Rise of the Resistance was the attraction I most wanted to experience, but if I'm being honest, I was just as excited, maybe even more so, to go down the highway and see what Universal Creative did with Harry Potter. It had been years since I had been to Disney's main competitor, but I'd followed closely the buildout of the parks, attraction by attraction, all the new hotels, and City Walk.
After successfully getting boarding group number 13 on our first day at Disney's Hollywood Studios, we knew what we had to do for our second day there. In fact, we ended up with boarding group #3- pretty impressive I'd say- and we had our son to thank. Fastest fingers in the West.
With such an early boarding group, we had to move quickly, so we high tailed it to the park, walking straight into Galaxy's Edge and right into the fully empty queue. There was no Rey, no BB-8, and absolutely no flight with Lieutenant Bek. Due to an outage with the first segments of the ride, we were ushered rather quickly into a Cast Member entrance and right into the room with the big reveal, seen above.
So effective is the conceit of being taken into space, that I was slightly surprised to realize this scene was actually in a ground level building. And then I thought, "Of course, it is! This is not real!" Well done, Imagineering! We were the only prisoners in our cell, and we were the only passengers in an escape pod. It was our very own private tour, and not a single cast member stepped out of character. Being alone trying to escape was an entirely new experience.
We exited the attraction once more in awe as to what Imagineering had accomplished. Rise of the Resistance may not be what hard core Star Wars fans may have wanted, but no one being objective can deny the ambition behind it.
Wandering through Galaxy's Edge, we came full circle and decided a second ride on Star Tours was in order. New scenes and old seamlessly integrated on another thrilling ride with one of our favorite droids. I know Disney desperately wants to reinvigorate The Muppets, but I'd have no objection to letting Piggy, Kermit, and friends move to another area of the park so that the Star Wars world could encompass Star Tours. Will that happen? Probably not.
Wondering what to do next, we opted stopped for a drink and some shade at the Tune In Lounge. Be warned: It's very small, the drinks are expensive, and it is not easy for any party bigger than two people to sit together. It was our first and last time there.
but a disappointment.
Count me in as a big fan of the new Mickey Mouse animated shorts! They're witting and charming and irreverent. Vacation Fun began well until I started seeing slices of episodes found on Disney+ making the backbone of the film attraction. Yes, they were clearly in a rush to find a use for this theater and bring something kid friendly, so why couldn't they go the extra mile and create entirely new content? This left a very bitter taste in my mouth. On the other side of the park, Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy is mediocre, but at least it is entirely new.
Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was over an hour wait, and at this point the sun was blazing. Sadly, we passed it by, perhaps my one regret on this trip, and instead jumped onto Toy Story Mania. Though not originally a fan of it, the small shooter ride has grown on me a little bit, but the queue has to be relatively short for me to agree to wait. Admittedly, I do find breaking virtual plates quite fun.
Moving on to Walt Disney Presents, this gallery remains a must-do stop. The models are always of particular interest to me, and the one of Spaceship Earth caught my eye. Oh, what EPCOT Center was- and will never be again.
At about 12:30pm, we decided it was time to leave the park, pick up our bags at Old Key West and head to Universal Orlando. The process was quick and easy. First, we opted for a roundtrip ride on the Skyliner before we departed our resort via Uber. In no time, we arrived at Universal. All I can say is "Wow!"
Everything you'd want and need
at a price you can afford.
While staying at Universal Orlando's version of a budget resort moves you outside" the bubble", for $140 per night including tax, it is a vast improvement over what you'll find at Disney's All Star Resorts or Pop Century. In fact, this would also be true of Universal's gorgeous Royal Pacific Resort as well, but more on that in a few paragraphs.
Spacious and fresh.
The Dockside Resort is fresh, cool, hip, and appeals to the crowd that was clearly lacking at Disney: young professionals and blue collar workers in their 20s and 30s. Most with no kids or some with teens who were bored by princesses and wanted something more edgy. People were excited to be there, and it showed. The energy level was high- and it wasn't just because of the huge Starbucks in the spacious lobby.
