Going to Universal Studios Orlando for the first time. Taking our 2 boys 11 & 8. Staying at the Hard Rock Hotel which gets us front of the line access to all rides all day. We have 5 full days to spend there.

My thoughts are 1 day each for Universal, Islands of Adventure, Seaworld and Wet and Wild. Thinking of a Disney Park for the other day. Does this sound about right or too ambitious?

Any must-sees, don't bothers I should know about.

Any hints for good reasonable meals in the area?

Thanks.

Donna

Holy overstimulation, Batman! Do you REALLY want to dance to that kind of beat for 5 straight days?! It's NONE of my business if you do, but I would chop a couple of days out of that schedule and go chill on Cocoa Beach for a couple of days.

I think your schedule sounds about right. Sure it's a lot of activity, but if I were your kids, I'd take major revenge on you if you took me away from the excitement you've mentioned to go vegetate on the beach somewhere.
I haven't been to Seaworld for a while, but that would be lowest on my list of the places to do. I'd put any of the Disney parks above it, but I know there are others who would disagree with me.
When you get back let us know how that "front of the line" thing works. I've been told it's great, and then told it didn't work at all.

My kids wouldn;t hear of a beach over this vacation - plenty of time for that this summer.

My older one loves nature and animals - so Seaworld is right under roller coasters on his list.

What did you hear good and bad about the front of the line access please? I'd like to know in advance what to prepare for.

Thanks.

Just got back from doing 6 parks in 6 days with family that had never been there before...SeaWorld was suprisingly relaxing - we saved it for the last day to wind down. Kumba megacoaster & Atlantis are about the only rides, but there are a lot of touch-tanks, shows, etc. to see. We enjoyed it...The fastpass system a little different at Universal than Disney. At Universal you go into a storefront & they tell you what time to come back, as to your preference - works OK. Disney's pass is self-serve. You put it in a machine, & it tells you a time to come back, with about an hour window-time for a buffer. (3:00 to 4:00 for example). Works great there, especially on busy days!...Your schedule will be busy, but do-able, depending on the time of year you're going. Of Disney, the kids enjoyed MGM the most, because of Tower of Terror, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Indiana Jones Stunt Show - don't miss Fantasmic, the finale-get there early! They thought Epcot was a bore, except for FastTrack -geared more towards adults. Animal Kingdom was so-so & we were done by afternoon. Magic Kingdom has a lot of remodeling going on in the smaller kid's areas, but has a lot of rides - fast pass works particularly well there.
As for restaurants, CityWalk at Universal is chock full of theme restaurants - just check the menus for prices. Soft drinks are quite high in the parks - if you don't mind carrying stuff, the hiker's water bottle carriers work good. We usually ate lunch at the park's burger or specialty stands; the sit-down restaurants are usually overpriced. Save the bigger sitdown meals for the evening, when you're ready to relax, & hit the ground running otherwise!!! You'll be tired, but remember - you're there to HAVE FUN - not see everything you can!

We went to Universal at Thanksgiving and the fast pass works great-we never waited more than 10 minutes and went on some rides over and over with no wait. You'll love Islands of Adventure. Try to get to the parks when they open-that first hour is golden-then go back to your hotel and have a swim in the afternoon and head back to the parks in the evening if you're up for it. I also have two boys 11 and 13 and of the Disney Parks-they liked MGM best. A warning-there is a new hotel going up at Universal-call and make sure your room at Hard Rock doesn't overlook a construction site. Have fun!

Patrick,

This will be my third attempt at answering your question, but I think the Fodor bug has been fixed and it'll work this time.

We've done the front of the line tour, not as part of a hotel package, but I believe it was called a VIP tour or ticket, or back-of-the-house tour? Whatever, it was absolutely fantastic. A guide stayed with our group throughout, took us to each ride via some back routes, then we immediately went to the head of each line. As a result, we did Universal in a bit over a half a day, never having to wait. Also, it was the end of July so we were doubly grateful for not having to stand in line!

Hi,
I think your schedule sounds right! One thing to consider ... You can buy a Discovery Cove ticket for appx $85 that includes one full week of repeated Sea World visits and one day at the fantastic man-made beach where you can snorkel with tropical fish, float down a river, feed birds off your shoulder in an aviary, and have a wonderful included lunch by the beach! This would far surpass Wet and Wild. And if you want to pay the extra (appx another $85 per person) you can have an educational in-the-water half-hour session with the dolphins at Discovery Cove, as well.
As for the Disney Parks: if you are only doing one, I'd choose Magic Kingdom. Go straight to Splash Mountain early in the morning. Followed by Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion. Then get your Fast Pass for Space Mountain and do the Buzz Lightyear ride while waiting. The rest is "gravy," and you can look forward to a relaxing afternoon!
If you do choose MGM, start with the Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Two fun shows over there are Indiana Jones and Muppet Vision 3-D.
Have a blast!

Thanks for that Discovery Cove info I'm going to check it out.

We have as part of our package a 4 park pass that includes both UNiversals, SeaWorld and Wet N Wild - but not Discovery Cove.

Thanks again.

Donna

Well Discovery Cove sounded great - but it's booked for almost the entire month of April.

I'll save it for next trip.

Bummer . . . But that's the good news about Orlando. There's always something new to save for the next trip! You're probably better off since Sea World and Wet and Wild are included with your package. Next time you can get the "free" Sea World with the D.C. package.
If you are looking for a fun and fairly reasonable dinner theatre for one night, check out the Grosvenor Hotel. They have Murderwatch Mystery Theatre every Saturday night, and Treasure Chest Quest game show every Wednesday. Both include a huge buffet. Your boys would have fun at either show.
I have no "tips" about Universal restaurants, but can offer some for when you are over in the Disney area.
If you eat at the Magic Kingdom, both Aunt Polly's on Tom Sawyer's Island or the Saloon in Frontierland are good bets. If you eat at MGM be sure to go to the Sci-Fi Diner near the Star Tours ride. You sit in a "convertible" and watch old b&w movie clips on a drive-in screen while you eat!
We also had a fun (but not inexp.) dinner at Spoodles tapas on the Boardwalk on Disney property. (No admission required.) We rented a bicycle for 4 while waiting for a table and pedaled around the boardwalk.
Have a great trip!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE avoid Sea World unless you truly enjoy seeing hungry dying animals being forced to perform. The average life span of a Sea World dolphin or killer whale is only 7 years. In the wild it is 35 years. By going to Sea World, you are sponsoring abuse. Thanks! Signed, A Former Trainer

Hi Donna! I have been to Orlando many times and have seen the Hard Rock Hotel - you will LOVE it! Both Universal Parks are GREAT and you simply cannot miss the Superman ride in Islands of Adventure. It was absolutely fantastic! Sea Worl is wonderful too. There is a lot to see there that you wouldn't imagine. A little hint though, wear clothes that dry easily and go on the Atlantis ride! It is soooooo fun!

Wet and wild isn't the most thrilling thing - it is your averafe water park. Personally would dump the kids with hubby and go shopping! There are some amazing factory outlets there! As for meals, well Orlando food is high priced, massed produced tourist food. I would suggest that you stick to family style restaurants - even buffets. You can find coupons for restaurants everywhere - in your hotel in restaurants. Look for them 'cause they wil save you money. If you happen to like salads, there is this place called Sweet Tomatoes (very close to Wet and Wild) and it is a HUGE salad bar with all different types of salads and then there is pizza, soups, other hot foods and a dessert area. Well worth the $5.00!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Try not to take on too much - you will be surprisingly exhausted after a day at a park, so pace yourself. Even Sea World is tiring! HAVE FUN!!!!!