Do you think my family would like Universal Studios?

[elainesj]

Should we stick with WDW which we love or try out US? There's dd 10, ds 9, dh and myself.

We will be in Fort Lauderdale for a RCCL cruise in March 2012. Last weekend, I was moaning about not being able to do WDW next yr because we are cruising instead. DH shocked me by suggesting we go a few days earlier and spend 2-3 days in WDW!

But...because it's such a short time, I'm not sure if WDW is worth it, kwim? Our plan is to arrive in Orlando Thursday night, spend Fri and Sat at a park and then drive out to Fort Lauderdale late afternoon on Sunday for our cruise on Monday. 2 day tix are about $160 for WDW or $100 for US (per person) so $640 vs $400. This would be during the 2nd weekend of March when it's starting to get close to peak season.

We all LOVE WDW. We went for the first time in Oct for a quick weekend with 2 park days and got so hooked we headed back again in January for a 10 day trip which was perfect.

DS is 48 inches but does not do thrill rides. Big Thunder is his speed. DD enjoys thrill rides and adored EE and RnRC. DH gets dizzy easy and doesn't do well on any kind of coaster or motion simulator (well..he was only a little shaken by Goofy's Barnstormer and rerode it a few times but Mission Space left him dizzy) but enjoys all the other rides and shows (Buzz and TSM, Soarin', Test Track, etc). I like everything We all love the parades, the fireworks, and the incredible shows and productions. We really prefer doing as many rides together as possible but do expect to separate for several rides.

Based on our preferences above, do you think there is enough for my family at US to enjoy 2 days there? Would we be able to do enough together? Would we find ourselves missing the "Disney magic"? I should add that none of us are major Harry Potter fans. I `ve read one books and seen bits and pieces of one or two movies. My kids have seen bits and pieces of the various movies. We can take it or leave it. If we went to IoA, we would do Harry Potter just to say we did it and enjoy the theming on its own merit.

I was on the US site and lots of the rides and attractions sounded fun. I just wonder if we would find ourselves missing the Disney "experience". We're spending this summer doing our local theme parks. We've gone/will be going to Cedar Point, Canada's Wonderland, and King's Island multiple times over the summer. So if US is like those, I can pass on it, kwim? While we are enjoying those parks, it's nothing like Disney. I miss Fastpass. I miss knowing how long load times are and how to efficiently tour the park. I miss thinking a half hour is a crazy long wait. (at Wonderland in particular - pretty much everything is a 30-45 min or more wait - even on a slow school day! We just practice being patient).

Plus most of the time at these parks, DH spends his time sitting by the ride or taking DS on antique cars or wandering around the arcade. Or he heads out of the park by himself to do whatever leaving me with the kids (we have season passes so we pop in and out). I get nervous because I read of people saying that they prefer Disney because they can ride together as a family whereas they split up more at Universal.

Even dh keeps saying how much better our time at Disney was. I was shocked considering he`s very laidback and low key about these trips we take.

Still, I can't help thinking this is a good opportunity to experience US - which we are unlikely to do if we take longer trips to Orlando. Disney tix are so affordable when doing longer trips. I just want to make sure my DH has a good time and can do most rides instead of just sitting around waiting.

 

[patster734]

Simple question: Does anyone in your family enjoy Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Popeye The Sailor Man, Duddley Do Right, SpiderMan, X-Men, Captain America, Hulk, Dr. Suess, Sindbad the Sailor, Shrek, Terminator, The Simpsons, MIB, Beatlejuice, comic books, cartoons, ET, Earthquake, fun restaurants, Blues Brothers, horror movies, watching animals perform, Fear Factor, Twister (the movie), Lucille Ball, The Mummy movies, Scooby Doo, Madagascar, Curious George, Fievel the mouse, Barney the Dinosaur, Jaws, dragons, or Woody Woodpecker?

If you answered yes to any of these, then you should enjoy US.

 

[LUVIOA]

I would suggest giving it a try. Stay onsite and get the full "Universal Experience".

Disney's fastpass system will seem archaic and you'll be yearning to be back at Universal when you're timing getting your passes and waiting to use your little piece of paper.

Just imagine unlimited fastpasses from Disney, use them any time you want and go as many times in a row as you want. THAT is the Universal staying onsite Express Pass experience. It's an amazing vacation that is completely different from Disney. Perfect for your limited number of days you have to spend there.

