Back from our first trip....won't be our last!!!

sydneysmom

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Well, we are back from our first trip to Universal. It was AMAZING. I want to truly thank everyone that helped answer questions, gave advice, and was very patient with a newbie!! You all are such an amazing group of people.

My thoughts on our week:

1. We stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort. I cannot say enough great things about this hotel. It's so beautiful, the people were fantastic, and the vibe was so relaxing. We were in Tower 2, 6th floor. They gave us the choice of T2 w/ a theme park view, or Tower 3 without a theme park view. Next time I'd pick T3, only because it's more centrally located to everything. But truly, it's not a huge hotel, so everything is really within reach and not a huge walk. the walking paths are beautiful... we did this alot, and it was just relaxing to walk the pretty path. The water taxis were also great. they ran frequently, so there really was not alot of waiting. The boat captains are hysterical. it was like a ride and a show, all in one.

2. We didn't stay Club Level. Next time we will do that for sure. The reason is, everything is expensive.... we expected that, don't get me wrong. But we made the huge mistake of not stopping on the way from the airport to get Diet coke.... so each diet coke purchase hurt. :crazy2: The idea of breakfast, beverages included and snacks throughout the day seems worth what the increase in $$ would be. That's just us though.

3. Jake's restaurant.....fantastic. We ate dinner there one night and lunch one afternoon. The food was really good. We ate breakfast at the Islands dining room our first morning... our server had such a bad attitude though, it made it not fun. But I got to hug Gru, so it was totally worth it!

4. We had rain like EVERY. STINKIN. DAY. No fault of Universal, but it kept us from venturing out and trying different hotel restaurants like we wanted to. We stayed close to the RPR when the torrential rain came.

5. On our one totally sunny day (which was our last full day) we went over to the Hard Rock Pool and spent the day. OMG, LOVED the Hard Rock. We actually debated which we would stay at next time. The vibe at the pool was a blast..... I'm not sure if we were just in a great mood because the sun was finally out, or because nothing tastes better than pina coladas while sitting in a pool listening to cool music..... but their nachos (at the pool) were also really great. It was a really fun day there. :flower1:

6. Royal Pacific Rooms : alot of people commented on how small the rooms were. There were 3 of us, and we didn't have any issues at all. The rooms were pretty, functioned well, and worked for us. We had 2 queen beds. Our room looked out at the Hulk and Rip Ride Rocket.... it was cool to lay in bed and watch the rides going over and over.

7. The parks: OMG. it's like Disney on steroids.....and what I mean by that is that it's definitely FUN and not for the person that wants "quiet little rides". The rides at Universal are intense and AMAZING. The Harry Potter worlds.... .not to be believed. It's like you have stepped into the books. I almost cried. (I know.... cheesy!!) :worship::worship::worship: Frozen butterbeer is worth every penny. it's completely addicting. And you will get brain freeze!! You must get ice cream at Florean Fortescue's..... I got the 'orange marmalade'. It tastes JUST like creamsicle.... I could have eaten this for every meal. My husband got mint, which tasted like it had ribbons of creme de menthe, and my daughter got choc / vanilla swirl. All were so good. We ate at both 3 Broomsticks and at Leaky Cauldron. The food was really awesome. Not "theme park food" at all. We loved it.

8. Toothsome: yes, totally worth it. We went for dinner and got shakes for desert. We probably could have just gotten appetizers and shakes though.... the shakes are so filling! One tip.... the mugs from toothsome are NOT dishwasher safe.... I melted ours into shrinky dinks. I guess we have to go back now! :rolleyes: Oh, get the nachos for an appetizer... they use their own hand cut potato chips. this will rock your world.

