universal theme parks

[chachacha]

have lived in florida for years and have never been to universal! next week will be taking two teenage boys to both parks and would appreciate any tips on must see rides, where to get affordable meals, etc. will do one park each day.

[ssmith]

it's been a few years but my always loved Universal! Spider man was one of my favs and the roller coaster- The Hulk and I believe the Mummy ride was there. They loved eating in The Hard Rock Cafe and it was always nice to sit in the AC. It has a more mature feel than Disney.

[dsned]

Get the Fast Pass!!! it is WELL worth it. Have fun!

[redwitch]

Honestly, I'd skip Universal and just go to the Adventure Island side. You could still do it as a two-day thing -- one day for Harry Potter and the other for the rest of Adventure, or maybe one day at Adventure and another at a water park. I'm a coaster freak and so are most teen-age boys. The Universal side seemed to be geared to the youngsters. The Fast Pass is a great tool but can't be used on the two best rides there.

[stuckinparadise]

I agree with Redwitch. Islands of Adventure is amazing and has so many fun rides, those teens will love it! But if you have never been to Universal, you may want to check it out and make up your own mind. My daughter (who lives in Boston) is flying down to Orlando in August and oldest daughter (who lives near us) are going to spend an entire day at Islands of Adventure. We will be there when the gates open and stay until the fireworks display. One of our favorite rides is the Jurassic Park water ride. There are several good places to take the boys to eat at City Walk. We enjoy Hard Rock Cafe and Margaritaville the most. During our daughters visit, I made reservations at Mythos restaurant for lunch. It stays very busy, so reservations are a must. It is a very neat place to eat and the prices are rediculously expensive. Mythos Restaurant at Islands of Adventure (http://www.universalorlando.com/Restaurants/Islands-of-Adventure/mythos.aspx)

[cathyw]

If you are a AAA member, they usually have better ticket prices than at the Universal gate. Also, if you happen to be visiting on Aug 4th, it's AAA day and you get in an hour early and get seats in a special section to see the shows and the parade. Check out these links
AAA Auto Club South - Travel Information System - Universal Studios Florida<font size=1>^®</font> (http://autoclubsouth.aaa.com/asp/acs_pages/tis_location.asp?id=15)


Islands of Adventure Rides and Attractions (http://www.wdwinfo.com/universal/islands-of-Adventure/)

[asianthree]

if you stay in their hotels you get in hour early like disney..its worth it, and i agree with adventure land for both days we had three day passes and kids wanted adventure twice:highfive:

[delima2000]

Make sure you take them on the Simpson's ride. We loved it so much that my kids rode it four times :a040:

[mulligan]

Blue Man Group is a must see IMHO.

[jimbo2012]

We have season passes at Bush in Tampa,
does Universal or Disney offer such season passes?

[cathyw]

Yes, both have annual passes and if you are a Florida resident, they have an less expensive Florida Resident Annual pass.

[stuckinparadise]

Both Disney and Universal offer season passes. We are planning to get the annual passes for Universal once we move to TV and have a Florida residence.

[jimbo2012]

Bush is about $120 any idea what these cost?

[stuckinparadise]

The Universal pass is around $250.
Florida Resident theme park ticket and discount information for Universal Orlando! (http://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Park-Tickets/Florida-Resident-Tickets.aspx)

Disney is more expensive because it has 4 theme parks and water parks as well

Passholder Program | Walt Disney World Resort (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/passholder-program/)