 

[OTBC86]

My family prefers Universal Studios to any of the Disney parks. I guess it all just comes down to personal taste but I am surprised how many people seem unsure about it.

 

[elainesj]

My worry is that US seems to have so many motion simulator rides that makes DH sick. I'm worried there won't be as much for him to do there and he will just sit on the sidelines to watch us the whole time, kwim? Or else we'll have to split up for most of our time.

I read one review by a US fan who really, really liked it. Then he tried Disney with his 5/6 yr old kids and found he could experience so much together as a family instead of splitting up all the time.

Thanks for listing all the rides there - I'm trying to get a sense of what each ride involves so I know how many of them my DH can ride. Most simulators make him nauseous although he can handle Mission Space Green pretty OK. He loves Soarin, Test Track, Splash Mountain and all the little boat rides.

That said, it would be really nice to try out US and see something different on a short trip because I know if we have a longer trip, we'll for sure do only Disney. I just want to make sure US is different enough from Cedar Point, Canada's Wonderland, etc etc because we're already doing those a LOT this summer, kwim?

 

[disneyholic family]

we hate universal and I0A, but i'd still say you should give it a try once...
we gave it two tries, two different years, hated it both times..
but still we gave it a chance...you might like it..

stay on property at one of the 3 hotels so that you get front of the line privileges (like fast pass, but based on your room key)...

your DH is like me, so he'll have to avoid many of the universal/ioa rides, but there's still some fun stuff there..

and this way you'll know what you're missing or not missing..

here's a list of the attractions i enjoy at Universal: Men in Black, Monster Makeup show (very funny), Jaws (corny but fun)

that's all i remember liking at universal (i can't ride several of the big rides there because of motion sickness problems)..

at IoA the rides i like are: Dudley doorite, Pluto, Jurasic park, also the jursaic park visitor center (whatever it's called),
i haven't see HP yet, but i assume i'll enjoy the theming - though i won't be able to ride forbidden journey because of motion sickness..

i can't ride any of the other rides at IoA...

but still we'll be going again this year for one day, just to see harry potter...
(i'm taking a room so that we'll get front of the line and early opening)..

anyway....you might like universal, you might not...but you should try it and see...

 

[alohamom]

I think the OP is correct in that you will only ever know if you give it a go. WE did it this May because of WWoHP and it was fun. HP was awesome but we didn't LOVE the rest. Partially because of all the simulator rides, partially because we did have to split up to ride rides (daughter wanted to ride the Hulk but not Spiderman, son wanted to ride Spiderman but was afraid to ride the Hulk-you get the idea)Another big factor for me personally was I grew up idolizing Walt disney and the characters so I have this Disney magic thing. I have no emotional attachment to Popeye, Spiderman, the Simpsons, Betty Boop etc and it just didnt spark for me. Dont get me wrong the rides were fun and we enjoyed but I really doubt we will go back, unless they expand WWoHP. Just my opinion...

 

[Bluer101]

we hate universal and I0A, but i'd still say you should give it a try once...
we gave it two tries, two different years, hated it both times..
but still we gave it a chance...you might like it..

That's pretty strong words.

I prefer Universal over Disney but would never use the word hate.

 

[jacksg@l]

I would suggest giving it a try. Stay onsite and get the full "Universal Experience".

Disney's fastpass system will seem archaic and you'll be yearning to be back at Universal when you're timing getting your passes and waiting to use your little piece of paper.

Just imagine unlimited fastpasses from Disney, use them any time you want and go as many times in a row as you want. THAT is the Universal staying onsite Express Pass experience. It's an amazing vacation that is completely different from Disney. Perfect for your limited number of days you have to spend there.

 

[Badge]

I would give it a try! We used to be HUGE Disney fans ( I have been to WDW 14 times), but over the past three years, we have been doing Universal because we enjoy it so much more!

I noticed one of your worries is not having the Fastpass system. Well, don't worry! Universal's Express pass system is a LOT better IMO. Stay at one of the On-site hotels. This makes your room key an express pass. Simply show your room key at the front of nearly every ride, and you will be on the ride in about 5 minutes. No need to wait for a return time or anything like that. Want to ride Men In Black 5 times in a row? No problem, 5 times will take you less than an hour! Also, if price is a worry, you could stay one night at the hotel and then stay offsite on Sat before you leave for your cruise. You get Express passes the day you check in and the day you check out, so one night of hotel gives you TWO days of Express!

