Our vacations normally revolve around this annual convention that is in a different location every year. We add on a week and do the tourist thing. Hotels are usually awesome and cheap. I’ve been practically nowhere interior US, so it is all new and exciting.
The location this summer, Kansas City, is unexciting so we only added on a couple of days. The location next summer is Houston. But we live in Texas and can go there whenever.
So, we decided to add a second vacation for this year and next year. Early Feb, we went to Universal for a week and got the Annual Pass. Next January we are going to Disney for two weeks and will pop over to Universal with our annual pass.
But, this summer’s convention is cancelled. So my planned vacation was thrown out the window. (like a lot of peoples) We are all very disappointed. DD has friends that she sees once a year there. DH and I both find it relaxing.
My mind is returning to Universal. Our passes had only been active for a couple of weeks before they closed. So, they will be active for one year minus a couple of weeks after they open.
We have a 9-year-old who is homeschooled, so can go during the school year. But, my work is busy during the last three months of the year, so vacations then are frowned on. I hate hot/humid weather.
I was looking at the crowd calendar. Mid-September before the Halloween stuff starts doesn’t look too bad. Has anyone been then? Opinions?
We wouldn’t go if masks are required. But, a nice thing about Universal is that you don’t have to plan things 180 days and 60/30 days ahead.
I haven’t been too USF/IOA in Sept., but have gone to Orlando multiple times during that time. It can be great, but it’s the heart of Hurricane Season. I’m not sure when hours start to get cut for HHN. I have found that USF/IOA closes even earlier than WDW at times.
I’m right in the middle of deciding to cancel my Disneyland trip and going to Orlando instead. I can go to USF for 1/3 of the cost of Disneyland.
One of the things I do love about USF is the not needing a plan since they generally offer buy 2 days get 2 days free. That’s enough time to do everything there that I like multiple times.
HHN30 starts on September 10 with a TM preview two days before, so keep that in mind. So “Mid-September before the Halloween stuff starts” might only be a day or two.
If you have no interest in HHN I’d suggest focusing on flying in on Sunday and touring the parks on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Days USF closes early for HHN usually means IOA opens slightly longer, so focus on rope dropping USF.
Yes, maybe I was thinking early/mid Sept. Before the hours are shortened.
We have Six Flags passes, and the one in Arlington does an awesome Fright Fest. The weather is usually amazing there, then. So, I’d rather not pay extra to do Halloween at Universal.
I forgot to mention that I’d also like to find a sweet spot where we could do Snuba in Destin, FL on the drive over to Universal. By sweet spot I mean where the gulf isn’t too cold, and Universal isn’t too hot, and the crowd isn’t too bad.
We have also re-scheduled our UOR trip to early Sept. We’re going Aug 31- Sept 4. It’s a Mon-Fri. Lower crowds before Halloween events. Staying at Cabana Bay, since we should no longer need Express Passes. Sucks that we had to reschedule, but yay for a cheaper vacation!
I was at UOR for the opening weekend of HHN the last 2 years. Sept 13 - 16, 2018 and Sept 6 - 9, 2019. Crowds are very low. Weather was hot, but dry both times (didn’t expect that it would be a dry heat). USF closes early, but it also opens early (7 am early entry seemed to be the norm). I attended HHN all the evenings that I was there so I needed to be at the holding area by 3 pm. That cut into the touring; however, it won’t have been a problem if we weren’t attending HHN.
This is absolutely something to keep in mind when you plan your trip. If you end up being there on HHN days, you will be deprived of evenings in Diagon Alley, which are some of the most magical experiences at Universal. Make sure you plan accordingly!