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Two nights in to this six day uni trip. First night we were regretting our choices and I priced an uber to get us to Magic Kingdom just in case we decided to bail. Second day was fun and I'm glad we stayed. It's my fault for not doing enough research.

9:45am on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

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I had heard we didn't really need it with express pass here but I definitely should have done more research on the rides, restaurants, how to check in, etc. we really missed our magic bands that first day. And y'all told me not to bring a back pack...

9:46am on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

Hello! :) Please tell us what you regretted and what your likes/dislikes/concerns are. I bet we can help with some tips or suggestions!!! It's going to get better! Where are you staying? What's next on the agenda?

9:47am on 5/13/26 by browndalmatian

...but we drink SOOO much water I didn't listen. Day 2 no backpack. I'm probably going to get a UTI now but I'm avoiding the lockers so it'll be worth it. Luckily my wonderful travel agent sent us lanyards so we have those - extremely helpful.

9:48am on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

Staying at royal pacific which is very nice and I'm glad we're so close. We've gone back to the room both days to rest and get out of the rain. Jacks food and service weren't great. Tuk tuk food and service was much better and cheaper. We enjoyed the...

9:50am on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

...burgers, music and vibe at the earthquake restaurant (I don't know what it's called) and enjoyed leaky cauldron. We couldn't believe how expensive butter beers were. My relief band has been a blessing. I forgot it in the room the first night and boy...

9:53am on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

...howdy I missed it. Today we'll reride what we want, and tonight will be shopping, wands, and cinesational. Syfy network has Harry Potter marathon so that's been fun when we're in the room. The kids (18 & 20) brought their old wands. Will they...

9:56am on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

...work just fine or should we buy the new ones?) I'm planning on getting the Mario ones when we get to epic on Friday. But we eat most meals in the room so I can splurge on experiences if it's worth it.

9:58am on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

I must ask, what is a relief band?

10:18am on 5/13/26 by clyde4242

@clyde, it's like a watch that somehow makes motion sickness better. I turn it on when I get on the ride. It's expensive but my DD used it on a fishing trip and it helped her too. https://reliefband.com/

11:20am on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

The wands should work. And if they don't, you can take them to the wand shops for "repairs" (and they'll replace them).

11:50am on 5/13/26 by TenMileMom

Ok, I have heard of those. Do they work well? My wife won't do much because of motion sickness. Thanks

11:50am on 5/13/26 by clyde4242

Yes, they're amazing. I did gringotts and transformers without it when I forgot for example and had to close my eyes. Second day I remembered it and rerode both and enjoyed them much more.

12:18pm on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

Thank you @10mile!

12:19pm on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

Bathrooms here have been so much cleaner than Disney and easier to find. Never had a wait either. That's probably been my favorite thing - not to bash the others but that's how great we've found the bathrooms. lol!

1:03pm on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

Super heavy rain storm hit while we were on hogwarts express. We got off and headed to forbidden journey while getting soaked to the bone. (No ponchos since no backpack). When we got there it was posted 25 but chained up and not open. Do yall think the...

4:03pm on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

...TMs didn't want to get wet? (Or were told to get out of the rain?) Hagrids was letting people get in line even though it was pouring and posted delayed. We came back to the hotel.

4:05pm on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

Do y'all know if we can find wizarding world magnets anywhere? We've been checking shops and haven't seen any yet.

4:14pm on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

We found a few magnets. An amazing shop keeper in diagon alley knew off the top of her head what magnets were at what stores. Also we saved $15 using the AP discount on 3 different purchases. We tried to watch cinesational but it started raining again.

9:56pm on 5/13/26 by popupcamper

Thanks for the watch/band suggestion! Going to look into those! FYI if your wands are really old they might not replace them. My son asked the other day. :( I don't know if that's the case for every store and every wand though. Definitely worth asking!!

8:49am by browndalmatian

Sounds like your vacation is getting better. Sorry it was off to a rough start. Drink water please! :) What's next on the agenda!? Also, where did you get the magnets!?

8:56am by browndalmatian

Was Cinesational still running in the rain? It's a great show!

8:56am by browndalmatian

It started raining after the show started but it seemed to have finished. We heard it continue even after we left. We ended up with a hogwarts magnet at madame something's in diagon alley. Yes the trip got better. I blame myself. I know I like planned...