As far as rides go, the only "simulators" they have are Simpsons, Spiderman, and the HP FJ ride. Shrek is a 4D show where the seats move back and forth (like when a horse is running on the screen, your seat will act like your on the horse and bounce back and forth slightly). Shrek is in a big theather, so not much movement happens becuase of lack of space between the seats.

I think there will be enough rides and shows for your family to experince together. Based on what you have said, I think you should all be able to do the following:

Studios:
Shrek
Twister
Diaster
Jaws
Men In Black (think Buzz Lightyear ride at Disney)
ET
T2 3D
Hollywood Horror Makeup Show

IOA:
Cat in the Hat
High in the Sky Suess Trolly
Posideon Adventure
Sindbad Show
Jurrasic Park (a ride like Splash Mountain with only drop...slightly taller)
Dudley Do Right (another like Splash Mountain)
Popeye (family boat ride like Kali River Rapids)


Now some other rides you MIGHT think about. The Mummy is an AMAZING ride! It is a indoor rollercoaster that is about the same intensity as Big Thunder Mountain. The max speed is around 35 MPH, has no loops or big drops. Its mostly turns that go up and down.

Another ride would be Spiderman and the HP FJ ride. Both of these are one of a kind experinces. Spiderman is like Dinosaur except the instead of seeing dinosaurs around you, you see Spiderman and the villians on a screen. This ride *can* cause some motion sickness in some people. However, its a different kind if that is possible. My sister can not do Mission Space (threw up right after getting off) and rides like Star Tours, but she has NO problems riding Spiderman and HP FJ.

I think you will enjoy it! Give it a try. 2 days is not enough for Disney, but it just enough time for Universal!

 

[jarrdisney]

Your experience will be what you make of it. Go in with a great attitude, rather than doubt, and you should have a great time. Based on your information, your family should be able to enjoy almost ALL the attractions, save a few like Hulk and Dragon Challenge. Do yourself a favor and watch some of the movies like Terminator, Jaws, Shrek, Harry Potter, etc with your family before you go, and DEFINITELY stay on site. The unlimited express pass you recieve is NOTHING like fast pass. It is what it says. Unlimited and whenever you want. Your room key is the pass. Anyone that compares it to fastpass is doing it a disservice. The onsite hotels are nicer than ANY hotel at WDW, besides the themeing, and even that is debateable. Did I mention that they're also cheaper? You might want to invest in one AP for the room discount, but either way a room at Royal Pacific will be about $100 less a night than most deluxe hotels. Have a great time either way!

 

[nytimez]

Give it a shot. People who wear "Disney blinders" may not enjoy it -- but these are top-notch parks far superior to just about anything other than Disney.

 

[macraven]

I would give it a try! We used to be HUGE Disney fans ( I have been to WDW 14 times), but over the past three years, we have been doing Universal because we enjoy it so much more!

I noticed one of your worries is not having the Fastpass system. Well, don't worry! Universal's Express pass system is a LOT better IMO. Stay at one of the On-site hotels. This makes your room key an express pass. Simply show your room key at the front of nearly every ride, and you will be on the ride in about 5 minutes. No need to wait for a return time or anything like that. Want to ride Men In Black 5 times in a row? No problem, 5 times will take you less than an hour! Also, if price is a worry, you could stay one night at the hotel and then stay offsite on Sat before you leave for your cruise. You get Express passes the day you check in and the day you check out, so one night of hotel gives you TWO days of Express!

As far as rides go, the only "simulators" they have are Simpsons, Spiderman, and the HP FJ ride. Shrek is a 4D show where the seats move back and forth (like when a horse is running on the screen, your seat will act like your on the horse and bounce back and forth slightly). Shrek is in a big theather, so not much movement happens becuase of lack of space between the seats.

I think there will be enough rides and shows for your family to experince together. Based on what you have said, I think you should all be able to do the following:

Studios:
Shrek
Twister
Disaster
Jaws
Men In Black (think Buzz Lightyear ride at Disney)
ET
T2 3D
Hollywood Horror Makeup Show

IOA:
Cat in the Hat
High in the Sky Suess Trolly
Posideon Adventure
Sindbad Show
Jurrasic Park (a ride like Splash Mountain with only drop...slightly taller)
Dudley Do Right (another like Splash Mountain)
Popeye (family boat ride like Kali River Rapids)


Now some other rides you MIGHT think about. The Mummy is an AMAZING ride! It is a indoor rollercoaster that is about the same intensity as Big Thunder Mountain. The max speed is around 35 MPH, has no loops or big drops. Its mostly turns that go up and down.

