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Universal Studios Our Affordable Disney Blog will help you save BIG on your Disney Dream vacation! Alerts about the latest deals and specials Money saving tips News about Disney and other FL attractions Helpful advice "Your hints for saving money have saved my family a ton of money!!" Amy DeLaughter, LA   Subscribe to AffordableDisney.Com's blog!

NOTE: News sources remove their articles rather quickly. If you receive a "File Not Found" error message, search the source's archives for the story. The source's URL is posted in its entirety to make it easier to track down the original article and avoid dead links. Be sure to copy and paste the entire URL in your web browser's address window. Certain news organizations require a free registration to view their articles online. Is Harry Potter Stealing From Mickey? Beth, our travel agent, writes: "Over the weekend I read an article that said Universal’s new Harry Potter-themed section of Islands of Adventure was cutting into Disney business. Disney’s become exceptionally good over the years at keeping their onsite guests just that: on site. It was such a big hassle to go try out a non-Disney adventure that it just wasn't worth it to most families. That’s all changed now. If you've got a Harry Potter fan in your clan they probably don't want to hear about the logistics of how you're going to get your favorite little muggle from Mickey’s world to Harry’s world. All that matters is that you do it. So how does one pull off such a feat if one completely lacks any sort of magical ability? Well, first, you need to understand what you're getting yourself into. Here’s a primer… * The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is NOT its own theme park; it’s part of Universal’s Islands of Adventure park (next door to the Universal Studios park). * Disney has nothing to do with these parks. Universal is roughly 15 miles from the center of Disney property, and it takes about 25 minutes to drive it (depending on traffic). * There are no Disney-supplied transportation options to get to Universal parks (or Sea World or Busch Gardens or any of the others). you're on your own. * There are no theme park tickets that include both Disney parks and Universal parks – although there ARE some that include Universal parks, Sea World, Wet n’ Wild, etc. (the non-Disney big boys of the theme park world). * When you get to Harry’s world you'll find that there are only three attractions. Two of them have been there for years; they were just re-themed. Otherwise, it’s all shops and dining opportunities. they're creative shops and dining, and very true to the Potter stories, but not true attractions. (Good thing that one new attraction is a real winner.) Once you've made the decision that you're going to go, you have to decide if it’s a day trip or if you want to stay at Universal. You have to stay in one of the three Universal-owned resorts to get early park admission and unlimited front-of-the-line access where applicable. Sadly, the front of the line thing doesn’t apply to the new (and truly awesome) Harry Potter attraction – but that early admission is a huge perk and will get you into it quickly if you can rally the troops and be there on time. You can buy an Express Pass option most days (price varies) if you're not staying in one of their resorts, but that type of Express Pass is only good for one time to the front at each of the attractions that will accept it, not like the unlimited pass that resort guests get. The three Universal hotels (Royal Pacific, Hard Rick, Portofino Bay) are all considered deluxe resorts and they're expensive. Even parking your car there is expensive - and there are no free airport transfers like Disney has. If you're going to stay at one, I personally think the package that includes room, tickets, and a breakfast is a pretty good deal. (Affordable Disney members should contact Beth for more details.) If you do NOT want to stay on property then you'll have to get from Disney over to Universal somehow - and back. You can take a cab or, for about the same price, I can set you up with a private driver. There’s also an attraction shuttle (see Mears Transportation’s website), but if you have more than a few people the cab or driver usually costs less and is less hassle. There is also an area transit bus (www.golynx.com) that can be used. It doesn’t cost much, but you have to be really determined to save money because you need to catch the bus and do one or two transfers to get there. Admission? Well, that is going to cost you. Disney, of course, makes adding extra days (beyond the first three) to their tickets so cheap it’s almost free. If you also need tickets to visit Harry you'll have to buy those separately (if they don't come with your Universal package). A good place to start is www.usf.com; compare that to what you find at Affordable Disney's ticket agent. If you're not staying in a Universal resort, consider the Express Pass add-on as well. You can also buy meal plans, but you can read elsewhere on this site how I feel about those plans. (They really need to use Disney as a model on that item.) Obviously, spending the day with Harry instead of Mickey isn't as simple as one might think. Do I agree with the article I read? Sure, to a point. I don't see many people doing Harry INSTEAD of Mickey, but I’ve had dozens this year that have given a day or two of Mickey time to Hogwarts. I don't think it will last, though. In the end, there’s still not enough going on at Universal to keep the average family busy for 5-7 days, so maybe they'll jump through the hoops once or twice, until the kids grow out of their Harry phase, but in the end it’s back to Mickey they'll go."

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Sudden roller coaster opening at Universal Orlando surprises industry watchers - not ready for prime time? http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bk-universal-rockit-opening-081909,0,367009.story Pictures: Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster at Universal Orlando http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-rip-ride-rockit-roller-coaster-photos,0,7948714.photogallery Universal Orlando Resort Combines The Biggest Names In Christian Rock With Unforgettable Theme Park Thrills For Rock The Universe 2009 http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=240 Theme Park Ranger takes ride on Universal's new roller coaster, the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-bk-universal-rip-ride-rockit-081609,0,439330.story Hard Rock Hotel At Universal Orlando Rocks Out During Worldwide ‘Pinktober’ Campaign http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=239 Don't Miss Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando's August 'Velvet Sessions' featuring Molly Hatchet http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=238 Universal announces Rock the Universe artists http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/08/universal-announces-rock-the-universe-artists.html Matching Disney, Universal raises base ticket price http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-bk-universal-ticket-prices-101009,0,777389.story 10th anniversary of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/07/ disney-rock-n-roller-coaster-aerosmith-10th-anniversary-pictures.html Potential ride names emerge for Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-universal-harry-potter-ride-names-072909,0,6638768.story Universal's Rockit: Is it ready to rip yet? http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/07/ universal-studios-hollywood-rip-ride-rockit-roller-coaster-opening.html Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort