Considering 1st trip to Univ. try it or skip it?

[JJsmama]

Hi,
My sons and I go to WDW for a week pretty much every year. This summer is the first year we have skipped , which we chose to do because we all were a bit 'ho hum' during our trip Summer 2015. We still loved it and were excited but we were also content to do 2-3 hours in the morning and then it was pool or (ipad!!!) until dinner. The heat makes it hard to tour all day, but I decided it was too $$$ to be taken for granted.

Now we are eager to go again and I actually have a surprise January trip planned. However, i realized we have Never been to Universal and with 3 boys aged 18,16 &9, maybe they are perfect ages to do Universal instead. ??? Will we regret it?

We actually only have a 4 day weekend for the trip in Jan so I also thought it would be a good time to do the two parks at US instead of cramming in all of WDW. BUT it would be our first wdw trip NOT in peak season so we were looking forward to that too. I dont really want to do both US as a day trip from Disney bc if we go, i want to utilize their resort only Early Entry for HP. Opinions?

 

[georgina]

I would ask them what they think. I can't imagine the older 2 would pick Disney over Universal, especially having been to WDW so much. Are they Harry Potter fans? Those areas of the parks are fantastic. You mentioned in your other thread that the youngest wouldn't do the thrill rides, but there is plenty for him to do.

 

[JJsmama]

I would ask them what they think. I can't imagine the older 2 would pick Disney over Universal, especially having been to WDW so much. Are they Harry Potter fans? Those areas of the parks are fantastic. You mentioned in your other thread that the youngest wouldn't do the thrill rides, but there is plenty for him to do.

It isn't my youngest. It is the middle Ds16 who wont do thrill rides. He has anxiety. Youngest will ride anything he is tall enough for except ToT- never again!
I am planning the January trip as a Christmas surprise, zo coming right out and asking is tricky. I am trying to get some feedback from them in an oh-by-the-way sort of way, but i cant talk about it too much or they will get suspicious.

 

[bchbetha]

Totally worth a try. Life is too short to be married to one amusement park. Time for a change!

 

[gotomu212]

I think it's a great opputunity to try something else, especially being a shorter weekend trip. You can concentrate on Universal the whole time and then at the end really compare it to your last Disney trip.

I think 3 teen boys would love Universal and would highly recommend staying on site at a hotel with express pass (it just blows it out of the water).

 

[georgina]

Personally, I would never plan a trip as a surprise. Still I think there is plenty of things at Universal for the boy with anxiety to ride. There are lots of YouTube videos he could watch to see what he might like, but obviously that would give it away.

 

[tony67]

My two main question would be do they like HP and do they like roller coasters?

The roller coasters at Universal are much better than the ones at Disney.
I am not a fan of HP..but I still really enjoy all the HP stuff, so someone who like HP will really enjoy it.

In addition if you stay on site they have very nice pools and it is an easy back and forth from the resorts to the pools short boat ride or even a short walk in most cases.

Finally - since you have done Disney numerous times (it sounds like) this would be new and different...so unless they are total Disney fanatics they will probably really enjoy Universal.
Personally I far prefer it to Disney just because it is so much more laid back and you don't have to plan every minute months in advance.

 

[angryduck71]

My son (now age 10) at age 7 likes Unoversal better. He loves superheroes and Harry Potter. He also loves thrill rides but there are other things to do too. I think a surprise is fine too. Pool-hopping is allowed
And the pools are
Fantastic. Stay on-site at one of the big three hotels with early entry and express pass and I bet they'll always rather do Universal over Disney from now on.

 

[JJsmama]

Thanks everyone. I would like to try it, but have mot decided yet. We'll see. I am going to try and find some videos to watch under the guise of planning for next summer and see what they think. Yes, they all like HP, but are not Super Fans of Hp. They do like superhero movies and two like roller coasters, but not extreme versions. We would definitely stay onsite if we go as I love walking to / from parks.

The only thing holding me back is that this would be our first chance to experience WDW without summer heat and I think we would be excited about that and to see how it changes things. We just got really lucky with a school break that worked this year but usually we don't.

 

[Seeker615]

I would think the boys would love Universal. There is so much to experience and it is such a laid back atmosphere. No crazy planning at all. If you never have been there then it might be a nice change of pace.
Staying onsite at one of the deluxe resorts gives you the express passes. Also if you stay onsite you can walk to the parks and Citywalk. I certainly love that over waiting for the shuttles.

