Universal Islands of Adventure excursion price

[kangaand2roos]

Kangaand2roos,

 

You sound like us. Our daughter is a huge HP fan. So is my DH, her father. She and her friends, now at a VERY expensive college in the northeast, still sit and read HP on a fairly regular basis. When we decided to visit Universal to experience HP, we stayed at Portofino Bay (I had gotten a good deal ($259/nt.- we LOVE that hotel.) and were entitled to early admission. I think we came away somewhat disappointed and found ourselves taking a cab to Disney!

 

Our last Disney excursion from a ship (EPCOT), was last January from RCCL's Explorer from Bayonne. The bus ride was great and our guide was very pleasant and informative. I do not know if it is the company that Carnival is using. My husband and I will be getting off Splendor this November and doing MK all by ourselves with the Carnival excursion. I can let you know then.

 

We are taking Emily back to Disney on January 4 for six nights. (Art of Animation Suite-Nemo ($311./night- EM's choice.) She does not want to go back to Universal. Maybe that speaks volumes. She does not want to try Universal again and this kid went to a week-long Potter conference at U Penn when she was 14.

 

Anyhow, if I remember correctly HP-land at Universal is a long walk from where you will be dropped off by the bus. The line at Forbidden is likely to be long, BUT it is a roll of the dice. You may win one and crowds will be minimal. I certainly understand your wanting to try.

 

It is expensive stuff, but it sounds to me that it is important to you to try. Who knows, maybe you will get lucky! You might want to take a look at historic crowds that week. Some might disagree and they are certainly entitled, but I think Potter-land is not effectively designed.

 

The only thing you lose by trying is the money and the child is only 11 once. On the other hand- Em's college this year is $53,000! I just paid her fall tuition so I am having issues.

 

Oh heck...... In my mind...... only being 11 once is the most important factor.

 

Now I am rambling........Whatever you decide, enjoy being a family.

 

Gina

 

I am shuddering at the thought of college cost! Annika has wanted to be a Disney Imagineer since she was 3 and heard what they were. She has heard that Imagineering likes Carnegie Mellon, so that's where she wants to go! I'm picturing her sending her résumé to Imagineering and in the education part putting "couldn't afford college as we spent all of our money at Disney Parks!"

 

Probably my biggest hesitation is the lukewarm reviews I've heard on WWHP. Though most think it is well done, the crowds seem to be a huge issue! With Diagon Alley opening at Universal Orlando next year, I'm leaning toward waiting until that has been opened for a couple of years and then going.

 

That your daughter was unimpressed does say a lot. As a Disney family, we have set very high standards for theme parks. The other thing is that she isn't really into the heavy duty coasters and I'm not sure how much of the rest of IoA we would do.

 

If we decide to do a separate land vacation, I will try to find the historically most quiet week and go then!

 

I'm jealous of your daughter and the U Penn conference! Sounds awesome!

[kangaand2roos]

Kangaand2roos,

 

You sound like us. Our daughter is a huge HP fan. So is my DH, her father. She and her friends, now at a VERY expensive college in the northeast, still sit and read HP on a fairly regular basis. When we decided to visit Universal to experience HP, we stayed at Portofino Bay (I had gotten a good deal ($259/nt.- we LOVE that hotel.) and were entitled to early admission. I think we came away somewhat disappointed and found ourselves taking a cab to Disney!

 

Our last Disney excursion from a ship (EPCOT), was last January from RCCL's Explorer from Bayonne. The bus ride was great and our guide was very pleasant and informative. I do not know if it is the company that Carnival is using. My husband and I will be getting off Splendor this November and doing MK all by ourselves with the Carnival excursion. I can let you know then.

 

We are taking Emily back to Disney on January 4 for six nights. (Art of Animation Suite-Nemo ($311./night- EM's choice.) She does not want to go back to Universal. Maybe that speaks volumes. She does not want to try Universal again and this kid went to a week-long Potter conference at U Penn when she was 14.

 

Anyhow, if I remember correctly HP-land at Universal is a long walk from where you will be dropped off by the bus. The line at Forbidden is likely to be long, BUT it is a roll of the dice. You may win one and crowds will be minimal. I certainly understand your wanting to try.

 

It is expensive stuff, but it sounds to me that it is important to you to try. Who knows, maybe you will get lucky! You might want to take a look at historic crowds that week. Some might disagree and they are certainly entitled, but I think Potter-land is not effectively designed.

