2 Parks in 1 Day??

[Fooboy]

Hi everyone!
We will be heading out to Florida early May. We would really like to visit US/IOA this time around. Is it possible to finish both parks in one day on a weekday in early May? Thanks!

Foobs

 

[206bones]

I had the same question for the week after Easter.....didn't get a reply last time....

 

[Flyin2MCO]

Possible but you would be in commando mode and wouldn't have as much fun as doing the parks over two or more days. I've done both parks in one day a few times before and it's exhuasting. Maybe you have time constraints, so better to try to see both parks in one day than not at all. I'd say hit the major attractions early and skip some if not all of the shows/minor attractions.

 

[Fooboy]

Hey there!
Thnx for your reply.
would you recommend express passes?

foobs

 

[Fooboy]

My problem also lies in the transportation aspect. We will not have a rental car and will be staying at POFQ. I just feel that it will be more efficient to try for 2 parks in 1 day. That way, we'll have that extra day to hit up a water park or something. argh...can't decide..

foobs

 

[Sylvester McBean]

the earlier in May, the better. but weekends do get busy all year. if you don't want to kill yourself, I'd get the express passes at least for one park. if you're at the other one in advance of the park opening, you can circle the park and hit the major attractions. 10:30-11:00, the crowds build. when you're finished, go to the other parks and use the express passes for a more relaxed time. you won't see everything, and you'll miss a lot of details, but you can do it.

 

[missmolly]

Just wondering - if it is possible to get through both parks in one day will we find enough to do if we plan to stay 4 days? We are thinking of going the last week of March. I know that is spring break for some people so it might be busy but we are also thinking about staying onsite so we can have fotl. (if I can convince myself I can spend that kinda money) I would hate to spend all that money on the hotel only to be board after the second day!

 

[Peter Pirate]

Yes, it's certainly possible but a lot depends upon the crowd. As was suggested you may wish to get the Express Pass for one of the Parks and you will be hustling. But even so, if you're used to 'cramming' at WDW then USF will be a bit easier.

 

[lindalinda]

missmolly...do not worry about being bored. There is plenty to do for 4 days, i am going in june and staying 9 days. if you stay on-site and have fotl, you will be so relaxed and non-stressed you will never want to do a "commando" vacation again. Yes you can do all the major rides in one day if you must, but there is so much to enjoy if you leave that attitude down the street. just spend the morning in the park, have a nice lunch, go swimming, go back to the park, citywalk is SO much fun (totally different feel that downtown disney) and just seeing all the scenery and the beautiful amenities at the hotel will fill you time and you'll wish you were staying longer.

 

[missmolly]

Thanks for the reply Linda. We don't do commando vacations anyway but after looking at the list of rides I was getting a little worried. Is there much to see or do besides the rides? The last park we vacationed at had like 8 coasters pluse a few thrill rides, a ton of your basic fair rides and a water park. We spent 4 days there and the kids had a ball. It just seems like there is so much less at US, IOA. And I will be spending so much more to do it. Hope it's worth it.

 

[robvia]

To answer Fooboy's question, yes, you can visit both parks in 1 day. The 2 park 1 day ticket is not on the web site, but sold at the gate. The key is to arrive early. The limo will drop you off at the atrium, and then it's a 10 minute walk thru city walk to the gate. You want to leave your Disney hotel at 07:45am, and be dropped off around 08:00am. If you are first to the gate of IOA, you can enter the park, and take a lap of walk on rides. It will take you 3 hours to tour IOA. Then you can walk over to USF and tour that park for the afternoon.
To answer 206Bones, sometimes people don't respond because the same question comes up often. Yes, you can also do the same thing if you arrive early.
To answer Missmolly, there is plenty to do if you stay 4 days. When people visit 2 parks in 1 day, they are in commando mode. They don't see every show, they don't go on all the rides. Commando mode usually means doing the coasters, and skipping most shows and wet attractions. It's not fun to walk around with squishy feet and a soaked t-shirt.
When you stay onsite for 4 days, you can explore the parks, eat a long lunch, relax at the pools in the afternoon, and come back for happy hour drinks. You can go on the water rides over and over getting soaked knowing you can walk back to the hotel. If you do tour both parks and want something else, the shuttle bus will take you to Sea World of Florida for free.

