Universal Orlando Military Salute

You’ve got to pick up your free Universal’s Military Salute ticket for military members by 28 June 2009, same goes for the purchase of the friends and family tickets. Remember you have until 19 December 2009 to use them. So if you know, or think you might, be going to Orlando at least get your free ticket!

UPDATE: Universal deleted the requirement to get your tickets prior to 28 June!

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I used my Universal Orlando Military Salute!

I recently did! I’m still saving the Disney Armed Forces Salute for later in the year. My two adult children and I went by my Base IT&T office and got my free pass to Universal, theirs were $88 each. They were good for both parks and lasted for up to 6 days after first use.

We arrived in Orlando about 1000 hrs and went straight to Universal. Parking was $12 and it’s a hike from the parking lots to Universal City Walk (Their version of Downtown Disney) which is where you enter. We went to Universal Studios that day, did all the big rides: Revenge of the Mummy, Men in Black, the Simpsons, Terminator, and lots more. We got everything we wanted done by the 1800 hrs (closing time). We had lunch at Mel’s Diner, good burgers and fries.

We then went and checked in at our hotel Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, Orlando-Convention Center-International Drive Area on Universal Blvd. We stayed for free two nights using Priority Club Points I’d earned on various TDYs. This particular Holiday Inn goes for only 15000 points per night, a steal in the Orlando Area.

I just had to get a little Disney Fix so we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner. We ate at the Portobello Yacht Club, I’d never eaten there before. It was a little pricey but the food was outstanding. We then spent a little time strolling around Downtown Disney, bought a few pins and other things.

The second day we went to Universal Islands of Adventure, we got there right when they opened, $12 to park again… and the long walk. We had fun riding the coasters and other rides there. We walked right on The Hulk then walked to the very back of the park to miss the crowd, we rode Dueling Dragons three times right in a row! Fun. We spent the rest of the morning doing the other big rides: Doctor Doom, Jurassic Park, Spiderman. We had lunch at Confisco Grille and the food there was outstanding, they had a wide range of items on the menu at this table service restaurant: flat bread pizza, salads, sandwiches, and pastas. All three of us loved our meal. We then headed back to Universal Studios and re-rode our favorites from the day before (the Mummy, Men in Black, and the Simpsons). Just before we left we crossed back to Islands of Adventure (lots of walking this day) to ride the Hulk again. Then it was back to the hotel to freshen up.

For our taste of Disney that day we headed to the Boardwalk, had a nice meal at the Big River Grille & Brewing Works and watched Illuminations (the high parts, like fireworks, over the trees) from a bench on the boardwalk. We got an ice cream and headed to the hotel.

Overall we had a great time! I’m not sure we really could have spent more than three days at Universal, we really did all we wanted to in two. So unless you live very close to Orlando the 6 days of the pass is I think overkill, but you could mix in a free day at Sea World too…

UPDATE: Universal deleted the requirement to get your tickets prior to 28 June!

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