I’ve never been to Universal Orlando, but in anticipation of a vacation there, I thought I’d check out a guidebook. When I went to my library I was shocked at the lack of guidebooks for Universal. The entire “theme park” section was dedicated to Disney. I had no idea there was such a monopoly on the market. Luckily enough, a librarian friend of mine recommended “The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando” as a new library acquisition.
Only twice in my life have I used guidebooks. The first was when I backpacked around Europe one Christmas break in college. While my two friends who accompanied me laughed at what they called my “travel Bible,” when the recommendations and suggestions saved our kiesters on several occasions, the derision ceased.
The second time was when I chaperoned/shepherded a senior class trip to Disney World. I decided to check out the guidebook mostly to get suggestions on how to see the most without wasting any time. Some of the suggestions worked well, particularly on helping me avoid rides I didn’t want to waste time on waiting in line.
These two experiences with guidebooks helped me see that while I don’t need to tie myself down to a guidebook and all of their suggestions, a guidebook can help you create a strategy ahead of time to cut down on the “What do you want to next? I don’t know, what do you want to do?” loop that can suck the time out of a theme park vacation.
What I really appreciated about “The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando” is that they give rides ratings based on how kids, thirty-somethings, and seniors would be interested by them. This was helpful in knowing how to plan what rides I want to ride. Another aspect I really liked, is the ratings for the restaurants they give. I hate spending money on expensive food you can find at any generic fast food restaurant. The restaurant reviews help point me in the direction of food worth spending the money on.
A unique feature of the “The Unofficial Guide” is touring plans. The editors of the Unofficial Guide have layed out an order for which rides to hit when and in what order based on crowd statistics and which rides tend to attract the most crowds. While I may not follow the touring plan exactly, I appreciate the structure and general order they suggest. I want to get the most out of my time and spend my time on the rides and attractions that are most important to me.
If you’re ever going Universal Orlando or Walt Disney World, I would highly recommend “The Unofficial Guide” collection of books.
Are you doing universal Orlando? We had annual passes last year and here are my tips:
– Harry Potter is amazing but the lines are super long. Go there first, even if it’s at the back of the park.
– Diagon Alley is always crowded. Just…be prepared for idiots to stop in front of you.
– Kong is an awesome ride.
– So is the Mummy.
– The Simpsons ride will make you sick.
– If your kids are older and/or you don’t care about sitting next to each other, take advantage of the single rider line. It cuts way down on wait time.
– You WILL get wet on the water rides. Very very wet.
Have fun! When are you going?
Thanks for the recommendations! We are planning on going this March. We want to focus mainly on the Harry Potter worlds, but also include some of the big hits from the rest of the parks.
Hey we’re going in March too! First timers (Grandpa is paying because I am a curmudgeon who always said it’s too damn expensive). Doing Disney + Universal. I’ve heard Harry Potter is crazy busy but I don’t care, that’s 90% of the reason I agreed to go.
Apparently there is a Disney “line length” app that is also helpful. We did make 1 sit down reservation each day because I tend to get peopled out and figured we could look forward for one sort-of break each day. Weather should be cool in March so “escape to the pool for a few hours” may not work so well.