your universal/ioa opinions please...

[natalielongstaff]

having so far been to wdw twice and never ventured near these two parks im determined we are going to try these parks in september
im totally ignorant to both parks although ive managed to find some info on a spiderman character meal that ds will love

so whats best to do and whats best avoided

thanks

 

[JohnnySharp2]

In my opinion 2 of the best rides are at IOA/US - Spiderman and Shrek.

I would say IOA is ideal for thrill seekers and coaster lovers with Hulk and Duelling Dragons both great fun.
Water plays a large part too, with Popeye's Barges, Ripsaw Falls and Jurassic Park all excellent water rides, PB is guaranteed to get you wet.

Universal has many excellent rides, Men In Black, Twister, Terminator, Jaws, Jimmy Neutron and The Mummy.

Like many of the parks certain attractions are showing their age a bit now with the likes of Lucille A Tribute and Earthquake probably in need of replacing.

There are many attractions for the kids too with Suess Landing at IOA and the likes of Woody Woodpecker, Barney, Curious George and ET at US.

Being able to walk from one park to the other is a major plus point and the shopping at Citywalk, plus the NBA/Hard Rock Cafe restaurants compliment the parks very well.

US used to be Josh's favourite but didn't quite have the same appeal this year, probably because we have been so many times over the past few years.

 

[fws]

Jaws and ET!!!

 

[ely3857]

Out of the two I prefer IOA. Spiderman is amazing and I love all the water rides. At USF Terminater 2 is a great show and the Mummy is Fantastic. I generally spend 1 day at USF & 2 at IOA



Jodie

 

[T16GEM]

We love IOA and US, both are great - I'd agree with Johnny about IOA being for thrill seekers etc.

At IOA I would say do Hulk, Duelling Dragons Fire and Ice, and if you want to get completley SOAKED Dudley Doorights Ripsaw Falls - the drop on this one is amazing!!

At US make sure you try Men in Black - the kids will like this it's similar to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, ET, Jaws, The Mummy and Shrek.

I could go on forever about these parks as we always have a great day at them, and then finish the day off by taking in a Movie at the cinema in City Walk and grabbing some food their too.

Hope you enjoy it!

Gems

 

[jns]

after been to WDW so many times
we have yet to get there too
this time I got the tickets , so hopefully we will make it this time around
Always seem to run out of time
DS wants to go to sea world too

 

[Karena]

Love Universal studios - it's one of my favoutite places!! Twister, Jaws and actually quite like Earthquake too!! The children loved seeing the Madagascar charchters and the Barney show!!!

IOA on the other hand was unbareable - it was heaving with people (particularly teenagers!!), the queues were horrific and the noise level hidious!! hated it (didn't like it much the first time we went - but it definitely is on our avoidance list when we go next year)

But each to their own I'm sure some people would find IOA preferable over Universal Studios - it's probably because I'm getting old

 

[Lizzybear]

Love both parks! Sure they don't have the warm fuzzy magic of WDW but they do have some excellent rides and attractions and IOA has brilliant theming IMO. I don't think i'd want to go to Orlando and not do these parks

 

[UKDEB]

I love both parks equally. I am neither a thrill seeker (luckily some might say given my choice of partner ) or a coaster lover, but I think IoA is great. Spiderman is still one of the best rides at any park, IMHO. I love the theming there, too, especially Port of Entry, The Lost Continent and Seuss Landing. I can't wait to try out the new High in the Sky Trolley Train Ride! Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges are really good fun as long as you don't mind getting (very) wet. The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad and Poseidon's Fury are both well worth seeing.

There are probably more rides I enjoy at the Studios - The Mummy, Shrek 4-D, Terminator 2 3-D, and Men In Black normally feature in each visit. E-T and Back to the Future (which is about to close, if it hasn't already) are both getting a bit jaded, but still worth doing. I've never been a huge fan of Jaws, but it would be churlish not to do it once. Ditto Earthquake. I liked the Jimmy Neutron ride when it was Yogi and ****oo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons and Dastardly and Muttley. I don't know any of the new-fangled cartoon characters!

I've always enjoyed Universal, but I like it even more now that it's a whole destination. CityWalk has some great shops and restaurants and, if you can find time, it's also worth taking a water-taxi to one or more of the resort hotels.

 

[wayneg]

We spend half a day in Curious Geroge no problem. waiting for the dry people casually walking through, then soak them. Better than a water park if you meet the right people in there. DW got chased by an elderly lady last year with a cup of water, it was so funny.

 

[alisonbestford]

We, too, love both parks equally

I have to say that, given the choice, Eve (almost 8) much prefers the Universal parks to WDW and she's been lucky enough to have been going since being a 'tot' (3 years old)

Our personal favourites are the water features - 'Curious George' and 'Dr Sseuss' so don't forget to take a book, a swimming cossie and a couple of towels to while away the time

We spent many a happy hour watching the Barney show until, on our last visit, DD decided she was too embarrassed to visit as she would need to add it to her school report (we took 7 days out of term time
DH loves 'SpiderMan' and the 'Terminator' whilst I just love the atmosphere
Another favourite of Eve's is the 'Sinbad' show

 

[isla bonita]

We spent a week at both parks during Mardi Gras. it was great.

My son went back to school with a necklace for every one in his class.

The parks are clean, Seuss has great colr, food was very good in the few we ate at.

You can always get a Margharita with Jimmy Buffet playing in the back ground. Can not beat that.

 

[AndRu]

We spent more time at IOA & US last time than we did at WDW - the parks have so much to offer. I couldn't consider going to Orlando and not going to US or IOA whereas I could easily drop AK and Epcot off the schedule. US & IOA have more to do, the rides are good and while IOA does have some of the "bigger" rides, it's still a great place for kids.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

It is surprising how many people have been to Florida many times but have never been to Universal - both parks are well worth a visit and there is plenty for kid's too.

 

[natalielongstaff]

thanks everyone

has anyone tried the character breakfast with spiderman ??

 

[AndRu]

has anyone tried the character breakfast with spiderman ??

Nope - but we did do one with Scooby Doo and Fred Flintstone. At the time my daughter was 2 and was scared witless by them but I loved it

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Remember last year we went in to Barney's playground early on, it doesn't open till 10, and Josh (bless him) as usual went straight for the indoor slide, he totally ignored him, a 7 foot purple dinosaur and what would have been a photo opportunity was lost.
Poor old Barney was gutted!

Unfortunatley we have never tried ANY character breakfast yet - not his thing

One thing to remember Nat - Universal do not open all the attractions at 9, much to my annoyance, so Woody Woodpecker/Curious George and Barney generally open at 10.

 

[natalielongstaff]

One thing to remember Nat - Universal do not open all the attractions at 9, much to my annoyance, so Woody Woodpecker/Curious George and Barney generally open at 10.

thanks johnny

 

[DebIreland]

thanks everyone

has anyone tried the character breakfast with spiderman ??

We did it last year and it was great! Food was lovely and lots of character interaction with Spiderman, Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and 2. I'd highly recommend it. Here are some photos (not great quality but you'll get the gist!)...

Going to hug Cat in the Hat....

Thing 'stole' her drink....

The boys with Thing 1 and 2 but Aisling is still sulking because of 'stolen' drink.

Trying desperately hard to pretend she doesn't know Spiderman's behind her.

 

[T16GEM]

It is surprising how many people have been to Florida many times but have never been to Universal - both parks are well worth a visit and there is plenty for kid's too.

I thought that too!