Universal Studios December 2014

[Millais30]

Hi

My husband and I are cruising on the Quantum of the Seas on 20th December this year and are in Florida for a day we arrive lunch time and are thinking of going to Universal Studios and IOA but are unsure if its worth it and if its best to spend the extra on express passes we are there on 22/12.

Thanks

[ChipLondon]

One day is rarely enough time to get the most from any theme park, let alone a short day, when you also have to consider the travelling time to get there.

 

 

 

 

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[BonnieSte]

We had that stop a few weeks ago. There was a lot of complaining on how much it cost for the 2-3 hours of being there. By the time people were cleared to get off the ship, get on the bus, bus trip there, standing in lines, the park closing early, (maybe different hours in the summer?) and getting back to the ship. One woman said that her family only got to go on two rides because of time spent in lines. Just something to consider.

[Merion_Mom]

I spent my Port Canaveral day at Universal Studios in March.

 

I thought that it was time and money well-spent. It is probably the only time that paying for an express pass would be worth it. "Time is money" in this case.

 

Of course, I thought that it was time well-spent since my son is a performer there.

 

:D :D :D

[Merion_Mom]

We had that stop a few weeks ago. There was a lot of complaining on how much it cost for the 2-3 hours of being there. By the time people were cleared to get off the ship, get on the bus, bus trip there, standing in lines, the park closing early, (maybe different hours in the summer?) and getting back to the ship. One woman said that her family only got to go on two rides because of time spent in lines. Just something to consider.

 

I would suggest renting a car (at Thrifty) to maximize your time at the park. Then you are not at the mercy of the cruise line's bus schedule.

[BamaGuy44]

Hi

My husband and I are cruising on the Quantum of the Seas on 20th December this year and are in Florida for a day we arrive lunch time and are thinking of going to Universal Studios and IOA but are unsure if its worth it and if its best to spend the extra on express passes we are there on 22/12.

Thanks

 

How much time would you have actually at the park? If it's less than 4-5 hours you will have a hard time getting your money's worth, IMO.

 

Be aware that the week of Christmas is one of the most crowded weeks at the Orlando theme parks. IOA is manageable when crowded IF you have the express pass. You'll get to do most of the good rides if you have the pass. Honestly I wouldn't even consider paying for IOA that week without the express pass.

 

Also be aware that the main Harry Potter ride at IOA (which is great) doesn't accept the express pass. But you can use the single rider line if you don't mind riding a minute or 2 apart.

 

The good news is the other Universal Park will be attracting a lot of crowds due to the new HP section opening this summer. So that *may* help the crowds at IOA.

[Millais30]

Thanks for the replies, the excursion states we will have around 9 hours in the park but not sure how that will work unless the park closes late. I'm really confused what to do the the best te 2 park passes with express are around £140 each I don't mid spending this if it's worth it but don't want to be disappointed

[mulan1123]

It depends on how many rides you plan on doing, or which ones interest you.

 

I went in November (the week before the American Thanksgiving) and the lines were all less than 5 minutes except the Forbidden Journey (which we waited a good 20-25 minutes and it was even first thing in the morning when the park opened) and the Minion ride (maybe 10-15 minutes).

 

FYI - there are a lot of rides/attractions that are 3D. So if you can not do 3D, it will shorten your ride list...lol

[BamaGuy44]

Thanks for the replies, the excursion states we will have around 9 hours in the park but not sure how that will work unless the park closes late. I'm really confused what to do the the best te 2 park passes with express are around £140 each I don't mid spending this if it's worth it but don't want to be disappointed

 

If you like theme parks and haven't been I highly recommend checking it out. My family and I absolutely love Universal/IOA, we're going for a couple of days before our cruise next year to check out the new Harry Potter section, the new Terminator ride, etc.

 

The hours aren't officially posted yet but generally during Christmas week the parks are open until 9PM. So assuming you get there at 12 you should have a good 6 or 7 hours to see the parks. You'd have to pick and choose (couldn't do it all in that time) but IMO you would get your money's worth with the express passes.

[Rogueperson]

A good rule of thumb when visiting orlando parks is this. Are kids in school? If you're close to a time when kids will be out, such as winter break, spring break, or summer break, then expect large crowds.

 

It looks like you're going to be in Orlando on the 22nd, so kids are not out of school yet, but since they will be at the end of the week, people may get their holiday started early. I visited Disney, several years back for 10 whole days. The days, including the weekend before thanksgiving, were dead. Monday, thanksgiving week came, and the place became a total zoo for the entire thanksgiving week.

