I just wanted to do a quick Trip Report for our recent trip to Universal - from Nov. 22 through the 29th. We drove from Missouri b/c we are insane apparently, so nothing to report on airports. I am glad we chose to drive though, with the shutdowns and then there was a shooting at our airport on the morning we would have left. Some guy had a knife, and it was this whole fiasco, so that would have been a nightmare.
First, we stayed at Royal Pacific Resort. The pros greatly outweighed the cons. This resort is amazing and we got upgraded to a theme-park view, which has never happened to me. Whomever manages the resort should be commended b/c they have some of the best people on their staff I have ever encountered. The grounds were stunningly pretty, with lush tropical plants and palm trees. We never saw any garbage or unclean areas, it was meticulously maintained. The rooms were so pretty, with newer carpets (I think) and huge bathrooms with plenty of room for our stuff. They have daily housekeeping, which I did not realize I loved so much until we had it. I never want to go back to every-other-day housekeeping ever again. It was amazing coming back from the parks to a clean room with made beds. The pool was large, with plenty of room for kids to swim and explore, along with a splash pad that looked like an old abandoned boat. The boat transportation to the parks was constant, with nearly no waits between service. The buses to EPIC were just as good. There was a beautiful walking path to the parks also, if that is what you prefer, that comes out right by Margaritaville by the entrance to Islands of Adventure. And having EP for IOA and USF was just lovely.
The only cons were the beds, which probably need to be replaced or flipped, b/c they are really worn in spots, with large dips where people typically sleep. DO NOT GET ANYTHING DELIVERED TO THE HOTEL. We had three six packs of water delivered and some sunscreen and we were charged an unconscionable $40 in âholding feesâ. They hold it all in the business center, so you need to go there during business hours and pick it up. Also, CHECK YOU FOLIO! We were charged for $45 valet parking sixteen times, totaling $720. I emailed them, and they were quick to correct this mistake, but my gosh, that is insane, and could have cost us a considerable amount of money had I not checked.
Parks - We did two days at EPIC. For the first day, we get to the bus stop 7am and were the second family in line. The bus came right around 8, and it was nearly full. Apparently the buses are shared with Sapphire Falls, so they load first. This bus only fit the first three parties in line at our resort. I am sure more came after, but still. We got to the park around 8:15 and they opened the gates around 8:40. You then go through security, scan your tickets, and they open right after that, to then lineup for whatever land you want to do. We went to BATM, so went to the right, were held there until right at 9, then they let us through. This process means many people will run at full speed to get to BATM. Some will even shove, so be prepared to either go your own pace and deal with not being in line first, or to run yourself. I have kids, so we didnât run, but that meant we ended up waiting for BATM about 25 minutes b/c we were a little further back in line. Like any good RD, there was a near-fight. An ECV user ran into a man b/c he pushed in front of her. He tried to shame her, and she was not having it. She gave it to him good and let him know she was not putting up with his lip!
BATM is amazing, the queue is mind-blowing. I was speechless. I was without words. I donât even have the words right now to describe the feeling you get when you walk into that space. It is truly remarkable. The ride itself is ok, nothing too great, but the queue is something amazing. We then went to Isle of Berk. We watched The Untrainable Dragon (loved it!), followed by riding Hiccupâs Wing Gliders. Super fun, rather fast, rollercoaster that we all loved. We then went to Nintendo World, and waited 60 minutes for Yoshi. Not worth it, but adorable ride. We ate at Toadstool Cafe, which was so awesome and delish. I love that you sit down, order through the app, then put in your table number. It was seamless the entire time we were at Universal, and I love this new system. We never had a problem finding a table to sit at, even in Epic. Next was Dark Universe, which was amazing. We rode Monsters Unchained, which I did not realize was a kuka-arm ride. I despise these rides. I donât know why they feel it necessary to constantly throw riders around like a ragdoll, thinking they will enjoy it. I hate it so much. The animatronics in the queue were amazing, and I assume the ones on the ride were as well, but I had my eyes closed the entire time. I despise being held upside down and sideways, so I just prayed to the Lord for the entirety of that ride and counted my blessings when I got off! Never again. We then left, b/c I knew we had another day and the lines were so long for everything we had no already done, and we were just exhausted. I have learned from the past, that I would rather do a fun and energetic half-day, than a tired and miserable full-day, at a park.
The second day at EPIC, we went at 3pm so we could enjoy the parks at night. My only words of advice, if I do give any at all, are to see these parks at night. They are works of art. Darkmoor Village in Dark Universe is on a whole new level of theming at night. There are lightning strike sounds in the background, the Burning Blade Tavern lights its blades on fire, and Frankensteinâs Manor comes alive with pulsating lightning that goes throughout the whole village. They had a wondering violinist, bringing a sense of eeriness to the whole village as she crept by you. A WANDERING VIOLINIST you guys! What?! It is dark and brooding and brought tears to my eyes. I have never witnessed such a spectacle in my life and I loved every minute. It was truly magical and every person who helped design this land deserves a raise and a prize. You can tell they cared about it on a personal level.
Every land seemed to come to life at night to be honest, it was wonderful. The crowds are also less at night, and people with EP have already gone through the lines, so the standby times are much quicker. Get an ice cream from Frosty Moon and sit on the grassy area by the fountains also, and just enjoy it. Count your blessings and soak it in. We did stuff in other lands also, but the ambiance of just being there was my favorite part. Go at night!
We also did three days at the other two parks - IOA and USF. I do not have much to say on these, they are always so wonderful, but we did a few things for the first time. The Horror Make-up Show was a riot. We had never taken the time to do this show and I am so glad we did this time. It was packed too, so clearly they are loved. Both myself and my husband, as well as my kids, all laughed nearly the entire time, just from the improv of the two men on stage. They were hilarious, and we will do this every trip now. We still love the Bourne Stuntacular and ate multiple times at the Minions cafe b/c it is huge and they always have seating. Is that a good reason to eat somewhere? Yes. Yes it is.
We also did the new Minions Blaster thing, which was chaos. There were so many people using the same screen, that is was nearly impossible to find your marker to see what you were even shooting at. I would be angry if I waited in line for this attraction. It is cute, but chaotic. Oh, and I rode VC for the first time. And the last time.
Feel free to AMA, I am an open book! We learned this trip that we are transforming from a Disney family to a Universal family. I am extremely Type A, and in the past, I would spend hours and hours researching and reserving ADRs, experiences like BBB and dessert parties, deciding if we wanted PH on our tickets and how that would affect our ADRs, deciding if we wanted to buy LL or not, etc. I am tired and I donât want to do it anymore. I donât want to wake up at 7am to reserve anything. I donât want to schedule my entire day around an ADR. I donât want to scan into a LL, then immediately get on my phone to schedule another, then logistically figure out if I can make that LL b/c I have an ADR at another time in another area of the park and that would only leave 15 minutes and is that enough time? It is mentally exhausting. I know these types of issues are self-created, and that I could just fly by the seat of my pants at WDW if I wanted, but you do miss a lot when you do that. Something like Toadstool Cafe or Das Stakehaus would require an ADR at WDW. The nighttime show at USF required us to show up 10 minutes prior to it happening to get a front row spot. These spots would have been pay-walled at WDW. Is the show as good an HEA? No. But it was still good and they have drones! And no one tried to run us over on the way out of the park in their mad dash to the bus stops, so that was great!
It is a gift to be able to live in the moment and I appreciate Universal so much more after this last trip.
But an Uber would likely save you time waiting for a bus!