City walk without visiting the parks?

[amy56]

Hi all

So we are visiting WDW in August - it's meant to be a cheaper trip as its our second holiday using our WDW annual passes, so we have no need to buy any park tickets.

However... We really want to visit the Toothsome chocolate emporium, and I'm wondering whether anyone has visited citywalk without doing the universal parks at all during their stay? Was it still enjoyable, or did being so close just highlight what you were missing?

We are really looking forward to having a few non park days at the end of our stay (lounging around Animal Kingdom lodge and shopping!), but...
my youngest son is already saying how amazing Volcano Bay looks and obviously there will be the new New York ride at Universal that we haven't seen, but equally it would cost us over £900 for two days of park tickets, which seems so extravagant!

But...on the flip side! ... We don't think we will be back to Orlando until 2020 - our longest break - so perhaps we should bite the bullet and do it all one more time? !

Convince me that it's just as good to do CityWalk without visting any of the Universal parks please?!

[ianc]

The Toothsome chocolate emporium is a themed restaurant. If you want to eat there, go. If you don't want to eat there, don't go. What has any other attraction got to do with it? You can't be in 2 theme parks and in Citywalk at the same time! There are hundreds of other things you could be doing instead - are you missing all those too?
I have been to the Blue Man Group, plus a meal, without going to either park. I have been to a concert at the Hard Rock, plus a meal, without going to a park. On one Sunday, I went for a stroll round Eola Lake in Downtown and visited the Farmers market, in the morning, then went to an Orlando City game just after lunch, called in at the Mall at Millenia in late afternoon and then had dinner at the Hard Rock in Citywalk in the evening (as it was nearby and I was passing).
A more appropriate question would be: is it worth going all that way to Citywalk just for a meal? The answer depends on how much you want to eat there. It is not an efficient use of your time or petrol cost, if it is the sole purpose of the trip. A meal and walking around is only going to be about 3 hours, not a full day. That is why I combine it with other things in the same area, to reduce the amount of travelling. Therefore I suggest other things like shopping at the Premium Outlets and the Mall at Millenia first (which are not far away) and then go to Citywalk for your evening meal afterwards. Parking at Universal is usually cheaper after 6pm as well.

[amy56]

Originally Posted by ianc

The Toothsome chocolate emporium is a themed restaurant. If you want to eat there, go. If you don't want to eat there, don't go. What has any other attraction got to do with it? You can't be in 2 theme parks and in Citywalk at the same time! There are hundreds of other things you could be doing instead - are you missing all those too?
I have been to the Blue Man Group, plus a meal, without going to either park. I have been to a concert at the Hard Rock, plus a meal, without going to a park. On one Sunday, I went for a stroll round Eola Lake in Downtown and visited the Farmers market, in the morning, then went to an Orlando City game just after lunch, called in at the Mall at Millenia in late afternoon and then had dinner at the Hard Rock in Citywalk in the evening (as it was nearby and I was passing).
A more appropriate question would be: is it worth going all that way to Citywalk just for a meal? The answer depends on how much you want to eat there. It is not an efficient use of your time or petrol cost, if it is the sole purpose of the trip. A meal and walking around is only going to be about 3 hours, not a full day. That is why I combine it with other things in the same area, to reduce the amount of travelling. Therefore I suggest other things like shopping at the Premium Outlets and the Mall at Millenia first (which are not far away) and then go to Citywalk for your evening meal afterwards. Parking at Universal is usually cheaper after 6pm as well.

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Good to know you haven't had a problem eating there without visiting the parks - we've only been there whilst we've been visiting a park and were concerned that it would feel odd walking past the entrance to Universal Studios and hearing the rides etc, knowing we weren't going in.

So its good to hear that some people do enjoy Citywalk without going to the theme parks as well. We definitely want to try the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium, having just missed the opening by a few weeks last time we were there - the drive doesn't bother us.