Another ride would be Spiderman and the HP FJ ride. Both of these are one of a kind experinces. Spiderman is like Dinosaur except the instead of seeing dinosaurs around you, you see Spiderman and the villians on a screen. This ride *can* cause some motion sickness in some people. However, its a different kind if that is possible. My sister can not do Mission Space (threw up right after getting off) and rides like Star Tours, but she has NO problems riding Spiderman and HP FJ.

I think you will enjoy it! Give it a try. 2 days is not enough for Disney, but it just enough time for Universal!

great post.


you forgot Animal Planet show, great for the family.
each show is a little different depending on the guests in the show and what the animals will really do.....


add the Lucy Tribute to the studios side.
entire family can enjoy the videos on the screens in that place.

the street celebrity characters are awesome !
check with guest services on the times they will be out.

at IOA also try the interactive walk around section cross from the seuss store for the family.
our family did it and it was fun.

spend time with the Mystic Fountain.
it talks..............
and can squirt water if you are standing in front of it.


Jurassic Discovery might be enjoyable as the entire family can do that together.

 

[Metro West]

That's pretty strong words.

I prefer Universal over Disney but would never use the word hate.

I agree...I don't love or hate either resort.

Anyway...OP...check out YouTube for ride videos and you will get a very good idea of what to expect. There are several attractions that offer stationary seating if motion sickness is an issue.

Word of warning: If you go with the idea of comparing everything to Disney, you will not have a good time and it will be a waste of money.

Go with an open mind and forget the Disney "magic" for a few days. Universal has its own unique "magic".

 

[MrsSparrow..]

No offence to the poster that said hate, but if you truly "hated" it, you wouldn't be posting on this section of the DIS. But like they said, you should give it a shot.

Word of warning: If you go with the idea of comparing everything to Disney, you will not have a good time and it will be a waste of money.

Go with an open mind and forget the Disney "magic" for a few days. Universal has its own unique "magic".

I was literally just about to post this, couldn't have said it better than myself. The countless reports I've read that compare every aspect of Universal to Disney - it will ruin it. If you search for a reason to dislike something, you will find one.

If you decide to visit Universal OP, go with an open mind. It is not Disneyworld, and it doesn't try to be

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Nearly everyone who has tried Universal/IOA feel Harry Potter is the #1 ride in the world and Spiderman is #2.....or the other way around. That's reason enough to give them a try.

I'm like your son in that I don't like thrill rides and like your husband in not doing roller coasters. I also don't like to get wet so I don't do the water rides. But there is still so many other options that are truly first class rides; Men In Black and Disaster immediately come to mind and even the ancient ET and Jaws are cute.

So, since you asked, YES. You need to discover this place!

BobK/Orlando

 

[nytimez]

Nearly everyone who has tried Universal/IOA feel Harry Potter is the #1 ride in the world and Spiderman is #2.....or the other way around. That's reason enough to give them a try.

I'm like your son in that I don't like thrill rides and like your husband in not doing roller coasters. I also don't like to get wet so I don't do the water rides. But there is still so many other options that are truly first class rides; Men In Black and Disaster immediately come to mind and even the ancient ET and Jaws are cute.

So, since you asked, YES. You need to discover this place!

BobK/Orlando

Oh, I don't know about everyone Bob! For coaster fans, it's often Hulk vs. Dueling Dragons... and now, vs Rip, Ride, Rockit!

And personally, I actually think Mummy is better than Spider-Man.

 

[elainesj]

I would give it a try! We used to be HUGE Disney fans ( I have been to WDW 14 times), but over the past three years, we have been doing Universal because we enjoy it so much more!

I noticed one of your worries is not having the Fastpass system. Well, don't worry! Universal's Express pass system is a LOT better IMO. Stay at one of the On-site hotels. This makes your room key an express pass. Simply show your room key at the front of nearly every ride, and you will be on the ride in about 5 minutes. No need to wait for a return time or anything like that. Want to ride Men In Black 5 times in a row? No problem, 5 times will take you less than an hour! Also, if price is a worry, you could stay one night at the hotel and then stay offsite on Sat before you leave for your cruise. You get Express passes the day you check in and the day you check out, so one night of hotel gives you TWO days of Express!

