Universal - Showtimes 12/16 to 12/23 & lots of other questions

doyouwanttogofaster

Earning My Ears
Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Staying at RPR on the above dates, first time visit to Orlando (from UK). If we want to catch the show type entertainment around US/IOA will it be easy enough to just head to the relevant area near published showtimes (what is best way to get latest times, are there any tips for moving around US/IOA between shows/rides?). Are there any must do shows/experiences? Will we have time to see them all? Family is 2A and 2DD 12 & 13 and we all like the thrill rides.

We are staying at WDW POR the following week and we've got that week planned to the nth degree and have done since getting the 60 day FP+ window, and I'm wondering should I have done the same for our Universal week or will we be able to relax and enjoy things before we hit the 10/10 crowds with the mouse (although we're going for EMH & early FP before pool time in the afternoon)

Other than hitting the rides and going to VB a couple of times (or more) we've got no plans for week 1 so any last minute suggestions/strategies for while we're at Universal would be greatly received. We've got full park tickets for Universal/WDW for the duration of our stay, so aren't looking at other parks.

Getting very excited :santa:
 
Tickets - Check
Express Pass (RPR) - Check
A full week - Check

You are good to go. Nothing else to plan.

Well, I still recommend looking at park maps, and the food sticky - 15 to 30 minutes of planning is plenty for your first week. But really, get there the first day, get your Express Pass, and get on a boat - then enjoy!

Your express pass works on shows as well, no need to get there 30 minutes early. Get there 10 minutes early, get in the Express Pass line/area and get the best seats for the show.

For our family - don't miss the Horror Make Up show! So much fun! I am the only one is my family that truly appreciates the Blues Brother show, but it is a blast if you can "just let go" a little and make it fun. Make sure to tell your girls that no one will see their antics in the UK - put down their phones and let loose! (I just assume that all preteens and early teens are just like mine:-))
 
Thank VacaPlanner. It looks like week 1 is going to be the opportunity to chill out and enjoy. Looking forward to the BB show, love the movie. We've got no pre-conceptions of Universal (other than some great looking rides) and a whole week at that end of town should be good. 9 hour flight should give plenty of time to look over the maps.

Re the food, we've not got a car (we'll taxi/uber) is it worth going further than Citywalk if we've got a whole week? I'm guessing that it's easier to escape the Universal "bubble" than the WDW one.
 
See trip reports for schumi for reviews on local restaurants nearby. We never leave Uni except for a WDW party, a day at Discovery Cove or WonderWorks, and we never have trouble with food options. If anything, we leave after a week without getting to all of our favs.

For my family, we all love breakfast food and sleeping in. So, after we casually wake up, we always eat the breakfast buffet at RPR. It is a little pricey, but so good! We then head over to the parks for a couple of hours. A quick boat ride back in the early afternoon to hit the pool or just relax. Maybe a snack since we are still full from breakfast. We then head to CityWalk for an early dinner (usually between 4 and 5), which beats the rush. We then close the parks in the evening and snack before bed.

So we really only eat the buffet and one meal each day, with plenty of snacks (butterbeer, big pinks, shared counter service, some sushi at RPR, nachos at Margaritaville or Bula Bar).

A few of our favorites - Hard Rock Cafe, Vivo, Sal's Pizza, NBC Sports Grille, Orchid Court Sushi, Margaritaville, and the CityWalk food court when we can't agree). We usually hit Vivo or Hard Rock twice on a 7 night stay. And since we can fly in from Ohio early, our first meal is always at Confisco for the Hummus and peasant bread...tradition!
 



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