Gives Planners Three New Reasons to Book http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=236 Federal agency investigates Universal Orlando accident http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/ orl-bk-universal-accident-investigation-071409,0,112878.story Don't Miss Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando's July 'Velvet Sessions' featuring Little River Band http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=235 Universal Orlando Resort Reveals Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit’s Highly Anticipated Song List http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=234 A night with Universal 360: laser, camera, action http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/07/ universal-studios-universal-360-hollywood-rip-ride-rockit.html Universal announces Rockit playlist featuring Beasties, Peas, KC http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/07/ universal-roller-coaster-hollywood-rip-ride-rockit-song-list.html Shrouded in secrecy, Harry Potter-themed "Wizarding World" project takes shape at Universal Orlando http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-universal-harry-potter-070509,0,3515110.story New Wolfman, Chucky, Jigsaw to populate Halloween Horror Nights posted by Dewayne http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/06/ universal-halloween-horror-nights-icons-wolfman-chucky-jigsaw.html Harbor Nights Americana at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando set for July 3 http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=230 Universal shares Rip Ride Rockit coaster details http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/ orl-story-universal-coaster-rip-ride-rockit,0,6649451.story Don't Miss Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando's June 'Velvet Sessions' featuring Warrant http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=229 Universal sets dates for 2009 Halloween Horror Nights http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/06/ universal-studios-halloween-horror-nights-2009-dates-prices.html Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit: Where High Tech Meets Hard Rock http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=228 Designer gives details about Universal's Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit coaster http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/05/ universal-studios-rip-ride-rockit-designer-roller-coaster.html Don't Miss Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando's May 'Velvet Sessions' featuring Naked Eyes http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=225 Fresh pictures of Universal's Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/05/ universal-studios-roller-coaster-hollywood-rip-ride-rockit-photos.html New Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster Will Rock Universal Orlando Resort http://media.universalorlando.co Will Universal, SeaWorld combine forces? http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-biztourism27042709apr27,0,6560597.story Clarification from Universal: Rockit debut in "late spring/early summer" http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/04/ hollywood-rip-ride-rockit-universal-studios-orlando.html What does delay of Universal's Rockit mean for SeaWorld's Manta? http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2009/04/ what-does-delay-of-universals-rockit-mean-for-seaworlds-manta.html Universal pushes back opening of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit coaster http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/ orl-story-universal-hollywood-rip-ride-rockit,0,4407333.story Harbor Nights Primavera at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando set for May 8 http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=218 Universal Orlando faces cash squeeze next year if it can't refinance large loans http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bk-universal-orlando-finances-040709,0,2569937.story Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando's 'Aloha Friday' to Feature Tropical Drinks, Food & Live Music! http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=215 A Room With A Who And Green Eggs And Ham For Breakfast! http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=216 Universal CityWalk Welcomes Burger King Whopper Bar, Panda Express And Moe’S Southwest Grill http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=211 Food for Thought: Universal's BK WHOPPER Bar opens, "Ratatouille" animatronic arrives at Epcot and Character Dining returns to the Liberty Tree Tavern http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2009/03/12/disney-food.aspx New stage highlights Universal's Mardi Gras celebration http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/orl-story-mardi-gras-stage-universal,0,2964652.story The World of Coraline at Universal Experience in the Park http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/attraction_universal_experience.html? __source=ush_om_news_0209 Hagrid's Hut appears like magic at Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-tourism1609feb16,0,5911199.story Universal trimming employees' hours http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-tourism0909feb09,0,5830399.story Road to Universal's Fat Tuesday around the curve http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-bevilmg0609feb06,0,3837005.column Recession plays factor as Universal Orlando trims offerings http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-universal0509feb05,0,4817816.story Universal Orlando lays off 70 employees http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2009/01/universal-orlando-lays-off-70- employees.html Harbor Nights Romantico At Loews Portofino Bay Hotel At Universal Orlando Set For February 13 Nova Era's playing! http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=204&categoryID=0 Universal Orlando Presents Mardi Gras 2009 With The Most Powerful Talent Line-Up In The Event’s History http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=203&categoryID=0 Universal Orlando has stopped offering free parking to people who visit CityWalk in the evening. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-tourism-brief-universal-parking,0,7642951.story And the Universal Mardi Gras lineup is . . . http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/southofdowntown/orl- a2backstage1609jan16,0,189978.column Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando's First 'Velvet Sessions' of 2009 Kicks Off With 10,000 Maniacs featuring Mary Ramsey http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=202&categoryID=0 Universal CityWalk's star rises in Orlando's entertainment scene http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl- cover2908dec29,0,7906070.story Universal Orlando is planning to open a Moe's Southwest Grill and a Panda Express in the newly emerging quick-service food area of CityWalk http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-tourism1508dec15,0,4469403.story Universal to have 2 Mannheim Steamroller concerts http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-steamroller0608nov06,0, 1609823.column Mel's Drive-In will be closed for renovations at Universal Studios. Closed now for two months. