I’m in the middle of planning…trying to remember to slow down not only to rest, but to shop and look around! It’s been a couple years and I’m overwhelmed (in the best way!)
Mummy is my fave USF ride too! I’m already missing it. IMHO - It is “exposing” a big hole in lack of stuff at USF these days. They need to do something w/ the Fear Factor area. Then redo Production Central. (Which is basically just 3 similar screen based / 4-D movie attractions)
I think you’re gonna get your wish. My money in Fear Factor is it’s gonna be a ministry of magic. Have you heard shrek replacement rumors. I know it’s going bye bye.
I have, but it’s all 100% rumor atm. I never liked Shrek anyway, so I won’t miss it. I do miss the 3-D effect on Despicable Me though. I’m not even planning on doing it.
So… there’s a rumor on Twitter today that the Mystic Fountain is talking again. It’s announcing that Poseidon’s Fury will reopen in January!!
Until I see a video, I’m not going to believe it. (However, some of the construction / rerub has been reveled this week.)
I did see a a comment in the thread from someone who has pictures of them working inside the attraction and claiming it is from last Monday…
I will have to completely redo my plans already!! 
The Mystic Fountain was one of our favorite experiences at UOR. It was dd’s birthday and they chatted for about 10 minutes. I got it all on video too!
Posting from other thread
Curious on exactly how you do this. You make a TP for yourself and enter the date that is a similar crowd level that you are actually visiting on. Then on that day you complete steps and track the actual waits in the UOR Lines app just like you were in the park. Documenting arrival times and wait times. At the end of the day, compare the notes with the original Touring Plan? Do you need to pretty much be in front of the computer the whole time?
We must be related somehow. I too just booked a Tue-Sat trip to Universal, used cancelled points for my free flights and I’m also buying a Seasonal pass as the block out dates don’t affect me much. Kept my budget under $1000 as well. I’m leaving in a week (very last minute). Have fun in Feb.
You pretty much summed it up! I also look at all the reported waits from users in the park, when available…
I tend to do it mostly on weekdays, I have a desk job and can keep an eye on it all day… (I’ve been at the same office for more than a decade. I have the daily routine down to a science. Plus, with COVID I’m one of the few people in the building for the last 20 months.)
I do treat it like I’m in the parks and schedule my down time too… I take 15 breaks every 2 attractions or 70 - 80 minutes - whichever is sooner. This allows rest / snacks / toilet / shopping.
I put in real lunch breaks and such… here is the plans I’m following right now!
https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=4497388
Here are my notes from yesterday… (The handwritten times next to the attractions are to help me not get mixed up with Central Time vs. Eastern Time)
Thank you!
I’m so excited for you!! Please do a trip report or summary when you have time!!
Dang!! You are much more committed than I am for sure. Other than trying to RD Hagrids and Velocicoaster I don’t believe I’ll even have a TP for this trip. This trip is more of a reconnaissance mission for me. Check out the resorts, the rides, see how the ExPass works, food options, transportation, etc… Just getting the layout of the land so to speak. Will use this info for future trips with the family. Hate to learn on the go with others following me. It’s like the blind leading the blind. Doesn’t make for a very enjoyable trip. Anyway, that’s my excuse for going and I’m sticking with it. Lol.
This is the problem. It’s so hard to even find 1 green dot per attraction per day, correct?
Is there a rule of thumb or something with an approx. of how much the posted waits are inflated? Like 30%…
I’m just confused how you can track and document accurate wait times. How would the Lines app predict shorter waits than posted if there is no actual data to go off of?
I will admit I have never had a touring plan for Universal. That has been true when I have had express pass and when I haven’t (even the 5 hour excursion on a cruise entering with my AP)
I generally have a mental list of what I want to do. VC line is usually a shorter line than Hagrid’s since I think there are people that won’t do the big coasters. I have never waited the posted time for VC. You should keep an eye on attraction on colder mornings- coasters and Hagrid’s sometime have a hard time starting. Enjoy!
Yeah… there aren’t as many Universal TP users as WDW…
They use historical data from years of gathering stats and are making educated predictions.
Here’s my best advice if you want to try this…
I look at the Universal App for Posted Wait Times. Then I open the TP Universal Lines App. If the Posted Wait matches what TP predicted in my personal plan I trust that the Actual wait TP says is valid.
If I do that and the Universal App Posted Time is way higher than predicted, I look to see if the TP app has adjusted. Often, I’ll input the Posted Time myself and TP will update with a more accurate time after a refresh. If TP still insists that their predicted wait hasn’t changed at after giving them an updated Posted Wait I make my own adjustment - to err on the side of caution. (As much a I love TP it isn’t perfect and they really don’t give the Universal side of their business anywhere near as much attention as Disney, so I’ll put a little more faith in Universal in this scenario)
Example: If Universal says Hulk is a 60 minute wait at my planned time, but TP predicted a 3 minute wait in my personalized plan based of a “historical” wait of 10 minutes.
If I input the 60 minute Posted Wait into the TP Universal Lines App myself and nothing changes (which isn’t often) I’ll deduct about 25% of the off the Posted. Even that might not be enough. However, for me, I’d rather play it “safe” and not try to assume it’s 30% - 40% shorter. The difference is only 3 - 9 minutes if I take off 25% vs. 30% - 40%. That’s a variance I am ok with as opposed to 60 minutes Posted wait vs. Historical wait of 3 minutes.
(There’s a “Forecast” of waits in the individual section of each ride and if you scroll further in that area you can see a simpler hourly breakdown of time.)
Now, the easy part…if the Universal posted wait is way lower than what TP predicted, I just go with that. I still see if TP agrees with the new time to verify if TP’s app is updating properly though. IME - TP’s Universal Lines app does a better job adjusting with the predicted waits are much lower than higher.
Does any of this help? I feel like I’m talking in circles… 
Ah yes, great idea and it’s helpful to TP!
I’ve always thought about how TP can incentivize people to submit more green dots. I just can’t believe how few there are. Sometimes it’s hard to find just 1 a day for all the attractions.
Thank you sir for all the info, it definitely makes sense and is very helpful!
FYI - I’ve been price checking habitually to see if I could get an even lower rate and/or extend my stay.
Universal is still having sales for Dockside in February. I extended my stay by one more day but it only added a total of $70 to my overall. Got my flight changed for $60. Now, I’m arriving at 1pm, instead of 5pm an entire day early. It’s like getting 1.5 “bonus” days for less than $150.
The deals are out there!!
Which airlines allow re-booking with a lower rate? I re-booked previously with American, but they just gave a credit that expired because I did not use.
(sorry, I guess that’s off topic!)
Sorry… I only paid and additional $60 to change my flight…not discounted…
My hotel rate is $90 / night, but the total price only went up by $70…(even after tax & fees)
My fault, I realized that now. Great work though! Are you up to 4 days now at Universal?
Yep! Four full days and I should be able to enter for at least 2 - 3 hours on arrival day too. Very excited!! Really believe all the holiday crowds will disperse and everything will calm down after next week