 

The only thing you lose by trying is the money and the child is only 11 once. On the other hand- Em's college this year is $53,000! I just paid her fall tuition so I am having issues.

 

Oh heck...... In my mind...... only being 11 once is the most important factor.

 

Now I am rambling........Whatever you decide, enjoy being a family.

 

Gina

 

 

Oh, and Art of Animation is STUNNING! we stayed in a standard room in the Little Mermaid section. Our only complaint was how far it was from everything. You will not have that problem in Nemo! Enjoy!!

[libertyschool]

I did this excursion in May 2012 off The NCL Gem. My 18 year old daughter and I, like you, were most interested in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. If you are arriving early and plan for it you will be fine. We were only there from opening until 2:30 and had time for everything. Here is an excerpt about our excursion from my cruise review:

 

We arrived at Universal around 8:30. The gates opened at 9:00 and we walked/ran straight to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We resisted the temptation to stop and take pictures of all the shops in Hogsmeade and instead went directly to the Forbidden Journey ride, because this was the one ride that we couldn’t use our Express Passes for. We walked right on. Zero wait. The remainder of the day there was HUGE line for this ride. We then walked around Hogsmeade and visited all of the fabulous shops and took loads of pictures. It was still pretty quiet so I took advantage and did my souvenir shopping right away. They have a fantastic FREE service that allows you to have your purchases sent to the front of the park to be picked up when you leave. I was glad that I did my shopping early because later in the day the shops were crazy busy! So again, this early morning excursion was proving to be a really good thing. After we were done our shopping we stopped for breakfast at the Three Broomsticks, again with no wait. We walked around for the remainder of our time and rode all of the rides that we wanted without waiting, gotta love ExpressPass! We saw the entire park with time to spare. We headed back to WWHOP for one last look and a cup of Butterbeer before leaving. It was a terrific day! I love Butterbeer!

[subieroo]

Once again, to the OP, use http://www.orlandoinformer.com for Universal. IMO, Universal is worlds ahead of Disney in excitement and rides. I would do it separately. There is so much to do and enjoy. The atmosphere is amazing and WWOHP is amazing!!! Yes the lines can be long but that is where Orlandoinformer comes into play. Check out the site and you will understand. And I would def wait until Diagon Alley is open. That's what we will do next year. We normally go in May but Diagon Alley won't be opening until June or July so we will go then! Ugh...crowds...I highly recommend staying at a onsite resort to make use of early admission and unlimited express pass.

[jerseyralph]

I am shuddering at the thought of college cost! Annika has wanted to be a Disney Imagineer since she was 3 and heard what they were. She has heard that Imagineering likes Carnegie Mellon, so that's where she wants to go! I'm picturing her sending her résumé to Imagineering and in the education part putting "couldn't afford college as we spent all of our money at Disney Parks!"

 

Probably my biggest hesitation is the lukewarm reviews I've heard on WWHP. Though most think it is well done, the crowds seem to be a huge issue! With Diagon Alley opening at Universal Orlando next year, I'm leaning toward waiting until that has been opened for a couple of years and then going.

 

That your daughter was unimpressed does say a lot. As a Disney family, we have set very high standards for theme parks. The other thing is that she isn't really into the heavy duty coasters and I'm not sure how much of the rest of IoA we would do.

 

If we decide to do a separate land vacation, I will try to find the historically most quiet week and go then!

 

I'm jealous of your daughter and the U Penn conference! Sounds awesome!

 

The U Penn conference was great, except for the dorms which were very, well, cell like!

 

As Annika gets older, take a look at Disney's college program. We know someone who has just completed her time there and it really is a good program.

 

As for college tuition, it is getting tougher each year. As a parent, do serious legwork and start early! Quietly tip toe through websites to get a handle on the college game is played. It is a game and FYI, my husband is a college professor.

 

Also along the way, take her to visit colleges. Start early and see them all. It can be an eye opener and you learn a bit about what is really important to your kid and to the college! People wait too long to start seeing colleges,

 

For Disney people, Universal can seem a bit weird. The feeling is different. It seems more thrill ride focused. I think your plan is a good one. Enjoy!

 

Be well,

Gina

[jerseyralph]

Oh, and Art of Animation is STUNNING! we stayed in a standard room in the Little Mermaid section. Our only complaint was how far it was from everything. You will not have that problem in Nemo! Enjoy!!

 

Thanks for writing this. It really helps. I am nervous about going to a value, even if it is a suite.