9. Volcano Bay: Well, I'm torn on how to give my opinion. We would not go back. We went for a 1/2 day, early in the day, and left about noon when the rain came. We didn't ride alot because it was a bit unorganized and the tapu tapu didn't work. We brought towels from the hotel, so we didn't have to rent them. (the front desk was telling people to do that when you check in) The buses to Volcano Bay were running frequently, and thankfully the driver turned off the air when we were soaked. We went back to Volcano Bay the next day (the only sunny day). This is where we got the bad taste in our mouth for this park..... OMG. It was full capacity times like 80. The lines to get in were about 50 deep.... tapu tapu wasn't working, so getting people in was tough. Rides were at about 120-180 min wait. And once you did a "fast pass" w/ your tapu tapu, they didn't let you stand in line for another ride, if that ride had a wait time. Which made no sense to me, and this was completely frustrating. there was not a chair to be had. We came in about 10 am, did one round of the park looking for a chair to put down our stuff.... did not find literally one chair open. So we left. This is when we went to the Hard Rock and spent the day at their pool. I wouldn't do volcano Bay again, if we come back. It was great, but WAY too many people, and it's just way too unorganized. Oh, and it's difficult to find where a ride line begins. So when you ask, they're firing off Hawaiian names.... of which you will never remember. Frustrating. But again, that's just us.

10. Tony Hinds: we had Tony Hinds pick us up / bring us back to the airport. TOTALLY worth the money. It was $ 100 round trip, plus tip. We had John as our driver, and he was such a sweetheart. Again, we should have asked if we could stop to get soda, but we didn't think about it.... that was our fault. Next time, I will do that for sure.

11. City Walk for dinner. We ate at Margaritaville for dinner.... totally over rated. It was over priced for the food, and actually didn't even taste all that great. We ate at Bubba Gump twice. LOVED THIS PLACE. it was alot of fun, the vibe was upbeat and fun and the food was really tasty. My daughter and I split the shrimp medley both nights.... YUM.

12. Overall: Universal is an AMAZING vacation. I would go back in a second. We were home about 30 minutes before I was pricing out the next trip. Next time I don't know that we would do 8 days.... I think it was almost too long. I think we would do 5 days next trip and definitely club level at either the Royal Pacific, or the Hard Rock. But we will be back!!!!

pixiedust:pixiedust:pixiedust:
 
Sounds like, overall, you had a fun trip!

That stinks about the rain, poor service at The Islands (such a shame, as we've only had good servers there, that you got bad service the first time out!), and didn't care for Margaritaville (personally, I like it more for the fun atmosphere than anything amazing about the food, bot to each their own :D )

I was glad to see Bubba Gump get some love (we love it there, again, the atmosphere is fun & we love the movie...but I've always enjoyed their food as well.)

It seems like they rushed to open VB too quickly, and it's biting them in the butt...it's a shame, but I do wish they would have made more time for soft openings or scale down the occupancy (at least while it's still being finished.) Hopefully, for Uni's and guests' sakes, the kinks will be worked out soon.

We love Tony's car service as well (only had Tony twice now, but we've liked everyone that's driven us.)

Glad to hear another good review of Toothsome's, as we've yet to go there! (And thanks for the tip about the cups....I agree, time to start planning another trip to replace the cup!)
 
I am so happy to hear you had such a fabulous time!

Shame the weather was so awful, I had heard from several folks how awful it was this last week or so.......and sorry VB was such a letdown for you......

We feel the same about Margaritaville........it used to be so good, but last few years it has consistently gone downhill food wise, not a patch on what it used to be.

But, I'm so glad you loved RPR too, we've never struggled with room size even when there was 3 of us........and Jake's is always a good choice.......

Thanks for coming back and telling us about your trip........and glad to hear you're going to go back........:thumbsup2
 


I have to admit, we would choose Universal over Disney now, for sure. The rides spoil you for anything else! And for the rain, while it was a drag, we absolutely didn't let it get in our way. We had our ponchos and just kep on going! It's truly a magical place to vacation. I can't wait to go back!!!
 
Is the Wizarding Word not beyond description??? We're going back in November for 6 nights at the HRH and I'm slightly giddy!

Sorry you had some miserable weather, but boy did Central FL need the rain! My parents live outside of Ocala for 6 months of the year and it was a very very dry fall/winter. I can't blame you for being bummed about rain every day though, I'd have felt the exact same way.

I've read such mixed reviews on both Toothsome and Margaritaville. To me, part of the joy of a Uni vacation is the lack of planning needed. If I had to plan meals and rides 6 months in advance.....just poke my eyes out, please. With going over Thanksgiving week, I'm going to have to have some sort of general idea of what restaurants we want to try and which ones take reservations.

