Disney/Universal--how many days at each?

[schumigirl]

I'm still torn after reading all the reviews. If we do stay at Universal, we'd probably want either PBR or Hard Rock. At Disney, we are renting a 2 Bedroom at Bay Lake Tower. Just wondering which would be the best? HR or PBR? Pretty sure my 15 year old would prefer the Hard Rock hotel.

Check the stickies out........they have pictures of both hotels.

See which appeals most to you, both nice hotels so you'll enjoy whichever one you stay at.

 

[damo]

I'm still torn after reading all the reviews. If we do stay at Universal, we'd probably want either PBR or Hard Rock. At Disney, we are renting a 2 Bedroom at Bay Lake Tower. Just wondering which would be the best? HR or PBR? Pretty sure my 15 year old would prefer the Hard Rock hotel.

If your accommodations are the most important thing, then staying in the 2 bedroom at Bay Lake Tower will probably be more comfortable. If your entertainment is the most important thing, then staying at Universal will be more enjoyable. It is that type of decision.

We enjoy PBH more than HRH just because the food is better for us and the atmosphere is more quiet. HRH is a lovely hotel, though, and very close to the park.

 

[quhawk]

We went in January to Disney and had a great time, but because we had a package that included dining, and paid quite a lot for the resort (Polynesian), we didn't end up including Universal. Our kids will be close to 9 on our next trip and I thought it would be neat to stay a few days at both, or at least go to both. My question is, for those who stay at both resorts, how many days fo you stay at each? Trying to decide if we should simply stay at Disney at Bay Lake Tower for the entire trip, or try PFB for a 2-3 nights?

We are a party of 6 (2 adults and 4 kids) so that will be a factor in where we can stay. I know we would be giving up ME if we move to Universal for transport home, and a kitchen, as we are staying in a villa this time.

2 days. We just returned from 7 day trip, where we stayed at WDW and did those parks for 6 days. It was busy at both WDW and Universal, due to breaks/marathon/etc.
If you get the EXPRESS PASS you can probably do it in one day. Since we were only planning one day at Universal, including both parks, that ran us about $600+. I wanted the ExpPass, but that would have cost us $1k for a day in the park. Borderline ridiculous.
If i were to do it all over, i'd do 2 days, without the express pass, and focus on 1 park per day.
Wasn't a huge fan of WDW's new FP+, but now i am after seeing both and then figuring out how to use FP+ properly with the app (we used about 10/day the last 3 days...) Universal's is great for speed getting on the rides....if you want to shell out the cash.
Think of it this way...if you are next in line to ride the HULK let's say, in theory 2500 people with Express Passes can show up and they'll let them ALL on the ride before a non-express pass.

 

[schumigirl]

Think of it this way...if you are next in line to ride the HULK let's say, in theory 2500 people with Express Passes can show up and they'll let them ALL on the ride before a non-express pass.

That's not the way it works.

The queues are BOTH let in so many at a time. Always has worked that way.

We have been stopped in EP queue many times to let the regular queue take their turn.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

I would allow for two full days in the Universal parks, especially if your kids are Harry Potter fans. There is so much to see and experience at Diagon Alley beyond just the rides. And be sure to take the Hogwarts Express train in both directions (requires park to park ticket) as the experience is different each way. We loved having the express pass, we stayed at Royal Pacific which we also loved, we had a party of five and had connecting rooms.

 

[dmanwi]

We went to Universal over Thanksgiving 2016. We are use touring plans and do comando-style touring. We spent one day each at USF and IOA. Each day we were done by 5pm and only skipped a few of the roller coasters. We enjoyed it but much less than Disney. I think I would go crazy if I had to spend a third day at Universal.

 

[luvsJack]

Thank you! I have been before--years ago, and my older son more recently with his Dad. We didn't go this trip specifically because we knew they did not meet the height requirements for the two big roller coasters. Two of our triplets LOVE thrill rides, but one does not at all. He hated Dinosaur, freaked out during "It's Tough to Be a Bug", and had a panic attack while he and I (only 2) tried the mild version of Mission Space. We didn't make it through the doors. He started to cry on Tower of Terror, but fortunately his big brother calmed him down. I honestly don't see him enjoying
Universal. I also found most of the simulator rides made me sick to my stomach. That said, the other 3 boys will love Spider-Man & Transformers. My older son loves Harry Potter, but the younger ones just aren't into it yet. They still really like Mickey and the characters, which makes me think we should wait a bit longer. DH keeps saying it's going to be a few years before we go back, but...we're already going back a year later. Lol. Pretty sure Universal will still be there when they are in Middle School and might enjoy it more. Anyway, I could be completely wrong. We have thought about Lego land, but pretty sure my 15 year old can't do anything there. So...I'm leaning toward just staying put, but now thinking I at least should consider s split stay at an Epcot it AKL resort if we do.

