Disney/universal trip

[HairyChest]

I LOVE Portofino bay. I would do 2 nights there. My favorite is Disney a couple days, universal a couple days, then Disney for a whole week and a half.
if that’s not possible I’d do universal first for a couple days then disney (if magical express was still a thing in 2022 I’d do universal last because getting off the plane and going on magical express is a wonderful experience). You will get your fill of universal in 2 days especially with express pass and then will really look forward to Disney.

 

[Darcy03231]

First time we did the Universal portion first. That was the last time we did that! Once we got to Disney the kids wanted to go back to Universal. They loved the no waiting in line (we stayed at the Hard Rock and had express passes), liked the fact that the pace was slower and we got plenty of pool/resort time in, and thought the rides were better (I have thrill ride junkies). I also have found that I'm more relaxed when we get home and don't need a vacation from my vacation when we do the Universal portion last.

 

[jimmymc]

I'm back from my split stay!

Universal was amazing, and having express pass makes it so much more amazing. The fact that Universal sells deluxe hotels for less money than Disney, and includes Express Pass, is insane and a great value for families. Get it.

Universal with Express Pass is also very tiring, since you're walking all day. So because of that I would recommend doing it first in the trip.

 

[Macprincess]

I understand your husband thinking it is easier to stay put in one resort and not wanting to pack up and move resorts. In addition to possibly spending the extra money on a Universal Hotel. For a newbie it can often be a difficult concept to grasp why anyone would want the extra hassle or expense.

When doing a Orlando theme park vacation you really need to understand that time standing in a line is not money well spent. You mentioned that your traveling with teens for a 9-10 day trip. I'm going out on a limb and guessing since this is a longer vacation that you will be traveling during a school vacation time. Which equals crowds.

A simple google search of average wait time at Universal Orland showed me this:

Average wait times Universal Orlando
http://www.disboards.com/javascript:void(0)
When Universal Orlando is busy. During Universal’s busiest periods of the year, the average wait time at the popular attractions (like The Incredible Hulk Coaster) can climb to 90 minutes, while the headlining rides (like Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem) can have waits of over 120 minutes.

At Universal's parks there are two ways to get around these long waits. Either spend a boat load of cash on pass (per person) that allows you one front of the line pass per ride. Or book a premium hotel room on site which lets you have front of the line passes on all but a few Harry Potter attractions for as many times as you would like. Also, you are granted early entrance into their parks so often you can get the Harry Potter highlights done before the park is open to the rest of the general public. With a family it is often less pricey to at least book one night at a Universal Premium Resort. The front of the line passes are good for both check in and check out days. Even if the room is not available when the parks open you can swing by the front desk and pick up the passes and go straight to the parks.

I know this all sounds a bit complicated, but honestly it makes for an amazing trip to the Universal Parks. It also really stinks to be standing in long hot lines sweating watching people who can zip right by you and get to the front of the line. Maybe you can find a way to cut corners somewhere else on you vacation to make this work.

Best of Luck with your planning.

 

[jimmymc]

I understand your husband thinking it is easier to stay put in one resort and not wanting to pack up and move resorts. In addition to possibly spending the extra money on a Universal Hotel. For a newbie it can often be a difficult concept to grasp why anyone would want the extra hassle or expense.

When doing a Orlando theme park vacation you really need to understand that time standing in a line is not money well spent. You mentioned that your traveling with teens for a 9-10 day trip. I'm going out on a limb and guessing since this is a longer vacation that you will be traveling during a school vacation time. Which equals crowds.

A simple google search of average wait time at Universal Orland showed me this:

Average wait times Universal Orlando
http://www.disboards.com/javascript:void(0)
When Universal Orlando is busy. During Universal’s busiest periods of the year, the average wait time at the popular attractions (like The Incredible Hulk Coaster) can climb to 90 minutes, while the headlining rides (like Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem) can have waits of over 120 minutes.

At Universal's parks there are two ways to get around these long waits. Either spend a boat load of cash on pass (per person) that allows you one front of the line pass per ride. Or book a premium hotel room on site which lets you have front of the line passes on all but a few Harry Potter attractions for as many times as you would like. Also, you are granted early entrance into their parks so often you can get the Harry Potter highlights done before the park is open to the rest of the general public. With a family it is often less pricey to at least book one night at a Universal Premium Resort. The front of the line passes are good for both check in and check out days. Even if the room is not available when the parks open you can swing by the front desk and pick up the passes and go straight to the parks.

I know this all sounds a bit complicated, but honestly it makes for an amazing trip to the Universal Parks. It also really stinks to be standing in long hot lines sweating watching people who can zip right by you and get to the front of the line. Maybe you can find a way to cut corners somewhere else on you vacation to make this work.

Best of Luck with your planning.

I am completely spoiled from staying at Royal Pacific. Everything uses Express Pass except Hagrid's, which you can get in line for without a virtual queue during early admission, and get an additional virtual line pass.

 

[isabellea]

Just booked a split stay for our Spring break 2022 (Feb25-March 5). We have decided to start with WDW since we are driving (24h drive) and we have visited WDW so many times that we don't mind missing a few attractions because we are tired the first day. For now, I booked ASMo since our favourite moderate is not yet available but I'm looking at offsite hotels since staying onsite has no real benefits anymore (we prefer driving to the parks except MK). So far, I haven't found anything cheaper that is close enough or fully refundable. Then, we will transfer to Royal Pacific for 2 nights and 2 days at the parks (park-to-park tickets) and enjoy the Express Pass that comes with our hotel room. It will be our first time at Universal with the kids (DH and I went when I was pregnant with my oldest so I couldn't enjoy most of the rides then) and I think it will be a fun way to finish our trip.

 

[firstwdw]

One night in one of the resorts = 2 days of express. You could check out on day 2, enjoy the parks, and then head to Disney. (that's what we do)

Will Universal store all your belongings and then when you are ready to move to Disney, do you just get an Uber?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Will Universal store all your belongings and then when you are ready to move to Disney, do you just get an Uber?

Yup!

 

[jimmymc]

Will Universal store all your belongings and then when you are ready to move to Disney, do you just get an Uber?

Yes and yes, right next to the check in desks.

 

[Twitterpaited]

Which do you think the kids will enjoy more? Do that last. If you do it first, the other will be a disappointment.