Great time on first family trip to UOR

Universal Orlando Resort
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First time poster on this board. I’ve posted on the WDW board before. Just got back from our first family trip to UOR, and it was great.

I went to UOR a few times on Disney trips in the 1990s - where are Jaws and Kongfrontation!? - and my wife and I went back in 2010 after the first WWoHP opened in IOA. As frequent WDW and DLP travelers - we lived in the UK for a long time - I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and I was blown away at how great a time we had. So much easier and more laid back than WDW. Want lunch, just walk up to Mythos. Want to skip the line, just walk to the Express Pass line. It was actually relaxing.

We flew to Orlando on June 4 and spent the first few days at Legoland. Having been to Legoland Windsor and Legoland New York, we knew what to expect and had a great time. It was probably the best of the Legolands we have been to, but we made the mistake of staying at Beach Retreat, which was fairly terrible.

We then spent 4 nights at UOR and it was great. We stayed at Portofino Bay, which we very nice. Nicer than any WDW resort we have ever stayed at (includes GF, Contemporary, Boardwalk, Beach Club, DLP Disneyland Hotel, DLP Newport Bay Club). Great service. Nice big room. DAILY HOUSEKEEPING. Wonderful time, great hotel.

The parks were very fun. Our kids (8 and 6) and my wife are big Harry Potter fans. We all thought both of those areas were better than anything WDW has right now. Even as a big Star Wars fan, I had to admit that this was better than Galaxy’s Edge. It really makes you realize what a misstep Disney made in inventing a new planet for GE. Visiting Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade was great. The kids loved visiting the shops and restaurants they knew from the books and movies. Hagrid’s is a joy and hands down our favorite ride. Better and less broken than Rise of the Resistance. With barely a wait, if you got to the park early.

The rest of the parks were … fine? Velocicoaster was an incredible coaster, which we did four times. The kids enjoyed Seuss Landing and Dudley Do-right. My daughter and I rode Rip Ride Rocket. ET was fun, as it was probably the only classic ride from the old days. I really can’t believe they took the Back to the Future ride and turned it into that Simpsons mess. Men in Black and Fast and Furious were underwhelming. The kids loved Jimmy Fallon.

It was all just so much easier than WDW is. Great time. Planning to go again next year!

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We will be there in a week for the first time in a long time too.

Sounds like you had a great time!

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Any issues with motion sickness?

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I admire your courage.

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I remember being really queasy when I rode this in the early 2000’s. One of the reasons I never went back to UOR.

This time I have a plan, but I’m worried.

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No issues with motion sickness, but that’s usually not an issue for us.

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We ended up learning our lesson after the first day. If you get to IOA early, before 7:15, you will have no issues walking on to Hagrids or Velocicoaster.

Definitely try Volcano Bay if you have time.

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You & I just became new best friends! I like SW too, but Diagon Alley is incredible!

I became a UOR AP for the first time this year because of all the stuff you mentioned. Great rooms, service and PRICE!

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I followed along on your last trip report!

Could you imagine if they made GE Tattooine and made the actual cantina (not Oga’s) like Leaky Cauldron with mobile orders? A much better experience than hoping to get a reservation in a room that holds 20 people two months in advance. Why do I need to wait in a virtual queue to get into a tiny store to buy a lightsaber?

The trip made me rethink everything.

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Preach!!! It blows my mind that if you are lucky enough to get an Oga’s you’re probably going to have your drink standing up & elbow-to-elbow with people! Plus, you are asked to leave in 45 minutes.

If I want to sit at Hog’s Head and drink for 2 hours it’s no issue!

Olivander’s = 100% FREE for all. You don’t have to decide which of your children you “really” like and only take that child into the lightsaber experience!

I miss WDW. I see pictures of Tron and such coming along and get excited. What I don’t miss is the DAILY drama I see on multiple platforms about just how difficult it is to do WDW atm…

I’m scheduled to go back in August. (I may not go though. My DD20 & I are arguing this week. We have an “on & off” relationship. This is a big time for her as she is trying to become her own person. It can be a challenge! :rofl: :crazy_face:)

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Fully agree. I cannot believe they built a sprawling land based on a planet no one heard of that is full of shops and restaurants you can’t get into. How is Han Solo not on MFSR? About 1% of the population knows who Hondo is. What did they do?

We are back in WDW for Thanksgiving. Not sure how I feel about it right now. Staying at Poly for the first time and considering fully avoiding DHS (we’ve done GE 3 times already and we had the WORST day there last year) and sticking to the old school MK and Epcot (plus a morning at AK so I can get lunch at Tiffins).

I just greatly prefer the UOR, DLR, DLP model of walking from the hotel to both parks and not having to plan things months ahead of time. Life is just easier. We are getting back to Europe later this summer for the first time since we lived in the UK in 2019 and I can’t wait to hit DLP.

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Oh we love Men in Black! And Simpsons.

Glad it was a great trip.

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Thanks for the report-

We are going for the first time in August.

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Let me know if you need any other info!

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The kids liked them. Men and Black kept stalling out for us.

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That would be annoying.

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Welcome to the forums!

I think you are spot on about Disney deciding to build us Baatu instead of something familiar. It is Tatooine-esque, so they could have just done all the way and gone with that. While the immersion is all great there, it really does pale in comparison to the immersion at WWoHP…and even Pandora!

In SWGE, they “got away” with it simply by plopping down a few familiar droids and space ships.

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Thanks for the report! I’ve been playing with the idea of a trip next year and struggling with the WDW / UOR ratio. My kids are Potter fans, but I have been a little concerned about them handling the more intense rides at UOR. On the flip side I know they like the rides at WDW, but I’m equally concerned about the situation over there with no FP, long lines, park reservations, daily/hourly ride reservation planning, etc etc etc. It’s great to hear that your little guys (similar ages to mine - I have a DD7 and DS9) were able to enjoy UOR for 4 days.

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Pandora is great, it’s just that no one cares about Avatar.

I’m hoping GE gets better without COVID restrictions. Will they actually have wandering characters and droids that were promised?

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Ok… This seals the deal! We are soulmates!! :rofl: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :rofl:

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