9:48am by popupcamper

...trips. I get frustrated when we go to non Disney places with friends who want to fly by the seat of their pants. Not sure why I thought I would like not planning here. Today we check out of royal pacific and uber to Helios. I guess we'll head back to..

9:50am by popupcamper

....studios via bus? I'm going to stop by the ticket center and be sure I understand what tickets I have for the rest of our stay. I have 11 pieces of paper for the four of us.

9:52am by popupcamper

I am like your friends, seat of the pants all the way. LOL! But you can still plan at UO, of course. Now you know for next time! :) How many more days do you have?

10:10am by browndalmatian

I haven't done the bus for that route, but we used the bus system at VB and it was good. Let us know how many more days you have, what you want to do, etc. and let's see if we can help it continue to get better from here. :)

10:12am by browndalmatian

Three days left. Plan is mostly Friday and Saturday at Epic. We have two days with express pass there. Where should we eat? Mostly fast food as we don't like to spend money on food.

10:27am by popupcamper

I'm not as experienced with EPIC as the other parks, but we've been there two times. The Stakehouse (however you spell it) at Dark Universe was decent. "Good not great" IMO, but 100% worth walking into and looking around for the amazing ambiance...

59 min ago by browndalmatian

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The butterbeer crapes are pretty great. Not exactly a full meal though. :) We ate at Atlantic and it was REALLY good but definitely not cheap. My wife and kids liked Pizza Moon. I thought it was okay.

53 min ago by browndalmatian

I heard the food at Helios was good but never been there myself. There's a Starbucks near Dark Universe and I like their egg bites. LOL :)

51 min ago by browndalmatian

Oak & Star Tavern was great! BBQ with live music and beers on tap. Very nice atmosphere with fast mobile ordering service. Highly recommend for low key dining in the park...

23 min ago by ladylauren84

Where can I rent a scooter at islands of adventure? My spouse is having knee issues and needs help today

25 min ago by ladylauren84

We can start booking dining soon, but I feel much less organized than I normally would for a WDW trip. Is there any dining that *needs* to be booked well in advance at Universal, or can it all wait until closer? There are 8 of us, going Thanksgiving week.

11:17am on 5/12/26 by Ofmiceandmen

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@clyde I always forget to use the concierge! I need to do that more often.

8:57am by browndalmatian

I have only used them that 1 time. But they delivered. They do use that as a perk of staying so if you need it let them work their magic

9:33am by clyde4242

Now that I think about it, I used it via the texting service for minor things (and it was awesome, love just being able to text back and forth). Didn't try it for restaurant reservations though.

10:13am by browndalmatian

How do yall move between uni resorts? Bell services said they don't move luggage. Do I need to get an uber to go from royal pacific to Helios?

5:29pm on 5/11/26 by popupcamper

We don't do split stays much but did for PBH/Helios last trip and yes we just used Uber.

6:53pm on 5/11/26 by sneezy93

We rode uni transportation but travel light so it was easy.

10:57pm on 5/13/26 by Buckeye86

Is there any advantage to doing IOA early entry to ride Hagrids Motorbike ride? I have been watching watch times each morning and wait times are still over an hour even at 8:00am.

8:55am on 5/6/26 by Flyer14

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A lot of people do this. It might be worth trying out!

9:44am on 5/6/26 by browndalmatian

Yep. Get to the taps as early as possible and it won't be an hour. Show up late and you will wait and waste park hours. If you miss that, the next best time is at close.

10:19am on 5/6/26 by clyde4242

If EE is at 9, get to the taps no later then 8:15 and you should be fine

10:20am on 5/6/26 by clyde4242

Ok. Thank you. Also, what are taps? :) sorry i am a newbie!!

10:26am on 5/6/26 by Flyer14

Taps are where you tap your ticket.. the entrance.

12:24pm on 5/6/26 by mmmartin

Hi, we just did it just this morning! I would say an hour early to gates just to be safe, and be ready to power walk! Also, even better if you don't need to take the time to use a locker - you can take a fanny pack on with you but nothing else

1:08pm on 5/6/26 by ahlott86

You don't have metal detectors for this one so you can have a phone in your pocket, unlike the big coasters. But avoiding the lockers is huge in that morning rush

5:47pm on 5/6/26 by clonghurst

I agree. Rope drop early and no locker.

