For those that have done a split WDW/Universal vacation....

[NewbieMouse]

Some background: We are going in May 2016 for the first time in 18 years! We go to DL in Anaheim every year over the holidays, and an opportunity to go to Orlando for 6 days has come up for us this May. The length of the trip is completely non-negotiable due to some other commitments - that I definitely can't change (this is a bit of a makeshift trip I'm squeezing in, but I'm so pumped!).

We have twin daughters who will be 12 at the time of our trip. They are Harry Potter enthusiasts, so naturally including Universal is a must for a trip to Orlando, and we have never been there. We will stay on site at Universal to get the front of the line pass. The big question is - how many days does it need? Our focus for WDW is MK and Hollywood, and if I get park hoppers I may work in Epcot after a mid-day break.

My initial thinking is 4 days WDW and 2 @ Universal. Does that sound right, or maybe 5 @ WDW and 1 @ Universal? I recognize that this is very subjective, but I thought some insight from those that may have had a similar situation could help me decide. We get a "Disney fix" every year at DLR, and probably won't be back in Orlando for a while (although that's what I said the first time we went to Anahiem).

Many thanks!

 

[crostorfer]

I am a firm believer that you need at least two full days, preferably two and a half or three, at Universal to see and do everything you want to do. Keep in mind you can't express pass every Harry Potter attraction, and you can easily lose 1/3 of a day waiting in line for Gringotts, more if the ride malfunctions, which it is prone to do. One day is simply not enough.

We LOVE Universal, and their resorts. You are going to have a great time.

 

[kwdw]

I think two days at Universal is good. One day for two HP Tweens probably isn't enough. Since you go to DL a lot, plan time for AKV while in FL. Three great shows, atmosphere, and some rides, AK is worth a day, too.

 

[johde]

Since you go to Disneyland frequently I not sure you need to worry too much about DHS. Most of the "big" attractions are also at DL or DCA (ToT, Star Tours, TSMM) I would think 2 days at Universal with hoppers (for Hogwarts Express), and 4 days at Disney: 2/3 of a day at AK, a 1 1/2 days at EPCOT, 1/2 day at DHS, and 1 1/3 days at MK.

 

[kkendle]

We have done split stays for several years between the 2 parks. We always do 2 full days at Universal and by staying onsite and getting the early morning entry and express passes....you will be fine with 2 days. There is a lot to see and do especially in the Harry Potter lands....if they only have early entry for 1 of the parks...definitely go...it is a crucial time since the Potter attractions do not have express. Have fun and let me know if you have any questions. We love Universal.

 

[BLLB]

2 days is plenty. We've done it twice. Huge Harry Potter fans. We stayed onsite. Got up early, went straight to Hogsmeade ( or Gringotts). Were able to enjoy both thoroughly and then moved on to the rest of the park. Note, we went during Spring Break, the Saturday before Easter Sunday. And we were able to do both easily.

 

[DisPup75]

My favorite trip length is 5 days at WDW (two of which are usually partial days) plus 2 full days at Universal. Staying onsite at Universal makes it easy to see everything, usually several times. We do hop around a lot at WDW but generally spend the equivalent of 2 days at MK and 1 day at each of the other three parks.

 

[asta]

We always do a two night stay at Universal and that gives us more than enough time to do everything in their parks.

 

[LuvDaisy&Minnie]

At least 2 days at universal for sure

 

[NewbieMouse]

Two days it is! Looks like I have some books to read

I am starting to think I should buy hoppers and just allocate a max of two days to MK. Posters are right - there is a lot of overlap with where we already go over Christmas. Pretty psyched about seeing the Country Bear Jamboree and Carousel of progress again, though - those take me waaaay back.!

 

[klmall]

Some background: We are going in May 2016 for the first time in 18 years! We go to DL in Anaheim every year over the holidays, and an opportunity to go to Orlando for 6 days has come up for us this May. The length of the trip is completely non-negotiable due to some other commitments - that I definitely can't change (this is a bit of a makeshift trip I'm squeezing in, but I'm so pumped!).

