Newbie questions!

[MouseMamaToMany]

Hello again, USO fans! I leave Saturday morning for a week at Universal and am so excited! I’ve got a few more newbie questions, for folks who wouldn’t mind answering.

1. I am staying at Aventura, but loooooove a good boat ride. Can I walk across to Sapphire Falls and take a boat to the parks, or do they check to see where you are staying?

2. On my electronic ticket there is a QR code. Can I print a copy of that, tuck it into my pocket, and use it to open lockers? I obviously can’t use my phone to reopen a locker, as it will be inside. Hoping this would let me bypass the need to get a barcode from a locker attendant.

3. At the Leaky Cauldron, can I get the Ploughman’s Platter made just for one? I am traveling solo.

4. Do you have any favorite restaurants in the area? I’m looking at DoorDash, and it looks like I can got lots of things delivered to my resort.

5. When you order from DoorDash or the like, do you meet the driver in the lobby, or will they deliver to your room? (My only experience with this is and WDW. I live in podunk and don’t have any delivery services, so this is new to me.)

6. Are there any experiences I should be sure NOT to miss?

Thank you in advance for all of your excellent advice!

 

[JOCAmom]

I can only definitively answer your first question but yes you can. Even when we stayed at Cabana Bay, we would walk over to Sapphire and take the boats instead of waiting for a bus. Universal's bus service is pretty good but like you, I just prefer the boats. Plus, by taking the boats, you skip the huge security checkpoint at the garages/bus drop off.

 

[Metro West]

4. Do you have any favorite restaurants in the area? I’m looking at DoorDash, and it looks like I can got lots of things delivered to my resort.

5. When you order from DoorDash or the like, do you meet the driver in the lobby, or will they deliver to your room? (My only experience with this is and WDW. I live in podunk and don’t have any delivery services, so this is new to me.)

What kind of restaurants are you looking for? My favorite food is Italian.

I would meet in the lobby...you can tell where you driver is on the app so you can go down to meet him/her.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You can use your hotel key to open the lockers. You're already carrying that anyways.

You can also bring your phone on most locker rides (not the 3 metal detector coasters) as long as it fits in your pocket.

 

[cschaaf]

I agree with above posters. You can walk to SF and take the boat. We bussed from Aventura to the parks and never had an issue getting through the hub security quickly. Could have just been lucky timing, though.

I've tried multiple bar codes for lockers, but never a QR code - not sure if the scanners work on QRs. I'd also say to use your room key for the lockers. Failing that, the locker attendants have slips of paper with bar codes that they can give you.

Don't miss Diagon Alley It's somewhat hidden and every once in a while, you'll hear of someone who visited and completely missed it.

If you can, take advantage of Early Park Admission. Either early morning r late evening are the least crowded times in the HP areas.

I'd love to hear what you thought of Aventura when you get back. There doesn't seem to be a lot of reviews for that hotel. My wife and I stayed there in July and we liked it a lot - loved that it wasn't a sprawling resort like some of the others. We're always happy when something is a short walk.