7:30pm on 5/6/26 by Buckeye86

Agree, rope drop and no lockers. We are usually 1st at the taps or pretty close. Be prepared to walk with a purpose- we don't run, but some people will.

7:59pm on 5/6/26 by WendyMarie

Walk fast, power walk, but also TAKE THE SEUSS SHORTCUT! What do the kids say today? IYKYK? lol

11:09am on 5/7/26 by browndalmatian

Yes! Tho we got lucky with delayed opening & we're nearby as they started up so rode 3x walk on with EP.

11:58pm on 5/7/26 by hodg

Does anyone know what time parking opens? Using AP early entry to hit Hagrid's first thing.

6:56am on 5/12/26 by scroogemcduck

I keep hearing about this Suess shortcut and I have never seen it. Is it always open? And where is it? Thanks

10:42am on 5/12/26 by clyde4242

@clyde, stay left of green eggs and ham instead of going right towards 1fish 2fish. Always open.

9:45pm on 5/12/26 by ladyortramp

@Lady, ok yea I have gone both ways but that's because they usually route us one way or the other. I tried 1 time to go left and got almost to the bathrooms and they had it blocked off.thought I was outsmarting everyone, not so much

8:09am on 5/13/26 by clyde4242

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There are 2 different shortcut las near suess. One is just hugging the trail that goes down by the water instead of thru the main part of Seuss land it is faster bc less people walk that way. The other is actually different. It is a shortcut between

10:53pm on 5/13/26 by Buckeye86

studios and IOA. It is rarely open but awesome when it is bc u go from where RRR/blueman group in studios were and come out in Seuss

10:54pm on 5/13/26 by Buckeye86

without leaving the parks and walking all the way out and back in. I only saw it open at top peak crowd levels and only limited hours. With construction now I doubt it will be open any time soon or maybe at all.

10:56pm on 5/13/26 by Buckeye86

Staying at portofino 4 nights. Want to leave a heavy suitcase in pickup that may not be needed but could be readily accessed for items if self parked. One adult in party is mobility limited, has handicap pass. Pros and cons of self parking vs valet?

4:06pm on 5/9/26 by sandimacd

I have always been able to find a parking space close to the elevator in the garage. I am not sure where the handicap parking is.

8:13pm on 5/9/26 by PrincipalTinker

7:34pm on 5/10/26 by sandimacd

I too have always been able to find a decent spot in the garage at PBH. Not sure about handicap parking, but the standard parking is not very far from the elevator. From the room, though, it's a decent walk, but so is valet. It's just a big resort. :)

9:46am on 5/13/26 by browndalmatian

Could you leave your bag with the bell hop and just access it from there if needed?

8:59pm on 5/13/26 by clyde4242

Trying to decide between Mama Dellas or Vivo for Italian dinner one night. Any opinions?

4:32pm on 5/6/26 by Flyer14

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We liked mama Della's better.

7:30pm on 5/6/26 by Buckeye86

We're outliers, but we prefer Vivo. Mama Della's feels SO crowded. I literally felt like I could get some bread from my neighbor's table. And some in my family find the wandering musicians awkward.

5:52am on 5/7/26 by TenMileMom

Never had Vivo, maybe next trip. But I am a creature of habit and Mama Della's is the best restaurant on property that we have been to. It's a must do every trip for us.

7:44am on 5/7/26 by clyde4242

I prefer MD for the music! :) We love that part of it. Generally speaking I'm not sure the food is worth the money. It's not bad by any means but for that much money I would rather go to a few other places. Vivo isn't bad but I haven't been in a long time

11:08am on 5/7/26 by browndalmatian

...so I haven't really given a good suggestion, sorry. Hey Vivo does have great carpaccio. :) I remember that much!

11:08am on 5/7/26 by browndalmatian

Mama Della's is a bit more of a themed experience whereas Vivo is more like just a typical nice Italian restaurant.

1:57pm on 5/7/26 by Buckeye86

We felt mamma della was a bit too chintzy, singing was all a bit loud & not great, food was ok but nothing special. Vivo - I didn't make best pasta choice. DH had seafood & loved it. Quite expensive tho. I'd pick Antojitos!