 

I suspect Universal Studios/IOA will be the same.

 

I stopped at Port Canevaral on the Carnival Pride a year and a half ago. It was the first week of December. I went to Universal Studios. I didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes for any ride. It was great. We were there about 7 hours, and in 5 hours, I rode everything I wanted to multiple times, and still had time for a sit down lunch. Its not that big of a park. Also, keep in mind, that these are TWO different parks. The excursion from the cruise usually only states one park.

 

The thing with this excursion, too many things can happen to make this price a ripoff. Its a good hour or so from the port and if it is in any way crowded, then you're going to feel ripped off and not content with this excursion.

[comxkid]

Hi

My husband and I are cruising on the Quantum of the Seas on 20th December this year and are in Florida for a day we arrive lunch time and are thinking of going to Universal Studios and IOA but are unsure if its worth it and if its best to spend the extra on express passes we are there on 22/12.

Thanks

 

According to your internary, the ship arrives in port at 1:00 p.m. Assuming that it takes 30 minutes to get off the ship, load everyone into the bus and make the 60 minute drive to Orlando, you will be at the parks at 2:30 p.m. The parks close at 9:00 p.m. This will give you enough time to board your bus and transport back to the ship for your scheduled 11:00 p.m. departure.

 

So this gives you 6 and 1/2 hours of park time for the two parks (approximately 3 hours each). The week before Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for Florida theme parks, so an Express Pass is a requirement (no question about it).

 

Both parks are big and require a lot of walking (through a very crowded park), but if you stay on task you should be able to ride most of the good rides. If you watch a couple of live shows, that will reduce your ride time.

 

It's doable, but you will be exhausted. At least you know what to expect.

Edited April 21, 2014 by comxkid

[milhouse0506]

IMO it wouldn't be worth it. If you get could get there when it opened it wouldn't be too bad but getting there in the middle of the day it would be peak time.

 

 

Granted it is a completely different time of year but we went last year in April. We were there when they opened, we had very small lines and were done with IOA by 2 or 3 in the afternoon. The lines were getting quite long the time we left.

 

Schools might not be out yet but I imagine a lot of people will take an early vacation.

 

The new Harry Potter opens this summer that will be quite but in general. Also check into what rides the express pass is good for, if I remember correctly you couldn't use it on the main Harry Potter ride, the same will probably be for the new section as well.

 

If it's somewhere you really want to see then go, but it's somewhere you really want to have a day at each park.

[lcantw3658]

I live in Orlando. Do not believe anyone who tells you that you can do this and have an enjoyable day. Assuming the ship docks exactly on time at 12. It will be 12:30 minimum before you are off ship and on bus. Bus likely won't even pull away until closer to 1pm. The park is a minimum of 1 hour away (realistically its more like 75 minutes). The place where the bus will leave you is a 10-15 minute walk through CityWalk to the front gates of Universal. Taking into account any lines and time spent actually getting in, you are at 2:30 at the absolute earliest to get in the park. Christmas week at any Orlando park is the absolute busiest time of the year. Almost all the parks (Disney and Universal) close at least one during every day that week due to capacity (the closing can be anytime from 30 minutes to 2 hours). If the ship leaves at 9, that means that likely you need to be back on ship by 8:30- meaning bus transportation would need to leave Universal by 7 pm at latest. You have a minimum 30 minutes to leave park and get to bus- this means, realistically you will be in the park from 2:30 - 6:30. Considering the crowds and lines, even with an express pass (don't even consider doing this without one) you can expect to experience 2-3 rides, possibly 4. Any shows would be out of the question. Also keep in mind that while the 2 parks are "next" to each other, you must exit one park completely, walk 10-15 minutes to the other and enter that other park- this takes about 30-45 minutes at a minimum.

I highly recommend everyone experience Universal at some point, but in my opinion as someone who does Universal at least once a month, this would not be the time to do it. Just my opinion but I just don't see it as an enjoyable or cost effective day.

[mn1111]

OP,

 

If you can get 3 other people from your roll call who really want to go and don't mind spending a few extra dollars it can be done. If you rent a room at Lowes Royal Pacific Hotel all in your party (up to 5 people per room) will get free express passes. The nightly rate right now for the 22nd of Dec is $374. I would have a car service waiting for us when we get off the ship to take us right to the hotel. Have 2 people get the room keys for all five people so you can get the express passes from the kiosk (you would have to specify 2 adults and 3 children when booking to avoid additional fees on the hotel room, but the desk people really won't care). You can then go right to the water taxi over to the parks. Once you are done, have the car service meet you back at the hotel to bring you back to the ship. If you can get 3 others to join, it would cost about $150 extra pp (hotel and transport), but the express passes for that week are probably going for over $60 each anyway so it really isn't that much more.

