Second adventure at US/IOA, July 2017 report

mcjw2011

UO devotee
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
I had previously been to Universal Orlando, July 2010, about a month after Wizarding World opened up. I had gone on a road trip from Raleigh, North Carolina to Orlando -- which about a 9-12 hour long trip cooped up in an old rickety van. The guy who had arranged the trip was a former co-worker and he was a bit of a cheapskate. We had stayed in a sketchier part of Orlando at a cheap hotel and he was powering through the parks -- mainly IO -- but I mostly had a great time. It wasn't just the Harry Potter attraction that made me fall in love with UO, but Marvel Super Hero Island, Universal Studios and everything else.

I was hankering to go ever since coming back, and I had already bought two tickets in 2011 and 2012. So earlier this year, I finally bit the bullet and made arrangements. Instead of taking another road trip, I decided to take a nonstop flight (Southwest Airlines) from RDU to MCO, prepaid for my hotel stay, bought two $50 gift cards and bought two 'dinner and a movie' deals.

Pre-trip:

I was dropped off at the airport right before 7 a.m. on July 17, two hours before my departing flight at 9:10, where I was contacted by Tony Hinds' employee double checking my itinerary for the week. I checked my bag and got through TSA in five minutes, and spent the rest of my time walking around the new Terminal A and watching the flights arrive and depart. My flight arrived on time, started boarding around 8:40 and in the air by 9:20. The flight was on a worn 737-300, but the flight crew was nice and accommodating. It landed at MCO right on schedule.

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At MCO, took the automatic tram to baggage claim and almost immediately got my luggage (didn't have to wait at all), after greeting the guy working for Tony Hinds. He took me down to the lot, got on the road and on our way to La Quinta Inn Orlando Universal. After a quick stop at Publix, I had checked into my room a little after 12 p.m. Spent the rest of my day unpacking and walking around the vicinity of my hotel to get my bearings.

Day 1:

After relaxing in my hotel during the rest of the day on Monday, Tuesday rolled around. Ate breakfast early in the main lobby (kudos to their free continental breakfast), and then came back around 8:30 a.m. for their free shuttle to Universal. It was fifteen minutes late, and we got to the park around the same time everyone else was (right at 9 a.m.). After getting through the traffic, we disembarked and I made my way through the CityWalk and the resort proper.

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I mainly spent most of my day familiarizing myself with what had changed during my last stay back in 2010 and remembering what hadn't. Hopped between US and IOA several times (first time going to King's Cross!), and didn't ride any rides. I just walked around, browsed the gift shops, and soaked in the atmosphere (and some sun)! One thing I didn't do previously was the character meet-and-greets in Marvel Super Hero Land and Universal Studios, so I remedied that. I was disappointed that the X-Men no longer arrive on their ATVs and Storm wasn't there on any of the days I was there (Tuesday and Wednesday). The actors portraying the characters were great, especially Spider-Man, Captain America, and a very flirty Marilyn!

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After taking a quick break for lunch at Margaritaville (Margaritaville pasta was ok), I went back and browsed Islands of Adventure some more and picked up some souvenirs. Going back to Hogsmeade was just fantastic, the atmosphere was just as magical as it was back in 2010. After watching Spider-Man Homecoming, I decided to take the Lynx shuttle back to LQ and call it a day.

Day 2:

Since the free shuttle had limited arrival and departures, I decided to spend $5 for an all-day pass for the route going to Universal and back to give me more flexibility. I made a mistake after boarding the bus... rather than going to the opposite side of the street of my hotel to go to US/IOA, I stayed on the hotel side which took me the scenic route around Orlando, to the main station and THEN to Universal. I ended up getting to US/IOA two hours later than I hoped, but I put that aside.

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Did some shopping, rode the Transformers Ride (thank you single rider!), and met Optimus Prime. Then I stopped at Burger King for lunch, rode the 'enhanced' Spider-Man ride (still fun!) and decided to return to my hotel to drop off my purchases. After resting and taking a quick swim in the pool, I went back to US/IOA for the final time. Took in Wonder Woman at the AMC CityWalk, then enjoyed a Margaritaville grouper sandwich for dinner, and walked around IOA again. Bought some Rice Krispie treats for my parents at Honeydukes and returned to my hotel before 9 p.m.

Post- trip:

The return was fairly uneventful. Ate breakfast, had an early lunch, checked out of my hotel fairly quickly before 1 p.m. and got to the airport close to 1:30 p.m. Going through TSA was also fairly quick, considering that I was there more than 2 hours before my flight. Flight arrived on time at the gate for its 4:35 p.m. departure. Considering you can time when the late afternoon storms pop up in Florida, I was aware that the flight had a history of being delayed 40 minutes to close to 3 hours (as it had been the past three days I was tracking it). Happily, everyone for the flight boarded quickly and we took off on time. And we landed fifteen minutes early in RDU, safe and sound.

This was a great trip overall. All the planning worked out and while my trip wasn't perfect, most of it went off without a hitch. I'm looking forward to a third trip.
 
Last edited:
You managed to do quite a bit on your trip!

Photo ops are fabulous at Universal and looks like you enjoyed yours a lot......Marilyn is something else isn't she....

Shame about the bus mishap, but you took it in your stride......

Glad you had such a nice trip........enjoyed reading it........:)
 
Thanks! It was my first solo trip, and that allowed me to do what I wanted.

Just really enjoyed myself. La Quinta Inn Orlando Universal was fantastic for the price I paid. I think I will go back to the same LQ because of the location.
 
what great pictures you have !!

i hope you really enjoyed your time at the darkside.


 


I did.

I plan on going back late February, the weather should be a tad less humid.
 
I did.

I plan on going back late February, the weather should be a tad less humid.

The weather in February should be great for you.
I went this February and enjoyed the opening weekend of Mardi Gras.

Days were nice and warm and no jacket needed.
In fact, did not neet a jacket in the evening either
 


Thanks for sharing your experience. You got some good photos...esp since you were solo.
 
All but one of the photo-ops were taken by Universal employees, save Wolverine. That's why they look good.
 

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