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-tourism1008nov10,0,2024731.story Holiday Cheer You Can Only Hear At Universal Orlando Resort! http://media.universalorlando.com/newsreleases/detail.aspx?id=195&categoryID=0 Universal bans hundreds of underage drinkers during Horror Nights http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-universal2308 oct23,0,2330921.story Universal's Bloody Mary: Eyes that chill http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-bloodymary1508oct15,0, 3313985.story "Moms to Universal Orlando: 'Bloody Mary' billboards too horrible." http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-universal0408sep04,0,3893148.story "Universal Orlando adds $4 to its basic ticket price today, keeping its one-day, one-park pass in line with Walt Disney World's at $75 a person." (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-universal0608 aug06,0,233762.story) "Devoted theme-park goers visit attractions hundreds or thousands of times." Imagine riding The Incredible Hulk coaster at Universal 500 times! (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/orl-devoted1808jul18,0,1256862. story) Check out the ticket options for Universal's Halloween Horror Nights. (Scroll down to find the article.) (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/orl-bevil1808jul18,0,2693754.column) The Black Hole: The Next Generation at Wet 'n Wild: "Along its 500-foot plummet, [patrons] might encounter strobes, lasers, a shimmering water wall and sudden changes in temperature before splashing down." But the next time they slide down, they'll enjoy a different experience thanks to a program that randomizes the special effects. (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/orl-sameride2608may26,0,5677413.story) May is Passholder Appreciation Month at Universal Orlando. (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/orl-bevil0908may09,0,858742.column) "Krusty beckons us to enter the mouth, which doubles as the entrance to Krustyland, the fictional theme park that's the centerpiece of the Simpsons Ride, the just-opened $30 million attraction at Universal Studios." (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-simpsonsride2908apr29,0, 7304809.story) To see the first images promoting the new Simpson ride coming to Universal, visit: http://www.universalorlando.com/usf_attr_simpsons.html "Universal Studios' plan to spend $3.1 billion to develop a theme park and resort in South Korea speaks volumes about the lucrative opportunities in that fast-developing country." (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed30307nov30,0,3811333.story) Universal has closed "Earthquake." "The ride, which allowed riders to experience big Hollywood special effects, ranging from fire to flooding water, will be replaced within weeks by a newly themed attraction called 'Disaster! A Major Motion Picture Ride . . . Starring You.'" The ride is expected to open in time for the busy holiday season. (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-universalearth0607nov06,0,3655338.story) "Universal Orlando jumped into the green theme-park movement Monday, a little behind Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando, though Universal officials vowed to quickly become an industry leader." (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-universalgreen0607nov06,0,2868903.story) "The once-popular Grinchmas show might be returning to Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure after a one year hiatus: Universal has filed paperwork with Orange County declaring commencement of a construction project to build a Grinchmas stage at the theme park soon." (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-biznews-grinch101607,0,963577.story) "It's still five months before the new Simpsons ride debuts at Universal Studios, but the cartoon characters' favorite convenience store -- the Kwik-E-Mart -- is already open for business at the theme park." The Simpson ride is supposed to open March 2008 where the Back to the Future ride was located. (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-universal1607oct16,0,4351903.story) "Universal Orlando has recently settled a 2004 lawsuit with a Louisiana woman who said her stroke was caused by a ride on Universal Studios' Back to the Future attraction." (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-biznews-universal100907,0,1366121.story) Readmission to Universal: Photo ID must be presented at front gate turnstile and Citywalk. Signature may be required on ticket. If your friends are caught without proper ID, Universal will confiscate their tickets and they will have to buy new ones. I wouldn't take the chance. Click here to access all of Universal's contact info. Strollers... Since the parks are so close to each other, you rent the stroller once and take it from Universal to IOA and vice versa! Universal has published no details about showing your receipt to get another stroller the same day at no extra charge. However, since they charge by the day, I can't imagine they would charge you again if you have a receipt. For park hours and events at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, click here. Universal Orlando on Video: To order a Universal Orlando vacation planning video, click here. Click here for Universal Orlando Auditions Trip report from Beth, our travel agent: "My husband and daughter have decided to take me to Universal Studios next weekend as a birthday gift. Now, we KNOW that it's them that really wants to go, but it's been awhile for me and I book a lot of Universal, so it's good that I should go from time to time. You can guess who has to do all the planning for this gift, but that's OK, too. And YOU get to take a peek into my thought process as I do it! Being a travel agent has its benefits. I was able to get us three nights in a "bay view" at the Portofino Bay, the most posh of the onsite hotels, for $140 per night + tax. Amazingly, this was $10 a night less than the Hard Rock, and Royal Pacific wasn't available at all for our dates. We won't be arriving until 7-ish Friday night, so it's good that we are at a great resort. I joined the Loews frequent guest program so that we will get a free upgrade when we check in (if available, and if they will honor it for travel agents). We've already cut out our "free dinner and a movie" coupon from the Entertainment book, and while we don't plan on seeing a movie that night, we're hoping to spread a little pixie dust north of Disney by bestowing our movie pass on someone else. We may also give away the meal, depending on how crowded (and expensive) the free meal place turns out to be. Not sure if all this will work out, but we're looking forward to trying it. I've purchased my tickets [to] Universal [in advance]. (See Affordable Disney for the best places to purchase your Universal tickets at a discount.) We will be doing "kiosk" pickup, and it costs nothing extra. You have to use the same card you used to buy the tickets, and you swipe that card through something that looks like an ATM machine near the entrance to either park. Then you have to have photo ID to use with the tickets at the turnstiles; but before we head to those, we'll be stopping by the Guest Services window outside the park. You get one free coupon booklet (reportedly full of BOGO - buy one get one free - coupons) per ticket transaction, and I did my ticket order in two transactions to get two booklets. Once inside the park we'll be taking a few minutes to go over the booklet and evaluate the usefulness of the coupons. I've already printed out the menus (with pricing) of most of the dining locations in both parks, and we'll quickly be able to see if the All You Can Eat deal is better for us or not... (See Affordable Disney for the details on this dining plan.) I'm thinking that the BOGO coupons wouldn't get us through three meals each at under $50 total, but I'll do the math and see once I've gotten a look at those coupons. (I'm wondering if I can find a list of those coupons