 

A better way to enjoy the park would be to come in a day earlier, stay on site and have the extra time in parks (you can rent a room for one night, but the express passes would be good for two days).

 

Good Luck!

 

Neda

[luvoceanblu]

I just got back from Universal Studios on yesterday. We got the express pass and finished all rides in 4 hours. The average wait time was about 15 minutes vs 60-90 minutes in the line. We paid $99 per pass.

 

 

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[debfew]

I live in Orlando and visit the theme parks regularly (annual passes). I avoid the parks like the plague during holiday season. Not only are the lines outrageously long, but the crowds of people walking in the parks is like shoulder to shoulder. Plan on waiting an hour for a hot dog and nowhere to sit once you finally get served. I cannot emphasize enough how unpleasant the experience is. I feel badly for the people who spend their hard earned money to come here for a vacation that time of year. :(

 

I had visitors from out of town a few years back and we went to Disney the day after Christmas. I've tried to explain to them that it was just the holiday crowd that made the experience so miserable, but I cannot get them to go to the parks now even during the slow season. Just no way will they go back.

[Millais30]

Thank you for all the replies and detail you've provided. It has been a dream of mine to go to Universal for some time but not managed to get there yet. I wouldn't want it to be spoilt by crowds but still unsure whether to risk it. I'm going to check what other excursions are on. If we get the bus to 'universal or Disney' would it be worth it to have a look around Orlando instead? Another thought my husband had which may be wishful thinking but as it's 2 days BEFORE Christmas that we visit will people not be busy getting ready for that instead, therefore making the parks quieter? Thanks again

[Brit-Cruiser]

Thank you for all the replies and detail you've provided. It has been a dream of mine to go to Universal for some time but not managed to get there yet. I wouldn't want it to be spoilt by crowds but still unsure whether to risk it. I'm going to check what other excursions are on. If we get the bus to 'universal or Disney' would it be worth it to have a look around Orlando instead? Another thought my husband had which may be wishful thinking but as it's 2 days BEFORE Christmas that we visit will people not be busy getting ready for that instead, therefore making the parks quieter? Thanks again

 

We are in Florida every year in the run up to Xmas. We never go near the parks after 17/18 December as they are full to bursting. We learned the lesson after taking an hour just to get into the park on Christmas week. IMHO, it is neither a pleasant nor productive experience at that time of year.

[Familygoboston]

Hi

My husband and I are cruising on the Quantum of the Seas on 20th December this year and are in Florida for a day we arrive lunch time and are thinking of going to Universal Studios and IOA but are unsure if its worth it and if its best to spend the extra on express passes we are there on 22/12.

Thanks

 

Thank you for all the replies and detail you've provided. It has been a dream of mine to go to Universal for some time but not managed to get there yet. I wouldn't want it to be spoilt by crowds but still unsure whether to risk it. I'm going to check what other excursions are on. If we get the bus to 'universal or Disney' would it be worth it to have a look around Orlando instead? Another thought my husband had which may be wishful thinking but as it's 2 days BEFORE Christmas that we visit will people not be busy getting ready for that instead, therefore making the parks quieter? Thanks again

 

The parks are at their absolute peak during the Christmas holidays, so your chances of experiencing much are very low. Add to that arriving so late in the day, and it would be a complete jam up. However, if it's a dream to "see" the park and your only opportunity, then up you could certainly spend six hours and enjoy 3-4 rides, or experiences.

 

I would not rely on randomly ping ponging around the park. I would read up and first decide which park you want to see 1) OA- which has Wizarding World of Harry Potter and is often the "headliner" for that park. You might be able to experience that part if you get the express passes. Or decide to do 2) Universal with the traditional roller coasters and attractions. Expect a huge crowd at either, and so secondly, have a plan of attack prioritizing your top 3- 5 attractions in order and hope to get as much as you can out of it. It will be a terrible value and crowded experience, but if it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to go, then it's worth a try.

[Stu K]

If you go get park to park hopper option the only way to get on the New (not open yet) Hogwarts Express.

 

Stu K