We have twin daughters who will be 12 at the time of our trip. They are Harry Potter enthusiasts, so naturally including Universal is a must for a trip to Orlando, and we have never been there. We will stay on site at Universal to get the front of the line pass. The big question is - how many days does it need? Our focus for WDW is MK and Hollywood, and if I get park hoppers I may work in Epcot after a mid-day break.

My initial thinking is 4 days WDW and 2 @ Universal. Does that sound right, or maybe 5 @ WDW and 1 @ Universal? I recognize that this is very subjective, but I thought some insight from those that may have had a similar situation could help me decide. We get a "Disney fix" every year at DLR, and probably won't be back in Orlando for a while (although that's what I said the first time we went to Anahiem).

Many thanks!

That's pretty much what we do now. After day visits to Universal from WDW we started going to WDW for 5 - 7 days and then 2 full days staying onsite at Universal. We always do Universal second because we like it after the craziness of Disney and FPs. I don't think we could visit Disney after US after being spoiled by the FOTL access at US. And I agree about 2 full days being enough at Universal. That's another reason we like staying onsite. Yes, it costs more to stay onsite but we can do all the attractions very quickly and go back and enjoy the room and repeat the attractions later. And after the fiasco of horrendous crowds in early December at Disney in '14 (our first bad early December experience out of several) and a totally horrible Osborne Lights evening we will probably skip WDW entirely and spend 3 - 4 days at Universal for our next trip in a few years.

 

[BLLB]

Just an FYI about Universal Express Pass. In our experience, it was not as "express" as I thought it would be. We have more than a few trips to Universal. There is just a separate line for Express Pass. Sometimes, the line is moving at a fast clip, other times, not so much. For example, we waited in the Express Line for the Minion ride for 45 minutes.

Not at all a deal breaker, just some information.

 

[NewbieMouse]

My favorite trip length is 5 days at WDW (two of which are usually partial days) plus 2 full days at Universal. Staying onsite at Universal makes it easy to see everything, usually several times. We do hop around a lot at WDW but generally spend the equivalent of 2 days at MK and 1 day at each of the other three parks.

That's pretty much what we do now. After day visits to Universal from WDW we started going to WDW for 5 - 7 days and then 2 full days staying onsite at Universal. We always do Universal second because we like it after the craziness of Disney and FPs. I don't think we could visit Disney after US after being spoiled by the FOTL access at US. And I agree about 2 full days being enough at Universal. That's another reason we like staying onsite. Yes, it costs more to stay onsite but we can do all the attractions very quickly and go back and enjoy the room and repeat the attractions later. And after the fiasco of horrendous crowds in early December at Disney in '14 (our first bad early December experience out of several) and a totally horrible Osborne Lights evening we will probably skip WDW entirely and spend 3 - 4 days at Universal for our next trip in a few years.

Sigh, I wish we could extend the trip one more day, but there's no way. And I don't want my daughters to feel ripped off with Universal - we will go back to DL every year, but Universal Harry Potter is likely a one-shot deal. Two days at Hard Rock, then!

 

[tinkermom_of_two]

FYI, one night at an on-site deluxe at Universal gets you two days of benefits-check in and check out days are included, so one night=two days of express pass.

 

[deannaf87]

I would do one night at Universal hotel and go to Universal on your check in and check out day. Then leave the rest for Disney. I would consider giving Animal Kingdom some love since it's so unique to WDW, but I might be biased as it's my favorite park.

 

[heidijanesmith]

HRH at US is our favorite for sure! US is so compact compared to WDW. The walk from HRH to US took me about 3-4min, I am a fast walker. The express pass that you get by staying at HRH is amazing and we found it to be very, very helpful. The only planning we do for US/IOA is the Harry Potter areas. Gringotts, Train and FJ are not Express rides, so we always hit IOA in the AM and then US in the AM and go to HP area 1st thing. The rest of US/IOA we just wing it, so much different than WDW.

Two days at US for us is a minimum, we are spending 4days this year. Our teen loves US/IOA and as more teen type rides at US and enjoys her stay.

