Universal Orlando for queasy and generally boring people!

[Zebra]

We are planning a trip to Florida.   I would love any advice from any fellow boring/pukers out there who have been to Universal  :lol: !

 

I can barely tolerate the back seat of a car nausea wise.   FWIW, I've been to Disney, all the parks. I lived through Star Tours, but made the mistake of going on it a second time and was sick the rest of the day.   I can handle something like Soarin' or Kali River Rapids, but no roller coasters or very shaky things.   

 

DH and DD loved Star Tours and went on it a bunch of times, but they aren't into roller coasters either or anything super exciting or scary.   Universal seems to have a lot scarier and more "exciting" rides than Disney.

 

Anyway, my DD is 14 and we'd like to go to the Harry Potter stuff.   I know you need admission to both parks to ride the train, which seems like something you would really want to do.   What I am wondering is, will we find enough to do at Universal to even go?   Aside from the cost, which is a whole other discussion.   If we go, should we do 1 day, 1 park?   Or 1 day 2 parks?   Or 2 days 2 parks?   We're planning on going during a down time, so there shouldn't be huge crowds.

 

Any BTDT advice is appreciated!

[Alicia64]

Zebra -- If you want  a ton of info about the parks, pm me. But in a nutshell: don't go on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. DH went on it, vomited and had to use their very well stocked "vomit" room that had tee shirts and shirts in every size.

 

After he threw up he didn't even bother with the Grigotts ride. It might be too spinny too, I don't know.

 

You're SMART to go when the crowds will be down. That said, there are always crowds. We went in early Nov. and it was still busy (the summer must be insane). The key is to get into the park as early as possible. PM me for the full scoop: I can tell you prices and everything.

 

Alley

[bettyandbob]

We visited with 3 day park to park tickets. It was great. We weren't rushing. We got to go back for stuff. We used the app to plan ride lines and go to performances.

 

If you have trouble with certain rides you can still follow the ride line through the castle. You want to do that. There's a lot to see going through that line. If the line is really short let people pass you and look at everything.

 

Yes I believe there is enough to do. There's a waterpark now too.

 

We stayed in Cabana Bay. That's the Universal "value" resort. Staying there gives you early admission. I think early admission is key. We got up early, ate in our room (Cabana Bay was the only resort at the time that had refrigerators in room, one of my kids has celiac so I shopped nearby for breakfast stuff). We'd go to the parks and stay through midday take a break and return in the evening.

 

My youngest child has disabilities. So we took a leisurely pace. I think you could do the two parks in two days if you want.

 

ETA we made our visit late August. It was crowded, but having early admission and using the app later in the day, we did not spend a lot of time in line.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Diana P.

[Matryoshka]

We skipped the train.  My kids were 15 and 18, and they didn't care.  It's a train, and it doesn't even go far.  There's a Hogwarts engine that you can get your pic taken in front of even if you don't go on the train. That made it much cheaper.  We did one park per day, also cheaper.  That was plenty of time (especially if you're queasy and boring, which describes me, which is why I thought I might be of help. :lol: )

 

For full disclosure, I can handle tiny roller coasters, like that small one with the Gold Rush / Western theme or the Haunted House ride, both at Disney.  Small drops, no huge, fast changes in direction, circular rather than precipice of depth type tracks.  But I HATE most roller coasters and anything that makes me queasy.  Especially no teacup rides for me.  Queasy ruins the day for me, so I avoid it like the plague.

 

I skipped the Shrek 'ride' because we saw it in California.  It's a 3-D movie, you stand.  It was boring enough that I didn't have to see it again.

 

We were really concentrated on the Harry Potter stuff.  Dd18 didn't bring her Hogwarts robes (she's a Hufflepuff!) because she felt, I think, like she was a bit old for that, and also Florida is hot.  She regretted it.  So many people are dressed up, kids up to grownups.  She really wishes she'd brought them.  She's my biggest HP fan.

 

Over in Diagon Alley, the kids went on the Gringotts ride.  I was worried about the queasy, and no one could tell me what it was like.  In retrospect, I wish I'd done it.  It apparently is tamer than the Broomstick ride in the Hogwarts castle and I lived through that.  Even if you decide not to go on the ride, stand in line with your family; the standing in line part goes through a cool panorama of Gringotts, and they'll let you out before the ride if you want.  There's a cool fire-breathing dragon, but that's not a ride, you just watch it from the street.  So, the Gringott's ride is really the only ride there.  Diagon Alley was one of our favorite parts of the park, though.  They loved going through the shops (we even managed to avoid buying much, and it was still fun!).  We bought some candy and some weird-flavored ice cream.  they sell these interactive wands that allow you to do 'magic' with the window displays, but we didn't bother with that - they won't work anywhere else and $$.  Watched a bunch of little kids with them.  They also sell just cool-looking wands, but my little HP fans already had wands at home.