Glad you had a great time and that you're already planning a Universal return!
 
Everything you said I totally agree with !
I share the same sentiments as you

You covered the trip quite well in your report and was so easy to follow

Many in the boards don't have the ❤️ for bubba gump that you and I have
So thrilled to hear about your thoughts on the place
Son and I went there in February and did the deal if buy two drinks and get two glasses free
We did the exchange in the shop and the employee wrapped them for travel

I always stay at rpr , used to only stay at hrh
Both hotels are great to call home when staying on site

Rpr lobby is awesome

Thank you for your report
Such an enjoyable read for me
 


Is the Wizarding Word not beyond description??? We're going back in November for 6 nights at the HRH and I'm slightly giddy!

Sorry you had some miserable weather, but boy did Central FL need the rain! My parents live outside of Ocala for 6 months of the year and it was a very very dry fall/winter. I can't blame you for being bummed about rain every day though, I'd have felt the exact same way.

I've read such mixed reviews on both Toothsome and Margaritaville. To me, part of the joy of a Uni vacation is the lack of planning needed. If I had to plan meals and rides 6 months in advance.....just poke my eyes out, please. With going over Thanksgiving week, I'm going to have to have some sort of general idea of what restaurants we want to try and which ones take reservations.

Glad you had a great time and that you're already planning a Universal return!


Oh, the Wizarding World is like NOTHING I could have dreamed of. I swear, it was just like being in the books!! We spent so much time just looking at each and every detail.... the details are incredible. My daughter wants them to make an entire theme park out of Harry Potter now! I hope you have a wonderful time when you go!!!
 
Everything you said I totally agree with !
I share the same sentiments as you

You covered the trip quite well in your report and was so easy to follow

Many in the boards don't have the ❤️ for bubba gump that you and I have
So thrilled to hear about your thoughts on the place
Son and I went there in February and did the deal if buy two drinks and get two glasses free
We did the exchange in the shop and the employee wrapped them for travel

I always stay at rpr , used to only stay at hrh
Both hotels are great to call home when staying on site

Rpr lobby is awesome

Thank you for your report
Such an enjoyable read for me


Thank you for your kind words!! Yes, we LOVED Bubba gump!!!

I'll tell you, part of what made it so amazing was our server. He was like an old friend by the end of our meal. And we wound up getting the Landry's Card, which turned out to be such an excellent deal. We went back to Bubba Gump's two nights later and got the $25 card fee taken off our bill, and were seated immediately. The wait for the table was around 60 min, so to go to the front of the line was awesome. My husband said we were like Forest Gump Rock Stars! haha! For anyone debating on whether or not to get the Landry's rewards card.... get it... it's worth it just to not have to wait for a table. And you pay $25 for the card, which is credited on your card for your next meal. it's a win win.
 
Oh what a fabulous post! I can almost taste your excitement! You definitely have made me feel swapping a DW night for an extra RPR night was the right thing to do!
 
Oh what a fabulous post! I can almost taste your excitement! You definitely have made me feel swapping a DW night for an extra RPR night was the right thing to do!

RPR is amazing.....you won't regret it! I hope you have a wonderful time!!!
 
Come back and tell us more !!!

:flower3: Okay, where to begin..... here's some more thoughts, and I'll add more to this also.....

1. the RIDES!!! for those of you that have been to Universal, you know the rides are bloody awesome! For those that haven't been yet.... buckle up, because it's like nothing you've done before!!! My daughter and I rode The Mummy 17 times over the course of the week.... I have to say, that was our favorite! We logged alot of FitBit steps on that ride! The Hulk.... WOW. it's like Rockin Rollercoaster on steroids. For a point of reference, Rock In Rollercoaster (at Hollywood Studios) was my reigning champ ride. The Hulk BLEW IT AWAY. I don't know how many times we rode it, but it was alot ! I was initially terrified to ride Rip Ride Rocket, but that also turned out to be one of the best coasters ever. Don't get me wrong, it was scary.... but so fun!! the only ride I have to say I hated was Dragon Challenge. I'm afraid of heights, so having your feet hanging was really bad for me. I got off and had an immediate panic / anxiety attack. it wasn't pretty! :crazy2::crazy2: Men in Black was a blast, ET is always fun, and the Transformers and Spiderman were so cool ! Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges and Ripsaw Falls: you WILL GET WET ! and not a little wet.... you will be soaked! All I can say is embrace it... don't do the poncho thing. Make it the last ride of the day before you head to the hotel.... it's more fun that way. (although I wish we brought a second set of sneakers!!) We rode the Bilge-Rat barges 3 times in a row with these teenage girls that were on it too. They let us all just stay on and keep riding, but we all had SUCH a blast. We did all look like drowned rats at the end. But the memories were awesome.

