Universal Orlando
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@Ferg we went to Universal a year and a half ago for Easter Break, and while I can’t answer MOST of your questions, I can offer you a couple of my personal experiences.2) Any tips on dining?
We ate at the 2 Harry Potter themed restaurants : The Leaky Cauldren and the Three Broomsticks… the food was pretty good at both, but we REALLY LOVED the Frozen Butterbeer that was at both… Omgosh it is so delicious! . The cottage pie and bangers and mash were both actually pretty delicious now that I think about it too
We also ate at Mel’s Drive In for Burgers, & Fries. All 3 of these restaurants are counter service and there are no reservations. 3) Any tips on City Walk?
We ate at Margaritaville, and we had a GREAT time. We had previously eaten at the Margaritaville’s in Myrtle Beach, Montego Bay Jamaica, and also Las Vegas so we knew kind of what to expect. The City Walk Margaritaville didn’t disappoint at all! The food is always pretty consistent, and the specialty cocktails are terrific!
Of course, if you like Jimmy Buffet Music, you will LOVE that they play his live concerts on the HUGE screens on the walls and the music is lively and super fun! They also have stilt walkers that walk around the restaurant and make balloon hats for the ADULTS to wear 
4) What characters are available to meet? How do you know where they are and times?
We met Popeye, Beetlejuice, Marge Simpson, Homer Simpson, Cat in the Hat, Marilyn Monroe, Shaggy & Scooby, and a Minion! We didn’t really search them out during specific times, but would see them and jump in line!
We also saw a Transformer guy, I don’t know his name, but we didn’t get our picture taken with him. @ferg
3) Any tips on City Walk?
We ate at Margaritaville, and we had a GREAT time. We had previously eaten at the Margaritaville’s in Myrtle Beach, Montego Bay Jamaica, and also Las Vegas so we knew kind of what to expect. The City Walk Margaritaville didn’t disappoint at all! The food is always pretty consistent, and the specialty cocktails are terrific! Of course, if you like Jimmy Buffet Music, you will LOVE that they play his live concerts on the HUGE screens on the walls and the music is lively and super fun! They also have stilt walkers that walk around the restaurant and make balloon hats for the ADULTS to wear 
This is great! THANK YOU! The parks close at 8 each night, so we will probably have 3 nights / dinners on City Walk.
4) What characters are available to meet? How do you know where they are and times?
We met Popeye, Beetlejuice, Marge Simpson, Homer Simpson, Cat in the Hat, Marilyn Monroe, Shaggy & Scooby, and a Minion! We didn’t really search them out during specific times, but would see them and jump in line! We also saw a Transformer guy, I don’t know his name, but we didn’t get our picture taken with him.So it sounds like they have much shorter “greeting lines” than at WDW? I would LOVE to meet Popeye and Marilyn!
Hi! Starbee here, resident Universal Orlando expert at your service
1) It is Universal Horror Nights while we are there. We won’t be there for those events. How do they impact the park? Do all shows continue as scheduled until the park closes for the event? Or are some shows cancelled altogether during that time period because the actors are repurposed for the haunted houses, etc?
Halloween Horror Nights actually has very minimal affect on UO. HHN takes place Wednesday-Sunday on which days Universal Studios will close at 5pm. Islands of Adventure will remain open until either 7pm or 8pm depending on the day. The only show that closes during this time is Fear Factor Live because the stage is used for a Halloween Horror Nights show at night. They do a fantastic job turning the park around for HHN after closing on those days, so you would never know, however you may see props covered up in the street during the day. Like this for example from last year’s event: https://orlandoinformer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160913-_DSC0734-1024×683.jpg
2) Any tips on dining?
In-park you mean? That really depends on if you want a quick service location for speed, or if you want a sit down meal. My favorite QS locations are Thunder Falls Terrace at Islands of Adventure (they have ribs and rotisserie chicken) and The Leaky Cauldron at Universal Studios (it’s British fare: fish and chips, cottage pie, fisherman’s pie). If you like burgers, I recommend Richter’s Burger Co. at Studios. Pizza Predattoria is good at Islands but it’s just pizza. If you like spicy, my husband is a fan of Fire Eater’s Grill, also at Islands. For sit down meals I recommend Lombard’s at Studios (it’s seafood but there’s also pasta and steaks) as well as Mythos at Islands.
3) Any tips on City Walk?
So many good places to eat at CityWalk you really can’t go wrong! One really fun place to try, especially if you want a unique experience, is the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen: https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/things-to-do/dining/toothsome-chocolate-emporium-and-savory-feast-kitchen/index.html so so good!!! we also love Bubba Gump Shrimp. In terms of entertainment, there’s plenty of live music and a really fun miniature golf course.
4) What characters are available to meet? How do you know where they are and times?
So many characters! Some have set spots that they’re at throughout the day, for example Shrek, Donkey and Fiona have an alley to the side of Shrek 4-D. The Transformers have a small warehouse next to the Transformers attraction where you can meet Megatron, Bumblebee and Optimus Prime individually, they rotate throughout the day. At the exit of Minion Mayhem in the gift shop you can meet various characters from Despicable Me including a variety of minions, Gru, and Vector. (Perhaps more have been added since the release of the third movie). The park map should give you info on this, but I highly recommend downloading the official Universal Orlando app for the most accurate time and location information.
5) The new “meet a raptor” or whatever that dino is — anyone done it? Any tips on seeing it? How long does the line get in the off-season for it?
It’s a velociraptor, and it’s awesome! I’ve done it and I recommend it! We’ve done it twice, October both times and I feel like we waited 20 minutes max. If you look for the times, you can be sure to get there and line up early because although it’s the off-season the lines can sometimes get long. The staff really get into character, there will be a trainer like Chris Pratt and the raptors all have names. If you haven’t seen Jurassic World, watch it before you go to understand the experience better. The raptor will interact with you and the staff will take pictures and video for you.
I’m a Universal AP holder so I could talk about this all day :p let me know if you need any more help, I can give you more info, especially about Express. Have you been to Universal before? I can be more specific and give other suggestions on dining if you tell me what kinda food y’all like :blush:
This is great! THANK YOU! Fear Factor is one of the very few things we weren’t planning on doing anyway so that’s fine.
You’re welcome! I’m happy to help :blush: some Disney folks think Universal is a taboo subject but I love WDW and Universal both, for different reasons
yeah Fear Factor was decent back in the day when the show was on, but it’s by no means a must-do. I think they only keep it because they need the stage for HHN. Although they could still switch the show to something better. I had no idea they had an app! Awesome!
It’s free and pretty easy to use. I can help you with that also if you need it
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