As far as rides go, the only "simulators" they have are Simpsons, Spiderman, and the HP FJ ride. Shrek is a 4D show where the seats move back and forth (like when a horse is running on the screen, your seat will act like your on the horse and bounce back and forth slightly). Shrek is in a big theather, so not much movement happens becuase of lack of space between the seats.

I think there will be enough rides and shows for your family to experince together. Based on what you have said, I think you should all be able to do the following:

Studios:
Shrek
Twister
Diaster
Jaws
Men In Black (think Buzz Lightyear ride at Disney)
ET
T2 3D
Hollywood Horror Makeup Show

IOA:
Cat in the Hat
High in the Sky Suess Trolly
Posideon Adventure
Sindbad Show
Jurrasic Park (a ride like Splash Mountain with only drop...slightly taller)
Dudley Do Right (another like Splash Mountain)
Popeye (family boat ride like Kali River Rapids)


Now some other rides you MIGHT think about. The Mummy is an AMAZING ride! It is a indoor rollercoaster that is about the same intensity as Big Thunder Mountain. The max speed is around 35 MPH, has no loops or big drops. Its mostly turns that go up and down.

Another ride would be Spiderman and the HP FJ ride. Both of these are one of a kind experinces. Spiderman is like Dinosaur except the instead of seeing dinosaurs around you, you see Spiderman and the villians on a screen. This ride *can* cause some motion sickness in some people. However, its a different kind if that is possible. My sister can not do Mission Space (threw up right after getting off) and rides like Star Tours, but she has NO problems riding Spiderman and HP FJ.

I think you will enjoy it! Give it a try. 2 days is not enough for Disney, but it just enough time for Universal!

This is GREAT!! Thank u so much! This really helps give me a sense of what we can do in US. I have been looking up as many ride descriptions as possible and watched ride videos, but sometimes it's hard to get a strong sense of what's suitable for my hubby. Most descriptions are not targetted specifically to telling me if my motion-sensitive dh can ride it. e.g. I read Shrek seats move, but couldn't find anything that said how much it moves.

And yes, we definitely go places with an open mind and we always look to enjoy ourselves. I do like to research and ask questions so I know if the vacation is suitable for us and includes elements we know we'll enjoy. I do know US is not Disney and I'm hoping to figure out if it has enough elements that our family will like for this particular vacation experience, kwim? Right now, our vacation days are precious and we can't make it down to Florida as often as we would like. Hubby has asked to go back to Disney and I'm trying to figure out if uS would be a nice alternative and yet still offer what we are looking for.

The comparisons to Six Flags made me nervous as we are already doing Cedar Point, Canada"s Wonderland, etc this yr and we want this trip to be more Disney-like.

Keep your comments coming _ I appreciate it so much!

 

[Badge]

Oh, Universal is NOTHING like Six Flags or Cedar Point. Universal is just like Disney when it comes to its rides. Great themeing and storytelling unlike Six Flags where they just toss rides into different area of the park that have no meaning behind them.

If you decide to go, I think you will find yourself shocked at how much you enjoy it. Once you have stayed onsite and know what it is like to ride whatever ride you want, whenever you want to without having to wait more than 5 or 10 minutes (or wait for a return time like Fastpass), you will get spoiled just like we have . To us, while Disney is still fun and we do plan on going back, we do not see the point in spending the same amount of money (or more sometimes at Disney) to have to wait in lines that could be an hour or more. Our family LOVES Men In Black just like we LOVE the Buzz Lightyear ride at MK. However, at Universal we can ride MIB between 5-7 times in ONE hour during the busy summer months, but could only ride Buzz Lightyear twice in ONE hour at MK. The rides are about the same (shoot objects to get a score), but at Universal we can enjoy it more (get more for our money) than we can at Disney. I don't want this post to turn into another Disney vs. Universal debate in the fastpass and waiting areas, so I will just stop there.

I just really wanted to stress to you that this is NOT a Cedar Point or a Six Flags. It is just like Disney but with different rides and storys to be told.

 

[disneyholic family]

cedar point is an amusement park (as opposed to theme parks like WDW/universal) and there really is no comparison among amusement parks!
CP is THE greatest coaster park in the world, and pretty great in many other respects..

for us CP is a two day park (we always stay there overnight and spend 2 days)..
universal is a one day park for us