Anyone have a good plan

[cheapster316]

We are doing a 2 park pass for a Sunday in August. (Staying on site)My kids are not into HP (14 & 16). I think when we get there they will love it.
I know when we go to Disney we always start at Fantasy land and work out way back to the front of the park. I have been studying the map and looking for which park we should start in first and maybe which section to do first. Thanks so much

 

[lisam70]

We are doing a 2 park pass for a Sunday in August. (Staying on site)My kids are not into HP (14 & 16). I think when we get there they will love it.
I know when we go to Disney we always start at Fantasy land and work out way back to the front of the park. I have been studying the map and looking for which park we should start in first and maybe which section to do first. Thanks so much

Will you have express passes?

 

[cheapster316]

No. Staying at Surfside

 

[lisam70]

Hard to do everything in both parks without express in one day. Make a list of your must do attractions and start there. I would probably start in IOA. Do you want to do coasters?
you may have to pass on Hagrids as the line is always long and you may not want one ride taking up hours of your day or jump in line for at park close. Any other specifics ?

 

[Kit Jackson]

What kinds of rides do they like or dislike? Also, are there any issues with drops, 3D/4D simulators. motion sickness? Do they like roller coasters?

 

[mamapenguin]

You have one day. I would get to the park 30-45 minutes before early entry starts at Islands. Go straight to Hagrid’s, don’t stop anywhere you just head to the right and follow the crowd. Get in line. After Hagrid’s go to Forbidden Journey. Flight of the Hipogrif if the line is short and then take take the train to the other park, do Gringott’s Bank, pick your priorities there. I do Mummy, MIB and Simpson’s next. At some point after doing what you want to accomplish at Universal take the train back to islands ( it’s different each way) and complete what you want at Islands. With only one day I would strongly consider single rider line. You may not ride together, but you will get more rides that way. Good luck!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I like the plan @mamapenguin laid out, except I would not bother with the train the second direction. Or even the first direction if the line is more that 30-ish min. If you aren't bothering with the train, you can finish up at Islands before crossing over to Studios.

Ideally eat lunch in CityWalk while you switch parks, it'll give you a nice AC break to recharge. Or eat in the parks, but do plan on actually sitting for a time, the break will make the rest of the day more enjoyable. The Bourne Stuntacular or the Horror Makeup Show also work well for breaks without leaving the parks.

I would skip the 2 really wet water rides (Popeyes and the Dudley flume) on a short trip, unless you don't mind being legit soaked or you are carting around a change of clothes. Jurassic Park River Adventure should be ok, it will be Aug and that one gets you just reasonably wet, not drenched.

 

[LaDonna]

Everything mamapenguin said and capslocks is right on!!

 

[cschaaf]

I agree with mamapenguin and capslocks, but I'd add Velocicoaster in the mix

1. Get to IOA 45 minutes before Early Entry
2. Follow the crowd to Hagrid's, ride
3. Go to Forbidden Journey next
4. If you want to ride Hippogriff, now's your chance (it's a 'kiddie coaster', but we still find it fun. Probably not worth a long wait.
5. Ride Velocicoaster
6. You have 2 choices at this point depending on what your family likes.
   1. If they like coasters, I'd continue counter clockwise through IOA and ride Spiderman then Hulk. (ETA: you could also sneak in JP River before Spiderman to limit any potential backtracking later.) Then leave IOA and head to USF
   2. You could skip Spiderman and Hulk (and maybe plan to do them later??) and head to USF
      1. If the wait for the Hogwarts express is <30 minutes, take that to USF.
      2. Otherwise, consider walking.
         1. ETA Note: Time of day may impact this decision, too. If it's close to lunch time, consider walking and eating in City Walk
7. Your choice in #6 will will impact what you do first in USF as walking and the train enter at different sides of the park. You'll want to reduce backtracking as much as possible and I think the highlight rides in USF are Men In Black, Mummy, the new Minons ride, Transformers (you could substitute Spiderman over in IOA, they are same-ish), Gringotts, and maybe Rip Ride Rocket.
8. From there, prioritize any of your chosen shows or second tier rides
   1. In USF, that might include Horror MakeUp or Bourne shows, both of which are fun and nice breaks from the heat. ET is odd and can be worth it just for the "What did we just experience?" conversation that happens afterwards. Fallon and Minion Mahem are a bit interchangeable, pick one. Fast and Furious is a worse version of Kong (in IOA). I'm not sure that anyone would recommend F&F for someone only having 1 day
   2. In IOA, you will rush through the Suess island early in the morning on your way to Hagrids. The Seuss Trolley is a kiddie ride, but gives you great views of the park. Kong is way in the back corner. It's a descent ride, but a bit hard for me to recommend for a 1 day trip (as stated above, it's so much better than F&F though). Dr Doom is just okay. It's much better, IMO, if you get a park view especially at night. If you see a short wait, it might be worth it. We love Jurassic River Adventure - it's hit or miss if you will get wet. The other two water rides WILL get you wet - in the case of Popeye's, like you jumped in the pool.

It all depends on what your family likes ride-wise and maybe IP-wise. I'm one that couldn't care less about the IP. To me, a good ride isn't made worse by a bad IP nor is a bad ride made better by a great IP. I am not at all interested in the Harry Potter books or movies, but the rides are all great and the lands are so well themed.

Help us understand why kind of rides your kids (and you) like and don't like. Any issues with motion sickness? If so, what types of rides might cause that (spinners, screens, big drops, etc.) 14 & 16 seem like GREAT ages to enjoy Universal!

 

[cheapster316]

Thanks so much. I think 14 year old will want to do coasters and Simpsons. Even though it’s hot, I don’t love the idea of getting soaked so we will probably skip those. I’m scared of Dinosaurs but may do a quick walk through. Single rider definitely a great suggestion and we are get there early people so o all of this helps.
I’m excited for spiderman as ne ggee Ed mummy. Before we had kids we went a long time ago.

 

[cheapster316]

16 year old can’t wait to meet beetle juice. This is great. thanks