online somewhere. If not, I'll make one when I get home and at least Affordable Disney readers will be "in the know!") I've already printed out my Orlando Magic Card to get $5 off a $20 food and beverage purchase at the Hard Rock Cafe, even though I don't know that we'll be going there. I'll be in search of other coupons this week as well. I think I've got an awesome rate on the hotel, and staying on site has the bonus or not only convenience, but going to the front of the line at attractions! I'm happy with the [Universal] ticket deal... So the food is the challenge now, and we've made a good start. Be watching to see how this all turns out! We arrived at the Portofino Bay Resort after dark, so my first impression of the resort was of a dimly lit parking garage. Happy that my 6'4" husband was in tow, we lugged our small amount of luggage through the area to the elevator - only to realize as we waited for the doors to open that the signage we'd followed to get to it also told us we'd need to bring our parking ticket inside. Yet again I was thankful my husband was with us! He ran back to the car while my daughter and I loaded the elevator and then held the doors. When they opened again, we found we had to drag our bags past the convention entrance and over to the main doors. Not a long walk, but we were already tired from the drive. The idea of valet parking had occurred to me, but even self-parking is $14 a day at this resort (more for those not registered as guests) so with wallet in mind, we opted for the walk. We quickly found the front desk, and the lengthy line in front of it. There were three desk clerks checking in the main line and one checking in members of the chain's frequent guest program. There was no one in the Loews First line other than the couple being helped, so we went to the head of the line and waited, glad that I'd joined the program awhile back. It turned out that we'd have been checked in faster waiting in the much longer regular line. Live and learn. When it was finally our turn, the first thing the person behind the counter told me was that they would not honor the Loews First perks for me because we were on a travel agent rate. Now, I am truly not one of those agents always trying to squeeze favors and benefits out of suppliers. In fact, I don't really have to try because most of them bend over backwards trying to impress agents without being asked. Not this resort, though. I have to say that it's the first time that my frequent guest benefits have been denied by ANY chain just because I was traveling on a discounted rate. Well, it took less than 10 minutes to check us in. Although the reservation was for two adults and a child, they'd failed to notice the "child" part of it. Nonetheless, we'd been assigned a room with two beds so that was fine. The verbal instructions we were given to the West Wing sounded more like instructions for walking to Montana. No map was used, so I did my best to memorize the instructions on finding the arch marked West Wing. It was dark, though, and there were a LOT of arches out there. After asking two employees for directions (they didn't know) and wandering around for about 20 minutes, we finally stopped a couple walking their dog. (Many guests were taking advantage of the pet-friendly rules.) We asked if they'd seen the West Wing on their travels around the property, and it turned out their own room was there. They said it was too hard to explain where it was, so they led us there. If we'd arrived before the sun went down we'd have probably seen it pretty easily, but at night especially, the resort needs to use printed maps. So up to the third floor we went, down the hall, and into our room. The bay view room was really very lovely. It's about the size of a Yacht/Beach Club room with a BIG bathroom. There were two queen beds, and the resort has rollaways available. Although the window was large, it did NOT open out to a balcony as the Disney deluxe resort rooms do. I have to say that I missed that feature. There was a frig, but it was already full of every beverage imaginable. Fortunately, it's not the sort or frig with those nasty sensors. We removed a bunch of the stuff so that we could put our self-provided water bottles inside. The prices on the frig items as well as a number of munchies and other things (sewing kit, rain poncho, etc.) in a drawer were as expensive as you'd guess they would be, so we reminded our daughter not to even think about eating or drinking anything... most especially the $7 bottles of water! Free of charge, though, were some nice lotions, soaps, and shampoos, coffee to use in the 4-cup coffee maker, and some small packages of q-tips and cotton balls. A sign on the bathroom counter advised that there was a long list of things they'd loan us - a belt, a bow tie, a reading light, a portable CD player, etc. - if we found ourselves in need. The TV had a DVD player hooked up, and the alarm clock had a CD player built in, so I have to say that the resort gets high marks on their attempt to think of everything you might need. Off to find food. There was no shortage of dining locations, but many were serving a bigger and more formal dinner than we were after. We ended up at a deli which also made pizza. It was very crowded and understaffed, but they said they were unexpectedly hit hard (sort of like the front desk when we checked in) and it did quiet down pretty quickly. After 12 minutes in line and another 15 minute wait at the table, the pizza finally came. $18 got us a very good - but small - pizza and three iced teas. (Maybe the size of a Dominoes medium.) Still hungry, but too tired to care, we strolled back across the piazza and enjoyed the cool evening on our way back to the West Wing for a little TV and a great night's sleep. So with a good night's sleep behind us, we popped out of bed, did a quick check of the weather on TV, and then showered and dressed appropriately, munching granola bars as we did so. At 8:15 we were ready to roll, just 45 minutes before the parks officially opened. With my Disney background, I was concerned that with two parks opening at 9AM the hotel's transportation system would be overrun and we'd have to walk. Down the elevator and out the doors of the West Wing we flew, straight to the water taxi dock right out front. There was no one there. A quick check of the sign revealed that the water taxis didn't start until 30 minutes prior to park opening! Afraid that perhaps the shuttle bus schedule would cut it equally close, we went with walking. The hotel does, after all, advertise that it is within walking distance of the parks. And that's true - if you like to walk. Although Portofino Bay Resort is the most expensive of the three onsite hotels, it's also the furthest from the two parks and the City Walk entertainment area. The resort map from our room indicated that we needed to walk around the lake and cross over the bridge. We later figured out that it's actually much faster to go to the right (past the West Wing and the water taxi dock) and go under the bridge. Oh, well. The path led us across the street and into the Hard Rock hotel. The lobby was beautiful and we didn't have to go far before spying some of the hotel's "famous rockers" clothing displays, but there was no time to lose. We followed an employee's directions and went across the lobby to the left, through the door marked POOL - and then stopped. A complete lack of signage greeted us. We opted to go left, and were quickly met with yet another choice of paths and no directional signage. The path ahead led to a gate with pool hours posted on it, so we went right. Bad move. After trudging uphill for several minutes, we found