11:56pm on 5/7/26 by hodg

Or trattoria at PBH- we ended up cancelling dinner there for sals pizza but breakfast was good & liked that you cld sit outside by the harbour.

11:57pm on 5/7/26 by hodg

This is gonna sound weird but the best food I've had at PBH were at two different places: the club lounge and the pool. :D LOL! (I'm not kidding, eating wings, burger, and fruit/yogurt out by the pool is one of my best memories of all time!)!

9:06am on 5/8/26 by browndalmatian

We did pool nachos and they were excellent. Still not done the RPR nachos

6:22pm on 5/8/26 by hodg

Oh! The Shipwreck nachos at RPR are noteworthy!

7:50pm on 5/8/26 by TenMileMom

I know- will get them one day!

8:57pm on 5/8/26 by hodg

I daydream about the Shipwreck nachos.

10:16pm on 5/8/26 by WendyMarie

We got a refund on the RPR nachos they were so bad. Appearance was nice nachos cold and tasteless.

8:01am on 5/10/26 by clyde4242

Agree, pool food at PBR is amazing! Enjoyed the shipwreck nachos at RPR. Big enough for two!

9:50pm on 5/12/26 by ladyortramp

@clyde that stinks. Everyone/every place can have an "off day" though - you should try them again sometime! :)

9:50am on 5/13/26 by browndalmatian

This was a few trips back and it was checkout day and I had forgot we wanted to try them. So maybe ordering them at 11 am didn't help. But the meat and cheese were cold. Like out of the refrigerator cold. It was really bad. Maybe some day I'll try again.

10:20am on 5/13/26 by clyde4242

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Have a 1 night stay coming up in June

10:21am on 5/13/26 by clyde4242

That sounds nasty, not gonna lie!! I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to try again. lol! Take a stroll over to Portofino and try them there! (I like the food at the pool better at PBH than RPR personally!) :)

7:40pm on 5/13/26 by browndalmatian

Yea I e been watching the rates at PBH hoping they come down for at least 1 night of our stay. We always go at least 1 night for Mama Della's but I don't think I can do the nachos at the same time.lol

8:48pm on 5/13/26 by clyde4242

MK (we had express), ate at Pizza Moon, went back to the hotel for a rest from 1-5, then came back and did Werewolf, Hiccup x2, Stardust x2, Yoshi x2, and the Carousel. Oh, and the Dragon show this morning :D!

10:10pm on 5/10/26 by ahlott86

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It was with the express, but it was only once per ride. We got the 3 day pass, which is once per ride per day (lots of confusion about it when I bought it, but it's how it works!). I definitely recommend it, if you can budget it, it was so worth it!

10:18am on 5/12/26 by ahlott86

Awesome! Looks like you got Ah-Lott done!

7:01am on 5/13/26 by ladyortramp

Haha! I see what you did there @lady!

11:55am on 5/13/26 by TenMileMom

I read a lot about using my cell phone for "universal" park access and the make the experience easy. However, I do not plan on carrying a cell phone into the park. I am staying at the Portofino. Will I be able to use my room key to charge park purchases?

7:37pm on 5/10/26 by sandimacd

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Props to you for leaving the phone at the room! I keep trying to remember to keep my phone in my pocket and just look around and smell the roses. :) If I were you I would at least keep a CC or two in my lanyard!

1:48pm on 5/11/26 by browndalmatian

Thanks for the suggestions. My husband tucked a credit card in his lanyard. It was a pleasant experience. We checked in and a window in the lobby area was dedicated to issuing our park ticket. Everything went smoothly at the park entrance.

9:55pm on 5/12/26 by sandimacd

GREAT! Sounds like you had a good time and I'm happy for that. :) By the way... isn't the express pass awesome!?

9:49am on 5/13/26 by browndalmatian

I'm legitimately now thinking of getting the cheapest room at CBBR just so I can pool hop to PBH for the nachos. Why don't the UO hotels offer day passes for locals? :D That is all. Have a good day everyone. :)

1:50pm on 5/11/26 by browndalmatian

I have stayed at PBH 5 times I believe and have never tried the pool food. And I love a good nacho

2:40pm on 5/11/26 by clyde4242

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