Disney vs Universal with teen boy....

[orlandonewstarts]

Looking for a bit of advice here. Taking DS to Orlando for the first time in January 2014. I have talked to him about Disney for a year now and he keeps saying "Mom I'm to old for that and its not cool".

So I have been looking at everything I can find on Universal and thought that might be the best option. At 15 I don't think teen boys get excited about much stuff.

I have airfair already booked and paid for. SO I have been pricing out hotels, tickets, dining options etc. I will admit I was a bit shocked. These are all figured with rack rates no pin codes or discounts.

Universal Studios:

3 day park to park from undercover $164.95 X 2 = $329.90
3 Days Meal Deal $50X3= $150
Transportation from Airport to hotel $100
Food Expenses not covered by meal deal $100
Hotel 4 nights at Royal Pacific on site- $183.20 X 4 = $838.14 with tax
Total $1518.04

Disney

Package through their site:

4 Nights stay at value resort
Dining plan Quick Service
3 Day with Park Hopper
Transportation from airport to hotel

Total $1387 + $100 extra food since only 2 means included in quick service=

$1487


Ok so what am I missing here? I would love to go back to Disney but want to make this trip fun for him too. I realize the hotel difference here is huge - 1 is more a resort style and the other is a value no frills.

Any suggestions or advice? I have never been to Universal but have been to Disney years ago just wondering. We only get away every other year with our last trip being WI Dells for a week.

 

[pooch]

but DD works at Universal and, although I am a true WDW believer, I love going to Universal. I have to agree that WDW is a little thin on attractions for 15 year old boys and, when DS was 16, he enjoyed Universal more.

You are getting a better hotel for negligible cost different at Univ. I would let your son look at the 2 options and decide which he'd like more. Frankly all my son wanted to do was hang out at the pool & check out girls!!!

 

[Fluff724]

Staying at Universal you get the Express passes as well. Going to the front of every line at most rides as much as you want is great. We really loving staying at Universal since you can walk to both parks easily from your hotel and we get the express passes.

Also Royal Pacific is beautiful and way nicer than a Disney Value (although they are fun too).

I would recommend skipping the Universal Meal Deal though - we tried it once and actually found it was less expensive to just pay out of pocket.

 

[orlandonewstarts]

I looked at the meal deal menu and options posted here on Dis. I kind of liked the idea he could get 4 burgers and fries for instance if he wanted. LOL He eats like a teenager.

At 5'9 he only weighs 145lbs and eats 24/7. I wonder if I could just get the meal deal for him and I could just pay as I go since I don't eat that much.

 

[Ametista]

My son also refused to go to Disney, even when he was 10. He is now 17, and his favorite parks are (always have been!) 1. Busch Gardens 2. Islands of Adventure 3. SeaWorld (megacoasters there).

So my question for you is WHEN in January are you going? If you get there after about Jan 5 then the crowds are almost non-existent and you don't need to spend that much for your hotel, in fact even paying to rent a car and pay for parking at the parks you will still come out ahead. Plus that way you can do the Seaworld parks, or at least a day at Busch Gardens. If I were you I would my let my son peruse the websites of BG and SW and IOA and US, see what he wants, and go from there. Honestly if BG was in Orlando it would be the busiest park in town (after MK of course). They have a free shuttle too if you don't want to rent a car.

 

[Fluff724]

I looked at the meal deal menu and options posted here on Dis. I kind of liked the idea he could get 4 burgers and fries for instance if he wanted. LOL He eats like a teenager.

At 5'9 he only weighs 145lbs and eats 24/7. I wonder if I could just get the meal deal for him and I could just pay as I go since I don't eat that much.

That's a great idea! If you are eating more than one serving at a time it would be worth it.

 

[orlandonewstarts]

We will be there the last week of January. Right after the Harry Potter event at Universal which is fine with me. We might miss some of the crowds.

 

[jennyerin]

My 16 year old loves both Disney and Universal. For the extreme rides, Universal is his choice but for everything else - Disney. We do 1 day at Universal, 1 day at Sea World and the rest of the time at Disney and he is okay with that. There's only so many times you can go upside down in a row without getting a headache so one day at IOA is enough for him. Don't get me wrong, my son will maximize his ride time at Universal but he is always ready to leave at park closing which is much earlier than most nights at Disney. Now, he does enjoys shows and tamer rides as well so maybe he is unique One more thing - as to it being cool for a teenager, our local high school senior trip is to Disney every year with one day at Universal...