ourselves at the top of the water slide. Drats! So back down the path we went, unable to enjoy the pretty landscaping. At the bottom, we realized that there WAS signage, but it was now facing us. We'd approached it from the side before and hadn't noticed it. Through the gate with the pool hours, and around some more lovely walkways and we finally emerged at the gates to Universal Studios Florida. Elapsed time: 28 minutes, moving at a good pace. I pulled out the credit card used to buy [our tickets] as well as my confirmation sheets and proceeded to the electronic ticket stations. We were the ONLY people doing this - and it was already 8:45! The screen led us through the process, and in a matter of minutes I was holding our tickets. We quickly found the Guest Services window to the right of the ticket stations, and again there was no one else waiting. We asked for our two coupon booklets - one for each ticket order - and they were handed over with a reminder that each coupon was good for up to 6 people. It was now minutes before opening, and unlike Disney, they don't let people in early. I had stopped worrying, though, because there weren't even 100 people waiting to get in! It was at this point that we realized our tickets were not marked ADULT or CHILD. I took the one with the largest serial number and packed it away, thinking it was probably the free child ticket we'd be holding on to for a visit later this year. The other three tickets got us through, so I must have guessed right. We also realized that the coupons we'd been given all expired at the end of last year. Either no one had noticed, or they were trying to use them up before printing new ones. Not sure which, but we didn't have need for ANY of them. Most are BOGO coupons or small discounts on merchandise. If you don't do the meal plan they might be useful to you. I won't bother to list them here, though, unless someone can confirm that the vendors are still honoring them. Our first stop inside the gate was to pick up our wristbands for the dining plan, which I'll write about more in the next installment. I'll also write up my review of the different attractions separately. What amazed me the most about this park was that we had the place to ourselves for nearly an hour before we saw a significant increase in attendance. It never did get truly crowded. This was a VERY busy weekend at Disney with many resorts being at or near capacity, and it was a 3-day weekend to boot. The sky was blue, the temperatures were cool (but not cold) - the perfect setup for a miserably crowded day in a theme park, and that was not the case here at all! Most attractions that involved water had the water turned off. They apparently realize that drenching your guests before it hits 50 degrees isn't a good idea. As the day warmed, though, the water was turned back on. Our room keys served as our Express Passes into nearly every attraction. We blew right past whatever line there was and quickly got into everything. That perk in itself is worth paying to stay at an onsite resort (provided you can get one for a good price). You CAN buy yourself an Express Pass if you're not staying onsite, but it only gives you one line bypass per attraction, so it's not as good as having the room key. I should mention that nearly every attraction has a WARNING sign as you enter. My husband and I are complete wimps when it comes to rides, so at every attraction I asked the employee guarding the Express Pass lane if the attraction did anything involving speed, spinning, or sudden drops. They were very accurate in their descriptions and we only avoided two things based on what we were told, so the park is a good one for chickens. I should also mention that there are a few attractions requiring guests to put their loose items in lockers. This includes water bottles, purses, etc. Again, the signage is a little lacking, so here's how it works... You go to a touchscreen and push it to get started. It will instruct you to place one finger gently on the scanner. It will scan it once and then instruct you to do it again. After it ensures that the scans match, it will tell you what locker number is yours and a light on that locker will flash. Open that locker up and cram everything in. Careful, though... you are only allowed in one time, and that's to remove the items. If you forgot to put something in you'll have to start over. After the ride, you come back and use that same finger for the scan. Your locker number appears, its light flashes, and the locker is unlocked so you can retrieve your items. There IS a time limit on how long you can get in for free, though! If you exceed your time limit you'll need a credit card to get your things out, so don't be thinking you can stash things in there for the day for free! We left Universal Studios at about 6:30, a half hour prior to closing. The wind was still blowing hard, so the water taxis weren't running. We didn't want to walk in the dark (and we hadn't yet figured out the secret of going UNDER the bridge) so we thought we'd take the bus. There are no signs to the buses. None. We asked several employees who were clueless before finding an information booth in City Walk. He sent us back toward the Studios entrance, but instructed us to stay right and head for 'the circle.' Sure enough, we found a traffic circle with sandwich board-type signs, one for each hotel. We found the sign for Portofino and waited along with about 30 other people. A few minutes later an 18-passenger minibus arrived. The driver stopped the line at one point, and then indicated that the two ladies in front of us would have to wait for the next bus. There were still empty seats, and parents onboard quickly grabbed their children and made them into lap kids to allow for even more people to board, but the driver refused to let anyone else on. He pulled away with less than a full load and left the rest of us standing there. Twenty minutes went by and the same bus came back. Both parks had just closed and it was the only bus running for Portofino Bay Resort! We managed to get about 28 people onto the bus using the lap seating method for kids. Amazingly, there really wasn't much of a line left as we pulled away. Apparently, word that the bus service isn't great travels quickly! Now, keep in mind that the driver had just picked us up next to the Portofino Bay sign. You can imagine our confusion when he passed up that resort and headed for Royal Pacific! Someone called out that he'd missed the turn, but he stubbornly insisted on going to Royal Pacific. There wasn't room for anyone else onboard, and no one wanted to get off there, but he went anyway. The door opened, we waited, the door closed, and then we went back to Portofino. Insane! Anyway, we got back to the West Wing, ate our dinners we'd brought from the park (more on that later) and then settled in for a movie and then bed. The room attendant had brought ice, restocked the bathroom amenities, and one of the beds was turned down with two pieces of chocolate laid out. (Apparently, word that there were three of us didn't get to him.) I cannot believe that we managed to do everything we wanted, moved at a leisurely pace all day, didn't wait more than five minutes for any attraction, and still left the park before it's 7PM closing. This is SO not Disney! Here's how the Universal Parks Meal Deal works... When you walk into either park there is a place with a big Meal Deal - Eat All Day sign where you can purchase wristbands. You can also purchase the plan at any of the places that participates in the program. It's about $20 with tax for adults, and $10 with tax for kids. It's a few dollars more if you want to be able to eat in