Which days to experience Universal
Universal Orlando: Should we plan to "do" Universal Wed-Sat or Fri-Mon in March
From Lou Theis
Posted February 28, 2012 at 10:32 AM
My family is coming to Orlando March 13-20, 2012 (2 adults, 2 kids age 12). Our main focus will be Univeral's 2 parks. We have never been. Had a great experience staying at Coronodo at WDW in 2004 for the week. Since there are so many strong recommendations to stay at a Universal hotel for the "express" benefit, we are planning to do so, but for only 4 nights because of the expense. There seems to be a lot of conflicting info about least busy days. Can someone suggest if we should choose to visit the parks Wed-Sat vs. Fri-Mon? Also, has anyone experienced Discovery Cove? With or without the dolphin swim.
From Rob Pastor
Posted February 28, 2012 at 11:53 AM
If you're staying on site at Universal, it shouldn't really matter. The Hotel Express Pass is the best thing going. For all intents & purposes you will not to be standing in any lines over 5 or 10 minutes. And you will also have early entry to Harry Potter, which will give you time to ride Forbidden Journey two or three times before the crowds arrive. By staying on site you will get to fully enjoy the Universal experience. Two parks & Citiwalk, easily accessible by water taxi (a beautiful ride down the lush landscaped canals)or a short walk. You will be able to relax & enjoy your hotel & the parks without wasting your time in long uncomfortable lines. We also stay at the moderate hotels at Disney but the Universal on site hotels are just fantastic and many levels above. Four star hotels,beautiful rooms, good restaurants, great pools and a great ambiance. We prefer the Portofino Resort, but the other two appear to be excellent choices also.And Citi Walk is also an excellent venue. We really like Pat O'Briens , which is a nearly exact copy of the New Orleans bar that I've been to on numerous occassions. It doesn't get any better.
I work there and whenever I get the chance to go as a guest I always go on a tuesday. It's always slow on tuesdays
I usually pick the Wed-Sat pattern when I go (weekday hotel nights tend to be slightly cheaper), but Rob is exactly right -- since you're staying onsite it won't matter in the least. You can get WWOHP out of the way before the park opens and for everything else you'll be able to come and go as you please. (NOTE: The Rip Ride Rocket coaster is the other ride that doesn't take the express pass, but if you go over to the studios first thing on one of your weekday mornings, you shouldn't have a long wait for it either....)
Universal's unlimited express pass is absolutely the best onsite hotel perk out there. Enjoy!
From Bob Liebe
Posted February 28, 2012 at 5:28 PM
From experience on my last three trips in two years, I've found that Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are the lowest attendance days. I'd recommend the Wed-Sat stay for cheaper rates and shorter lines. Like others have said, make sure you take full advantage of the 1 hour early access to IOA and head right to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. If you were planning on experiencing Olivander's wand shop, I'd head there first thing one mourning. The lines can get really long really fast after the park opens. Hope you have a fun trip!
Lou: Orlando Informer.com has a Universal Crowd Control Calendar. March 13th thru 16th are listed as MODERATE. March 17th is listed as BUSY. And March 18th thru 20th are listed as MODERATE. Mardi Gras is on March 16th & 17th at the Studios.
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