Tips and Tricks -- Universal Studios Florida

Universal Studios Florida park is set up with different themes, but the themes aren't so different that you need to pay much attention to it. Again, find a map. Study the map before you get to the park. You can pick up a map after you enter the turnstile, but by studying the map you can chose the appropriate ride/shows you and your family wants to visit.


There are quite a few shows--many of them we didn't see--but the rides are phenomenal!

This year, the Transformers ride is new. I never rode it, so I can't help you there. Sorry! Shoot, even Universal hasn't updated their maps online. When they were putting it in, It seemed to be on the lake, as you walk toward Men In Black and the Simpson's rides.

I didn't do this quite right, but click on the picture and it will take you to the YouTube video trailer . . . I hope.

I'll track this park journey straight in from the turnstiles, clockwise around the lake. Some of the shows I won't include, mainly because we never bothered to see them! So there are shows to watch if you want to sit in the Florida heat--check your maps for show times and listings.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem

This is where Jimmy Neutron used to be. You sit on bench seating, which moves with the action on the movie. Totally Awesome Fun!

Minions Rule!

 

Shrek 4-D

Another really fun 'interactive' ride. Stationary seats are available.

 

Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket

This is the red roller coaster that you see throughout the park. It goes straight up and then straight down. . . it looks worse than it really is. The fun part of this ride is that you can pick the music you want to listen to while you ride, everything from Country to Rap.

NO Express Passes

Loose items must be placed in lockers prior to getting in line.

Singles line is open sometimes

 

Twister

This is sort of like a show, but you're standing, so it's not. You might get wet. It's okay, but don't waste your time if you are a ride person . . . ride something else twice.

 

Revenge of the Mummy

A MUST SEE!

This is a wonderful inside roller coaster-type of ride that also tells a story. It's not constant movement as it stops to show you a different part of the story before it continues on the ride.

Loose items must be placed in lockers prior to getting in line.

 

Disaster!

Again, if you're strapped for time, skip this one. I thought it felt like the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack

Lots of fun as you target aliens . . . and other ride cars to earn point! Quick spins and jerkiness depending on who's steering.

Loose items must be placed in lockers prior to getting in line.

 

The Simpsons Ride

Another MUST DO. This ride is totally fun. There are three different levels to this ride and pretty much it's a crap shoot as to which level you get. You ARE in the Simpson's movie.

 

Woody Woodpecker Kid Zone

(Curious George playground, animal shows, Barney, Fievel's Playland, Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster (36" tall)

 

ET Adventures

At the very edge of Woody Woodpecker's Kid Zone. You ride on bicycles to save ET as you ride through the woods, and into the air, as you take ET back to his home planet.

Dated. Fun, but dated.

 

Terminator 2 : 3-D

Part stunt show, part movie, part interactive. It's a lot of fun, but again, if you just miss the show, you will have to wait a long time before the doors open again.

Timing is everything here.



Enjoy the park!

Later, peeps!

Wally World Tips and Tricks--part one

I drafted this blog last summer as soon as we returned from Florida, but I never got around to posting it . . .  probably because I never wrote part two! I'll work on part two this weekend and post it next week some time. Hope this helps!

So you are planning to go to Walt Disney World (WDW)? Or Universal Florida (UF)?

Then you better be prepared with more than a wallet stuffed full of money!

I have so much information to share that this might take more than one blog to do it in. In the past, I've shared a few 'must do' secrets, but if you have to go to these parks smack dab in the busy season, then you really need to follow my tips and tricks.

If you have never been to these parks, the first thing you need to do is go out and buy the UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO WALT DISNEY WORLD. No, I am not associated with this book, nor I do not get any financial recompense for recommending this book. It's just a good book that CRAMS loads of information on every page. And I highly recommend you start reading this book 6-8 months PRIOR to your vacation. Yes, there is that much information to be had. The last version that I bought--2007--is about 2-inches thick with tiny font, plus it had added information about Universal Studios. I don't know if the newer books provide that information.

I'll tell you up front--the book is overwhelming--true, there's tons of information, but you have to sift through the words to find what's important for you and your family.

AND this will change as your family becomes older and your preferences change. For example: going to these parks with little kids is totally different than going to them with pre-teens.

Before you even contemplate going to either one of these parks, see if you can pull your kid from school to hit the parks during 'shoulder season'. Shoulder season is off season, usually when the kiddos are in school, but the windows of time are narrowing. The key thing to remember is that the crowds are lighter, the lines aren't as long, the temperature cooler, and it might be just a little bit cheaper.

Getting there--this last year, we drove. It was it's own adventure reminiscent of the road trip I took in my youth. Kids have it so easy now with electronic gadgets and gizmos, while I had to play I SPY or read while I was that age.