BOTH parks. There is no multiday version; you have to do this each day, and the wristbands are color-coded (so you can't wear today's wristband tomorrow and get free food). There are three counter service places at each park that honor the wristbands. Each time you go through the line you can get an entree and a dessert. There is no limit to how many times you can go through. The adults can choose from ANY entree on the menu. Children have to choose from a special child's menu which is NOT posted. There are small red stand-up signs that tell you what the children's items are, and if you don't see it you can ask. There are three items to choose from for kids and they include things like pizza, cheeseburger, spaghetti, PB&J, chicken, etc. The children's options are apparently a new thing, and they do have them for sale to people who are NOT on the plan as well; however, they are priced higher than Disney's children's options. (A mini-cheeseburger and fries for kids was $5.39 at one of the places we went.) There are some odd things about the plan for adults. For instance, it was OK to get an eggroll with your orange chicken platter at one place (no extra charge, even though it's listed separately on the menu), but you can't get cheese sauce for your fries at another place unless you pay for it. Milkshakes and ice cream can't be your dessert, even if they are listed in the dessert section of the menu; they're extra. If you want two burgers you have to go through the line twice, but if you want two slices of pizza on one trip that seemed to be OK. For one meal I got a slice of pizza and they offered me fries or onion rings to go with it. At another place I ordered a chicken sandwich with onion rings and I got BOTH fries and onion rings. In other words, if you want something then ask and they might include it for you, but don't make assumptions because logic really doesn't apply here. I should mention that beverages are NOT included. We invested in a refillable cup. There were several to choose from and they come at varying prices, but if you're on the Meal Deal then they are all $7 - including the cool Spongebob one that blows bubbles which normally sells for over $12. You can have them refill it all day long for free at any of the places that honor the Meal Deal, but it's $1.30 (or something like that) to get a refill at the other counter places - still about half off the regular drink price. If we'd had the two-park Meal Deal we'd have been allowed to get refills at the other park that day as well. What we didn't realize, though, is that the other park also sold Spongebob mugs (the bubble ones as well as the more traditional handled kind) so we could have carried our mug back on day two and refilled it again all day instead of buying a new mug. I'm sure you're not supposed to do that, but since some of the mugs are the same in both parks they wouldn't know the difference. Tips: * The Meal Deal places don't open until 10AM or later, so bring granola bars to hold you until then. * We got two gorgeous fruit plates at the end of the day from the International place at the Studios. They were already wrapped in plastic so we just asked a store for a plastic bag (which they were happy to give us) and we put our fruit in there to haul back to the room. We had yummy fresh fruit for breakfast the next day! * Both days we made the rounds and collected enough food for a good dinner shortly before leaving the park. We wrapped everything in napkins and tossed them into plastic shopping bags, adding napkins, condiments, and plastic flatware. If you remember, bring ziplock bags in your fanny pack, though. That would have been a lot easier than asking stores for plastic bags. We weren't hungry for dinner at 6PM, but by the time we got back to the room and settled in we were, so this worked well for us and enabled us to really get a lot out of the Meal Deal even with the parks closing so early. * Food service stops 30 minutes before park closing, and the lines for food can be longer than attraction lines, so be sure to get in line for the last meal of the day about an hour before closing to be sure you'll get through. And yes, we could have had just one wristband and sent that person through the line once or twice without raising suspicion, then moved on to another location and done the same thing - thus feeding all of us on that one wristband. The cashiers have enough to do without watching the seating areas to see if anyone is doing illegal sharing. We freely passed food between the three of us and our wristbands were usually not visible to anyone who may have watched. No one ever paid any attention to us. Do I suggest doing this? No, that wouldn't be right - and too many people doing it might spell the end of the Meal Deal. Can you get away with it if you're so inclined? I'd say yes, pretty easily - especially if you don't mind visiting multiple locations for each meal. And how much did we save? Well the Meal Deal for two adults and a child was about $50 a day. Day one our food total would have come to at least $110. Day two our total would have been about $80. Had we NOT had the meal deal we'd have definitely spent more than this - but we'd have also been able to visit some of the better restaurants without feeling that we were wasting our meal Deal wristband privileges. All six participating restaurants (three in each park) served pretty much the same food, with one or two different things at each. We were really tired of having the same options by the end of the second day, and the desserts (cake, Jell-O parfait, chocolate chip cookies) were identical at each place. So would we do it again? Yes, for one day, and then for the second day we'd probably pay to eat at better places. I'd say that the Studios have the better three places to use the plan on (although there's very little difference really)." UNIVERSAL EXPRESS PASS Universal Express (somewhat similar to Disney's FastPass) has two variations: Guests staying at the Portofino Bay Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel can enjoy no wait unlimited access to the rides and attractions at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure every day of their stay. You must show your room key card at the Universal Express entrance to each attraction. Visitors who buy single day admissions, the 2-Park Super Pass, Action Pass, and Adventure Pass receive Universal Express Passes for one attraction at a time. Universal Express Passes are available until one hour before closing (or until they are all taken) at 20 different distribution centers scattered throughout Universal's two parks. Passes can be used one hour after the park opens until closing. UNIVERSAL AND THE DISABLED Click here for details. Click here for height requirements at Universal. Moira from Canada sent us her Islands of Adventure Report: "Tuesday, December 7th, 1999 We took the highway up from Lake Buena Vista and arrived at the Universal Exit approximately 8:45 a.m. Universal is very well organized for parking allotment, having people there directing traffic (just like Disney!). On Monday we had gone to Universal Studios, and ended up both days in the same section of the parking lot, just one row over. Universal has moving sidewalks that help speed the people to both parks. On Tuesday, we walked through City Walk to the entrance of Islands of Adventure. We had purchased a 2 day pass the day before (one for each Universal Park), and arrived just before 9:00 a.m. at the gates. We walked right on through. Here’s the chronological order of our visit to Islands of Adventure! Each set of grouped attractions is an island, and you move between them on bridges and roadways. At the Port