8 days at Disney with a short trip to Universal - Stay at Disney vs. Universal?

[EyePlumber]

Hello,

We have an 8 day trip to Disney World scheduled in early March 2022 - Our kids are 10, 8, 6 and 1 yr old. We've done WDW twice and know the parks pretty well but need to review strategies for rides with the new genie system, etc.

My question is about taking our first trip to Universal. My oldest is a huge Harry Potter fan, but I have heard that Universal isn't great for younger kids and the rides are more geared towards bigger kids. I think my 10 yr old might ride a good amount of the coasters but even he may be scared by some of them.

We initially thought we'd try to stay on property at Universal for the last 2 days of the trip, but the idea of packing up a week's worth of luggage to transfer hotels doesn't sound that appealing.

Is it do-able to stay at Disney but venture over to Universal with 4 kids for 2 days of parks? I know staying on-site at Universal offers benefits, like early entry and their highest level of "fastpass" equivalent. Are these perks that are must-haves if we are only doing 2 days on-site?

Also if we are to get over there, we are early risers and like to do rope drop at parks so we can leave in early afternoon and get back to the hotel to relax before dinner. If we only do 2 days at Universal, we may want to stay the entire day to really see everything and get my son's fill of Harry Potter. What's the best option for transportation? We are very much car seat safety nuts, so my wife won't want to travel with the kids out of car seats. In previous trips we used the Magical Express so there was no need for car seats. We will probably use Mears this time to avoid having to bring car seats and rent a car.

Any strategy or advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I guess you don't have a car. I don't know anything about getting car seats. If you can request an uber/lyft with car seats, then do that. If you book a round trip with Mears to go to Uni, I don't know if they will send a van or a bus and whether either has car seats. Otherwise, your best bet is to pack up and move for your final two days. If you are willing to spring for one of the Uni deluxe hotels, that will get you some free express passes. You only get that at the three deluxe hotels, not the less expensive ones. I think for two days you would be better off moving.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

We usually do 9 days and on our universal day we mears or Uber over.
we usually put it in the middle of our stay.

 

[Scubadaddy32]

Kids at those ages, I think Universal would be a huge waste of money.
My wife and I went in Oct. 2020 for the first time and we are in our 40's, When I asked her what was her favorite ride she said, ET. It's basically the only ride in the park that won't soak you to the bone, shake you to death or make you motion sick! LOL
Don't get me wrong we enjoyed the trip, but looking into the cost we wouldn't do it with just us, much less with kids.
To me, the cost is too much unless we plan on actually staying at a Universal resort.

 

[monkeybug]

I would stay at Universal for that portion of the trip if you can. We felt like the Universal resorts were much nicer than Disney Resorts (but still prefer Disney parks over Universal) and our room included express passes, which was awesome and extremely convenient! I felt like the "deluxe" hotels in Universal were actually somewhat comparable to high-end resorts in other areas. We don't feel like that's the case with Disney deluxe hotels.

 

[EyePlumber]

Really? I've stayed at Bay Lake Towers in a 2 bedroom suite, which while it wasn't luxurious, it was as nice as any other higher end resort (Marriott, etc) that we've done. We're booked at the Riviera for the first time, which looks nice as well.

I think that Universal will be fine for 2 days of parks...which means is it worth moving there for just 1 night stay? As for Mears, didn't know they do regular taxi service

 

[snikki]

These would probably be my two options with the second option being what I would most likely do:

Do Universal at the beginning of the trip and do a 1-2 night stay at a deluxe hotel to get the Express Pass. With kids in car seats I would find the option that works best which may be Mears.

Or divide and conquer. One parent takes the oldest to Universal for a day trip and the other parent stays at WDW with the other kids. You could probably do what your son likes in one day by paying out of pocket for express pass since he may be afraid of some rides. You can do so much more when it's just two people vs. 6 people. He can definitely get his fill of HP too. I know some people don't like to split up but we've done it with our kids. It saves money, time, aggravation (a year old at Universal won't have much fun IME) and the parent gets the one on one time with that child. I even take full vacations with just one child. With this option you and your son could do Uber.

 

[Gehrig1B]

We stay one night at Universal in the middle of our Disney holiday and just take an overnight bag, keeping our Disney room… The value you will get from the Express Pass makes it worthwhile. No having to pack and move, we just take an early morning rideshare/taxi and get two full days at Universal, more than enough time when getting the Express Passes.

 

[katied]

One thing to consider is if you book at certain Universal hotels, you get the free express pass, and also early entry - key if you want to ride Hagrids.

first time, kids were 5 and 8, we were at BLT and took a taxi back and fourth. However, lines were long so second day, we “checked in” to Royal Pacific, got our express passes, and did not actually change hotels (another option).

now, we just switch hotels to Universal.

I would say, at 5 and 8, my kids has a great time. There are “kid” areas like Seuss. But, it is really only one very long day, or two more relaxing days unless you are hitting the thrill rides,

also, for hotels if one of you has an annual pass, the hotel discounts can be very significant. We are staying at Royal Pacific over Christmas for around $230 a night.