 

[macraven]

some years ago my sons and i were super excited when IOA first opened.

we loved the US side and wanted to hit the highlights in both parks.

it was not an easy task but by only doing the highlights and no shows, we did both parks in one day. we started out by being in line at 8:15, gate opened early, ate at 11 an off time and stayed until closing. then ate dinner off site.

yes, it can be done but it is NOT an enjoyable way to tour the parks.
we missed many of the shows and did not have time to look around and enjoy the ambiance of the themes.

no way would i try that again.
2 parks in 1 day is not ideal. if you buy the EPP it is for one time only per ride/attraction, no repeats. to repeat means to stand in the regular line unless you do the single rider line if available.

we were at universal for a 3 day stay and was off site on that trip. i guess we were so charged up to be there we wanted it all on that first day in the parks. the next two days we went at a slower pace and still did not get to see everything. the shows, sinbad, poisiden, horro make up, t2, animal planet, beetlejuice were all at scheduled times. they were real down times as the wait in line prior to the show, then the actual show cut into our time at the parks.

after that trip, we started staying on site. this allowed us to enjoy the parks without the long waits in line.

the longest we have stayed on site has been 6 days. i think we filled it up well. we took more breaks, did the movie and meal deal, shopped at city walk, left the park at lunch time to eat at city walk, etc.

we spent 2 days each at both parks. we would hop to the other sometime during the day in order to catch scheduled shows.
we enjoyed taking our time eating at city walk and had some down time going to the cineplex. 6 days was fine for us.

now i go solo to universal and cut it back to 4 days on some occassions 5.


i am amazed when people only plan to go one day to universal
the first time you go to any theme park takes adjusting. even with a map of the layout, you still can get confused and turned around. you can't get the feel of the park in the first couple of hours. it can get overwhelming.

i would skip the water park and spend the 2 days doing universal while you are staying at the disney resort.

water parks are everywhere, universal is not.

 

[Fooboy]

thanks for the recommendations!!
Macraven, I completely understand your perspective about the inevitable feeling of being overwhelmed. It is our first time to US/IOA. I love your point about water parks being everwhere, hehe. However, we are still facing the whole 'transportation cost' dilemma and the fact that I already purchased the park hopper plus water parks and more. So, my GF and I feel that it would be more efficient for us if we take care of US/IOA in one day and relax on our extra water park free day .

We're pretty accustomed to the whole commando vacation thing so I don't think that we will have a prob with it. Still gonna marinate in the idea of 2 parks in 2 days and see how my mind changes in the next couple of months hehe.

Anyways, thanks everyone for their advice!!

Still thinkin'

Foobs

 

[macraven]

foobs, i just checked your disney itenary and see that you will be at US on a wednesday the first week of may.

it should not be very crowded at that date.
if you start very early and get in the line before 8:30, you should be fine for commando park touring.

eat at the off times like around 11 to avoid the rush at the food places.

start at ioa and leave there at 11ish or 11:30 as that is when the crowds will hit IOA. go over to the US side then and hit the highlights.

maybe the gf will be so enticed that she will want to come back the next day instead of the water park at disney. if that is the case, go to guest services before you leave the park on wednesday and upgrade your one day ticket. this is save you money.

enjoy your vacation !!

 

[mickey12810]

does anyone know the price of the 2park/1day ticket at the gate? There will be 14 of us going and if we can get the 2park/1day cheaper than the 2d/2p boy would my parents be happy (they are paying )

 

[macraven]

last time i looked, i thought the 2 park 1 day ticket was about $75 a person.
for $99 you can get a 5 day pass.

if you have the entertainment book there are coupons for Universal bucks when buying specific tickets at the gate.

if you are a ga/fl resident or have aaa/ ap you can get discounts at the gate on your tickets.

why not do the 2 park 5 day pass.....cheaper than the 2 park 2 day pass.

these special tickets are sold on line and at the guest services. can't buy them at the gate but still can buy them at the park


i just checked the ticket site.
a one day ticket is $63. + tax
one day 2 park ticket is more

 

[FayeW]

I think the 2 pk/1 day ticket is $69.95. We plan on using this ticket when we go in Dec. because we have been to US/IOA twice before (5 days first time, 3 days last time) and we only have 1 full day in Orlando before our cruise. My son was not tall enough for Hulk & DD last time, and we promised him we would go to Florida again when he was big enough to ride them. We decided to book our first cruise because it seemed like a good price, but I'm not sure if I can get off my wallet and actually pay that much money. We really like th Orlando theme parks, and may just cancel the cruise and spend more time at the parks. If he doesn't meet the height requirement by Sept. 1, we'll be cancelling the whole thing!

 

[macraven]

phamton had listed that ticket price on one of the threads this weekend.

you might be right on the amount.
i checked the website for the one day ticket and tried to remember the 2 park one day ticket price from the previous thread.
if i find the price, i will post it here for you.



there is a list of height requirements for the roller coaster rides.
check that before you cancel your trip.

 

[macraven]

hey, i found the thread.

a 2 park 1 day ticket cost $73. plus tax for an adult
for a child it is $63. plus tax.


i thought it was about $75 for that ticket.

hope this info helps you.


to the poster that guessed 69$ for the ticket, prices went up recently.

 

[206bones]

Is it possible to buy these 2 park / 1 day passes ahead of time? We'd like to have them so we don't have to wait in line.

Thanks.