Help please! [How many days for Universal Studios?] - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Help please! [How many days for Universal Studios?]
We are planning first trip to Disney World and Universal Studios for 2016. We have an expert helping us with the Disney part but she has never been to Universal Studios. We have a 10 y.o. and 5 y.o. and need to know how many days to plan for at Universal.
PassPorter Guide Author PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Navigator
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Ohio & Florida
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 6,129
Post Thanks / Like
Likes (Given): 73
Likes (Received): 284
Thanks (Given): 7
Thanks (Received): 146
Pixie Dust (Given): 25
Pixie Dust (Received): 18
to the boards!
I moved your question here, in hopes you'll find your answer.
Are your kids Harry Potter fans? If they love HP, you might want a park-to-park pass for the two Universal parks, so you can ride the Hogwarts Express from one to the other. If not, you can get away with one day at each park, I would think.
Is the older one a fan of thrill rides? You'll find more of them at Universal than at WDW, so that may factor in to how many days you'll need.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Yes we are staying on site and then moving to WDW. We had already planned to do the park to park pass and the little one is very excited about riding the train. We are going in October so the older one is super excited about the extra Halloween stuff but the little one doesn't like scary stuff so much so I will probably stay at the hotel with him. Both boys have watched the Harry Potter movies and enjoyed them very much. I just have to keep reminding the little one it is not real and just a movie.
Thanks everyone for your help. If you have any other suggestions please send them on.
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 36,592
Post Thanks / Like
Truthfully, your 10 yr old may be too young for the Haunted Nights at Universal. It's REALLY scary. It's geared toward adults. Do some research on this before buying tickets.
Onsite resorts are all really great and very convenient. You'll love it.
Let me know if you have any questions. I've been to US/IOA three times this year.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Thank you for your input about the Haunted Nights. I will let his parents decide on whether he should go or not (I'm the grandma). But you answered the question about me staying back with the youngest one.
I do have another question. If we are going mid October do we still need the Express Pass or are the lines short enough that it wouldn't really be worth the cost? We are wanting to stay onsite at Cabana Bay and they have early entry but not free Express Pass.
I have always stayed on site becauae I love Universal hotels-they are lovely. The only time we have really used FOTL access was on the weekends. No matter what time of year, UNiversal never seems that crowded to me.
I have always stayed on site becauae I love Universal hotels-they are lovely. The only time we have really used FOTL access was on the weekends. No matter what time of year, UNiversal never seems that crowded to me.
Well, we've had a different experience with crowds. We've been three times, all in the summer, and we have found crowds to be very large. Rides like Pteranodon Flyers and Dudley Do-right routinely had 1 hour waits, so Express Pass will be a nice perk.
I would suggest two days at US/IOA, even with Express Pass.
We did a similar trip during the Christmas holidays. 2 days in Universal was plenty for us. Wizarding World was awesome but holidays lines were insane. 3 rides in the rest of Universal was all we enjoyed, everything else seem dated. Wizarding World is really designed for older kids and adults so that may not take you long. Being able to split up your party will help alot, both in Universal and WDW. If your 5 yr frightens easily, really research the individual attractions. Being tall enough to ride Star Wars won't overcome the noise and rough ride.
You can't overplan with kids that age. Standing in line is the hardest for them so consider taking "time killer" toys...
It sounds like Harry Potter is increasing attendance like it was hoped. I have not been to Universal since before Harry Potter. I remember last time we were there it was so empty.
I do recommend on site. The hotels are beautiful, the service very good and everything is close enough, you can walk.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
to the boards!
Linear Mode
