Orlando.

I do kind of agree though with the 4 year old might be better to wait a coupe years until they are older and can ride more too. a lot fo stuff at universal they couldn't ride but sure you'd ahve a fun trip either way. But with the all young Legoland would be a good alternative if they like them. OR even Busch Gardens. Does have lots of big coasters but have all the animal exhibits and stuff to check out too and can go to the beach while out there too. Maybe stay a night in Tampa. Do Busch one day adn beach the next.

 

[bchbetha]

Thank you for your very enthusiastic response. Yes EP is $149 a person on our dates. I did forget to say my mother was coming with us (paying her own ticket costs). For a room with EP it would cost $1,000-1,300 a night for 6 people. Even a regular room with just early entry is $250. It may be worth it if I can get a discount. But it does mean the two days cost even more than $1,000. If we were just a group of 5 we could get an EP room for $444-550 a night. Yikes! It's like staying at Disney, which we're not doing this trip. We will keep USO on our list of things to consider. It does look like a lot of fun and many people relate it to the experience of Disneyland where there are two close parks with so many attractions. BUT all the tips I see say get EP or use early entry. I haven't found any tips for avoiding crowds that don't involve staying on property. We can arrive before opening to hit an attraction or two before the crowds descend. I was thinking they may have early entry to both parks in the summer since it is busy, but maybe we'll luck out and can visit the park without. We do like Harry Potter, and the Spiderman ride sounds awesome (7 year old is a boy), but we are also going back to USH for two days this spring and can ride the original Harry Potter rides there. But I would like to experience Gringotts. The Seuss stuff also looks great, and may not be as appealing when the kids are older. This is not a one time only trip as we will return at least once more when our kids are a few years older.

Do you have any good tips besides stay on site and eat early? We are also coming from 3 hours away so might be a bit time lagged.

Where are you seeing $1000+ per night? You say you have 2 weeks in FL- I imagine you can juggle dates to find cheaper ones and book 2 rooms for closer to $250-350. Remember, the rats included the EPs so you don’t have to pay for them too (I assume you know that but occasionally people don’t).

In my post that you quoted, I gave this advice: “With good planning, your lines can be more manageable. Aka get there before opening, have a plan/must do list, do your must dos in the AM, eat lunch by 11:30, snack during the day and eat a late dinner. Use the app to see wait times and plan accordingly.”

That was my advice for no early entry or express passes.

 

[bchbetha]

What about the little kids go to Legoland or Seaworld with 1+ adult and the other adult takes the 10yo to USO?

 

[Alynw]

We live in California. This year we purchased tickets that allow us 3 days at Universal Hollywood. We have used one day and will use the other two in March or April. The tour is great, but does not exist in FL. Visiting Hogwarts was fun too, and I understand it is much larger in FL. The park in CA is small and very crowded, we visited over Memorial Day weekend. Wait times were long, but I understand they are much longer in FL.

We are going to Orlando for WDW for about 2 weeks this summer. I'm having second thoughts about including USO as the parks are likely to be extremely busy with wait times estimated to be 90-300 minutes for popular attractions. The express pass costs as much as the park tickets during June, so not worth it. Our kids will be 4, 7, and 10. Our 4 year old is tall (probably 44" by then), but will still not be able to ride several attractions, our 7 year old will make the 48" required of several rides. Mostly it is the crowds that concern me. I'm not sure it is worth $1,000 if the days will be hot and crowded with long lines for all attractions (we waited an hour at USH for Kung Fu Panda) and extreme lines for the popular ones. Disney makes things easy with FP guaranteeing a ride on a few good attractions each day with limited wait. We are staying in a Timeshare this trip, so onsite at USO is not an option.

Is Universal as busy as I am seeing online? Would we spend most of the day waiting in ridiculous lines?

Not sure it's even an option for ya but if it were at all possible to adjust your dates, later summer is going to be your lower crowds. Starting around mid August through September is probably best time to go to avoid big crowds, especially September. If u could plan ur trip during this time frame u probably wouldn't even need EP at all. I'm sure you checked on this but figured I'd throw it out there anyway. Nonetheless, if ur going in June, I think I would base my decision off my budget. Yes the EP is very expensive but this is how I look at it, (example only)I would rather spend $120 1 day ticket + $150 EP =$270 and be able to ride all the rides without long waits and enjoy my time there, rather than spending the $120 just for ticket and be miserable waiting hours in lines. I would rather spend more and feel like I got my money's worth than to spend less and feel like I wasted my money. So in my opinion, if the crowds and wait times are an important factor to you and it seems they are, if u can afford the EP then go and have fun but if u cant and its going to bother u to have to wait in long lines then maybe hold off until u can afford to go under conditions u will better enjoy. Good luck

 

[CAPSLOCK]

If you are not going to use the room to stay in, you could also get the 5 person room and just buy one EP for much cheaper than the 6 person room....

But I agree that the 1 day price is quite a lot. Are there $1000 worth of different things from Hollywood for your family to enjoy? Would waiting and doing 2-3 days on another trip be an option, once the younger ones can do more rides?

 

[agamble]

Where are you seeing $1000+ per night?

Universal's website. When I put in my dates with 3 adults and 3 kids the rates come up high. I'll keep an eye out for rate drops for the cheaper rooms. I was willing to buy the EP when I thought it was $70, but not at nearly $150. So I would be willing to get a hotel for 2 nights to have early entry and a close place to stay if it was closer to $200/night.

Thanks for the tips.

