Universal newbie and I need help!

[disny_luvr]

My sons spent one day at Universal in the spring when they went with their high school marching band. They absolutely loved it, hence why we are considering a trip here. Neither myself nor DH has ever been and I'm having a hard time guesstimating how much time we will need here. I've asked my boys, and they are being as helpful as two, 16-year-olds can be.

We are thinking of flying down on a Monday morning, arriving to Universal between 2:00-3:00pm. Would it be beneficial for us to go to a park when we arrive or just spend time at our hotel and get the lay of the land? We plan on spending one night at one of their premiere (deluxe?) resorts to get the Express Pass. We also want to go to Volcano Bay one day and will probably spend a night or two at Cabana Bay. How many days/nights total should we plan for? If we did visit a park on our arrival day, could we see/do most of the rides between the two parks with Express Pass in 1 1/2 days or should we plan for another day? We would like to to arrive at Disney by Friday, but was also wondering if we could plan on a Thursday night arrival? We are planning our trip for mid-June, not sure if that will make a difference.

Any help would be appreciated! I'm at a total loss. I just want someone to plan out each day for me.

 

[CynBeth]

We stayed on Universal property at Portofino for 2 nights the week before Thanksgiving 2021 and then were at Disney. We went to the park on arrival day a Wednesday only had a half day and then a full day on Thursday before going to Disney the Friday before Thanksgiving. We don’t go on roller coasters or anything with a drop and did not get to do all of the rides and shows we wanted. We mostly ate at CS but did one TS and went on a lot of rides and saw some shows and the parade but wished we had a full 2 days or a 3rd day and that was with the express pass.

 

[disny_luvr]

We stayed on Universal property at Portofino for 2 nights the week before Thanksgiving 2021 and then were at Disney. We went to the park on arrival day a Wednesday only had a half day and then a full day on Thursday before going to Disney the Friday before Thanksgiving. We don’t go on roller coasters or anything with a drop and did not get to do all of the rides and shows we wanted. We mostly ate at CS but did one TS and went on a lot of rides and saw some shows and the parade but wished we had a full 2 days or a 3rd day and that was with the express pass.

This is helpful! Thank you!

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

Mid-June will be hot and crowded, and the parks stay open fairly late. So staying at a premier hotel the day you arrive will get you the express passes for a day and a half, plus early entry, so you’ll be able to maximize your parks visit. You can leave your luggage with the bellman and then transfer to the new hotel late on your second day, after you’ve left the park (I don’t believe they have transfer services like DWR).

I think this gives you enough time to hit the rides, and catch a few shows, but juggling the shows (a bigger part of the Universal experience) can be a bit more challenging). For your 16YOs, there are many rides they’ll probably want to ride multiple times, so that’ll add some challenge also.

Then a full day at Volcano Bay, and you should be ready for the DWR portion of the trip.

You didn’t mention the total amount of time for the trip, but it sounds like you could do 2.5 days at Universal (+ 1 day at VB)? That will feel a lot less rushed - and then the first two nights at a regular hotel, and the last night at a premier resort may be a better plan.

 

[wdwrule]

My sons spent one day at Universal in the spring when they went with their high school marching band. They absolutely loved it, hence why we are considering a trip here. Neither myself nor DH has ever been and I'm having a hard time guesstimating how much time we will need here. I've asked my boys, and they are being as helpful as two, 16-year-olds can be.

We are thinking of flying down on a Monday morning, arriving to Universal between 2:00-3:00pm. Would it be beneficial for us to go to a park when we arrive or just spend time at our hotel and get the lay of the land? We plan on spending one night at one of their premiere (deluxe?) resorts to get the Express Pass. We also want to go to Volcano Bay one day and will probably spend a night or two at Cabana Bay. How many days/nights total should we plan for? If we did visit a park on our arrival day, could we see/do most of the rides between the two parks with Express Pass in 1 1/2 days or should we plan for another day? We would like to to arrive at Disney by Friday, but was also wondering if we could plan on a Thursday night arrival? We are planning our trip for mid-June, not sure if that will make a difference.

