acarsme123
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2015
Hello all,
I am planning my family's first trip to Universal Florida for next spring (2020). Last time I was at Universal Florida was back in high school in the 90s! I have taken my family to Disney World twice in the last 4 years, and we absolutely are fanatics about it. Well my son, who will be 11 at the time of the planned trip, has been asking about going to Universal for a couple of years now, and I've decided to go ahead and take him next year.
For some reason my wife and I just can't get excited about the place though. I know it's a hot debate between which is better, Universal or Disney.....but not much about Universal seems appealing to my wife and I. The rides mostly seem to be screen/3D rides, which with her having epilepsy she can't handle very well. She can handle Flight of Passage ok, but she doesn't think she would be able to handle back-to-back 3D based rides.
And I know this sounds silly, but a huge part of our vacation is getting to try out good restaurants. Disney just seems to have a TON more variety and better sounding restaurants than Universal. So much so that i've jokingly told my wife maybe at night for dinner we should leave Universal and head over to Disney Springs!
So I guess I'm just looking for some advice and pointers and just general impressions/experiences to help get me more in a better mood about going to Universal. I also have some specific questions I was wondering if anyone can help answer.
#1. Do you need to make reservations at Universal restaurants like you do Disney World's? I know Disney reservations can be very hard to come by, even months out. I seem to get the impression that Universal you might be able to get away with not having a set plan and just doing walk-up? Also, what are the good restaurants at Universal? I have checked out most of the menus and hardly anything sounds all that exciting. Vivo looks good. And I'm sure Bubba Gump and Jimmy Buffet, while not totally unique in their offerings, would be decent food. Cowfish looks interesting.
#2. What is the best deluxe resort at Universal? Royal Pacific, Hard Rock, or Portafino? I know that's pretty subjective, but it seems like everything I've read Hard Rock keeps coming up on top, especially for it's convenience to the park. I want to stay deluxe because of the included ride pass. Deluxe at Universal seem to be a lot more affordable than Disney!
#3. How many days is ideal? I am kind of thinking of getting there on a Monday afternoon, and leaving on that Friday afternoon. Is that a good time frame, or is that too much? I figured that gives us 3 full days in the park, plus two half-days.
#4. The Volcano Bay water park looks pretty sweet. Is that a full-day experience? Also, I am a bigger guy and I don't feel comfortable going without a tshirt of some kind at pools and such. Does Universal allow guys to where t-shirts?
Thanks all.
I am planning my family's first trip to Universal Florida for next spring (2020). Last time I was at Universal Florida was back in high school in the 90s! I have taken my family to Disney World twice in the last 4 years, and we absolutely are fanatics about it. Well my son, who will be 11 at the time of the planned trip, has been asking about going to Universal for a couple of years now, and I've decided to go ahead and take him next year.
For some reason my wife and I just can't get excited about the place though. I know it's a hot debate between which is better, Universal or Disney.....but not much about Universal seems appealing to my wife and I. The rides mostly seem to be screen/3D rides, which with her having epilepsy she can't handle very well. She can handle Flight of Passage ok, but she doesn't think she would be able to handle back-to-back 3D based rides.
And I know this sounds silly, but a huge part of our vacation is getting to try out good restaurants. Disney just seems to have a TON more variety and better sounding restaurants than Universal. So much so that i've jokingly told my wife maybe at night for dinner we should leave Universal and head over to Disney Springs!
So I guess I'm just looking for some advice and pointers and just general impressions/experiences to help get me more in a better mood about going to Universal. I also have some specific questions I was wondering if anyone can help answer.
#1. Do you need to make reservations at Universal restaurants like you do Disney World's? I know Disney reservations can be very hard to come by, even months out. I seem to get the impression that Universal you might be able to get away with not having a set plan and just doing walk-up? Also, what are the good restaurants at Universal? I have checked out most of the menus and hardly anything sounds all that exciting. Vivo looks good. And I'm sure Bubba Gump and Jimmy Buffet, while not totally unique in their offerings, would be decent food. Cowfish looks interesting.
#2. What is the best deluxe resort at Universal? Royal Pacific, Hard Rock, or Portafino? I know that's pretty subjective, but it seems like everything I've read Hard Rock keeps coming up on top, especially for it's convenience to the park. I want to stay deluxe because of the included ride pass. Deluxe at Universal seem to be a lot more affordable than Disney!
#3. How many days is ideal? I am kind of thinking of getting there on a Monday afternoon, and leaving on that Friday afternoon. Is that a good time frame, or is that too much? I figured that gives us 3 full days in the park, plus two half-days.
#4. The Volcano Bay water park looks pretty sweet. Is that a full-day experience? Also, I am a bigger guy and I don't feel comfortable going without a tshirt of some kind at pools and such. Does Universal allow guys to where t-shirts?
Thanks all.