Not sure it's even an option for ya but if it were at all possible to adjust your dates, later summer is going to be your lower crowds. Starting around mid August through September is probably best time to go to avoid big crowds, especially September. If u could plan ur trip during this time frame u probably wouldn't even need EP at all. I'm sure you checked on this but figured I'd throw it out there anyway. Nonetheless, if ur going in June, I think I would base my decision off my budget. Yes the EP is very expensive but this is how I look at it, (example only)I would rather spend $120 1 day ticket + $150 EP =$270 and be able to ride all the rides without long waits and enjoy my time there, rather than spending the $120 just for ticket and be miserable waiting hours in lines. I would rather spend more and feel like I got my money's worth than to spend less and feel like I wasted my money. So in my opinion, if the crowds and wait times are an important factor to you and it seems they are, if u can afford the EP then go and have fun but if u cant and its going to bother u to have to wait in long lines then maybe hold off until u can afford to go under conditions u will better enjoy. Good luck

Our dates are set for this trip give or take a day; I've already booked part of our timeshare. I'm a teacher, so fall won't work. If I could go any time I would go in late April. Maybe some day.

Do you think one day with an EP is better than two days without?

If you are not going to use the room to stay in, you could also get the 5 person room and just buy one EP for much cheaper than the 6 person room....

But I agree that the 1 day price is quite a lot. Are there $1000 worth of different things from Hollywood for your family to enjoy? Would waiting and doing 2-3 days on another trip be an option, once the younger ones can do more rides?

This is what I was considering. USO will still be there in 3-5 years. Trying to decide if we should go because we're there and have two weeks and can, or if it will just be too crowded and not worth the money. It sounds like it may not be too bad except for the most popular rides. I'll have to discuss more with my husband and mother.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You know the 1 hotel night gets you 2 days (check in day and check out day) of early entry & EP? The EE is not so helpful if you are getting a 5 person room.

I think 2 days without is better than 1 with. There's more time to explore and take in details, less rushing, and if a ride's having trouble you have another shot at it. More importantly, first thing in the morning and last thing at night, waits are low. Especially the morning. So you effectively have 2 hour(+?) walk-on periods with the 2 days, plus low crowds each night (the best time for Harry exploration, IMO).

 

[agamble]

You know the 1 hotel night gets you 2 days (check in day and check out day) of early entry & EP? The EE is not so helpful if you are getting a 5 person room.

I think 2 days without is better than 1 with. There's more time to explore and take in details, less rushing, and if a ride's having trouble you have another shot at it. More importantly, first thing in the morning and last thing at night, waits are low. Especially the morning. So you effectively have 2 hour(+?) walk-on periods with the 2 days, plus low crowds each night (the best time for Harry exploration, IMO).

Thank you. I feel like two days is better too. I was looking at a 6 person suite at one of the cheaper hotels. They are currently $250 a night, but maybe will have a deal later.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Are you planning to use the room, or just early entry? $250 for just an extra hour is a lot. Only a few things are open during EE. To use that extra hour on the first day (if you do 2 days), you have to check into the hotel very early to get room keys (room won't be ready then, obviously) and then head over to the park to be there for EE for that plan to work. EP process is the same, but there is way more benefit IMO from EP than only EE.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Single rider with kids --When my youngest was a young-looking but confident 10-year-old, we used single rider on Spider-Man with no issues. I believe that there is a rule that you have to be 48 inches to ride alone, so I would guess that they enforce that for single riders. Taller kids should be fine, as long as they can separate from you without a delay, get in the ride vehicle with strangers, follow all directions, and wait for you at the end if they're done first. Keep in mind that single rider lines are not always open.

 

[Alynw]

We live in California. This year we purchased tickets that allow us 3 days at Universal Hollywood. We have used one day and will use the other two in March or April. The tour is great, but does not exist in FL. Visiting Hogwarts was fun too, and I understand it is much larger in FL. The park in CA is small and very crowded, we visited over Memorial Day weekend. Wait times were long, but I understand they are much longer in FL.

We are going to Orlando for WDW for about 2 weeks this summer. I'm having second thoughts about including USO as the parks are likely to be extremely busy with wait times estimated to be 90-300 minutes for popular attractions. The express pass costs as much as the park tickets during June, so not worth it. Our kids will be 4, 7, and 10. Our 4 year old is tall (probably 44" by then), but will still not be able to ride several attractions, our 7 year old will make the 48" required of several rides. Mostly it is the crowds that concern me. I'm not sure it is worth $1,000 if the days will be hot and crowded with long lines for all attractions (we waited an hour at USH for Kung Fu Panda) and extreme lines for the popular ones. Disney makes things easy with FP guaranteeing a ride on a few good attractions each day with limited wait. We are staying in a Timeshare this trip, so onsite at USO is not an option.

Is Universal as busy as I am seeing online? Would we spend most of the day waiting in ridiculous lines?

Seeing as your coming from 3hr away and not really planning on the early arrival, there are other cheaper EP options you can go with. They do offer a after 4pm EP for like half the cost of the regular EP and u get the same benefits, just from 4pm til closing. You could get there midday, buy the after 4pm EP rite away (they can sell out) and see some shows and try to ride hagrid's as u cant use EP for that ride anyway and then once 4pm hits, take off with EP for the rest of the night.

 

[agamble]

Are you planning to use the room, or just early entry? $250 for just an extra hour is a lot. Only a few things are open during EE. To use that extra hour on the first day (if you do 2 days), you have to check into the hotel very early to get room keys (room won't be ready then, obviously) and then head over to the park to be there for EE for that plan to work. EP process is the same, but there is way more benefit IMO from EP than only EE.

We would stay in the room. It's the only way we would be able to get there that early. Having a room could be beneficial for several reasons as we are staying near Animal Kingdom. EP would cost 150 per person per day, 1500 on top of the 1200 for 2 day tickets.