Universal Studios Express Service

Hi guys,

I have an upcoming cruise on the Grandeur and am trying to figure out which excursion to do when docked at Port Canaveral.

I've been thinking about doing the Universal Studios Express service so we can spend the day at Universal Studios.

Has anyone ever done this in the summer?

I am worried about the heat. (I get hot and sweat really easily)

I am also worried about spending too much time waiting in lines.

I also am not sure if it would be worth it, because I believe we would end up missing dinner and what not.

If anyone has ever done this excursion, especially during July or August, please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks!

Hi guys,

 

I have an upcoming cruise on the Grandeur and am trying to figure out which excursion to do when docked at Port Canaveral.

 

I've been thinking about doing the Universal Studios Express service so we can spend the day at Universal Studios.

 

Has anyone ever done this in the summer?

 

I am worried about the heat. (I get hot and sweat really easily)

 

I am also worried about spending too much time waiting in lines.

 

I also am not sure if it would be worth it, because I believe we would end up missing dinner and what not.

 

If anyone has ever done this excursion, especially during July or August, please let me know your thoughts.

 

Thanks!

Hello Achavis86,

We have not been to Universal Florida yet, but, have been researching a trip there for this coming February. Came across this website that lists potential crowds for the days of each month.

Surprisingly August looks to be not crazy, but, probably extremely hot, July is another story.

http://www.orlandoinformer.com/universal/crowd-calendar/

Jonathan

I've heard it is hot in July in Orlando, probably a passing afternoon T-Storm, but not too bad. August and especially September, it gets worse with the humidity. I know from experience to not go to Universal Orlando in September again, explains why the rates were so low to stay at an on-site hotel.

I've sailed from Port Canaveral staying near Disney and/or Universal Orlando and it takes about 45 minutes to an hour each way. (I have also stopped at Port Canaveral as a port of call and did the NASA Space Center tour.)

Unless it's changed; the Universal Studios Express Service is bus only, theme park tickets not included. There are a couple options: 1 Park 1 Day and 2 Parks 1 Day. It is possible to do Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in one day if you have enough time. Both parks are next to one another and is a 5-10 minute walk between Parks. AAA may offer discount tickets if purchased ahead of time. Unfortunately the pricing is geared toward discounting multiple day stays.

Universal sells an Express Pass that is good for front of line access once per attraction. Price fluctuates each day. Many attractions also have single rider lines that are great if you are riding solo or don't mind if you and your party are separated on the ride.

Some parts of Queue lines are covered outdoors while some may be indoors.

The are some nice restaurants inside the parks, as well as an entertainment/restaurant complex called CityWalk (which you will pass through on your way to the Parks). Restaurants include: Margaritaville, Pat O'Briens, Hard Rock Cafe, NASCAR cafe; just to name a few.

CityWalk also has a movie theater.

July is blazing hot in Orlando. It has been hot for a couple of months already now.

Yes, it will be hot, and you will sweat. Not a big deal as sweating is perfectly normal, just drink plenty of water (not soda). There will be lines, but if this is not your thing, then find a restaurant, bar, or shop to cool off in.

Hi guys,

 

I have an upcoming cruise on the Grandeur and am trying to figure out which excursion to do when docked at Port Canaveral.

 

I've been thinking about doing the Universal Studios Express service so we can spend the day at Universal Studios.

 

Has anyone ever done this in the summer?

 

I am worried about the heat. (I get hot and sweat really easily)

 

I am also worried about spending too much time waiting in lines.

 

I also am not sure if it would be worth it, because I believe we would end up missing dinner and what not.

 

If anyone has ever done this excursion, especially during July or August, please let me know your thoughts.

 

Thanks!

Trying to help a little here... We went on NCL Jewel at the end of March this year, and we went to Universal. My DW wanted to go to the Harry Potter part mainly. We looked for the express ticket.. You can buy them EVERYWHERE when you are inside.. BUT!!!! The main HP castle attraction... you could't use the express pass there. We waited 4:30HR to get in. DW said it was worth it haha. Then we went to the rollercoaster, we did it 2 times in 15 minutes... That kind of rollercoaster here in my town is like a 3 hour wait...

