Advice for a Disney nut?

[SHammett]

My family vacations at Disney World 1-2 times per year. This year, due to a recent death in our family- (Mother-in-law) and 17yo daughter's need to bring a friend, we are traveling with a party of 8 (myself, husband, 4 children, ages 17, 9, 7 and 3, 17yo's friend and Father-in-law. Due to our party size, for the first time in 10 years, we are not staying at a Disney resort and are instead staying at Bonnet Creek (still super close to Disney). Our trip is in 2 weeks (late Wednesday night thru Monday).

This got me thinking, maybe we should branch out and try another park as well. We are in Orlando for 4 days. We were planning on doing Disney parks for three of those, but we can give up one to try something different. Any advice on which park would be best? Could we do 2 in one day? What would be the best day to go? We've only been to Universal once and that was 15 years ago. It was fun, but we felt it was lacking in the "magic" you find at Disney. However, since going to Disney 15+ times since then, we are a little bored with it. I am a research nut and appreciate any advice you can give me!

 

[Purseval]

The teenagers will love Universal/IOA, I would recommend a Stay and Scream for them since you will be there for Halloween Horror Nights. I would either go as a family for the day and leave the kids for the night or send FIL or yourself with them while the younger ones enjoy the pool at Bonnet Creek. There is good security at Universal so you can feel safe even if you sent them by themselves, and there is a pickup/dropoff entrance where you can meet them when it's time to go. If the 17-year old has access to a car you can even let her drive since if you go during the day your parking pass will still be good that evening, depends on how well you think she knows the area but since you go there twice a year I would expect you know it like the back of your hand.

You can do both parks in 1 day and there is plenty to do for all ages. Since there is such a range I would probably split up into 2 groups so each group can enjoy the park to the best of their ability.

The Unofficial Guide has a section on Universal, you can use that or you can plan here. Any questions asked will get you a fast answer so fire away.

 

[SHammett]

You can do both parks in 1 day and there is plenty to do for all ages. Since there is such a range I would probably split up into 2 groups so each group can enjoy the park to the best of their ability.

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The two 17yo's are super responsible and we will have two vehicles, so they will probably be pretty much on their own to do what they want. How about the mixture of a 3 yo with the 7 and 9 yo's? I'm just thinking Father-in-law is not very into theme parks. If my husband and he spent the day together alone, would I be able to do things with the 3, 7 and 9yo by myself at Universal? Disney is pretty easy in that respect, as a lot of the rides are able to ride with toddlers, but what about Universal? I just want to spend our time and money wisely and our mix is a little crazy this year, so want to make the most of it.

 

[Purseval]

I'll have to defer that to someone who has kids that age. They definitely have the areas in both parks for those age groups but I'm not sure how they seat them.

 

[Darcy03231]

In August 2007 we spent two weeks in the Orlando area. There were 9 of us and the ages were: 71, 48, 45, 42, 16, 14, 12, 9, and 3. Out of the 16 days we were there we spent 7 of them between US/IOA (and I'm a Disney nut too). We had a blast there! There was definitely something for everyone.

One of the best pieces of advise I can give you is to not compare US/IOA to WDW. Its not the same, its different. They are completely different parks in a really good way. While I love WDW, I also love US/IOA. In fact, for our last vacation (April 2009) we spent a week at US/IOA and only went to WDW for one day.

Your older kids will love the thrill rides, especially if they're into roller coasters and youngest will have a great time at Suess' Landing. There are areas of both parks for the little one. The 9 and 7 year old should be able to do most everything at US (maybe not the new roller coaster, depending on how tall they are). My 9 y.o. niece was/is really petite. At the time we went she was wearing a size 6x/7 and the only things she couldn't do in both parks were Hulk, Dueling Dragons and Dr. Doom (all in IOA).

Have a great trip!

 

[frugalkitty]

You can do both parks at Universal in one day. I did a similar split vacation Disney/Universal last year and actually ended up liking Universal better. It has quality shows, lots of attraction rides (non-roller coaster or drop rides), and similar (and in some cases better) attractions than Disney. I love that you can get valet parking for 22 dollars, which saves you a long walk from the 12 dollar self parking. There's no hassle finding a boat/tram/monorail to get to the parks. Lines to get pictures with characters (Scooby Doo, Shrek, Homer Simpson, etc.) seem short compared to my experiences at Disney. There's tons to see and do for the non-thrill seekers, too. I especially love the new Seuss Landing area. Please give it a chance. If you love movies, you'll find something you like at Universal.

 

[Poohbug]

You must check out the height restrictions and make sure the 3 yr old is tall enough to ride the rides. I know that my older boys would not be happy going with their younger brother if there was no one there to watch him. They would not be able to go on many of the rides because he is not tall enough yet. Rides like Spiderman, Jurrasic park, MIB, Simpsons might be off limits for the little one but would be great for the 7 and 9 yr olds.

Maybe the 17 yr olds can stick with you for half the day so the 7 and 9 yr olds can do some rides.

 

[Metro West]

Any advice on which park would be best? Could we do 2 in one day? What would be the best day to go? We've only been to Universal once and that was 15 years ago. It was fun, but we felt it was lacking in the "magic" you find at Disney. However, since going to Disney 15+ times since then, we are a little bored with it. I am a research nut and appreciate any advice you can give me!

I don't think you will go wrong with whatever park you choose first. Frankly though...the only way you can do everything in both parks in a single day is with the Express Passes and during a slow period. You simply can not do everything in both parks in a single day despite what some people tell you. If you want to skip attractions and feel rushed to do everything then you could. Also...after WWoHP opens next spring, you can forget about doing both parks in single day...it will be too crowded to accomplish that feat. Universal doesn't try to fill you with the "magic" Disney likes to pride itself on...there is a completely different vibe.

 

[SHammett]

Thanks so much! Since we only have 4 full days in Orlando, I had almost given up trying Universal on this trip. But, it does seem like we are always leaving Disney with a, "why did we do that again?" feeling, though. Maybe we'll work a universal day in and be totally won over. My only hesitancy is the 3yo, which has led me to think maybe we should wait a few years. It seems like the best value with Universal is 2+ days (since one day is around $75, but 2-7 is only $99). AND the older kids are saying they don't want to give up any Disney days.....Oh, decisions, decisions.......