1st timer questions

[KyGirl]

Common story I suppose but we are a veteran Disney family considering a trip to universal. I’m thinking about offering a trip to my daughter for her seventh birthday this summer instead of having a birthday party because she has recently become a total Harry Potter nut and I desperately hate having kids birthday parties...

1. The dates I had in mind for park days were June 10,11, and 12. Which I just realized is right before the new Hagrid ride opens. So that brings two questions: First will the park be extra crowded that week leading up to the opening and secondly, should we extend the trip a day to try to see the new ride or will it be so crowded we wouldn’t have a chance? I don’t have any experience with new ride openings.

2. So we’ll be looking at either three or four day two park tickets. I’m also considering two nights at one of the hotels that will provide express pass, to get the three days of passes. How do you decide if it’s worth it to upgrade to a season pass for discounts etc? It’s never even been close for us at Disney but my understanding was that sometimes it is at universal? Does that make sense? Also I always use undercover tourist for Disney. Best option here too if we get regular tickets?

3. While I know the fancy hotels are priced WELL below Disney deluxes.... it’s still a real stretch for us. We usually bring our camper to Disney and stay at Fort Wilderness. Is the express pass really worth it? I guess June would be absolutely packed? Our last 3 times at Disney were in January so I’m really concerned about crowds. Also best of the three hotels for a family of three with a seven year old?

4. My daughter is I think, almost exactly 48 inches tall. In January they let us in the line for Rockin Roller Coaster at DHS but then not on the ride. (Cue the tears!) When we measure her at home in her shoes she is over 48. Have parents with kids like that found that they usually make it? To be clear, I’m not trying to cheat the system or get her on to something if it’s not safe. There’s a local place here that measures for little rides and I think they must add two inches to their sticks or something.... So I’m asking if universal’s 48 is a true to life 48 inches I guess. The trip is for her so if she probably couldn’t get on the rides it’s not worth it.

5. Obviously I spend a year planning for Disney and we’re well into that window. But my research indicates that’s no problem at universal. As long as I can get a room booking I guess right? With fewer days overall we wouldn’t be wanting big fancy dinners or anything anyway. Both of the Harry Potter options are quick service right?

Sorry for the stream of consciousness and many questions. We had already planned to do universal instead of Disney for our next trip because I don’t want to be anywhere near Star Wars for the first couple years. But we were at Disney in January 2019 so this would definitely be pushing our trip up.... I just can’t decide if it’s the right thing to do.

 

[EmJ]

I'm nowhere near a Universal expert and really have no business answering these questions, but I can at least bump for you and tell you my thoughts. We are also a family of three, with a child of similar age.

1. June 10-12 have Undercover Tourist crowd calendar ratings of 7 and 8. With it being so close to the opening of the new Hagrid coaster, there may be people hanging around hoping for a soft opening. However, I'd think they would be sticking around pretty close to the ride, so while they might add extra bodies, I don't think those people specifically would be taking up space in lines. As to waiting to ride the ride, how adventurous is your daughter? The Hagrid coaster has a minimum height of 48", will reach speeds of 50 miles per hour, and educated rumors say it has a section of "falling track" so that the train falls straight down at one point (as though falling through Devil's Snare). I'm 36 years old, and a complete Potterhead, and I will not be riding

2. I'm looking at seasonal passes for my family's five-day stay, as the cost of a five day ticket and a seasonal pass are almost the exact same. For 3/4 days, it would be a tougher call. Annual pass hotel rates can be found here and they are available for June: https://res.windsurfercrs.com/ibe/d...hildren=0&promo=aph&iata=&group=&hotels=&ada= I'd say just open an Excel sheet and compare 3/4 day regular tickets with non-AP rates against a seasonal pass with AP rates and see which one comes out better. Also, only one person in your party needs to have an AP pass to get the good rate. Everyone in the room will still get Express Passes.

3. From everything I hear, the Express Pass is absolutely worth every penny... and I'm not getting them. Like you, I just can't swing the $260 or whatever for Royal Pacific Resort, when Cabana Bay is half that. My husband and I will use the single rider line on Kong, Forbidden Journey, and other "scary" rides my son doesn't want to go on anyway. We will plan carefully to make rides like Spiderman and Despicable Me first of the day. And we will cheerfully be at the gates at 7:00 am (coffee in hand) so that we can be the earliest of the early entry folks at 8:00. A little line waitin' never hurt no one

4. I have no idea whether Universal "trues up" its 48" to account for shoes. Though, only Forbidden Journey and the new Hagrid coaster in Harry Potter have a height restriction of 48". Gringotts is 44" and Flight of the Hippogriff is even less. Forbidden Journey is not quite as thrilling as the new Hagrid coaster sounds, but it is still rather intense. If she's a thrill seeker, that might be okay. If not, then she may not want to ride whether or not she meets the requirement. That said, there is TONS to do in the Wizarding World besides those two rides. I'm taking our 5 year old, and he can't wait to ride Flight of the Hippogriff, go on the Hogwarts Express, get his wand and cast spells, and buy sweets and jokes in the shops. Oh and get an owl. A "real one", he says.

5. I understand that the answer to this question is "no, a year's planning is not required". I, however, am not capable of planning a vacation in less than a year, because (1) Type A, and (2) too excited! In addition to browsing this board, I've also been reading The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando 2019 by Seth Kubersky and I feel VERY prepared for our trip... 11 months early. His book also offers various touring plans, including a touring plan for the Wizarding World (both parks in one day), as well as separate touring plans for Islands of Adventure With Kids and Universal Studios Florida With Kids (one park per day). Also he's funny. Much recommend.

