2 Universal Orlando Park questions

Can someone try to explain this lower lot/upper lot situation? And maybe my lingo is off. Front lot / back lot? I hear that US is a mess to navigate, while IO is a clear course to navigate. We're methodical park people, as trained by Disney. Everything we do is calculated to maximize the fun and allow for spontaneity. Planning for Universal is so...challenging. But I know we'll have fun.

2nd question: making dinning reservations. Can you only make reservations 1 month in advance? Or am I receiving inaccurate information there?

Thanks experts!

Planning Universal is challenging? Step aside from Disney and you'll see how easy and simple planning for Universal is... You don't have to book your meals 180 days out... You don't have to be up at midnight to book FP times... YOu just show up, hit the rides, and enjoy your time... You don't need to have your head buried in your phone worrying about your ADR times, or missing your FP time...

I'm not sure what you are talking about regarding upper/lower lot... I have never heard those terms used in Universal Orlando... Universal Studios is not a mess to navigate... Who told you that? A Disney only fan? LOL.... While Universal is not a typical wheel and spoke layout like MK, the park is not hard to navigate at all...

I've never made dining for Universal... OK I lied, I did once.... Mythos I booked, and yes, I booked it 30 days out... I think they may actually open at 60 days out, but not 100 % sure and I never feel the need to book... I just either walk up or dine elsewhere...

Upper and Lower lot apply to Universal HOLLYWOOD only, not Orlando.

i forget where/from whom we heard the term about the Lots, but sounds like it doesn't apply to Orlando at all.

sounds like: drop the Disney mindset and you'll be a-ok. we can do that.

perfect help here. thank you both who replied!!!

You'll be fine. There is very little planning needed for the Universal parks.

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Originally Posted by k10

i forget where/from whom we heard the term about the Lots, but sounds like it doesn't apply to Orlando at all.

sounds like: drop the Disney mindset and you'll be a-ok. we can do that.

perfect help here. thank you both who replied!!!

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Yes, just go into it not expecting or comparing it to Disney and you'll be fine.. Too many DISNEY IS THE BEST people cannot remove the blinders to see how fun Universal really is, and fail to see how easy it is, and less stressful too, when planning a Universal trip...

We are heading to Universal on Monday. I have not made any dining reservations and most likely will not ... except maybe day of if we decide to dine at one of the higher end restaurants in the hotels, but there are many to chose from and no real "must dos" so I know we will be fine. However, I think most places use Open Table if you want to make reservations.

Universal is definitely a no stress, no preparation, go with the flow kind of place. I am really looking forward to our trip.

I can only echo what has already been said. The Universal Orlando parks are pretty simple to navigate. There are a few areas where the crowds bottleneck (Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, in particular), but for the most part you can have a basic plan and still allow for plenty of spontaneity. If you are staying in one of the Universal Resorts that offers the Express Pass to it's guests, you will have it made! Just get to Islands of Adventure early to see the HP stuff there and take the train over to Diagon Alley.

As far as dining, I have only made reservations once, at Mythos, and was glad I did. It was Mother's Day and got very crowded with a long waiting line! Otherwise I think you can do walk up at any restaurant and get in fairly quickly. Make sure and hit Finnegan's while you're there, it's one of my favorite places!

Wow! Thank you again for all the feedback. I am totally going to go with the flow and enjoy. Feeling much more confident about this uncharted territory. Going to be a blast.

I will definitely check out Finnegans. We're staying at the Cabana, so one night we want to just enjoy the resort and have a wicked casual dinner there while bowling and having some drinks. I was going to make a reservation for Pat O'Brien's b/c the vibe seemed fun and menu looked good. Looks like I really don't need to stress over reservations. That's awesome.