2. La Bamba character breakfast: we did this kind of as an after thought, and I wouldn't do it again. I thought it was seriously over priced for what it was. Now, I'm comparing it to the character breakfasts at Disney, so this was a fail compared to those. The Disney buffets always seem endless. And while the prices are high, you get alot to choose from. this buffet was basically eggs, bacon and rolls. There was hardly anything else to choose from. The other thing was the photographer. There was one guy, and he was just overwhelmed. And he was always where the characters weren't, so by the time the characters came to the table, the photographer was no where in sight. We took all our pics on our phone.

3. Royal Pacific hotel, in general: I loved this hotel. When you walked in, you feel this immediate calm. The decor transports you to the South Pacific and is just calming. This is why we chose RPR over hard Rock. The Hard Rock, while it looked awesome, didn't seem "calming" to me. The rooms were well appointed and I loved the shower. I know alot of people wish it had a tub in the room, but I really liked that it didn't..... the showers were super nice. I loved the toiletries they provided..... the odd thing is, we all used them and never got replenished. I thought that was weird. I guess you only get it when you arrive!! The RPR pool was awesome. I loved the zero entry and the vibe was great. I do wish that we ate at Bula Bar one day, but we never got the chance because of the rain during the week. But we managed to sneak in a swim on our last day before heading out. The one thing that we really loved was the continental breakfast you can get in the lobby. I have to say, it's nice to be able to get just a bagel or donuts before heading out to the parks. We aren't huge breakfast people, so this was a good / low cost breakfast for us. It saved more room for all the awesome snacks! The small refrigerator (in the room) was perfect for water / soda / candy / snacks. I do wish we stopped on the way in to buy soda before we got there, but lesson learned for next time. All in all, I would put it against any of the Disney deluxe hotels. it was great.
 
I am right there with you on the rides...love the mummy and the Hulk...last time RRR beat me about quite a bit, but I'm going to go for the front row next time, as I've been assured it is smoother. I do have to say, I totally get your feelings towards Dragon Challenge...I have an issue with heights as well (can't stand flying, but I do it) but I have to say, Dragon Challenge is my fave ride (I think having the seat helps me feel secure, and I love the flying feeling that you just don't get in a car coaster.)

Unfortunately, I've heard nothing great about the char. breakfast at La Bamba lately. We chose to eat breakfast at the Islands (in RPR) on Sunday last time (no ressie, you can go buffet or from the menu, and there's random characters that show up...you do have to do your own pics though...but since it was in the hotel, it was no big deal to bring the camera.)

Next time, if for some reason you don't get enough/more toiletteries, just hit the Star services button on the phone, and they'll get you some more. (They usually replace ones as they are used every day when cleaning the room...although my boys accidently scared the maid by forgetting their "Nagini" snake plush under the covers. We came back to a half cleaned room & no toilettries. I felt so bad for her! And I made sure to put Nagini back in the suitcase every morning after that!)
 
:flower3: Okay, where to begin..... here's some more thoughts, and I'll add more to this also.....

