What to do when we arrive at Universal?

Universal Orlando Resort
1

We’ve never been to Universal and will have a hectic arrival b/c we’re coming in and immediately heading to the parks since we only have 1.5 days there. Please give me some idea of what to expect.
Details:

  1. Arriving on auto train then have an hour drive to Universal on a Saturday. Staying at Portofino so have to check in (hoping to…arrival is 11 am at earliest and maybe as late as about 1 pm if things go poorly). Either drop luggage with them or check in to rooms.
  2. I’m assuming our check in at Portofino takes care of getting the express passes.
  3. Have military tix so have to exchange them somehow for real tickets. At the gate of the parks?
  4. one wrinkle is that we have a friend who’s arriving separately and he will probably arrive after us. My plan is to have just me go back to the hotel to meet up with him and guide him to our group. I will have to activate his military ticket; he can’t do that without me or my husband b/c we have the military IDs.
    Thanks for any info! :slight_smile:
2

The biggest thing I can tell you is to prepare to spend a lot of time at guest services if you have to go there to exchange your tickets. Saturday afternoon is very busy. Can the tickets be exchanged at the ticket counter in the resort? If so, that would definitely be the way to go to save some time. I know that the ticket counter can convert tickets to annual passes, I just don’t know if they can do military tickets.

1 Like
3

I tagging @brerbeer to see if he can offer more information regarding exchanging the military tickets.

4

There’s a vacation desk at the resorts, check in there first to see if you can exchange the Military Vouchers for tickets. If so then just head to the parks.

1 Like
5

It doesn’t hurt to ask the ticket desk at portofino if you can leave his name and show your military I’d ahead of time with a note so that they have the info on file and you don’t have to come back. The worst they can say is no.

1 Like
6

Thanks, that’s a great idea I would not have thought of. :slight_smile:

1 Like
7

Hi! You can change the military tickets in for the actual ones at Portofino Bay, no need to deal with Guest Services at the park. The tickets can be claimed at the Universal Ticket Desk, just past Bar American, in the lobby. For your express passes, after you check in head to the Express Pass kiosks, located just past the Concierge desk in the lobby. Each member of your party will take their room keys to the kiosk, take a picture and your Express Pass will be printed. I hope you have a fabulous time! We will be there next week doing the same thing!

8

It’s been a couple of years since you had to have your pic taken and get a printed Express Pass. You just use your room key now. They take your pic in the queue of the first ride you do, and then compare to it every time after that.

1 Like
9

Thanks for the update! Our last trip was August 2017, so that sounds about right!

1 Like
10

My husband was trying to figure out what lanyards we own that we can use for the hotel keys / passes. He kept asking me if they have a hole in them. As far as I know, they don’t. Can anyone tell me? We’re at Portofino Bay hotel and as far as I could tell from web pics we’ll get a credit card sized thing with our name and dates printed on it that would be the hotel key and express pass. But I’m sort of guessing b/c I don’t know how old that image was.

11

Yes they are a credit card sized plastic card with no hole. You need a clear plastic cardholder attached to your lanyard.