Any help would be appreciated! I'm at a total loss. I just want someone to plan out each day for me.

First off yay so exciting!! I agree with the other posters who mentioned staying premiere/deluxe the last night or two so you’re able to have FULL check in and checkout days at the parks to make the most of the included EP.

We’ve never been to Volcano Bay and just stick to Studios and IoA but people say it’s a wonderful water park. If you’re definitely planning on VB, I’d probably stay at CB my first night… arrival day being a half day as you mentioned, you could get the lay of the land, check out Citywalk and/or visit a park. Then the next day spend at VB and that night at CB again. Then, early morning, move over to premiere resort such as Royal Pacific which isn’t far from CB and enjoy EP for the rest of your stay including departure day. Just my opinion though. The other two premiere resorts are lovely as well with our favorite being PBH.

Not sure if you’re into watching YouTube, but there are a lot of great informative videos out there about UO. My favorites are from Rixflix and The Pugh Two. I actually just watched one today from Rixflix that mentioned recommended number of days to visit (just his opinion).

Here’s the video if interested which also includes some tips and tricks…

 

[disny_luvr]

Mid-June will be hot and crowded, and the parks stay open fairly late. So staying at a premier hotel the day you arrive will get you the express passes for a day and a half, plus early entry, so you’ll be able to maximize your parks visit. You can leave your luggage with the bellman and then transfer to the new hotel late on your second day, after you’ve left the park (I don’t believe they have transfer services like DWR).

I think this gives you enough time to hit the rides, and catch a few shows, but juggling the shows (a bigger part of the Universal experience) can be a bit more challenging). For your 16YOs, there are many rides they’ll probably want to ride multiple times, so that’ll add some challenge also.

Then a full day at Volcano Bay, and you should be ready for the DWR portion of the trip.

You didn’t mention the total amount of time for the trip, but it sounds like you could do 2.5 days at Universal (+ 1 day at VB)? That will feel a lot less rushed - and then the first two nights at a regular hotel, and the last night at a premier resort may be a better plan.

We are thinking about spending four nights at Universal and five nights at Disney, but nothing is set in stone; we can stay longer if needed.

This is probably a silly question, but any recommendations on getting luggage from one resort to another? I have no idea on the size of Universal. Can we walk from one resort to another or is Lyft/Uber our best option?

 

[disny_luvr]

First off yay so exciting!! I agree with the other posters who mentioned staying premiere/deluxe the last night or two so you’re able to have FULL check in and checkout days at the parks to make the most of the included EP.

We’ve never been to Volcano Bay and just stick to Studios and IoA but people say it’s a wonderful water park. If you’re definitely planning on VB, I’d probably stay at CB my first night… arrival day being a half day as you mentioned, you could get the lay of the land, check out Citywalk and/or visit a park. Then the next day spend at VB and that night at CB again. Then, early morning, move over to premiere resort such as Royal Pacific which isn’t far from CB and enjoy EP for the rest of your stay including departure day. Just my opinion though. The other two premiere resorts are lovely as well with our favorite being PBH.

Not sure if you’re into watching YouTube, but there are a lot of great informative videos out there about UO. My favorites are from Rixflix and The Pugh Two. I actually just watched one today from Rixflix that mentioned recommended number of days to visit (just his opinion).

Here’s the video if interested which also includes some tips and tricks…

Thank you so much for the video links! I’ll definitely watch them and I’m pretty sure my family will, too!

We’ve been watching videos of Volcano Bay probably since it opened and my boys have always wanted to go to it. We actually almost went back in 2021, but it would’ve been a day trip from Disney and in the end I just didn’t want to give up Disney time to go. Then, when my boys went to Universal with their marching band earlier this year, they went from not really wanting to go to Universal to we can’t wait to go back, so we thought it was time to take our first trip to Universal, plus now we can go to Volcano Bay.

I like the idea of ending our time at Universal at a premium resort. So much to think about…

 

[wdwrule]

We are thinking about spending four nights at Universal and five nights at Disney, but nothing is set in stone; we can stay longer if needed.