We have rented a car and used a car service and prefer the car service. The car service will pick you up at the airport and take you to WDW. They pick you up from WDW and take you to US. And then take you from US back to the airport. We find it quick and easy to use the car service.

 

[NewbieMouse]

FYI, one night at an on-site deluxe at Universal gets you two days of benefits-check in and check out days are included, so one night=two days of express pass.

So on check in day, we would need to arrive and get the hotel stuff over with before park opening if we wanted to be there right at park opening, especially if that;s the EE day? And will they store your luggage on checkout day?

I would do one night at Universal hotel and go to Universal on your check in and check out day. Then leave the rest for Disney. I would consider giving Animal Kingdom some love since it's so unique to WDW, but I might be biased as it's my favorite park.

Our final day has us on a flight at 7 am out of MCO, so I still need to do 4/2. We arrive at MCO at 5pm so I don't think we could do any Disney that night. Oh, the unfairness of it all!

So on check in day, we would need to arrive and get the hotel stuff over with before park opening if we wanted to be there right at park opening? And will they store your luggage on checkout day?

HRH at US is our favorite for sure! US is so compact compared to WDW. The walk from HRH to US took me about 3-4min, I am a fast walker. The express pass that you get by staying at HRH is amazing and we found it to be very, very helpful. The only planning we do for US/IOA is the Harry Potter areas. Gringotts, Train and FJ are not Express rides, so we always hit IOA in the AM and then US in the AM and go to HP area 1st thing. The rest of US/IOA we just wing it, so much different than WDW.

Two days at US for us is a minimum, we are spending 4days this year. Our teen loves US/IOA and as more teen type rides at US and enjoys her stay.

We have rented a car and used a car service and prefer the car service. The car service will pick you up at the airport and take you to WDW. They pick you up from WDW and take you to US. And then take you from US back to the airport. We find it quick and easy to use the car service.

Definitely doing HRH - glad to hear the good feedback!

What is the car service? That sounds handy, as we will only need it for transport from MCO to WDW, WDW to US, and US to MCO. Renting a car is $150 + parking at US, so I'm curious how that would compare.

 

[illinidp]

So on check in day, we would need to arrive and get the hotel stuff over with before park opening if we wanted to be there right at park opening, especially if that;s the EE day? And will they store your luggage on checkout day?

Yes, that is what we just did. If you get there at 6:30 or 7:00 you can complete the check in, get resort IDs, and print your express passes to get into the park at 8. The walk from the HRH to US is very short. Two days with express passes is plenty of time - you can even do pretty much everything in one if you spend every minute in the parks. The three main HP rides don't have the express line so it's good to do one of the rides and the Hogwarts Express early the first morning and the other one early the second morning (you will want park-to-park tickets).

Bell services will be happy to check your bags on check-out day until you are ready to leave.

 

[Hootch]

Like most on this thread we did two days, but we got up early the first morning and drove to Universal. We were in the parks by 10:30 AM.

One piece of advice is that the single rider lines for the HP riders are great anytime but especially later at night. I did Forbidden Journey with a wait of about three minutes for two rides. Do the normal lines since they are very well done, but after the first time it may or may not be necessary. (Depending on how much you missed or want to see things again.)

Also, Minions and Rip Ride Rocket backup later in the day. It's better to go before 10:00 AM.

 

[soniam]

2 is good; 3 is better. The Universal hotels are really nice, and I think they are a better value for the money compared to WDW. Look for deals from Orbitz/Cheaptickets. We stayed at Royal Pacific with a water view. Our water view including an incredibly close up view of the park. We woke up everymorning to see the sun shining over the Hulk coaster. Keep in mind that you will have to pay for parking. I think it's $22/day. I can't imagine going to Orlando without going to Universal now. I think doing Universal last is better. It seems so much more relaxed than WDW. You can easily walk or take a water taxi from your hotel to the parks. Going between the parks and Citywalk is incredibly easy too. I was worried about trying to eat dinner at Citywalk coming from one of the parks. Think of it like Disneyland, maybe even closer, and you will have an idea of the proximity. Also, restaurant reservations are not like WDW and can be made much later, if you make them at all. I did, because it was March and I am paranoid.