Grandma and I paid a visit to Universal before our family WDW trip back in late November. I should have posted this sooner, but as often happens life got in the way. Nothing major, just holidays, Grandkids, etc. The condition of our politics made me feel uninterested in writing. The current state of our Country also contributed to this feeling. However, I think we need a break from all the turmoil and bad news. Writing this article should put me in a better frame of mind. I hope reading it will help you forget all the nonsense that is our world as well.

‘Crushing It’ at Universal

The Universal Resort in Orlando consists of three theme parks and a water park. These include Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe, and Volcano Bay. Grandma and I visited everything but the water park. The main purpose of the trip was to visit the newest theme park, Epic Universe. It has been over 20 years since we visited Universal with the family and we also wanted to see just how things have (or have not) changed.

Where to Stay

We stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort. This resort is owned and operated by Lowes and is one of the Legacy Premium hotels. These legacy hotels include a Universal Unlimited Express pass for your length of stay. This pass allows you to skip the lines on any ride, as many times as you want, without any reservations. Unfortunately these passes do not include Epic Universe. As with all on-property hotels, you get early entry into the parks. This lets you beat the rope drop crowds.

We chose the Royal Pacific due to its proximity to Universal City Walk and the parks. It is an easy stroll to the parks from the hotel, much like our favorite Disney Vacation Club villas. The hotel does show its age a bit, but is very nice and the staff was excellent. One disappointing thing was the rooms do not have balconies. We are used to starting the day with coffee on the balcony. We sprung for a Water View room, but only had a view of the pool. I would not pay extra for this again, especially since there are no balconies to enjoy the view.

Amenities

The Royal Pacific has several restaurants. We did not need reservations at any of them, for any meal. This was a real surprise, given we are used to Disney, where reservations are a must. The food was very good and I would recommend giving them a try. Our favorite was Jakes American Bar. The B-1 SHORT RIB BOMBER BURGER was very good! We also had the breakfast buffet at Islands Dining Room. This has the usual breakfast buffet fare. The staff at both eateries were top notch and the atmosphere and theming was on point.

On the other hand the “Grab and Go” convenience store Tuk Tuk Market situated in the lobby was very crowded. Especially at breakfast, where we found the crowds to be a little overwhelming and the waits very long. Off prime time hours, it was much less crowded. The food is good with a nice variety. Some items are on the expensive side. Which was surprising since this was the economy eatery.

All in all it was a very nice hotel. It was very pricey at around $800 a night. You are paying a premium for location and the unlimited express pass. It would be cheaper to stay off property and pay for parking and the express pass out of pocket. For us it was worth it for this initial trip. It was great not having to use the busses (except for Epic Universe). Between the water taxi and walking path, navigation was a breeze. I do not know if we will stay there again due to the expense.

Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure

We started our sojourn with a trip to Universal Studios. For this adventure we caught the water taxi from the Royal Pacific dock and traveled to Universal City Walk. The City Walk dock is very close to the Universal Studios gate. When you first enter a Universal park, you present your ticket and your express pass. The gatekeeper takes your photo. From then on, facial recognition is used for park and express pass entry. This works extremely well. No phone, magic band, or external ticket needed.

Universal’s parks are targeted at a younger crowed. Most of the rides are thrill rides, many with a 3D element. This has not changed since we last visited over 20 years ago. Back in the day there was not a coaster high enough or fast enough for grandma and I. We rode them all. Unfortunately age has taken its toll. Motion sickness overtakes us and the ride cannot end soon enough. This is especially true for 3D rides such as Spiderman, Jimmy Kimmel, etc. So in order to keep our meals to ourselves, we chose not to do many of the rides. We just took in the vibe and enjoyed the day.

For the most part the Theming and immersion that is not as deep as what we experience in Disney World. Not that it is not great, it is just not as intense. The exceptions are the Harry Potter worlds, Diagon Alley in Universal Studios and Hogsmeade in the Islands of Adventure. These are over the top complete with fire-breathing dragons! These worlds are really a must see and it is here that we experienced the most crowds.

For the most part we did not need our included Express Pass. The crowds were very manageable and ride lines were pretty tame, at least by Disney standards. It was very easy to ride what we wanted. We also had no problems with Mobile Order or finding someplace to eat.

About Mobile Food Orders. Universal has really cracked the code on this one. At WDW it is a free-for-all to find a table at any Quick Serve eatery. People have a tendency to park there strollers and take up a huge amount of space and not even order food. It is a real challenge to find a comfortable place to enjoy a meal. Forget about finding a place in the shade on the outside tables. It can be extremely frustrating and really kills the vibe.