Have fun!!

 

[EmJ]

Oh, and yes, both Harry Potter restaurants are quick service

 

[glocon]

My 2 cents:
1- if the Hagrid’s Motorcycle Adventure looks like a ride you all would enjoy, for sure stay another night!
2-definitely use UT for your UO tickets- we always do. You can upgrade to an AP while at the park if you find a good resort price with the APH discount.
3-EPs are So Worth It- stay deluxe if at all possible- at least for one night to get 2 days of unlimited EP.
4- don’t know about the 48” rule, sorry.
5-both HP restaurants are must do’s in our book. You might be able to split a meal if you wanted to.
Hope this helps!

 

[Blue32]

There is always a possibility that Hagrids will have soft openings the days leading up to the 13th. If it were my trip? I would absolutely stay another day to catch the opening. Get up early and plan on the lines being long for it....but what a great memory for the Potter lovers in the family to get on a brand new ride!

 

[KyGirl]

Thank you so much for all of this detailed information! It is really helping me to wrap my head around all of this and start to finalize some decisions.

My daughter is definitely a thrill seeker and will ride anything she’s allowed on. Especially if something is potter related!

I’m starting to get really excited. Thanks again!

 

[CyndiLooWho]

Another KY girl here.

1> I don't know how Hagrid will affect crowds that week. It's about the time that we visit when we go, and the crowds are usually manageable. Family of 4 who stay offsite with no Express Passes. I don't have experience with new ride openings, but I personally would not add a day. For us, I think the wait to get on Hagrid on the first day will be longer than we would want to do. I also expect that the park will be a lot busier that day, but I could be wrong.

2> We never try the season passes bc we are always able to get such a good deal at UT that it never comes close for us.

3> We have never stayed on site at either WDW or USO, and we always go in June around the time you do. For us, it's not worth the extra cost (plus family owns Wyndham time share points, so we can get a 3 BR condo at Bonnet Creek). We have never needed Express Pass, and the only ride we wanted to do but haven't been able to because of the wait is Minions. We get to the parks early, do what we want to do, and usually leave around 2-3pm to go to the lazy river at the condos. Maybe one day we'll want to do the onsite experience, but I don't want to give up separate bedrooms and a kitchen until the kids are out of our hair.

4> Our boys were over 48" the first time we went, so no experience there.

5> We've only done table service inside the parks once, and didn't have any problems getting into Finnegan's at lunch with no ressie. We've never waited long for any of the City Walk restaurants either, but we usually eat offsite in the evenings since we are staying offsite. The longest wait we've had on our June trips has been the 40+ minutes to get into VooDoo Donuts, and we just bought the prepackaged box of 13 from the VooDoo Donuts guy at the beginning of the line so that we didn't have to wait. We're not that patient.

I think you guys will have a lot of fun. We love Universal.

 

[Sue M]

You’re a little late for booking deluxe resorts, at the moment they’re all over $300+. But that could change. The closer you get, there may be AP rate. Example, we are staying at Royal Pacific arriving at the end of the month. We booked months ago, in the fall and got a $207 Stay More Save More room rate. You get the best discount staying 7 nights or more. Since then rates have gone up and down. Today I saw the AP rate for my dates at $209/night.

You could book Cabana Bay for now, and keep watching the deluxe rates and if something better comes along switch.
I like staying onsite for ease of getting back and forth to the parks and hotel and I don’t have to rent a car or pay for parking.

 

[Bethany10]

We're literally staying during your dates. We come in Monday the 10th and fly out Saturday the 15th. This was booked long before they announced the upcoming Hagrid ride opening day. Here's what we're doing.

1. Staying the heck away from the new ride once it opens. Only b/c I have no interest in standing in line for hours to be able to ride it. I know people who feel being one of the first to ride it is worth the time in line. Just depends on how your family feels about it. We're actually hoping the rest of the park isn't as packed so we can enjoy it. @EmJ THANK YOU for the info on the ride, as a non thrill seeker this really seals the deal for me. No drops for me!

2. Hotels- crack open your favorite spreadsheet program and do the math. We got priced out early on the EP hotels, even for just one night. We're staying in a family suite at Cabana Bay. Mama already has a pool cup fund started and I'm looking forward to my lazy river time! Look at the AP rates, we saved over 200 bucks from our original reservation by moving to the AP rate. I've continued to look at prices, but we're just not going to be able to afford even a throw away room at an EP hotel. Our plan is to get there for Early Entry, and get as much Harry Potter as we can stand before venturing out to the rest of the parks as the hoards arrive.

We purchased our tickets through Undercover Tourist as well. if you only want 2 parks, the 3 day park to park ticket is a break even with the lowest level of Annual Pass. (It's 3 day not 2 day right?) Be sure and get the park to park ticket as your daughter will want to ride Hogwarts Express between the parks. We're adding Volcano Bay to our stay, which changed things considerably for us and we ended up buying 5 day tickets which we'll convert to an AP and (fingers crossed) get money back when upgrading.

My kids are freakishly tall, so height has never been an issue for us, I'm sorry I can't comment on that one.

Enjoy your trip, I'm really excited for ours.

Oh, and I second the Unofficial Guide. I actually checked ours out from the library and read it cover to cover. (the 2019 edition) certainly worth paying for as well, but if you're still on the fence it's a free way to read all about the parks and help you make a call.