 

[wookiebeck]

A four day weekend is perfect for a Universal trip. You are correct, you do not want to do a split stay in that time frame. We were doing WDW every other year and got the same repetitive feeling that you got. Once the teens saw USO, we have done three straight uni only vacations. They LOVE it.

 

[TommyJK]

I would absolutely go for it. I think your boys would really enjoy it.

The majority of the attractions are thrilling, but IMO never too intense.

The only ones the squeamish one might avoid is Hulk, Rip Ride Rockit, and Dragon Challenge and Dr. Doom, but that still leaves you with :

Spiderman
Ripshaw Falls
Popeyes
Kong
Jurassic River
HP Forbidden Journey
Hippogriff
Hogwarts Express
Gringotts
MIB
Simpsons
Minions
Mummy

We were not huge Potter fans going in our first time but came out bigger Potter fans because of it.

Universal is my boys favorite place now.

 

[khgreen]

My daughter age 12 prefers Universal. Its a great park. Definitely give them the option. Even my son who LOVES Disney felt like a lot of the rides were dated.

 

[avic77]

Thanks everyone. I would like to try it, but have mot decided yet. We'll see. I am going to try and find some videos to watch under the guise of planning for next summer and see what they think. Yes, they all like HP, but are not Super Fans of Hp. They do like superhero movies and two like roller coasters, but not extreme versions. We would definitely stay onsite if we go as I love walking to / from parks.

The only thing holding me back is that this would be our first chance to experience WDW without summer heat and I think we would be excited about that and to see how it changes things. We just got really lucky with a school break that worked this year but usually we don't.

everytime I thought I was getting less crowds/better time frome to go to disney it seemed just as busy and hectic. I don't think I'd scrap universal for cooler weather at disney. 4 days at disney feels rushed 4 days at universal is perfect for exploring without feeling rushed or like you are missing something. Bite the bullet and try something new.

 

[Andysol]

If this was your second trip to universal, you wouldn't even be asking- you'd just know universal is much better in this situation.

Don't think about it anymore- do universal. It'll be less expensive (particularly with feeding three boys)- and they will like it much better than Disney.

Disney and universal are both great. They're also very different- and I prefer Uni over Disney any day of the week- as does my 7 yr old daughter. My wife and 3 yr old prefer Disney but we all love both.

 

[Minnesota!]

My son (now age 10) at age 7 likes Unoversal better. He loves superheroes and Harry Potter. He also loves thrill rides but there are other things to do too. I think a surprise is fine too. Pool-hopping is allowed
And the pools are
Fantastic. Stay on-site at one of the big three hotels with early entry and express pass and I bet they'll always rather do Universal over Disney from now on.

Hijacking - we are doing our first Universal trip in 2 months (EEK!). We are staying at RPR, but I was kind of bumming because I like the looks of the lazy river at CB. So, are you saying I could go over there and lazy river it, even if I am not staying there?? That would be awesome!!

Also - other Universal vets - what are your go-to for dining? We (at Disney) enjoy 1 counter service and 1 sit down each day.

 

[Andysol]

Hijacking - we are doing our first Universal trip in 2 months (EEK!). We are staying at RPR, but I was kind of bumming because I like the looks of the lazy river at CB. So, are you saying I could go over there and lazy river it, even if I am not staying there?? That would be awesome!!

Also - other Universal vets - what are your go-to for dining? We (at Disney) enjoy 1 counter service and 1 sit down each day.

You can pool hop to any of the 5 resorts- not a problem, it's allowed.

You're at RPR, And Tchoup chop is best on property- so that's a no brainer. Stick to Harry Potter for quick service, and even the in-park table service are way more affordable than Disney. Mythos and Finnegans are solid, confisco is "ok"- but you'll only spend ~15-20 a person at sit-downs- same prices as a Disney counter. It's nice.

 

[Minnesota!]

You can pool hop to any of the 5 resorts- not a problem, it's allowed.

You're at RPR, And Tchoup chop is best on property- so that's a no brainer. Stick to Harry Potter for quick service, and even the in-park table service are way more affordable than Disney. Mythos and Finnegans are solid, confisco is "ok"- but you'll only spend ~15-20 a person at sit-downs- same prices as a Disney counter. It's nice.

Thanks! Honestly the only menus that have me excited are the Toothsome one and Cowfish. Everything else just seems pretty standard. Do I need reservations for those two?

 

[Andysol]

Thanks! Honestly the only menus that have me excited are the Toothsome one and Cowfish. Everything else just seems pretty standard. Do I need reservations for those two?

Neither take reservations. Tchoup Chop isn't standard- give that a crack. The others are pretty standard.