Several ?? for First-timers About This Page:

[aliceinwdw]

My DH and I *really* want to visit Universal while in WDW the first three weeks of November.

What are the crowds like?
Are there better days than others to go?
Where do we get our tickets?
Are there discounted tickets for FL residents (w/FL IDs)?
Is Mears worth using for transportation from our DTD hotel to Universal?
How many days should we allot to visiting the park?

Any info would appreciated!! THANKS!

[Shell_of_the_South]

Hi aliceinwdw!! Welcome to the Universal/Islands of Adventure forum! I'll try to answer as many questions as I can, and I'm sure some other members can answer the rest or offer their suggestions for a great Universal trip!



What are the crowds like?

We usually visit both Disney and Universal every trip. I've found that the crowd levels are similar. Universal's crowds were less than Disney's over the Labor Day weekend. However, free dining was going on at WDW, which may have decreased the number of Universal visitors.

Are there better days than others to go?

I haven't noticed any days being better than others. I would say that best thing to do is to arrive early - before the parks open. The last few times I've been to Universal, the gates opened about 30 minutes early. Universal crowds tend to arrive later so you can get a lot done in the first few hours of the day.

Where do we get our tickets?

You can buy them online at the Universal website which would save you some time by not waiting in line at the parks to buy tickets.


Are there discounted tickets for FL residents (w/FL IDs)?

Check out the Universal website for more info:

Florida Resident Discount Tickets at Universal Orlando Resort

Or you can check out the 7 day pass for $89.99:

Orlando Discount Tickets at Universal Orlando Resort


How many days should we allot to visiting the park?

I don't know your schedule, but I would suggest at least two days to experience both parks.

[janicelovesmickey]

I would suggest 2 full days, to really take in everything the parks have to offer
they do tend to close earlier then the WDW parks.
november also has the beer festival at citywalk in november, i think the 2nd weekend?
I would say mears is worth it, you can use them for 18.00 pp round trip
which is cheaper than a cab, I think you would need to call them.

we started renting a car for the 2 days we go to universal. works great for us, we pick it up at the DTD hotels. I think doubletree resort.

you can also get AAA discounts, but I suggest getting them online they have great prices. parking is also 11.00 if you do decide to rent a car.
I have photos in my TR in the disney section.

[aliceinwdw]

Thanks so much!!

[Sue M.]

I got my tickets on line, great deal for 2 tickets the total with taxes came to $172 for 7 days. We are going in Aug. and have thought 4 days to tour. 1 full day at each park, then 1 more day at each park to re-visit our favorites & anything we might have missed.
If you can get a good rate on a car rental, it may be cheaper than Mears or the same factoring in Universal parking, but you would be able to come & go at will. Just about every hotel in DTD has a car rental desk, and there is a car rental (Alamo maybe?) at Disney car care centre.
Have fun, you're lucky to be able to go in Nov. with lighter crowds!! I always have to fight the crowds in Aug!!

[Loretta Lowerison]

I bought our tickets online for our honeymoon. The 2 parks special is about $ 170 for 2. Then we used the kisok to print out the tickets.
On our last day, we purchased the express plus passes for both parks so we can use the express lines and do two parks on the same day to hit our favourite rides one last time with min. wait before we go home.

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