 

[asmit4]

The front of the line pass is worth its weight in gold and it's a MAJOR upgrade in hotel.

 

[rustyanchor]

i definitely think universal is better for a teenage boy. maybe you could throw in a day at hollywood studios to get your disney fix?

 

[wiigirl]

The front of the line pass is worth its weight in gold and it's a MAJOR upgrade in hotel.

 

[natebenma]

My teen (age 15) prefers Universal- he loves the thrill rides. We did a split stay in July.

 

[luvmy3]

My almost 13 year old has definitely had enough Disney, and I'm pretty sure our trip this past August will be our last full Disney vacation. Next year we will most likely go to Universal and stay on-site. I will try to talk everyone into at least one day at MK but not sure if they will be willing to not spend one of our days at Universal.

 

[2girlsmom]

Agree that with that age, Universal is likely going to be MUCH more popular than Disney. The Uni hotel is MUCH nicer than the value Disney and the express passes are wonderful. I would definitely look at buying him the meal deal one day at a time, decide if he cares for it, a fair number of restaurants don't participate, and it is our experience that the dine deal is NOT much of a deal for most, though may be for a boy who eats all the time, I suppose. I would definitely NOT get the dine deal for yourself, though, as pretty sure you could do better without it for food costs.

 

[agavegirl1]

I absolutely agree that US/IOA is the best choice for a 15 yo boy. I went to Orlando with my then 15 yo DD and 14 yo DS. We had previously been to WDW. They did not miss WDW in the least. DS had a blast with the roller coasters. He hates lines but actually waited 30 minutes for a front seat on Hulk. His sister opted out since she had just ridden it and wanted to wait a bit. I was flabbergasted. We stayed at Hard Rock and the kids loved hanging at the pool for a break in the afternoon. Everything is walking distance and the Express Pass is worth its weight in gold!

 

[shelemm]

The only thing that matters here is what the boy wants. Plenty of teenagers prefer Disney. (Mine, for instance).

IOA is a really good park now that WWOHP has opened. You will have a great time there.

US has too many motion simulators for my taste. Don't do Despicable Me/Simpsons/Transformers back-to-back. Your stomach may never forgive you. Aside from the crass entertainment, it is mostly a half day park if staying onsite.

When in doubt, go to IOA first.

 

[2girlsmom]

The only thing that matters here is what the boy wants. Plenty of teenagers prefer Disney. (Mine, for instance).

IOA is a really good park now that WWOHP has opened. You will have a great time there.

US has too many motion simulators for my taste. Don't do Despicable Me/Simpsons/Transformers back-to-back. Your stomach may never forgive you. Aside from the crass entertainment, it is mostly a half day park if staying onsite.

When in doubt, go to IOA first.

My teens still love Disney, but they are sentimental girls, they like the "feeling" of Disney. My 15 year old ride chicken likes that she wants to ride ALMOST everything at Disney (won't ride ToT or RnR, usually not Everest and NEVER Space Mountain), vs having a fair number of rides she refuses at both USF and IOA. But she still LOVES both Universal parks. And I am 43 but have NO problem doing the sim rides back to back and over and over again. We have been on express passes this summer when we rode Transformers (including my ride chicken, it's her new favorite) 6 times in the morning, as well as both DM and Simpsons(2x) before noon, so not everyone is bothered by that. We are locals and can spend full days per park, even with express.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Not sure if your post is about comparing prices, but I don't think a Disney value is a fair comparison to Royal Pacific. Probably more like the Contemporary than a value, if only for the distance and walkability factor to the parks. Have fun whatever you choose!

 

[powellrj]

My kids would pick Universal for the hotels alone, plus they love the rides! Front of the line is wonderful!

 

[KorbensMomma]

The only problem I see is once you stay on property you will never want to wait in lines again. It's only a $35 difference, and it will be an amazingly different vacation.
I love Disney, but I love not standing in lines more. RPR is one if the top 3 hotels I have ever stayed in. PBH is even better. Remember at universal you can pool hop and HRH & PBH have hot tubs and slides.
It is a whole new ball game from staying in a Disney Value. Just the express pass is worth it. There are a lot of thrill rides he might enjoy.

If it was me I would definitely choose universal, especially if he hasn't been yet.

But I do love Disney and try to at least get 2 days a year.