Pros and Cons of Universal Studios Honeymoon?

Hi!

We did Disney/Universal for ours, but our experience was pre-COVID.

Universal is very much geared towards thrill-seekers/coaster lovers. (Which I am not.) There are some attractions/rides that are not roller coasters, but you have to actively seek them out. The food IN park is ... meh. Not nearly as good as Disney's food. (Except for the Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream in Diagon Alley. That was GOOD.)

There are some fun mini golf courses on property, plus a lot of chain restaurants, specialty shops, and a few 'famous' one-off restaurants. (Like the Chocolate Factory. We just bought stuff to go from there. It was good.)

We stayed on Disney property and took Lyfts to get to and from Universal, which is cheaper than renting a car.

Personally, I preferred Disney, and likely won't incorporate Universal into my next trip.

We too went to Universal and Disney; although, we didn’t visit any Disney parks. We only spent 5 hrs at Universal and when we left my husband vowed to never go back.
It’s a fine park, as PP said lots of thrill rides. Lots of VR/3D/simulator type rides. It can be fun. Me and my mom just went for a half a day last week.
That said, it has more of just a theme park vibe than Disney does. The employees are rude, or unhelpful, or just trying to get through their shift all with little care to guest experience. They don’t go out of their way or make any effort to notice or congratulate special occasions. I wore a just married button (from Disney) the day we went to Universal and Not One single person said congratulations the entire time we were there. So if you’re looking for something special or some to notice, in my option Universal is not the place. For comparison, at Disney we got Champaign as a surprise after dinner and every cast meme we we saw said congratulations.We stayed at a lovely Universal resort this past week, Loews Portofino Hotel. I don’t prefer it to Disney resorts but if that’s not the case for you it’s fine. It’s based on a little Italian Town so it has kind of a romantic feel to it and a very nice pool. We had a nice dinner at Mama Delfino’s (at the hotel) which could be a nice honeymoon restaurant. You don’t have to be a guest to eat there. What ever you choose will be perfect because youlll be with you’re new husband!

I think it sounds super fun

the only con i think would be possible long wait times for rides but that's what comes with going to any theme park

Sounds like fun, I love Universal California. They have so many neat things to see and I bet in Florida they have even more.

View Quoted Comment

I agree with the assessment of the staff at Universal - OUTSIDE of Harry Potter.

DH and I were discussing if we wanted to eat or if we wanted to go do something else, and a staff member crowded up to ME, put his dustpan on my SHOE, and proceeded to lecture at us about where we should go. We not only didn't ask, we even said we didn't need help. He didn't leave us alone for quite some time.

At Disney, with our "Congratulations" button, we got free desserts, a Japanese blessing on DH's sake glass from Epcot, and other little perks. Staff always "read" the room about how much help we wanted.

That said, IN Harry Potter, we got a bit better service at Universal.

....That may have been because I was wearing more HP themed clothing than the staff.

Even if you're not a big roller coaster person like myself, I think it's worth the trip if you set your expectations.


Pros - even though I don't ride the physical coasters, there are other less intense rides to enjoy. I find walking around and going in to the various shops in both parks and city walk to be pretty entertaining. If you plan your trip right, you can manage to get on some rides while not waiting hours on end. Huge pro - wizarding world of Harry Potter. If you enjoy the books or movies, that is a must.
Cons - it can get packed. Long lines. Crowded. It's a theme park so that's to be expected. If universal keeps covid restrictions lifted while you're on your honeymoon, I would recommend investing in the express pass if you want to get on rides. Harry Potter world gets nuts. The line just to get in to ollivanders wand shop can be upwards of a couple of hours. The line to get in to the three broomsticks gets that long pretty early too. Expect to walk alot and stand even more. Things can get pricey.
Definitely plan. Research. During the off peak season I went to universal (pre-covid) and was able to get on quite a bit of rides, all of them with 30 min or less wait times. Go super early, as in choose a hotel that gives you early access to the park. That extra one hour where it's just season pass holders and certain hotel guests is a god sent! It's usually the only time you're able to get on hagrids motorcycle ride.

We went to Universal in 2019 (pre-covid) and the best time to go is the week before Thanksgiving. The lines for everything were incredibly short, and we had an amazing time. Like when I say short, the longest line was the Hagrid line, and it was brand new and even that ride we only waited like a hour and half. Many rides we literally walked right on. We stayed at an air bnb and just got uber/lyft to and from the park. They also have fun attractions and shows you can watch.

We were there for 5 days and it was more than enough to see and ride everything. One con was I don't like the people they have in the park trying to push things on you. I believe it's for time-shares and they promise you a bunch of free stuff, and it's not worth it.

Overall, I would go again and if you're a Harry Potter, Simpson's, Dr. Seuss, Jurassic Park or superhero fan you'll love it!