First timers..only 1 day. US or IOA? PLEASE HELP

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

We usually do just Disney but we haven't been in a very long time (except 2 day to US and Disneyland 5 years ago). We are going to try and just do 1 Disney park and 1 day at a universal park. My question is which universal park? We have 3 older boys (21, 18 and 12 at time of travel). They LOVE marvel and they love harry potter. It will be December when we go though so thinking maybe not IOS because of all the water rides? Any advice greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

[schumigirl]

If they love Marvel then IOA is the perfect choice......

There are three water rides and last December there were days it was in the mid to high 80’s and the water rides were busy! Plus you don’t need to go on them.

Check out the park maps.......then you can see which rides would suit your family best for one day......I couldn’t choose one over the other to be honest, but I can see with one day it makes sense to visit one park.

I will say, Forbidden Journey in IOA is one of the best rides ever, but I do prefer the Potter area in the Studios side.....so it really could be a toss of a coin for your family.......

 

[bchbetha]

I’d save up and get park to park tickets. Or ditch your Disney day. Your kids are the perfect age for all Universal.

 

[Silvermist999]

Definitely try to get park to park tickets, then you can pick and choose rides from both parks based on interest and time. If you can do it over 2 days, even better!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Look at the ride lists for both parks, and pick based on that.

Or honestly, just flip a coin because both parks are spectacular, and you'll have great ride / theme options either way.

 

[imprint]

The new Harry Potter ride, Hagrid's Motorbike, will be in IoA, so there's that to consider too.

 

[APH]

The Hogsmeade/Hogwarts area in IOA is very impressive but the Diagon Alley area at US is significantly larger and just extraordinary (technically the Harry Potter area at IOA may be larger because of the size of the Hogwarts Castle recreation housing the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride but the Hogsmeade area is less varied and creative than Diagon Alley).

Also, as someone who was born and lives near London’s King’s Cross, I loved the recreation of the station. Not completely authentic, of course, but the little touches such as the realistic announcements and ticking over departure board with real place names such as Finsbury Park and Hadley Wood were wonderful.

Edit:
Bear in mind, though, that not only will you miss one Harry Potter area if you pick just one park, but you will also not be able to ride the Hogwart’s Express between them.

 

[TallandGoofy]

Based on your group and what they love: Islands of Adventure. Even if it's too cold for some of the water rides, there is still plenty to do and it hits both your Marvel and Harry Potter needs.