Then we ate, did 1 or 2 tour of the place and it was time to leave. I would go again but.. you need 2 full days to do this part (cause the park is in 2 part) and probably 2 days for the other one too. So I would go a week to Orlando to do Disney and Universal i guess.

If you want a expensive speak peek.. you will like it!

Orlando Native here for you.

There's a couple of things you need to factor into the excursion. It's about an hour each way from the port to Universal. And depending on what day you are in port, Universal can be very busy.

Your cruise looks like it is right smack dab in the middle of tourist season down here so the liklihood of you getting a lot done is going to be slim but if it's a weekday it may not be too terrible.

As for heat. Florida has it. And humidity. And July, August and September can be brutal especially when about mid day hits. And also keep in mind we usually end up with afternoon thunderstorms in the summer as well. Just things to keep in mind.

But still, I say go for it. You'll enjoy it. :)

I have a shore excursion to Universal Studios through Royal Caribbean. The time that this is booked is listed as 8am - 4pm. Does anyone know if 4:00 is the time that the shuttle leaves the park or is this the time that the shuttle will be back in Port Canaveral?

You really won't have time to get your money's worth from a "day trip" to Universal....you actually need about 3 days, non-stop, to see and do all the major attractions!

I would always advise saving Universal, Disney and Seaworld for a land-based vacation. Stay on or very near the parks.

Oh, I totally agree with you that this excursion is not going to make it on my value-for-money list. Also, I've been to Universal many times before so not too worried about seeing everything. Just planning on going to get off the ship and get in a couple of our fave rides. Our family loves amusement parks so I can't even table a different excursion with my brood. I don't think paying $40pp x 6 people if I'm only getting 4-5 hours in the park through the excursion is worth it. I'm hoping that we're actually in the park for 7 hours then I could look past the expense, kind of.

Can't help with the weather, it is what it is!

We were just at Universal three weeks ago and stayed at one of the onsite hotels. Included with our room was the $90 value VIP Express Pass. We still had to purchase a park admission ticket. It is not a "head of the line" pass, but allows you access to a separate entrance line, which is much shorter than the regular line. There will be a sign at the entrance showing normal wait time and VIP wait time. I never saw a wait time of more than five minutes for VIP and usually we walked right on. You can use the VIP pass as many times as you want whenever you want, so it's different than the Disney Fast Pass. It works on most all attractions except in Harry Potter land. I would put the travel time from port to Universal at 90 minutes.

Don't miss getting a "clogger" burger and Duff beer at Krusty's. Eat AFTER doing the Simpson ride.

Oh, I totally agree with you that this excursion is not going to make it on my value-for-money list. Also, I've been to Universal many times before so not too worried about seeing everything. Just planning on going to get off the ship and get in a couple of our fave rides. Our family loves amusement parks so I can't even table a different excursion with my brood. I don't think paying $40pp x 6 people if I'm only getting 4-5 hours in the park through the excursion is worth it. I'm hoping that we're actually in the park for 7 hours then I could look past the expense, kind of.

Just making sure that you understand that the $40 per person is for the bus transportation to and from the ship to Universal Studios only. You still have to pay close to $100 per person to enter the park on top of that.

I agree that it's not worth the money. I went back and looked and the pass we had was the "Express Pass" and for one day two parks it's $59, we had a three day two park express pass so ours was $99. If I was going during high tourist season then the Express Pass would be a necessity.

The one day two park admission is $136. So a lot of $$$ for a few hours in the parks. Yes, you could see a lot of it in a day, but it would be rushed. We went two days about 6-7 hours each day and saw/rode everything we wanted. But it was cool when we were just there so we rode nothing where we would get wet. Plus, there was four of us all 55+ so there were several "kiddy" rides that didn't interest us.

If you can't find something else to do then I would just take the shuttle and hang around City Walk for the day. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, and bars where you could kill a few hours and get cool. You can ride the free water taxi around and walk around the onsite hotels. I believe the movie theater is being remodeled, so not sure if it would be available. We did a little of City Walk, but it started pouring down rain so we headed back to the hotel.

"Just making sure that you understand that the $40 per person is for the bus transportation to and from the ship to Universal Studios only. You still have to pay close to $100 per person to enter the park on top of that."