This is probably a silly question, but any recommendations on getting luggage from one resort to another? I have no idea on the size of Universal. Can we walk from one resort to another or is Lyft/Uber our best option?

Some resorts are easily walkable with luggage… unless it’s a lot of awkward luggage. For example, CB, Aventura and Sapphire Falls are very close together. Sapphire Falls and Aventura are easily walkable to RPR (especially Sapphire Falls which can even be walked completely indoors). CB can be walkable to RPR but slightly further. Uber and Lyft are very easy and convenient to take to other resorts.

Some hotels will transfer the luggage for you… best bet is to call the hotel direct and ask ahead of time so you can plan accordingly.

 

[wdwrule]

Thank you so much for the video links! I’ll definitely watch them and I’m pretty sure my family will, too!

We’ve been watching videos of Volcano Bay probably since it opened and my boys have always wanted to go to it. We actually almost went back in 2021, but it would’ve been a day trip from Disney and in the end I just didn’t want to give up Disney time to go. Then, when my boys went to Universal with their marching band earlier this year, they went from not really wanting to go to Universal to we can’t wait to go back, so we thought it was time to take our first trip to Universal, plus now we can go to Volcano Bay.

I like the idea of ending our time at Universal at a premium resort. So much to think about…

I totally understand! We have always been a Disney family. We took the kids almost once per year to WDW from when they were around 4 years old until August 2021 (around 17 years old). We never wanted to take away Disney time even though we always wondered about Universal. Finally in August 2021, we gave Universal a try and have been hooked ever since… annual passes and all.

I’m so excited for you guys! There’s definitely magic there as well… especially in the Harry Potter areas.

 

[disny_luvr]

Awe, thanks for sharing your story! My DH and I are excited to try something new and my boys cannot wait to go back!

 

[ajsamett]

I agree with the suggestion of starting at CB, doing VB then moving to a premier hotels. Especially with flights operating as they are now, if you are delayed and you don't arrive until like 4, plus checking in and all that, then you've missed out on much of your free EPs. I think 2 full days with EPs would get your fill of Universal. I love VB, highly suggested!

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

We are thinking about spending four nights at Universal and five nights at Disney, but nothing is set in stone; we can stay longer if needed.

This is probably a silly question, but any recommendations on getting luggage from one resort to another? I have no idea on the size of Universal. Can we walk from one resort to another or is Lyft/Uber our best option?

Splitting the stay 4/5 probably be okay. That gives you the first half day to relax, and wander around citywalk. Then a day at the parks without the express pass, and a day at the water park. Then switch hotel and the last two days at UO with an express pass.

The only problem is that only leaves you 4-5 days at DWR (depending on what you’re doing on your last day). Personally I would prefer to shift one day to DWR, but I have a 6YO daughter, not teenage boys!

 

[martikus]

We like 5 days now. That includes one day at volcano bay. Express pass is life Changing. Disney is gonna be hard after. There might be a deal if buy 2 days get 2 days free. it
Can be fun to go over in morning, back to
Pool in afternoon, then to parks. We like one
Morning going over in swimsuits to do
Dudley do right, popeyes and jurrasic park.
You get SOAKED on popeyes but so fun.

Have a great time.

 

[JennyDrake]

HI! In 2022 I dropped my WDW AP for the first time in 20+ years and switched to Universal. The NICE thing about Universal is that you don't have to plan out every moment like you do at WDW. Bus service is MUCH faster and with MINIMAL waits for buses.
The parks will be crowded but unlike WDW, passable, while you are there. There isn't the shoulder-to-shoulder congestion you experience at WDW.
_I_ would settle in the first night and go to City Walk (which doesn't require admission media) for dinner and maybe have a nice swim at the resort.
If your and yours like intense roller coasters, you can easily spend a day JUST riding them.
Since you are going during summer heat, _I_ would schedule extra time for UO and build in time each afternoon for a swim or nap-- or both!
Have fun!