Brad

I am planning a trip for the end of the summer and need help as far as hotels. We are going to hit SFGAdv, Hershey, and Dorney (in that order.) We want to spend 2 days at GAdv, 1 & 1/2 at Hershey, and 1 & 1/2 at Dorney. I can't find a hotel anywhere near GAdv. Last time I went, all I can remember is a McDonalds and a wa-wa? gas station at the GAdv exit. What is the next decent exit with a hotel? (Not looking to spend over $100/night.) Also, any good locations near? Dorney (we have the Hershey one taken care of.) Last time we stayed a good 10-15 minutes from Dorney and want something closer. Any help is appreciated.

Can someone tell me what the pricing for Q2Q is with a gold season pass?

If a Universal Orlando season pass is lost, do you simply go to guest relations and get a new one? What is the process?

a quick question... If you stay at an on-site hotel for one night, which day(s) do you get access to the express pass? If we stay for say a Saturday night, do we get express passes for both Saturday and Sunday?

Just curious if anyone knows of any scheduled downtimes for the major attractions. I know most of the annual parks post the times that major attractions are going to be down for annual rehab, but I have not been able to find anything concerning Universal Orlando. (more specifically is anything scheduled to be down the 16-21 of March?)

I have been to a few "Hell Houses" and a "Tribulation Trail." I found them to be rather interesting... They did scare the crap out of me when I went through them (7-8th grade.) The house that I went through had different scenes such as abortion clinics, fatal car wrecks, heaven, hell, etc. The Trail that I went on told the story of the seven years of tribulation (the four horsemen, the rapture, the anti-christ, people being barcoded, global war, and finally the "final battle".) Some of the effects were cool (a lot of fire, gunshots, gruesome accident scenes, holocaust-like ovens, etc.) Um... if you're interested I would suggest going to one... I'm not sure how effective they would be as far as finding Jesus though.

We went to Universal last Saturday (I might post a trip report later), but we did everything at USF within the first 2 1/2 hours of operation... then did everything at IOA except for Hulk (it was only a 40 minute wait, but we were going the next day and decided to save it.) You should have no problem getting everything in... just get there 30 minutes before opening.

Is Back to the Future not already closed? And when you all say "long", is that like 1hr (which is long to me) or higher? I know that no one really knows, but what's the average for Saturdays in the fall? (I'll be at the parks Sat, Sun, and Monday.)

Thanks... and while we're at it... some random questions again... 1) How wet do you get on JPRA? 2) If you use the single rider lines, do you get the "full experience" of the queue, or do you go directly into the station and miss a lot of the story line of the themeing? 3) We are going to do all of Universal Studios on Saturday, so is it best to do the popular attractions first (Mummy, MIB) or head to the back and work your way forward?

Are these for sale at the parks without the meal deal? (ie- can you buy a mug for $7.99 (ish) and get $1.99 refills, or do you have to purchase the meal deal with added on refill cup to get one?)

Thanks for the responses! A few more things that I have thought... -I read somewhere that you can buy a sports bottle and get $1.99 refills (similar to Six Flags' program.) Does this only mean that you can get $1.99 refills on the day that you are there or whenever throughout your trip? -Would you recommend carrying a backpack with you? If so, is it necessary to rent a locker? (I've never been to a park where you can't take items up to the loading dock with you... so could you tell me which rides you can't take things up to... I know Hulk has lockers near the entrance that are supposedly free...) -What are the best restaurants for the best prices? Anywhere to avoid? (I am figuring spending $15 a meal while in the park... what's the best deal for that amount?) Thanks!

First of all, this will be my first trip to USF. I need some help with the general logistics of the trip... -Is staying ~8 miles from the park a bad idea? -Is traffic in Orlando bad? (i.e. will it take us forever to get from the Lake Buena Vista area to USF?) -As far as HHNXVI, I am going to get tickets for the 15th (Sunday)... is one night enough to get the haunted houses/HHN shows done(without doing any of the 'normal' stuff?) We plan to do the normal rides/attractions Saturday, Sunday Daytime, and Monday. -I hate to ask, but from previous years, what are the waits for 'normal' operation during this time? (I know that know one knows, but a generic reflection of how crowds were in the past would be great!) -Which rides have single rider lines? -Are there any 'non-major' attractions that should not be missed? (I hope that makes sense.) I would really appreciate all of the help and any tips as to what days to hit which parks... I assume I should spend the most time in IOA, but I could be wrong.