1. the RIDES!!! for those of you that have been to Universal, you know the rides are bloody awesome! For those that haven't been yet.... buckle up, because it's like nothing you've done before!!! My daughter and I rode The Mummy 17 times over the course of the week.... I have to say, that was our favorite! We logged alot of FitBit steps on that ride! The Hulk.... WOW. it's like Rockin Rollercoaster on steroids. For a point of reference, Rock In Rollercoaster (at Hollywood Studios) was my reigning champ ride. The Hulk BLEW IT AWAY. I don't know how many times we rode it, but it was alot ! I was initially terrified to ride Rip Ride Rocket, but that also turned out to be one of the best coasters ever. Don't get me wrong, it was scary.... but so fun!! the only ride I have to say I hated was Dragon Challenge. I'm afraid of heights, so having your feet hanging was really bad for me. I got off and had an immediate panic / anxiety attack. it wasn't pretty! :crazy2::crazy2: Men in Black was a blast, ET is always fun, and the Transformers and Spiderman were so cool ! Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges and Ripsaw Falls: you WILL GET WET ! and not a little wet.... you will be soaked! All I can say is embrace it... don't do the poncho thing. Make it the last ride of the day before you head to the hotel.... it's more fun that way. (although I wish we brought a second set of sneakers!!) We rode the Bilge-Rat barges 3 times in a row with these teenage girls that were on it too. They let us all just stay on and keep riding, but we all had SUCH a blast. We did all look like drowned rats at the end. But the memories were awesome.

2. La Bamba character breakfast: we did this kind of as an after thought, and I wouldn't do it again. I thought it was seriously over priced for what it was. Now, I'm comparing it to the character breakfasts at Disney, so this was a fail compared to those. The Disney buffets always seem endless. And while the prices are high, you get alot to choose from. this buffet was basically eggs, bacon and rolls. There was hardly anything else to choose from. The other thing was the photographer. There was one guy, and he was just overwhelmed. And he was always where the characters weren't, so by the time the characters came to the table, the photographer was no where in sight. We took all our pics on our phone.

3. Royal Pacific hotel, in general: I loved this hotel. When you walked in, you feel this immediate calm. The decor transports you to the South Pacific and is just calming. This is why we chose RPR over hard Rock. The Hard Rock, while it looked awesome, didn't seem "calming" to me. The rooms were well appointed and I loved the shower. I know alot of people wish it had a tub in the room, but I really liked that it didn't..... the showers were super nice. I loved the toiletries they provided..... the odd thing is, we all used them and never got replenished. I thought that was weird. I guess you only get it when you arrive!! The RPR pool was awesome. I loved the zero entry and the vibe was great. I do wish that we ate at Bula Bar one day, but we never got the chance because of the rain during the week. But we managed to sneak in a swim on our last day before heading out. The one thing that we really loved was the continental breakfast you can get in the lobby. I have to say, it's nice to be able to get just a bagel or donuts before heading out to the parks. We aren't huge breakfast people, so this was a good / low cost breakfast for us. It saved more room for all the awesome snacks! The small refrigerator (in the room) was perfect for water / soda / candy / snacks. I do wish we stopped on the way in to buy soda before we got there, but lesson learned for next time. All in all, I would put it against any of the Disney deluxe hotels. it was great.

What a great detailed report! !!!!

Love it

If you run short of any supplies in the room, use the star service button and they will bring it to you

Extra pillows, toiletries, towels, etc

No charges for any of it
 
What a great detailed report! !!!!

Love it

If you run short of any supplies in the room, use the star service button and they will bring it to you

Extra pillows, toiletries, towels, etc

No charges for any of it
Agreed! Last stay they just kept leaving toiletries! I tried to tell them we had enough! Great report and happy to hear you enjoyed your trip. I love dueling dragons. Alas, it sounds as if it's on the chopping block. :guilty:
 
Oh, the Wizarding World is like NOTHING I could have dreamed of. I swear, it was just like being in the books!! We spent so much time just looking at each and every detail.... the details are incredible. My daughter wants them to make an entire theme park out of Harry Potter now! I hope you have a wonderful time when you go!!!
Did you buy the interactive wands? I'm trying to budget for this trip and wonder how much we should have for wands.

Thanks
 
Did you buy the interactive wands? I'm trying to budget for this trip and wonder how much we should have for wands.

Thanks

We did not buy the wands.....as much as I wanted to ! We had some unexpected things come up before our trip, so we didn't really buy too many souvenirs. Maybe next time though!
 
So glad you enjoyed the dark side! And as you've seen,the people on these boards are absolutely top notch!!!
 

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