At Universal, however, you must have a table number before you can order. Let me repeat that. YOU NEED A TABLE BEFORE YOU CAN ORDER. The Quick Service restaurants have staff to make sure people are not hogging tables. Tables are for people who are ordering food and eating. What a Concept. Every table has a 2D barcode. You scan this code during the order process. Once the order is placed, the staff brings you the food. No Stress, No hassle, No Problem. I really wish WDW would follow this model. Universal really got it right.

EPIC Universe

Epic Universe was the main point of our quest. We wanted to see if all the hype was warranted. As with most things the answer is mixed. It is a beautiful park and the theming and immersion is just incredible. It really must be seen and experienced as I cannot adequately describe it with my fumbling prose.

To get to Epic, you must ride a bus from the original Universal resort hotels. I suppose you could walk, but it would not be an easy stroll. Do not expect the same level of service as in Disney Transportation. At the Royal Pacific there is a single bus stop, where you line up single file. We arrived at the stop some 20 min early and there was already a long line. We shared a small bus with another resort and was stop number 2. The result was standing room only on a very packed bus. Most people had to wait for a second or even a third bus. Disney has been doing transportation for decades and Universal can learn a bit from them. The bus ride was not a highlight of the trip.

Portals and Dark Universe

Epic Universe consists of 4 worlds and a Central Park or plaza. Each world is accessed through a Portal. Once in the world you are at once completely immersed in that world. For instance Dark Universe is the world of the classic Universal Monsters. You are entering a Monster Movie. The sights, sounds and characters all support this theme. You can become lost in the illusion. You are part of the movie.

Isle of Berk

Just as the Dark Universe transports you to the world of Monsters, the Isle of Berk transports you to the world of Train Your Dragon. Every where you look there are dragons. The scenery is the rugged Isle Of Berk. The experience is 100% being on the Island!

Harry Potter and Mario

The other 2 worlds follow suite. The Ministry of Magic is set in France. There are many interactive window displays where you can show the mastery of your wand skills. Super Mario World is the video game. All very magical (to borrow a phrase).

At the End of the Day

Epic Universe was the main point of our quest. We had several goals. We wanted to see if Epic should be included on our next Disney World trip with the grandkids. Should we do just Epic or spend a couple of days and do all three Parks. Do we splurge for express pass or is the Crushing It strategy adequate?

As with most things the answer to these questions is “sorta”. Universal is a great addition to a Walt Disney World vacation. It would take at least 2 days to do the parks justice. You could get a park hopper ticket and go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure on one day and Epic Universe on day 2. I can see no good way to do all three in a single day. @ is really pushing it as well. For our family, we would not make the excursion to Florida only for Universal. The trek is just too long as it takes a whole day of travel to get there. We would also have to increase our vacation by 2 to 3 days or cut Disney Park Time.

Crushing It or Not

Our normal strategy at WDW is to pick a must-do ride at rope drop. Then, we let the day carry us onward. We look for the next manageable queue. We do not rush. We do not plan more than a ride or two in advance. All plans are fluid and subject to change. It is a low stress and relaxing approach to a day at Disney.

This strategy still works well at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. There are plenty of rides and attractions. Crushing It relies on having a lot of choices. That way crowds have a tendency to spread out a bit. If one ride is down or the wait too long, there is another just down the way.

Unfortunately Crushing it won’t work at epic. Each world has at most 2 attractions. People are concentrated and the waits for these rides can be very long, well into triple digits. Rides also are not very reliable at this point. On our trip the one ride I looked forward to most was in Dark Universe, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. This ride was down for the whole day of our visit. Very disappointing. Having Frankenstein down put a lot of pressure on the only ride in Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry. This ride had over a two hour wait most of the day.

We splurged and bought an Express Pass for Epic Universe. I think this is the only way to do it. Otherwise, you are likely to wait for multiple hours per ride. I also did not find the ride queues as compelling or richly themed as in WDW. For instance, Hiccup’s Wing Gliders in the Isle of Berk is an outdoor queue. Not much to look at or do while in line. I used my express pass for this ride and still waited over 30 minutes. Other people waited over an hour and a half.

What is Grandpa Going to do

As it stands today, we will not be going back to Universal anytime soon. Grandma and I cannot do many of the attractions. Staying at the Royal Pacific was a real splurge, but not worth it at the end of the day. The included express pass unlimited was totally wasted on us. The rides we did go on were not crowded and we just did not do many rides at all.

Epic Universe is very immersive and pretty. Universal did a fantastic job to transport guests to other worlds. I really have to hand it to them. I love to just soak in the vibe. That being said, there are few attractions. That means everybody in the park seems to be in line for something. It feels cramped, crowded and chaotic. Perhaps that will change. Universal is actively adding new attractions to Epic, which will help dilute the lines a bit. As usual, your experience will be different. I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts and experiences. So let me know in the comments.

Until Next Time