 

On that side of the park, the only other ride we did was The Mummy.  It's reasonably tame, think Disney Haunted House.  

 

On the Hogwarts/Hogsmeade side, I did go on the Broomstick ride (it has another name) in the Hogwarts castle.  Again, just the standing in line part is worth it if you want to skip the actual ride.  That one you're suspended in chairs and there's a lot of virtual reality stuff like you're flying after a dragon on a broomstick.  I made it through reasonably intact- it helped to close my eyes if I started to get even slightly queasy, but I don't think I would have been fine if I'd done it more than once, so that was it for me.  The line was short and my kids went on it a whole bunch of times and I waited outside.  I liked the Hippogriff coaster; it's small and has no drops but just goes down in a spiral, so your stomach doesn't drop out even though you move fast.  I went on that a couple of times.

 

Over on that side, my kids went on the Spiderman ride but I skipped it (it helped to have a book to read), and we all went on the King Kong ride.  That's another one that's inside on a track, but no drops, just some shaking back and forth while you're stationary (ooo, King Kong is attacking the bus!)

 

It was probably waaay more money than it was worth, but my kids really loved all the Harry Potter stuff, and I'm glad we went.  

 

We ate both nights in the Chocolate-themed Steampumk restaurant just outside the parks.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Matryoshka

[Lanny]

Universal Orlando is, in the opinion of my wife, my DD, and me, AWESOME.  We were there last year. You MUST buy the tickets that allow you to go back and forth between the 2 parks, so you can ride the Harry Potter Train, which is really cool and so you can see both parks.  If you have seen some of the Harry Potter movies, that will enhance your experience. I knew the least about Harry Potter, so I watched several of the movies, before our trip up to Orlando.  We wish we had spent much more time in UO, and much less time in WDW.  At Breakfast this morning, I mentioned to my wife and DD that I'd read they are going to take down the Dragon Challenger and replace it with something else. The  conversation ended, with all of us agreeing, that if we had the money, we are ready, willing, and able, to go back there, immediately... Enjoy your trip to Universal Orlando!

[Twolittleboys]

I haven't been the last couple of years so don't know the new stuff but I'd say there is enough to do. I get dizzy easily (no teacups for me!) and kids don't like anything scary/wild but there was plenty of stuff to do even without the new HP stuff.

 

I don't mind things like Star Tours or the wilder Dino ride at Disney though. There were some of those at Universal. Also, we did run into a couple rides that were too scary (the castle ride, the dino tour) but my kids were much younger then and I think it would be fine for most people.

 

I guess it depends a bit though on whether you enjoy more sedate rides (like Dr. Seuss). If you skip the attractions for younger kids and the wilder ones it might be a bit of an issue. Still, I'd say go for it. I would do 2 days 2 parks exactly because you won't do everything so you can jump back and forth.

[bettyandbob]

 

I guess it depends a bit though on whether you enjoy more sedate rides (like Dr. Seuss). If you skip the attractions for younger kids and the wilder ones it might be a bit of an issue. Still, I'd say go for it. I would do 2 days 2 parks exactly because you won't do everything so you can jump back and forth.

 

 

When I went the kids with me were 17 and 13. We did not skip Dr. Seuss. Just walking through that area was really fun. No thrill rides, but we did ride the one little coaster that meandered through the area. It was just fun to see the things in books brought to 3D models. 

 

On early entry you have to walk through the Suess area to get to Harry Potter, so that was the first thing we saw in the parks. I was amazed (lame I guess), but after looking and walking a bit I turned to look at my ds who had the same amazed look on his face. 

[snowbeltmom]

We are planning a trip to Florida.   I would love any advice from any fellow boring/pukers out there who have been to Universal  :lol: !

 

 

Any BTDT advice is appreciated!

I am also a fellow boring/puker: Body Wars, the Teacup-like rides, Star Wars, and Mission to Mars rides have not ended well.  

 

While we have been to WDW multiple times before kids and with kids, we had never been to Universal.  We went last year for the first time.

 

While I am happy that we went, and Harry Potter World is amazing, we won't be going back: the vast majority of the rides are just too intense for us.  Splash Mountain, Soarin, Thundermountain Railroad, and Everest are more our speed.

 

When we were at Universal, we spent the extra money to get 5 fast passes (or whatever they call them), but were very disappointed to later discover that the fast passes were not accepted at some of the most popular attractions, including the Hogwarts Express and the Gringotts Ride.  We all really liked the Gringotts ride, but we all left the broom stick ride feeling sick.  That ride was intense, and I felt like it was never going to end. :ack2:  My middle kiddo ended up needing to spend the rest of his day back at the hotel.  