Driving was fun, but time-consuming and boring. I don't know if hubby crunched the numbers, but with the added gasoline/hotel/meals I don't know if we saved any money driving vs. flying, or not. Part of the reason we drove was so the kidlet could go to the beach. We went to two different beaches, so that part was worth it.

In the past when we flew, we would board a plane at 5-6 AM, arrive in Atlanta at 2.5 hours, board another flight to Orlando, rent a car and be eating Wendy's no later than 1 PM. Many times we would be in our hotel and on a ride three hours later. The added expense of a rental car is slightly offset by the convenience of having a car and not having to rely on the park transportation to get you to the individual parks.

Hotels--I'm spoiled here. We have always stayed at an on-site hotel. We stay at the Portofino when at Universal, and this last time at WDW we stayed at the Beach Club, which is walking distance from Epcot, instead of the Wilderness Lodge (still my favorite hotel!). I don't care where you stay because during the crowded season, you can expect most of your hotel costs to DOUBLE! BUT there are a few advantages to staying on-site.

• If you're simply comparing room sizes to outside hotels then you are doing yourself a disfavor because you need to factor in the experience and convenience of being onsite. For example: if you stay at the Wilderness Lodge, you will feel like you are visiting Yellowstone National Park. And when you travel to the Magic Kingdom, you go by boat, which is a fun experience! When at the Beach Club, you can walk to the back entrance of Epcot. Staying at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, or Contemporary, then you can ride the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. And WDW has a fleet of buses that travel from all hotels to the various parks.
• If stay on site and you do drive your car to the parks, you don't have to pay a parking fee at those parks, which can save you $16/day/park (2014).

Staying onsite at the Universal hotels will provide you with an Express Pass voucher for the days you are in the park. Of course, for those people who don't stay at one of their hotels, UF offers a variety of options for the Express pass--the cost depends on the estimated crowd levels and time of year. The more crowded it is, the more an Express pass will cost. Click on their site to find out what a daily pass is for X amount of people in your family--and then decide if it's more beneficial to stay at an on-site hotel or not!

• Again, trust me, the extra cost of an onsite hotel is totally worth the advantage of Express Passing the long lines, plus getting into the park an hour early to the Harry Potter experience and Transformers.
• You can walk to the parks (NOT recommended if you're at the Portofino as you will get plenty of walking at the parks!), or take a bike taxi, or wait for the boat.

That's it for today. I'll have a few more suggestions in a few more days!
. . . and will probably remember a few that I forgot about when I wrote this blog!

Later, Peeps!

Dropping the *F* Bomb

While I was away on vacation, I jotted a few notes down about various topics that struck my interest.

Here's a quickie of our itinerary:
--drive from Tulsa to Orlando--2 days--LOTS of togetherness
--3 nights at Universal's Portofino Hotel
--6 nights at Disney's Beach Resort Hotel
--2 nights at Sand Key hotel (on Gulf of Mexico, near Clearwater Beach)
--drive to Seaside beach, near Destin--8 hours
--2 nights at Watercolor Inn
--drive home--15 hours

I think that was about right. I didn't keep notes for everything. That would have been a little too much like 'working' and not 'playing'.

Back to topic: F Bombs

When most people hear the term F Bombs, they immediately think of the naughty word. I'm not talking about the gratuitous use of foul language here, and actually, I'm very happy to report that I didn't hear any of that on my trip. Well, I did hear a few firefighters playing beach volleyball who stopped mid-sentence when families strolled past them to the beach. I might have had my deaf filter on my ear, but that's okay.

My friends, I'm talking FART BOMBS here.

Look, I know all mammals fart. Everyone farts. Heck, my dog farts more than anyone I know! It's a natural process when the normal bacterial flora of the gut breaks down certain products, producing gasses. But have a little common courtesy when you do need to fart.

Do NOT:

• fart in a big long line/slow ride where there is ZERO air circulation or actual movement--this happened at least three times. Puh-leeze! Do it ON the rollercoaster, not in line!
• fart when a large group of people enter the STAR TOURS simulator and they shut the darn doors--Trust me, it puts a damper on the experience.
• fart where people are exiting a restaurant--to give the dude credit, he did walk to an area that was reserved for strollers to drop his bomb. BUT when he walked past us AFTERWARDS, he could have said "Excuse me" or something, since he knew we heard him!
• fart before vacating an elevator--yep, people do this
• fart in the car of three people and then pretend you didn't fart. Yeah, the kidlet was doing this on the way to FL, but after our other 'experiences' she would tell us to roll down the window first.

Do:

• fart in the bathroom--that's kind of expected, you know.
• fart away from crowds if you can or while moving. Squeeking it out is better than blasting it out. JMHO.

And if all else fails, go to the Despicable Me--Minion Mayhem ride at Universal Studios Florida where Dr. Nefario invented the fart gun, but the girls changed it to smell like bananas. Yep, it drove the minions crazy!

Later, peeps!