Greetings. Long time lurker, first time poster. I felt compelled to register and post after a recent trip to Universal/Islands. We (me, wife, 3 boys) were thoroughly impressed with the whole operation. This includes hotels, friendly staff, food, ability to get around, rides, etc. We went during spring break but the crowds were extremely manageable.
We stayed on site and you just can't get any more efficient than being able to walk to the park in under 10 minutes. We stayed at the Hard Rock, can't beat it. And the express pass system is awesome. I would pay double for an express pass if asked. It made our trip.
My only complaint, I'm surprised my ticket, room key, and express pass were three different items. Extremely inefficient. I have to believe they are working on streamlining that.
We split our trip between Disney and Universal. I'm not a Disney hater, but I left unsatisfied. There were many rides we never got to experience because the lines were too long or the fast passes were gone. While at Universal, we got to do everything (I know, 2 parks vs 4 parks). I just have a problem spending that kind of money and only getting to ride space mountain once, for example. But the service at Disney was excellent, as expected.