 

The other rides that I was brave enough to go on after my broomstick experience were The Jurassic Park water ride, the King Kong ride, and the ET ride.  Those rides were fun. There was another  ride that looked to be just my speed, but I was denied access when the line operator realized I didn't have a child under 4 feet with me. :D

[katilac]

 

 

While I am happy that we went, and Harry Potter World is amazing, we won't be going back: the vast majority of the rides are just too intense for us.  Splash Mountain, Soarin, Thundermountain Railroad, and Everest are more our speed.

 

  

 

This is me as well. We went when it was only the one park that had Harry Potter, and we were easily done in a day. The HP section took about half the day. dh and oldest dd do like intense rides, but both agree that, if in Orlando, they want to be at Disney World, lol. 

 

HP was amazing, and we're glad we did it, but it was an add-on to a Disney trip, and cost a bloody fortune for one day. We had to do it that way in order to go with certain people, but I wouldn't do it again. I would try to get a vacation package special for Universal only. You may not need all day, every day, in the parks, but it gives you the option of going for a shorter period of time on more days (the HP stuff was detailed and overwhelming even when it first opened, you can only take so much in!), and you could relax by the pool or do a different attraction. 

[Twolittleboys]

When I went the kids with me were 17 and 13. We did not skip Dr. Seuss. Just walking through that area was really fun. No thrill rides, but we did ride the one little coaster that meandered through the area. It was just fun to see the things in books brought to 3D models. 

 

On early entry you have to walk through the Suess area to get to Harry Potter, so that was the first thing we saw in the parks. I was amazed (lame I guess), but after looking and walking a bit I turned to look at my ds who had the same amazed look on his face.

Oh, I loved the Dr. Seuss area too. I just meant that we found plenty to do even though we skipped most wild/scary rides but we did a lot of kid stuff. So if someone doesn't want to do either one it may not be worth it as much.

[Matryoshka]

There was another  ride that looked to be just my speed, but I was denied access when the line operator realized I didn't have a child under 4 feet with me. :D

 

That ride looked like it was just my speed too, but yeah, it required you had a little kid with you (what is up with that?).  I joked to my (adult-sized) kids that I needed to 'borrow' someone else's little kid so I could go on... :D

[bettyandbob]

 

HP was amazing, and we're glad we did it, but it was an add-on to a Disney trip, and cost a bloody fortune for one day. We had to do it that way in order to go with certain people, but I wouldn't do it again. I would try to get a vacation package special for Universal only. You may not need all day, every day, in the parks, but it gives you the option of going for a shorter period of time on more days (the HP stuff was detailed and overwhelming even when it first opened, you can only take so much in!), and you could relax by the pool or do a different attraction.

I agree universal studios is not a good add on to WDW.

 

my whole family did WDW years ago and it was a great vacation with 5 days in the parks we could not have added on and actually enjoyed universal to the full value of admission.

 

2 years ago I did Universal with 2 of my kids. We just did Universal and enjoyed the hotel pool. It was great and worth what we spent.

 

I think if you cram both experiences together you will be tired and not enjoy everything you could.

 

JME

[Matryoshka]

I agree universal studios is not a good add on to WDW.

 

my whole family did WDW years ago and it was a great vacation with 5 days in the parks we could not have added on and actually enjoyed universal to the full value of admission.

 

2 years ago I did Universal with 2 of my kids. We just did Universal and enjoyed the hotel pool. It was great and worth what we spent.

 

I think if you cram both experiences together you will be tired and not enjoy everything you could.

 

JME

 

I'll agree with this.  We did 3 days at Disneyland in California when the kids were a bit younger.  That was perfect.

 

When we did Universal, we just did Universal (well, we'd done Universal in CA too, but that's really a completely different experience than FL).  We also stayed at the Cabana Bay with early admission, and the kids had time to pop in the pool for a bit; there's also a lazy river.  I was disappointed the bowling (in the hotel) wasn't included for the price we were paying, so we skipped.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Matryoshka

[Farrar]

Thanks for asking this. We're doing 2 days at Universal in September and I am similar about rides. I'm okay with some spin and some little thrills, but nothing with heights or anything really crazy.

 

We're also tacking it onto a WDW trip, but I feel fine about that. We did WDW a few years ago and stayed on property, but this time we're doing 3 WDW days and 2 Universal days and staying at a place with a waterslide and a kitchen in between and I think it'll work out fine. 

[Zebra]

OP here.