of Entry, we went directly left, as it appeared the rides our kids (Spencer (15), Kirby (13), and Taylor (8) wanted to go on the most were that way at Marvel Super Hero Island, and we wanted to avoid any large lineups later on in the day. Marvel Super Hero Island 9:10 a.m. - Attraction "U" - Incredible Hulk Coaster First problem we encountered was that our youngest was 1" too short to go on this ride. The older 2 went by themselves, and my husband and I tried to placate the 8 year old. Approximately 10 minutes later, the kids emerged to watch their brother and my husband and I went. There were no line ups, and basically we went right up onto the ride. Once strapped in, you get shot out of the building at like 60 miles an hour, twisting, turning, and going upside down. It’s pretty freaky, knowing that your legs are dangling beneath you, and that you have room to move in your seat, even being strapped in. I can see why kids less than 54" can’t ride, they would fly right out of their seats. I wonder if perhaps having a seat belt, would alleviate that, and allow for smaller kids to go on it. At the exit, you can purchase photos, so try to make sure you’re on an outside seat! 9:30 a.m. - Attraction "T" - Doctor Doom’s Fearfall You wind your way through a dimly lit tunnel, to the top entrance to the ride. This ride holds 4 people to a side, so we were split up from our 13 and 15 year old. There is someone there to direct you to a side to enter. When we arrived, there was a family of 4 from Spain standing there. Obviously, they did’t have a clue as to how to get on the ride, and had missed their turn. We pointed this out to an operator, who was less than receptive about the observation. As it turns out, we had to wait to get this family on, so we missed going up with our other kids. That was okay, they got to watch Mom screaming her lungs out, trying to hold onto the 8 year old. Major fear that he would fly out! The ride requires a minimum of 52" in height, and here I think a seatbelt should be mandatory. Our son is quite thin, and I was literally hanging onto him as we were tossed up the first time, to make sure he didn’t go flying out of his seat! Another freaky ride, where the object is to throw you up 150', with no sensation of gravity! Opposite of falling down, but just as scary!! 9:55 a.m. - Attraction "S" - The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man I thought my 15 year old son Spencer was too old to get excited about characters - he certainly didn’t when we were at Disney! However, as we approached the ride, he [was] yelling about how he wants to get his picture taken with Captain America, who was just outside this ride. I found that all the characters at both Universal parks were much more accessible, available, and generally more positive than those at Disney. With Disney, only a few characters are allowed to talk, but their body movements spoke volumes. Anyway, Captain America was quite the hit with all my kids. Spider-Man’s line up winds through various aspects of a newspaper room, set in the 1950's. There are overhead t.v.’s that show repeating scenes. This ride was the longest wait we had, approximately 45 minutes. The line kept moving efficiently, and there were a couple of loading lines you could enter. Everyone got to take a pair of 3-D glasses, and each right held 8 people. The ride goes through Spider-Man’s City, with various evil characters attacking the car you are riding in. The music, lights, and sounds are incredible, and the last part of the ride, you think that the car you are in is free-falling to the ground. At the last second, it is saved by Spider Man’s web. I understand the ride was made from a company in Sweden or Norway, and that they are interested in developing their own 150 acre park in the Orlando area. If they do, watch out Disney and Universal, this #1 world ranked ride is only the beginning. The entire family thought this was an amazing ride. We ended up going back on it a second time around 5:30 p.m., and there were no lines, nothing!! An evil character (hob goblin or green goblin) was lurking at the exit, and jumped out at me! Scared the heck out of me, but it was great!! Even got our photo taken with him! All in all, the most amazing ride I’ve been on. The 3D and free-falling was incredible! I would recommend that people just come to the park and try this ride, it’s worth the cost of the full day’s admission!! Next we moved to Toon Lagoon, where there are 2 water rides, and a stage show. Toon Lagoon 10:45 a.m. - Attraction "P" - Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls We had brought our vinyl rain slickers with us, in case we had to go on a wet ride like this. As we watched individual logs come down through, it was apparent that everyone should carry a slicker with them for this ride. You went through a cave like set, until you reach the bottom to enter the logs. The logs held all 5 of us, and basically it’s like most flume rides. There are clips from Dudley Do-Right, and various characters speaking. At the very end, your log is shot almost straight down, about 50 feet, with water being poured from above, into your log. It’s fast, cold, and a heck of a lot of fun. I don’t know how anyone could sustain a neck injury on this ride, there is plenty of warning about the drop coming. The family enjoyed this ride so much, that we went right back on it for a second time!! 11:10 a.m. - Attraction "R" Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges You go in a round raft that holds 8-10 people. We kept our slickers on, just in case. ... This barge ride is much bigger and wetter than the one at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Again, we liked this one so much, that we requested to stay on it for a second ride. There was no one in line, so the operators let us go through. 11:45 a.m. - Attraction "O" - Pandemonium Cartoon Circus We doubled back at this point to see our first show of the day. Universal has a double decker bus that winds through the streets with the characters on board. The characters then disembark, and mingle with the tourists. The stage show was good, certainly not as flashy or polished as some we had seen at Disney, but the characters were cute and perky, and the show provided an opportunity to dry out and have a snack from our waist pouches. The show was approximately 20 minutes long, and I really like watching Rocky and Bullwinkle! Jurassic Park Next we moved onto Jurassic Park. Here we did the least of the attractions, mainly because of time. Our kids have been to dinosaurs museums such as Drumheller Alberta and Bozeman Montana, so going to a Dinosaur exhibit would be repetitive. We chose to skip Camp Jurassic Park (J), Jurassic Park Discovery Centre (M), and Triceratops Encounter (N). At J, it’s basically a dinosaur themed playground, M is a child’s based museum, and N was also museum like. Our kids were older, and frankly, these attractions would have been a waste of time. 12:25 a.m. - Attraction "L" - Jurassic Park River Adventure This is another river raft ride, similar to the Jaws ride. You go through a park with various dinosaurs, and the music and atmosphere build and culminate into your boat dropping 90 feet just before being eaten by a T-Rex. Very neat effects, and there are pictures available to buy, showing freaked out faces as the boat plunges! The Lost Continent By now, we were getting hungry and decided that we want to go and eat somewhere. We checked out Thunder Falls Terrace but it didn’t have much appeal. We opted to go to eat at The Enchanted Oak Tavern in the Lost Continent. Here we had chicken and ribs, corn bread, soap (chicken corn chowder). The food was really good, we could have got away with 4 dinners instead of 5, we didn’t eat everything. We ate outside on the stone terrace, which gave us a clear view of the Hulk and Fearfall rides. Even managed to get a picture with both rides operating at the same time. 