Plesae give me some advice on visiting US and IOA.. - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Plesae give me some advice on visiting US and IOA..
Hi everyone,
I'm super excited to be taking a mini vacay to Orlando. My boyfriend has never been and I went once, ten years ago to Sea World and US (IOA wasn't even built yet) and really liked both. I'm a total zoo/animal person, so will be doing one day of SeaWorld/Aquatica. Here's the thing.... We leave on Saturday night from Atlantic City and touch down in Orlando at 8 pm, so no parks that night. Then we have all day Sunday and all day Monday and then we leave Orlando at 9 am on Tuesday. So...my question for all of you US parks lovers - which day would you do for Universal and which park?? We like coaster and rides and walking around - he's late twenties, I'm early thirties, no kids. Is the express ticket thing worth it? Does it really cut out waiting or does everyone have it so its just as long? Is it much more expensive? Sorry for all of my ?'s but I'm a total planner (thats why I'm here ) Oh, if it helps this is April 25 - 28 I don't know if thats a popular time to go or not... I wish the parks were open til late like around here in NJ - ten or eleven o'clock. It would be so much easier to fit stuff in.. Thanks!
Both parks are relatively small. We loved The Hulk in IOA but I think my vote would be for US. In my opinion it has more for adults. I like the I Love Lucy, Men in Black, etc. It has been awhile since we've been so there may be other attractions in IOA.
Have fun planning your vacation. Sounds like fun!!!!!
If it were me, I'd do the Universal Park on Saturday and Seaworld on Sunday. My reasoning is because you said you are a total animal person so I would pick Seaworld for last.
Hard choice to pick only one park at Uni. My favourite park is Islands of Adventure. I think that IoA is a little better themed than US so if you are into walking around and looking at the theming that's the one I'd choose. I'd also choose IoA for the coasters. Plus you said you have already been to US, even though it was a long time ago. But..... US has the animal show Animal Attractions, Animal Acts on Location at Universal Studios Florida And it's got some great rides too.
I can't help you with the Express Pass question because I've always stayed at Universal's hotels and got the hotel guest Express Pass perk. One tip I do have though, is to make sure you get to the parks early. They usually open the gates earlier than the posted time. Plus many guests visiting Uni tend to arrive later so the crowds are almost non-existant first thing in the morning.
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We easily did both parks in one day. If you are thrill seeks then IOA is your best bet. The express pass worked great for us, but we staying at HRH and had unlimited use. We didn't wait more than 10 mins in any line. I would do IOA first, and save Sea World for last. Sea World is definalty my favorite.
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You can easily do US and IOA in one day. I would choose to go there on Monday as it probably won't be as crowded. A lot of locals visit the parks on the weekend and it will be easier to do both parks. If you choose to do US/IOA on Sunday and wait times seem long, the express pass is worth it. I have used it before when the parks are crowded and it was worth the money.
WOW i agree with goofymom. from being to both parks that too me would be the hard choice first . to go to US or IOA but like you said if you guys are into coasters and walking i would too pick IOA . but the animal show that they have is on the US side plus all the other rides too . but i can say i have an extra set of both park maps if you would like me to mail them to you just pm me. maybe looking at everything and how it is set up might help you pick one side or the other.
The week you are down in school vacation week in New Hampshire and we have often been in Orlando that week. Thew weekend may be a little crowded because many other states have vacation ending on the 26th. It is usually pretty empty the beginning of our week. Disney has grad weekends at the end, so it gets a little more crowded.
I would do Seaworld on Sunday, Universal on Monday. I would definately stay at a universal hotel for such a short stay. Perhaps even stay off site near the airport the first night and Monday night and get a room on site for Sunday night. Express Access really makes a difference, the universal hotels are lovely and you can sometimes get discounted rooms on internet sites-check out hotelkingdom.com.
I am a ride wimp and I love Universal Studios because the only ride I won't do there is the Mummy, although my kids love it. I do find enough to do at IOA and Suess Landing is one of my favorite places to walk around.
If you get the express pass (which is SO worth it) you can easily do both parks on a busy day. I go during Christmas time, arrive when the park opens, and do both parks by around 6pm with the express pass, stopping for lunch at Mythos and doing many rides twice!
Thanks for all the ideas, everyone! My head is spinning a little for sure, lol. I already have my hotel booked, so can't change that, but it seems lovely and close to both parks, which is good. We decided to rent a car since its cheap and will probably be less stressful for me. We talked about it and decided that since we've both been ot US, even though it was a long time ago, we are going to do IOA. I'll let you all know how I fare!
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Plesae give me some advice on visiting US and IOA..
) Oh, if it helps this is April 25 - 28 I don't know if thats a popular time to go or not... I wish the parks were open til late like around here in NJ - ten or eleven o'clock. It would be so much easier to fit stuff in.. Thanks!
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