 

Just FYI, we aren't going to Disney.   We are going to be in the area for another reason, and have 1, possibly 2 days to spend at Universal.   We also won't be staying in a Universal hotel.

 

I'm just trying to figure out if people as boring as we are should go at all, if we should do 1 or 2 days, and if we should do the park hopper (or whatever it's called) or not!   :laugh:

 

[Twolittleboys]

OP here.

 

Just FYI, we aren't going to Disney.   We are going to be in the area for another reason, and have 1, possibly 2 days to spend at Universal.   We also won't be staying in a Universal hotel.

 

I'm just trying to figure out if people as boring as we are should go at all, if we should do 1 or 2 days, and if we should do the park hopper (or whatever it's called) or not!   :laugh:

Too bad you are not staying at a Universal hotel - it can really be worth it (or at least used to be, I haven't checked lately). I definitely would do the park hopper in case you like one park better than the other and I would go for 2 days.

[Storygirl]

We were just there this March. Almost all of the rides are more intense than Star Tours, in our opinion. Many of them involve sitting in a car that shakes, twists, vibrates, and zips from one area to another while you watch a 3-D story with special effects. Like Star Tours but MORE things added.

 

I appreciated the technology and the storytelling, but many of the rides were intense for me. I skipped all roller coasters, and none of us did the water rides.

 

I still had fun, and the kids loved it, but I did sit out when my family went on some rides for the second or third time. The two big HP rides were both intense if you have vertigo. I went on each once but didn't want to do them again, even though I'm a big HP fan.

 

We got a deal where we bought two days of tickets and got two days free, so we were there for four days. Two would have been plenty to see everything, especially if you will skip some rides. Three days was fun, so that we could do our favorite things again. The fourth day was not necessary.

 

The Hogwarts train ride was worth it, in my opinion, especially if you will not be doing some of the other things. It was fun, and the train stations are amazingly themed. We liked being able to ride from one HP land to the other without walking all the way around, and we figured out a way to time the train during the early admission hours so that we could visit both HP parks early in the morning before they get crazy busy.

[Storygirl]

The advantage to staying onsite is that you get the early admission. Without that, be prepared for extremely long lines in the HP worlds. It gets packed back there, and we were there during relatively low crowds.

 

You will want to head back to the HP area immediately upon entering the parks, and it will already be crowded with the early admissions people. Or you can go to the HP area in the evening when the people who got there early have left for other areas of the park.

[bettyandbob]

I believe there is an option to buy into early admission if you aren't at a universal resort.

[nixpix5]

We went to universal last year and I loved it. I always love it there though. My DH is queasy on rides that are projection/video based (like star tours). A large chunk of universal like this so he cannot stand it. Antinausea meds helped him some. If you can tolerate it Forbidden Journey is a blast but even I felt a bit sick when I got off. My daughter loved it and she was 7 yo. Her inner ear is young and better than mine :)

[Lady Florida.]

There is plenty to do at Universal without riding rides. If you're big HP fans I'd say get the two park pass. One side has Diagon Alley and the other has Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, so they're two different experiences. If you have the two park pass there's no reason not to ride the train. If you don't you have to go out of one park and around and into the other. The train is not just a train ride but a themed train ride. You'll be riding the Hogwart's Express and you see things out the window. If even the train is too much for you, I'd say let your dd ride it (she can just tell them she's a single rider) and have her meet you at the station on the other side. 

 

At HP World you can -

 

Walk around Diagon Alley and visit the shops (don't miss Nocturn Alley) on one side.

Walk around Hogsmeade and visit the shops on the other side. You can do a walk-through of the castle without riding the Forbidden Journey (I hate that ride). 

 

Other things to do without riding rides -

 

Go to the I Love Lucy Museum

See The Blues Brothers show

Wander through the kids areas, including Dr. Seuss (I can't stand Seuss but others love it)

Do the Shrek ride - it's not really a ride but more like a show. If you can do Soarin' you can do Shrek

Go see the Poseidon's Adventure show

Browse the Dinostore near Jurassic Park

Just walking around some of the Hollywood areas is enjoyable.

 

Unlike WDW you can do Universal in one (longish) day, especially if you won't be standing in line for rides. Even if your dd plans to go on some wiyhout you she can cut her wait time by getting in the single rider line. 

Edited July 29, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Lady Florida.]

Star Tours makes me sick but I was fine on the Harry Potter rides. They do a much better job of coordinating actual motion to the visuals so your eyes and your inner ear aren't out of sync. 

 

I found The Forbidden Journey to be very jerky and too fast to be able to see anything. I rode it twice to see if my opinion changed once I knew what to expect. It didn't. I do like Escape from Gringott's though.