Universal Studios

[mesci14]

I am writing to discourage any cruiser who is planning an excursion to Universal Studios. I would like to prevent happening to another family what happened to us. We took an excursion to Universal Studios for 8 hours. It took us at least an hour to enter the park(we had a voucher-already paid) and during the remaining 7 hours we were able to ride 4 rides and unable to eat anything as the lines were incredibly long. I contacted customer service and they said that as long as they don’t reach park capacity they will continue to allow people in, they also will not be making any changes. I was told we paid the extensive price for the ambience not the rides…Again I would hate to have another family experience what we did. We did not get what we paid for and to be honest the entire experience was horrific for us. It was wall to wall people and your were unable to move let alone experience any "ambience." It is unfortunate that there was little care for the consumer. My only hope is to prevent this from happening to another family.

[njmomof2]

I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy your excursion to Universal while cruising. Unfortunately, many people report that taking this excursion is not the most enjoyable, given the amount of time to get to the park, and then the limited amount of time in the park itself.

 

If it's crowded, then there will be line and food delays. We have done Disney several times at all different times of the year, including Easter Sunday after disembarking a cruise, and we've found that having only those limited hours is not the way to do a theme park.

 

And all of the parks continue to allow visitors to enter until they reach a stated capacity. It has nothing to do with being a day visitor or a hotel guest. That's the way it has always been.

 

I know that there have been a lot of posts on the boards about taking theme park excursions and whether it's a good value for the money.

 

ETA: I just realized that you were sailing on Grandeur on 2/13 which means that you hit the park during President's Day week. That's a very busy time of year, and not one that I'd do for a day trip, especially considering the cost of the tickets and excursion.

Edited February 24, 2015 by njmomof2

[nu_cruzer1]

Thank you for posting about your experience. I had Universal transportation booked for my upcoming trip in March and the excursion time is listed as 8:00am - 4:00pm. Do you know whether 4:00 p.m. is the time that you have to be back on the shuttle or was that the time that you were back at the port? I had different responses so would like to hear from someone who just did this excursion with Royal.

[TM38Rob]

Universal Orlando is not as crowded during off peak times. Better option is to book the 3 or 4 night package at a Universal Orlando Resort hotel (or nearby hotel) through Royal Caribbean and sail from Port Canaveral as a port of embarkation or Port of Tampa. Package includes transfers and tickets to Universal Orlando.

 

When Port Canaveral was a port of call for me, I stayed closer to port and did the Kennedy Space Center tour. Still not enough time to see everything there, but better than trying to do Universal Orlando in a day.

 

If you are planning to do Universal Orlando as a shore excursion, look into the Universal Express pass. It's an extra cost, but can give you front of the line priority access once per ride. Many rides also have a single rider line. You may not get to do the ride with your party, but it'll be quicker than the regular ride lines.

[TBone2K]

Sorry to hear about that. Everyone should keep this experience in mind for any excursion that has the potential to get very busy. Especially if it is a long ride to get to it.

 

Since the cruise line has probably padded a nice profit on the cost of the excursion as well, you might be better to look at booking these kind of trips on your own or with a private group to give you more flexibility. You just have to make sure you keep an eye on the time.

[cb at sea]

NO ONE should do any of the "parks" on a day excursion....there is simply not enough time!

[jewel825]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I would be frustrated too if I was in your situation. I am a little bit nervous about what we are doing before our Freedom cruise next month. We are spending 3 days at Disneyworld and I know it's going to be crowded. The more I research it, the more discouraged I am! At least mentally I'm prepared now for what to expect. I've always heard that Universal isn't quite as crowded as Disney which may not be true especially after reading about your experience. Sorry you had a cruddy time. I hope your cruise was good though. :)

[Beardface]

Universal Orlando is not as crowded during off peak times. Better option is to book the 3 or 4 night package at a Universal Orlando Resort hotel (or nearby hotel) through Royal Caribbean and sail from Port Canaveral as a port of embarkation or Port of Tampa. Package includes transfers and tickets to Universal Orlando.

 

Absolutely. Just went to US back in January and stayed at Cabana Bay and it was wonderful. Yeah, it was a bit crowded, but we were there for a few days and felt like we more than got what we paid for. Stayed over MLK weekend and the Tuesday after the holiday, the park was essentially empty and got to ride all the rollercoasters on a walk on basis with my wife.

 

We're thinking about hitting up RC for the package you're talking about. Any idea how much they generally run?

[BlueHerons]

President's Week is a miserable time to hit any of the Orlando parks.

[Love the beach]

You are not kidding! I was there then, wall to wall people and even with the fast pass some of the wait times were over 45 minutes (regular wait time 2 hrs!)

Aside from that, Universal did a fabulous job with the Harry Potter sections!

Edited February 27, 2015 by Love the beach

[royalcruz]

I went to Universal on a weekday when schools were in session and still had a similar experience. We got there with prepaid tickets at 10:45, entered at 11, and were only able to go on 5 rides when the lines shut down at 5 for a 6 PM closing for a private event. I had been there in the evening before, so it didn't occur to me when I purchased full price tickets that the park would close so early. Every line was so long. Never again.

[mrobstad]

I'm cruising around Christmas and Port Canaveral is a stop. I don't want to do the parks or Kennedy Space center, so what else is there to do?

Edited February 28, 2015 by mrobstad

[Capt_BJ]

I'm cruising around Christmas and Port Canaveral is a stop. I don't want to do the parks or Kennedy Space center, so what else is there to do?

 

Brevard Zoo - a nice little zoo, good for half a day or more - a nonprofit organization. Has a zip-line/adventure course adjacent.

https://brevardzoo.org/

 

Airboat rides to see 'gators and the like

http://www.airboatridesatmidway.com/

http://www.twisterairboatrides.com/

 

dolphin/manatee spotting nature cruise

http://spacecoastdolphintours.com/ca...area-map-find/

http://www.groupon.com/biz/cocoa-bea...radise-tours-2

{others too, google it}

 

Eco tour kayak - manatee spotting

http://kayakcocoabeach.com/

{others too, google it}

 

Historic Cocoa Village - eclectic shops and cafes

http://visitcocoavillage.com/

 

free manatee spotting

http://www.cityofcapecanaveral.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={61D4D3CB-D4FE-428A-9F29-B26957B5B809}

 

more manatee, nature drive

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Haulover_Canal

 

RON JON!

http://www.ronjonsurfshop.com/locati...x?LocationId=7

 

just to name a few

[mrobstad]

Thanks Capt!

[TBone2K]

I'm cruising around Christmas and Port Canaveral is a stop. I don't want to do the parks or Kennedy Space center, so what else is there to do?

 

Cocoa Beach is a little touristy town no too far away.

 

Rather than hijack this thread, check the ports of call or embarkation section of CC for more suggestions.