 

Gina

[Safetyal]

Make it a separate land trip. Stay at one of the onsite hotels that offers Express Pass. Besides Forbidden Journey, which may be the best themed attraction I have ever seen, there is a lot more in both sides of park that you would want to see.l

[kangaand2roos]

Thanks for writing this. It really helps. I am nervous about going to a value, even if it is a suite.

 

Gina

 

I have stayed at value, moderate, deluxe, and we own vacation club, so also villas. Of course we love the deluxe and villas, but we REALLY like Pop Century for its convenience, food court, etc. Art of Animation is over the top beautiful! The Imagineers hit a home run! We loved EVERYTHING about the resort except our VERY long walk from Little Mermaid and probably wouldn't stay there again unless we got a suite in Nemo or Radiator Springs. But the resort was extremely well done and the food court was fabulous, with most dishes being made to order and a lot of choices beyond burgers and chicken fingers!

[sylantbob]

We were in port for 11 hours.. Make sure you are off the ship as soon as possiable. I am die hard when it come sto theme parks so just consider that as you read on. It took us about 1hour and 30 min from the time we got off the ship to get the rental and get to the park. We got a part to park ticket with the expess pass option. (the only way to due two parks in 8hrs) I had the entire day planed every ride bathroom break and a 20 min lunch. we gave our selves 2 hours to get back we made it back with a half hour to spare. here is a list of the rides we were able to due in that time frame.

 

 

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem

 

Disaster!SM

 

E.T. Adventure®

 

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit®

 

MEN IN BLACK™ Alien Attack™

 

Revenge of the Mummy®

 

Shrek 4-D

 

The Simpsons Ride™

 

Terminator 2®: 3-D

 

TWISTER...Ride It Out®

 

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™

main ride and dragons roller coaster

 

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man®

 

Hulk Coaster

 

Doctor Doom's Fearfall®

 

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls® ( you get really wet)

 

Jurassic Park River Adventure® (kinda wet)

 

 

Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges® (like taking a bath with your clothes on)

[EmmasDaddy1104]

As I not sure about the opening date....Universal is adding onto the WWOHP...they are building a tram that will run from IOA to Studios...this tram will utilize flat screens the whole ride to give the appearance of riding on the hogwarts express to diagon alley...it is a pretty massive project going on right now...i am not sure of the opening date though.

[ryanpatricksmom]

We did the excursion a couple of years ago in early December. It was pricey, but it actually proved to be a pretty good value considering. We arrived in port on a Wednesday, and were on a bus headed for USF by 7:30. We had never experienced the parks without staying onsite and having the benefit of FOTL, so we had no idea what was in store. When we arrived we traded our single day tickets in for 2 day passes and started at IOA. We finished the entire park (with the exception of shows) by lunchtime. We had a nice, leisurely lunch at CityWalk and finished USF in the afternoon....again riding every single ride before our 4pm departure.

 

The way I looked at it was I saved airfare and hotel costs so even at a total of $450 including the upgrade, I accomplished what could have easily cost $1,500. Granted, a 2 night vacation at a hotel is much more relaxing, but if you really want to see the WWHP, it's not a bad deal.

 

Having said that, I would NEVER choose a day excursion to any park unless it was a very slow time of the year.

[near the beach]

Check to make sure which park you want to go to and which park Carnival has excursions to. Universal has two parks.

[BeachChik]

Thanks for writing this. It really helps. I am nervous about going to a value, even if it is a suite.

 

Gina

 

We went over right after it opened to check it out. The art of animation is definitely the best value resort they have. I personally thought the cars section was awesome and set up exactly like the cartoons. Nemo and the cars section are the better locations as they are nearest to the main area.

[BeachChik]

As I not sure about the opening date....Universal is adding onto the WWOHP...they are building a tram that will run from IOA to Studios...this tram will utilize flat screens the whole ride to give the appearance of riding on the hogwarts express to diagon alley...it is a pretty massive project going on right now...i am not sure of the opening date though.

 

I don't believe a specific date has been released. Only that it will be sometime in 2014.

[MickCruiser]

....The non-dueling dragons roller coaster is fun....

 

Ha. Perfect name!!! I will have to remember that when we go next. :-) such a better ride when you waited for front row and got to see the two trains hurtling at each other head on for a few secs before they would shoot up simultaneously. My daughter was finally old enough to ride this summer and they don't do it any more. :-(

 

...as is the big one in the front of the park....

 

You are referring to The Hulk. Best ride there with the beginning, IMHO.