Back from Universal and ready for more!
Husband and I took our first trip to Universal Studios last week. Here's a recap of our first impressions:
Attractions - B+ to A grades from us! We like a variety of rides/attractions and Universal definitely has a large spectrum to choose from. We rode pretty much everything at least once, and many things twice. Repeats included Forbidden Journey, Escape from Gringotts, Spiderman, The Hulk, and Hogwarts Express. The duds that we wouldn't do again were King Kong, Shrek, Jimmy Fallon, Dr. Doom's FearFall (only because you only get one drop!) and Fast & Furious Supercharged (although the queue is great). Husband gave an A+ to Rip Ride Rock-it but I hated it. It was way too intense for me, but I loved Hulk, so... :confused:
By our second day, especially since we spent a majority of the day in Universal Studios, we were pretty sick of simulators and 3D. It made me long for the classic dark rides at Disney. The only ones left at Universal, I believe, are ET and The Mummy (although not as tame!).
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - A+++++++ infinity. Both areas are so well done and detailed down to the last brick. We are big fans of the books and movies, and I think they did a spectacular job of creating an immersive experience. After 10 years of vising Disney, it was so fun to have another jaw-dropping moment experiencing something new at a park. I hadn't felt that way in a long time. Diagon Alley had the edge for me when it came to over all themeing, but Forbidden Journey is the better ride of the two. My husband preferred Gringotts because the large screens on Forbidden Journey make him motion sick. For some reason the Gringotts and Spiderman/Transformers ride technology agrees with him better. Anyway, I could have spent all day in either area just soaking it all in.
Accommodations: We splurged to stay at Royal Pacific Resort for the proximity, the amenities, and Express Pass included in the price. Some of the things Husband doesn't like about Disney include how long it takes to travel from a moderate to the parks by bus and the Fast Pass System. So, needless to say, it was worth every penny to him to be able to walk to the parks and use the unlimited Express Pass. But back to the hotel - I spent more time here while he was working. I checked in early and spent the afternoon by the pool until the room was ready. The staff here were outstanding, as many of you may have seen from my Facebook post. Everyone from check-in staff to the pool attendant went above and beyond to make me feel well taken care of. We got vouchers for free drinks at their bars because it was our anniversary trip, when my locker in the gym wouldn't open security came ASAP to open it for me with no issue or complaint. The room was well appointed, but next time we will pack our own toiletries. The soap they have leaves a filmy residue that neither of us liked, it almost made our skin feel slimy. Ew. Otherwise, I am positive we won't stay anywhere else but RPR, Hard Rock, or Portofino.
Food: In the parks we ate at the Three Broomsticks, the Leaky Cauldron, and Mel's Diner. It was adequate for mass produced park food. Outside the parks we had drinks and apps at Jake's in RPR (a couple times, we liked it there!), and dinner at Cowfish (a big win), and dessert at Toothsome (a disappointment, but I think it's because we ordered the wrong things). I do agree with feedback I've read elsewhere that Disney dining is better - I much prefer the Disney counter service compared to what we had here.
Crowds: I think we hit a sweet spot with our travel dates. Crowds were pretty low Thursday and Friday - we rarely had to wait even without Express Pass. Saturday Universal Studios was very full and Islands was better though still busy. With Express Pass we didn't wait more than 25 minutes for any ride, which was nice.
A good sign that Husband really enjoyed himself is when he starts talking about our next trip before the current one is done. On our morning walk to the park on day 2 he was already planning our return with the kids. YES! We'll probably go back next year and spend an extra day to do Volcano Bay with them. All in all, Disney still has my heart, but a small space has been cleared for Universal!