Our room was well appointed, very clean, and had every amenity we wanted or needed. It was a 30 second walk from the elevator to the large quick service restaurant/cafeteria and maybe a two minute walk from there through the main lobby to the bus stop. Around the corner from the lobby Starbucks was a nicely appointed bar, so there's options for everyone's drink of choice.
After continual disappointment with Disney's busses, it was a pleasure to be able to board a Universal bus with never a wait of more than 5 minutes. Yes, five minutes- and when we left the parks after a long day there or at City Walk, the busses were actually lined up waiting to take guests to their hotels. Multiple busses for our resort lined up waiting to take us home. Let that sink in. They anticipated how they could best serve us. That, my friends, is excellent service. Service I used to find at Walt Disney World. Bravo, Universal!
Once we got the lay of the land, we grabbed our bus and dropped off at City Walk. By this point we were quite ready to eat, and after walking around to see what our options were, an early meal at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville won out. What a terrific choice! My coconut shrimp was the best I'd had in years, and my margarita (what else, right?) was terrific. Both my wife and son really enjoyed their dishes and drinks as well. Service was relaxed and playful, and the atmosphere was family friendly but not childlike. Best of all was the ending: It was one of the least expensive sit down meals during our vacation at about 2/3 the cost of anything at Walt Disney World. I was quickly becoming a fan of this universe- but the true test would be the attractions and theming at the parks.
We'd have dinner here at the end of our first full day.
Beautiful skies and an exciting but relaxing environment.
The layout of the parks and City Walk was wisely put together. The Universal Studios park was on the far right side, Islands of Adventure on the left, and City Walk straddled a central lagoon right on the middle. The shopping and entertainment district is also hip, loud, in your face, and absolutely a lot of fun. Even though Halloween Nights was going on, the crowd coming in was polite and orderly. Again, this was the demographic we did not see at Disney. Even the beautiful Disney Springs had more older folks and much younger families revealing the gap in between. Both entertainment areas are uniquely their own. City Walk has two innovated miniature golf courses. Disney Springs has a tethered hot air balloon flight. Comparing the two is quite impossible. Oranges and apples as it were.
After walking off our delicious dinner, I shared with my son that I wanted to see Universal's Royal Pacific Resort so I could compare it to Disney's Polynesian. We boarded a launch for a nice quick cruise out of the lagoon and down a small manmade river before arriving at our destination. Again, service was fast and consistent, and we never had to wait for more than one boat.
Overlooking the bridge to the entrance.
Simply beautiful!
The comparisons continued. I love Disney's Polynesian Village Resort; I love the Hawaiian Islands (and the Aulani); and I love all things tropical. The bar was already rather high. I was not expecting to love the Royal Pacific Resort, but I did.
Was it the astounding price? Comparing the same date and similar rooms to that of the Polynesian, rack rates were $311 vs. $718 per night before tax. Really. A four hundred dollar difference! That's a lot of nice meals or a few theme park tickets.
The lobby surrounds a beautiful outdoor garden courtyard.
The surroundings immediately drew me in. The atmosphere here is lush, secluded feeling, and peaceful. The very lovely entrance gardens are terraced, evoking the feeling of a quiet and ancient tea plantation.
Punctuated by palm trees of various types and other tropical flowers, Loews has certainly created a tranquil resort that takes your breath away. The pool we saw was large and stylish and seamlessly integrated. The boat dock setting took me to the South Pacific- including a seaplane resting on the river- while winding paths and walkways invited a stroll under the moonlight. Each restaurant and bar was inviting with menus that were fairly priced. What more could you ask for? I did not need a castle view.
The downside? Now I am torn about where to stay for our next visit! Disney's extras for resort guests are diminishing at a quick rate, and service is getting sloppy in some ways. Costs are rising, making a nice meal very, very expensive. Do I really need early access to the parks? Probably not. Uber makes transportation a snap. I think I've talked myself into the answer.
So far, I was quite impressed with "his resort", as my son refers to Universal. The true test for this Imagineering fan would be the parks. I'd heard Universal Creative had knocked it out of the park with all things Harry Potter, and I was excited to find out for myself. The Studios would be our next full day which meant Diagon Alley and the acclaimed Escape from Gringotts. I couldn't wait!
(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)
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