I’m rapidly approaching a trip to Universal Orlando for my first time. I’ll be there Aug 28-Sep 3, using 5 day tickets. The traveling party includes myself, my wife, 7 kids/kids-in-law and 1 grandchild. We have kids, teens, young adults, and us old folks all together for the trip.
To keep things relatively budget, we found a VRBO near Universal large enough for the whole clan, and are purchasing the B3G2 ticket special using Universal’s credit card for the cash back and park discounts.
The family often had Cedar Fair (now Six Flags) season passes, but this is the first trip to Universal. From looking at the available attractions, I believe that 1 day at IOA, 2 days at Epic and 1 day at USF with an extra day to fill in things we missed seems to be correct. Does that look right? Out of 7 days to use 5, what do you recommend for each? Crowd levels seem similar every day, so I’m not seeing what would distinguish when to use one over the other.
Further complicating things is that I have learned with experience that I am the only early riser in my family. None of the rest of them will be there for rope drop, but they’re happy to close down the park each and every day. Starting around 10-11 is more their style (if not later!) but they’ll close the place down.
To ride the Hogwart’s express, is it possible to buy a 1-day park-to-park add-on for our IOA day, or does park-to-park need to be purchased for the full 5 day ticket? That could be a big price difference for the group.
What are the recommendations on big family group dining in the park? Are any QS able to accommdate a group of 10 to sit together?
TIA for this info, I’ve found Universal’s website difficult to navigate, especially around pricing options and ticket deals for a family not staying at their resorts.
We just did a trip in February with similar stats, also renting via VRBO. Us, 4 of our five kids, plus 2 daughters-in-law, and 2 grandkids!
Your mix of days sounds about right. Of course, you could easily do more days, but I think you will have a decent mix. Two days at Epic is definitely a must, IMO.
A few things I would be concerned about, though.
You are going in the worst of the heat and afternoon storms. This means that you probably won’t get as much done as you might hope since SO much of Universal (unlike Disney) is outside. In fact, at Epic, if it is raining, there are only 4 rides total available. And escaping the heat is a bit of a challenge.
Doing in later would normally be okay, since actually Universal parks seem to empty out more in the evenings. It is better to go in later, and stay til close, than to go in early, and then leave early. BUT, due to the aforementioned afternoon storms, it will eat into some of that time. (On the other hand, it will help to empty the parks if you stick it out.)
You are entering HHN time period, so make sure you are fully prepared for the crowds that will bring into the legacy parks in the evening.
I don’t know the price difference, but if it’s significant, I would skip Hogwart’s Express. It’s fine, but I put it way down on the list of the Harry Potter attractions between the 3 parks.