Thanks for this. This park is painfully expensive but most amusement parks are I suppose. Even worse, we're getting a Park-to-Park ticket. BTW - we've made the decision to rent a car .. we will be able to get to the park early and leave when we want. I love the convenience of using Royal's transportation but there is just not enough time in the park for me to warrant paying for transportation for 6 people.

We were there this past September (Labor Day) and we had been in Turkey the previous June. Universal was hotter than Turkey..lol. Its black top pavement draws the heat. There are very few places that are shaded. We went to the Harry Potter Wizarding World, and Islands of Adventures. Great to visit if you have a few days and are staying inside the park where you can get into the lines at the most popular rides during the one-hour in the morning before the park is opened to the other guests. You can get to the popular rides (roller-coasters) when the parks open. Otherwise expect to spend 1-2 ours in line for some of the rides. We also needed a break during the worst heat of the day and would either visit somewhere we were in a/c or where they were selling ice-creams or frozen treats or just return to the pool at the hotel for a few hours in the pool...but if you've gotta see it, you gotta do it.

Griffy116, did you get over to the new Harry Potter World in Universal Studios or was it just the one in Islands of Adventure? If so, any comment on the new attraction? Is it worth buying a park to park ticket for? Our primary destination is Islands of Adventure but I will buy a park to park if the new Harry Potter World is worth the visit. I am curious to know if the ride that they built is worth buying a park to park ticket.

Oh my - I would NEVER spend all that money for a mere few hours at Universal - totally NOT worth it. You could spend all that money on a trip to Orlando exclusively and have a much better time!

We have done Universal at least 8 times. Here is how we do it -

1. Stay in one of the 4 Universal Hotels. All are great - different price points - we love Hard Rock because it is very easy to walk to the 2 parks from there. Just one or 2 nights is plenty.

2. Buy the buy 1 day get 2 days park pass. Because you are staying on property you automatically get a front of the line pass for almost every ride - Harry Potter is a regular wait line. But you can use this pass at both parks - Islands of Adventure and Universal - and literally do everything in both parks 2 times or more in 2 days. With or without kids in tow!

3. DO NOT go over the holidays - it is too crowded, too expensive and just not pleasant. We often go in August, and yes it is hot and there will be afternoon storms, but plan your day accordingly. Get up and go early - hit the rollercoasters and outdoor attractions. Save indoor stuff for mid day and later when it starts to really heat up and possibly rain.

4. Take advantage of City Walk - a fun area in the evening, plan a nice dinner, or hit one of the fun clubs, movies and other various entertainment.

You would miss the majority of the above if you just take the "cruise excursion".

At Port Canaveral - if it is a good day, I would just take a cab over to the jetty area and go to the beach. Free, relaxing, good people watching and fun!

Griffy116, did you get over to the new Harry Potter World in Universal Studios or was it just the one in Islands of Adventure? If so, any comment on the new attraction? Is it worth buying a park to park ticket for? Our primary destination is Islands of Adventure but I will buy a park to park if the new Harry Potter World is worth the visit. I am curious to know if the ride that they built is worth buying a park to park ticket.

I'm not Griffy, but we did a 3-day visit to Universal in December.

The ride in the Diagon Alley (the Harry Potter section in Universal Studios) is Escape from Gringotts, and it is very cool. But it is the amazing design and immersive experience of Diagon Alley as a whole that is even cooler.

I love Hogsmeade over in Islands of Adventure, too, but Diagon Alley is something to experience.

Having said that, I absolutely would NOT do Universal as a day trip from a Port Canaveral. Even renting a car, the earliest you could possibly be at the park gates is 9:15-9:30, so all those on-site guests have already been in the park for over an hour. You can only stay until 3:30 - 4 if you have to be back at your ship by 5:30. So if the lines for the most popular attractions are 1-2 hours long, you will not be able to do much.

The heat from June-September is VERY oppressive. Without the chance of an afternoon pool break (as you would have if you make it a land vacation), it can be a grueling experience.

I know people do it all the time, but I'd rather do some of the great activities around the Cocoa Beach area, and save the parks for a longer visit.