Does your child that doesn't like thrill rides like dinosaurs or certain characters (not Disney)? What about the minions? There is a lot to do without ever riding a ride (I don't do thrill rides either). There are some pretty cool shows throughout Universal. If your kids have watched a HP movie, they may be pretty impressed with Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, your older son will definitely love it. If you have time to watch the movies before your trip and your younger kids take an interest, I would do so. Hours could be spent just going through those two parts of the parks and taking it all in.

Your 3 that do like thrill rides are great ages to enjoy Universal to the fullest and as long as someone can do other things with the your non-thrill seeker, he could have a great time too.

I wouldn't base your choice over your child not liking rides. He may never like them. I am 54 and don't like a lot of them. But I absolutely love Universal.

 

[have2getaway]

Does your child that doesn't like thrill rides like dinosaurs or certain characters (not Disney)? What about the minions? There is a lot to do without ever riding a ride (I don't do thrill rides either). There are some pretty cool shows throughout Universal. If your kids have watched a HP movie, they may be pretty impressed with Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, your older son will definitely love it. If you have time to watch the movies before your trip and your younger kids take an interest, I would do so. Hours could be spent just going through those two parts of the parks and taking it all in.

Your 3 that do like thrill rides are great ages to enjoy Universal to the fullest and as long as someone can do other things with the your non-thrill seeker, he could have a great time too.

I wouldn't base your choice over your child not liking rides. He may never like them. I am 54 and don't like a lot of them. But I absolutely love Universal.

My older son went to Universal/Disney with his Dad last month, and we met up with him at Disney. He LOVES Harry Potter, and said the HP stuff was his favorite.

Yes, our younger boys like the Minions and super hero stuff so I would expect there will be some stuff that he will still enjoy at Universal. The strange thing is, he loved Snow White Mine Train, Space Mountain, and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but didn't like Rock n Roller Coaster, Dinosaur or Tough to be a bug. I think it's certain things, specifically, that scare him.

 

[Planogirl]

We split our time between Disney and Universal. We basically have two parks that we like at WDW (MK and AK) and with the two at Universal that's a draw to us. If we get a hopper we'll add Epcot.

How much time you spend really depends on your own preferences. If someone likes pools or side attractions or dining and so on, you might need more time at either one.

 

[macraven]

We are going the second week in January. Is this considered off-season?

I have done UO the second week of January two years ago and crowds were not bad

 

[EveDallas]

2 days. We just returned from 7 day trip, where we stayed at WDW and did those parks for 6 days. It was busy at both WDW and Universal, due to breaks/marathon/etc.
If you get the EXPRESS PASS you can probably do it in one day. Since we were only planning one day at Universal, including both parks, that ran us about $600+. I wanted the ExpPass, but that would have cost us $1k for a day in the park. Borderline ridiculous.
If i were to do it all over, i'd do 2 days, without the express pass, and focus on 1 park per day.
Wasn't a huge fan of WDW's new FP+, but now i am after seeing both and then figuring out how to use FP+ properly with the app (we used about 10/day the last 3 days...) Universal's is great for speed getting on the rides....if you want to shell out the cash.
Think of it this way...if you are next in line to ride the HULK let's say, in theory 2500 people with Express Passes can show up and they'll let them ALL on the ride before a non-express pass.

Absolutely not true. A huge exaggeration.

 

[quhawk]

Absolutely not true. A huge exaggeration.

EveDallas...what part of the above is the huge exaggeration?

 

[macraven]

Homies, if this thread starts to go south, it will be closed

Use the pm system if you have questions for another poster on the thread


The thread is how many days are needed for UO and wdw

 

[EveDallas]

Homies, if this thread starts to go south, it will be closed

Use the pm system if you have questions for another poster on the thread


The thread is how many days are needed for UO and wdw

Sorry for going OT.

 

[luvsJack]

My older son went to Universal/Disney with his Dad last month, and we met up with him at Disney. He LOVES Harry Potter, and said the HP stuff was his favorite.

Yes, our younger boys like the Minions and super hero stuff so I would expect there will be some stuff that he will still enjoy at Universal. The strange thing is, he loved Snow White Mine Train, Space Mountain, and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but didn't like Rock n Roller Coaster, Dinosaur or Tough to be a bug. I think it's certain things, specifically, that scare him.

I would you-tube some rides at Universal and let him "test them out". And look at the maps of the parks and kind of determine who would like what. We are hoping to take our two oldest dgds next year and the oldest will be 9. I know she will still like Dr Seuss for instance so can plan to spend time there. But she will also like Diagon Alley and Gringotts. The younger one will spend time with me exploring while the others ride. Both will have a ball. These are just example for us, you would have to decide for your family.

We did 3 days last trip but wanted 4. Next time we will do 4. And 4 days at WDW would be sufficient for us, maybe 3 if we were doing both.