Universal

fingerlakesny · ‎11-13-2010

I would like to take my gransons to Universal for their February break to see Harry Potter. I got on the web site and it is just down right confusing! So much to pick and choose from. Has anyone gone and where is the best place to stay, places to eat, etc. Thanks.

itsmagic · ‎08-08-2011

Sounds like a fun trip for you and your grandsons! I haven’t gone to Universal for many many years but if you don’t get any answers here I would consult with a travel agent. I have used a travel agent for other trips and I had to pay a little extra for their service but not that much. And they can put together a package for you in addition to having insider tips, etc. to share.

LindaSal · ‎05-15-2014

@fingerlakesny Hi there. We traveled to Universal Studios 3 or 4 years ago with our adult kids. They were both huge Harry Potter fans when young and still are to this day.

We stayed at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel right at Universal. It is very nice and not too long of a walk to get into the parks. The only planning you really need to do is depending how many days you are there decide on your park passes needed, ie: 3 day park pass or whatever. We also made dinner reservations in a couple of nice restaurants

ahead of time (though we were there for Christmas) and bought tickets in advance to see the Blue Man Group which I highly recommend as it was fabulous! It can be overwhelming but if you take your time and not worry about pre planning too much of it, you will be fine. It's great fun and I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

Staying in the park is the best way to do it as you will not need transportation and they do have courtesy pick and drop offs for the airport. Safe travels

FancyPhillyshopper · ‎05-02-2017

Yes, there is a lot to digest on the Universal website!

How old are your grandsons? How mobile/healthy are you? Do you have a generous budget? How many days will you be able to stay at the parks?

Full disclosure--I am going for the first time this Fall to meet my brother and family, who have visited there more than ten times since the park opened more than twenty years ago. (I am too old to care about Harry Potter, but my nephew grew up with his stories.)

This park is NOT inexpensive. There are three different areas: Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Vocano Bay. Day tickets cost hundreds of dollars. You must spend more to go across the different parks, especially if you want to ride the Harry Potter train, as it crosses the first two parks. The third park, Volcano Bay, is a water ride park. Park tickets are cheaper if bought online in advance (rather than at the gate).

The best locations are the hotels on the property, because they are shorter distance in walking and allow you to enter the park one hour early. There are three deluxe hotels on the property, Portofino, Hard Rock and Royal Pacific, that give all guests a free "express pass." This pass allows you to cut ahead of the lines for most lines. The lines can be very long--sometimes the wait may be an hour or more. These hotels all cost several hundreds of dollars per night. (You can also buy the express passes if you stay in a different hotel.)

Some of the full-service restaurants like Mythos take reservations months in advance. The most famous Harry Potter restaurants are Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron. They are more casual and you can stand in line to enter. There are tons of other eateries and restaurants on the property.

You can either buy a package with everything included, or buy the pieces separately and put everything together yourself.

You may want to work with a travel agent if you are not comfortable trying to navigate all the information. You can also call the resort (see CONTACT at bottom of website) and speak to an agent who will help you.

Have fun planning!

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

@fingerlakesny wrote:
I would like to take my gransons to Universal for their February break to see Harry Potter. I got on the web site and it is just down right confusing! So much to pick and choose from. Has anyone gone and where is the best place to stay, places to eat, etc. Thanks.

I looked into going to Universal Orlando a couple of years ago. When researching, I also found their website confusing. Especially when it came to tickets. I ended up calling them directly and found them helpful. My husband has been to Universal. The big draw there, of course, is Harry Potter. Most of the rides there seem to be roller coasters. Their hotels range from budget to deluxe, just like Disney but more afforable than Disney. If you're at a budget hotel, you a little further away from the park but at a deluxe, you're much closer (Portofino has a boat). I believe only with a deluxe reservation the Express Passes are included. That may have changed. Unlike Disney, I find Universal has a lot more packages and "deals" throughout the year. You have to run the numbers and research to see what works best for you. There's a forum. DisBoards.com. It's mostly Disney but scroll down and you'll see Universal Studios Forum and under that there's threads for Universal / Islands of Adventure, Universal Resort and Hotel, and Universal Trip Reports. The same group of people who put up this website are also on YouTube. Go to YouTube and put in Dis Unplugged Universal and A LOT of stuff will pop up. Lots of information regarding the parks, restaurants, hotels....you name it. Very informative.

fingerlakesny · ‎11-13-2010

Thanks everyone! I never thought of you tube. There is a lot of research to do! Thankfully my 2 grandsons are older, so I don't have to worry about little ones. Thanks again.

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

@fingerlakesny wrote:
Thanks everyone! I never thought of you tube. There is a lot of research to do! Thankfully my 2 grandsons are older, so I don't have to worry about little ones. Thanks again.

Just wanted to add to try to stay on property. Getting into the park(s), especially Harry Potter, before those who are not staying on property is really important.