Combined Disney and Universal for 8 days - one hotel, or move?

[Piglet99645]

Hello Troops,

I've done a few searches and I'm not hitting the threads that MUST cover this topic. Can anybody point me to some good threads? I don't want to repeat what has already been covered.

Trying to decide how many days to do at each destination. WDW experienced but we've never been to Universal. Me and two kids in tow. Hopefully I can find another adult to bring along.

I've found some good rates on a DVC rental at Animal Kingdom (a dream!) so could stay there the whole time.

Rates at the Cabana Bay are pretty good. So could do like 5 nights at Animal Kingdom, 3 at Universal.

Or we could get a condo off-property in between the two parks.

BIG fan of Animal Kingdom. We hit Hollywood studios for half a day. Magic Kingdom for at least one day (we prefer Disneyland to MK). Epcot for 1-2 days. Usually we park-hop.

I hate to waste a whole day of our trip changing hotels. But I suppose we could check out of Animal Kingdom villa on the last day, do Hollywood Studios, then drive to Universal and check in.

Thoughts? Or thread links? Thanks.

P.

 

[Hootch]

The last two trips we have done both WDW and Universal. Previously we had done only WDW, but the kids got older.

I would stay at both resorts if possible. Disney would be the longer stay with the four parks and two water parks. If you stay at a deluxe resort at Universal you get front of line privileges for most rides. The major Harry Potter rides are not included.

I don't know your budget or when you are going, you can spend as many nights at Disney as you want and move to Universal the next morning. It's a 20 minute drive from Disney.There really is not a day of switching. We left this summer from POFQ and was at Universal 20 minutes later. Even if your room is not ready you can drop your bags and head to the parks with your front of the line passes. Royal Pacific is the cheapest generally.the cheapest deluxe.

Or do five days at Disney and three at Universal. The Harry Potter waits drop in the evening and single rider is available. I believe Cabana Bay has early entry too.

 

[Chelley00]

I agree with the above. Staying onsite at Universal comes with amazing perks. The Express pass gets you pretty much front of the line, if not at least really close to it. Add in the hour early entry to WWOHP, and it's well worth the money. You don't get all the goodies at Cabana Bay, so if you are staying onsite, do one of the big 3. (We've done RPH and PBR and with kids I'd chose RPH) You can easily do Universal and Island of Adventure in 2 days.

 

[Piglet99645]

Thanks!

I've been pondering and think we would do 3 days/nights at Universal (we arrive at 6am), then 5 nights and 6 days at Disney. Both parks have a special on tickets through Underground Tourist so I'll have an extra day at each park.

I think best to start fresh at the place that is new to us (Universal) then move on to familiar territory later. Plus Universal's projected crowds for my weekend in March appear to be better than WDW, so we would get to WDW Sunday afternoon and spend weekdays there. (Although spring break may throw everything off, who knows).

Thanks again.

P.

 

[Piglet99645]

Oh, in light of the second reply maybe I'll cut a day short at Universal and add on to Disney. In any event, THANKS!

 

[Chelley00]

With spring break absolutely stay at a place you get express pass and hour early entry.

You can use express pass the day you check in even if your room isnt ready. We've checked in as early at 7am and just left our luggage in the car until we got back from the park

 

[YawningDodo]

We did a combo trip this last September (four days Disney, two days Universal) and stayed on WDW property the entire time. The advantage was that we could be flexible about which days were Disney days and which Universal (we changed our minds about which would be which after the first day or two of the trip). The disadvantage was that we spent a lot of time and money on transport to Universal on the days we went there. Think $35 or more each way for cab fare, plus having to deal with getting a cab, taking the time to ride there, etc. Some of that would be negated if you were planning to stay offsite and rent a car anyway, but it made Universal days more of a pain compared to Disney days (and it's really nice to be staying on-site at whatever park complex you're visiting in case you need to go change out of wet clothes, etc.). If I were going to do it again I'd probably go back to the original plan I'd laid out before we got a discount on the long stay at WDW -- start at a Universal resort and then move to WDW. The taxi ride is short enough and check-in quick enough that you could go to Universal in the morning, Disney in the evening, or even both on the day that you switch.

 

[Piglet99645]

Thanks for all the feedback. I love these boards.

P.

 

[phillymummer]

Keep in mind that you get the express pass for your check in day AND your check out day so.... one night at the hotel = 2 days of express passes. I thought I would put that out there in case budget is an issue.

 

[Piglet99645]

Keep in mind that you get the express pass for your check in day AND your check out day so.... one night at the hotel = 2 days of express passes. I thought I would put that out there in case budget is an issue.

Thank you. That's an important detail to know.

 

[Hootch]

Thank you. That's an important detail to know.

Good point. We checked out of our Disney resort around 9:30 AM and were in the parks at Universal by 10:30 AM. On a previous trip we stayed at an offsite hotel the second night. There are a number of less expensive hotels in the area. It was much more convenient to stay onsite the second night this past trip.

 

[Piglet99645]

Dates are booked! Time to figure out hotels.....

We arrive at 6am on Sunday March 13. I'm thinking just one night at Universal, so get perks at Universal on the 13th and 14th, then move to a condo near Disney. Maybe Bonnet Creek. The prices at Universal are outrageous.

 

[ibob52]

Keep in mind that you get the express pass for your check in day AND your check out day so.... one night at the hotel = 2 days of express passes. I thought I would put that out there in case budget is an issue.

Thank you. That's an important detail to know.

Reminder: Cabana Beach ... does not include *express pass*

 

[Piglet99645]

Reminder: Cabana Beach ... does not include *express pass*

Royal Pacific does, yes?

I don't want to blow this.

 

[ibob52]

Royal Pacific - yes

Portofino Bay - yes

Hard Rock Hotel - yes

 

[kbmartin]

I'm wondering the same thing but for Thanksgiving either next year or the year after. My three companions and I will not have tons of money to spend, but I would really love to get an hour of early entry to HP and an express pass. Is it really a much better deal to stay on Universal property at a deluxe to get that? Our alternative is staying at Coronado Springs (moderate) and buying Universal tickets + express passes separately. I have never spent that kind of money on a deluxe hotel (and I've never stayed at Universal...), but if it's really a better deal, we'll do it. We were looking to be at Universal for one day - Thanksgiving. I know we will need the express pass that day.

 

[phillymummer]

I don't think you would save money by staying at Disney and buying EP separately. I believe on the Universal website, you can look at the cost of the EP. The cost of the EP depends upon the time of year, so during a busy time of year, such as thanksgiving, the EP will be much more expensive then say... September. I say staying delux is definitely worth it. If you can't swing the EP, you could stay at Cabana Bay and at least get the Early Entry.

 

[disneyjes]

This past September was our first trip to both WDW and Universal. We ended up doing 2 days at Universal and 6 days at WDW. We found that to be perfect for us. We stayed at a cheaper hotel for our Universal nights and while it wasn't spectacular, we were barely there so it wasn't a big deal to us.

 

[Alexsandra]

I suggest two nights at Universal so you can settle in and enjoy the park without and all that the resort and City Walk has to offer. On our first trip to WDW we decided to try one night at US and felt that at that point should have just stayed at WDW instead of moving luggage and then checking out the next day after a long day at the parks and moving again. On our last trip we decided to do 5 nights/6 days at WDW and 2 nights/3days at Universal and it was perfect. We really got to enjoy the resort, the restaurants and parks and loved having the express pass. We found it easier as we got to relax after a long park day.

 

[Accident]

I tried universal as a day trip from disney and immediately wished I just did 2 nights at universal first and then switched to WDW. A lot of good information on the perks of staying on site already listed.