@trnickell27 - He’s right about this. I fought him on it for a long time. Then I tried one & it’s my “must-do” food at VB this trip. I was thrilled to see my favorite seasonal pizza was still on the menu!!
I know we’re joking now, but I’d strongly consider doing it IRL!!! I’m always looking for an excuse to go back to UOR / VB!!
I’ll be at UOR the week of 1/28/24. If you can make it, I’ll hang out with you on my VB day!
Challenge accepted!
@darkmite2 @Jeff_AZ @bebe80 Oh my gosh, thank you all for your great tips!! These are amazing!
I’m even more excited about VB now. I’ll definitely aim for the pizza and splurge on some drinks! Our current plan is to aim for early admission at VB or to at least be there by park open. Will I be too late on the Krakatu if I arrive at park open? My husband is most excited about the fearless river. My kiddo is learning to swim right now, so I doubt he will be fully ready for that… so we will just have to take turns! 
I used to be a competitive swimmer, so I should be okay on most things! The Oh yeah and Oh NO slides sound great! The drop slides don’t appeal to me LOL but my husband will love them.
Do you think premium seating is necessary at VB? It mostly appealed to me for the concierge service but I can’t decide if paying the premium is worth it. On a busy day, I think I could see it’s value not having to wait in long lines for food/drink… but on a Wednesday in October do we think it will be busy? @bebe80 I’d love more info on the shady spots with fans!
Okay I got on the Universal app and was able to make ressies at Big Fire and Toothsome!! I’m too far out for a ressie at Antojitos apparently. I’m not sure I even want to eat at Big Fire yet… I need to study the menu. But it felt right to make a reservation for our arrival day.
No that’s fine, but go straight there and tap in. You won’t have to wait long. By noon I think the virtual wait was over 4 hours.
My 4-year-old skipped it because she was too short but everyone wears a life vest so if they’re tall enough they’ll be fine.
I’ve done it once with and once without. It was much more expensive this time (I want to say it was almost $200?) than the last time (like $80) so I opted out. We didn’t miss it. It’s great for ordering food but if you eat early there are no lines. Plus you potentially will wait in line to get your premium seating, which is annoying.
Note that they’re not that private. But you can claim your chairs here early and then enjoy the shade.
I was so disappointed by Big Fire. The steak was overdone, the portion was TINY (It may have been 10oz precooked, but it was 4oz on the plate!! 
) I’ll never go back for the food. I am going to pop into the bar one night for a drink though!
Hey now Larry, Bigfire is consistently ranked in the top 5 CW restaurants.
If nothing else, go for the Appetizers and Desserts. Can’t go wrong. 
It was my birthday meal. I think that really made it “worse” that it was so disappointing.
To be clear. The taste was good. But $60 for a steak that could fit in the palm of my hand (and overdone) was a deal breaker. I thought the Baked Alaska was underwhelming too. (But I think I had it over hyped as a “big fire” with flambé and presentation. In reality, they just put it on the table)
When I go back for the PB&J Old Fashioned maybe I’ll try an appetizer…
I’m really behind on this thread, but the longboard pizzas are DSs favourite food across all parks.
The salads at VB are particularly good too.
I never remember names of drinks, but I enjoyed all the ones I had at VB. There was a rum punch type one that was amazing!
Yes you do! Excellent restaurant.
I had smoked old fashioned, salmon and apple pie 
The PB&J Old Fashioned ALONE is making me want to keep the reservation!! I’m not interested in ordering a steak but maybe the lamb… and all the apps and desserts look yummy! I was leaning Baked Alaska for dessert but @darkmite2 claims its underwhelming!
My husband requested NBC Sports Grill for Sunday evening dinner because SPORTS, which honestly is fine. I wanted Antojitos but I’m not sure I’m gonna end up being able to squeeze that in this trip. I’m more interested in trying new things at the parks this time because I ALWAYS stick to HP meals (and still will do so) however I want to venture out a little.
Does anyone think the table smores at Big Fire are actually worth ordering?
I’ve heard they’re good, but we opted for apple pie, which was great.
I believe @Dreamer had the smores once 
?
Homemade marshmallows are very tempting…
Yes to table side s’mores!!! So good. They had some homemade marshmallows.
It’s good! It may not “wow” you, but it’s habitually yummy food at an OK price.
I just saved over $100 by checking for lower rates on my hotel! I went from $132 / night to $119 / night.
I haven’t decided on Grinchmas as I can’t find any deals on hotel or flights yet!
Seconding this. We did NBC Sports on our last evening and really enjoyed it. We’ll do it again next time for sure.
Good to hear! I’ve been once but it was years ago. I didn’t mind it back then, so I’m glad it’s still good! Honestly, their prices are really reasonable for being theme park adjacent.
Yay! Okay this sells me on it… plus my 4 year old will think it’s awesome.
You’re such a pro at this!!
Not only did it have chocolate bars but there were Reese’s too!!