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Attraction "F" - Dueling Dragons Here our oldest 2 went first, the youngest was again too short. After 55 minutes or so, they emerged, having ridden both the Fire and Ice Roller Coasters. My husband, and I and our son Taylor sat outside the Tavern, soaking up the son. Once Kirby and Spencer returned, they headed back to Jurassic Park with Taylor to have him go on the Pteranodon Flyers ride. Our daughter Kirby took Taylor, and Spencer sat out. Duane and I headed up the coaster ride, which has it’s lines wind through dimly lit caves. While waiting to get on, the operators added a second coaster to each ride and that delayed the wait by about another 15 minutes or so. We went on "Fire" first, and once we exited there, we found a shortcut to "Ice", that avoided walking through most of the ride again. It took about 15 minutes for us to ride both rides, including the line up for the second ride. By the time we got off, our kids were back and we headed to the rest of the Lost Continent, it was almost 3 p.m. This ride was similar to the Hulk, except the area is much more open, and the other coaster meets yours a couple of times during the 45 second ride. 3:00 p.m. - Attraction "G" - Poseidon’s Fury: Escape from the Lost City This ride took longer than expected, and we chose to miss the Sindbad show at 3:30 p.m. Here we were cued into a room, where Poseidon comes a talks to us, then we are herded into another room, where the 10 minute show goes. It was cool, dark and damp in the line ups, which was a nice break from the heat of the day. The show was good, Spencer (15) thought it was an awesome graphics, light and fire show. 3:25 p.m. - Attraction "I" - The Mystic Fountain Looked at it, and kept going. By now, we were starting to fade, and just wanted to get through the rest of the Park quickly. SEUSS LANDING 3:30 p.m. - Christmas Story Starring The Grinch in Seuss Landing We stood and watched about 15 minutes of this. I enjoyed it, but I could see the kids were getting restless. We moved onto the rides. 3:45 p.m. - Attraction "B" - Caro-Seuss-el Spencer who is 15 and Kirby who is 13 thought this was a pretty lame ride to go on. However, I did manage to get their pictures riding the weird Seuss Animals. The ride is only a couple of minutes long, and I wouldn’t have stood in line to go on it. 3:55 p.m. - Attraction "E" - One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish My husband Duane opted out of this one, frankly, I think he was afraid to get wet. Taylor and Kirby went together, Spencer and I did as well. The object is to ride in fish and you control its up and down movements with a stickshift. I of course, wrestled with Spencer for control of this and we ended up getting wet from the fish fountains that shoot water at your fish. You can avoid this by keeping your fish high or low, and Spencer was not impressed that I deliberately got us wet! No fun!! After the ride, Spencer took off, and the 4 of us headed to the next attraction. 4:10 p.m. - Attraction "C" - The Cat In the Hat We waited in line here for about 20 minutes to go on a ride similar to Snow’s White’s at the Magic Kingdom. The ride featured various clips from the Seuss Book, and it was kinda cute. You exit the ride into a Gift Shop, and my daughter Kirby got a "tricky" Cat in the Hat fishing hat, and Taylor got a T- Shirt. By now, we were looking for some sort of snack. We decided on Ice Cream, and went to Arctic Express at the Port of Entry. We had waffle cones that ran about $4 - $5 each (which is $6 - $7.50 Cdn). They were delicious, and gave us just the boost we needed. Spencer then showed up, and he and Kirby went on the Hulk again. We all went on Spider Man again and by now it was about 5:00 p.m. We headed to the gift at the Port of Entry called the Universal Studios Islands of Adventure Trading Company. Duane and Spencer each bought T-Shirts. One of the Hulk Roller Coaster, and one of the Duelling Dragons Roller Coaster. We bought our nephews a Duelling Dragon T-Shirt each for Christmas, and by now it was about 5:45 p.m. We wandered through City Walk, and ended up in a Store that sold Pokemon, and various t- shirts, we wandered through City Walk for about 45 minutes, before heading to the Parking Lot. The place was basically deserted and we headed home down International Drive. We stopped at Pizza Hut for supper and were back at our Hotel around 8:30 p.m. All in all, our family really enjoyed both days at the Universal Parks. I think that Disney held much more sentimental value to my husband and I who are both 40, than it did for Spencer (15), Kirby (13), and Taylor (8). I wouldn’t recommend going to Universal until all the kids are 54" high and can ride on all the rides. You avoid a lot of unhappy looks this way! Our family was able to do each Universal Park in one day, and saw everything that we were interested in. The longest wait was for Spider-Man in the morning about 45 minutes. I didn’t find the food to be any more expensive than anywhere else in Orlando. I would recommend taking a vinyl slicker to go on the water rides, keeping dry in the cool morning air is important, especially if you have kids." Universal is on Kirkman Road (exit 30 on I-4), around the 5900 block of International Drive. SeaWorld is 5 miles from Universal. WDW is 10 miles from Universal. For maps, call the Official Visitor Center in Orlando 407/363-5872. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Mears Motor Shuttles provides transportation to the theme parks. Call 407/423-5566. You can also take a taxi. (We list several hotels in our book that offer transportation to the parks for free or for a fee.) In regard to public transportation, LYNX buses serve Osceola, Orange, and Seminole counties from 5 AM to midnight/7 days a week. Routes include tourist attractions. Costs less than $1. Look for the LYNX Paw Sign to catch the bus. Call 407/841-8240 for more information. The I-RIDE TROLLEY SERVICE makes over 50 stops on International Drive from 7 AM to midnight/7days a week. The buses run every 15 minutes. Costs 75 cents. Seniors pay 25 cents. You can buy a one-day unlimited pass for $2 ($3 for a three-day pass and $5 for a five-day pass) at most of the hotels along International Drive. Look for the I-Ride Trolley signs. Call 407/354-5656 for more information. The MERCADO SHUTTLE provides free transportation 10 AM to 10 PM from the The Mercado shopping/dining/entertainment complex on International Drive to 15 hotels in the area. Call 407/345-9337 for more information. Contacting Universal... Here is what Universal wrote us: We are here to serve you Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM (EST). Please call 1-800 U-ESCAPE (837-2273). If calling internationally, you can reach us at (407) 224-7117. For the hearing impaired call TDD 800-477-0672. You may also email us with your reservation requests at: reservations@universalflorida.com web site: http://www.uescape.com/ Here's the general information number (prices, hours, special events): 407-363-8000. Press "zero" to get a live representative. For weather, click here. For ticket prices (at full price), click here. If you want to stay and dine affordably outside Universal and get your Universal passes at a discount, see our book, Secrets To An Affordable Walt Disney World® Vacation. Choose a page and jump: Looking for something  in particular? 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