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

[nkereina]

You might think this crazy, but if you are going to have transportation I'd honestly suggest that you stay at a Universal resort for the entire duration of your trip. Do the Universal parks in the morning, eat your major meals at City Walk, and use FP+ at WDW in the late afternoons/evenings.

I do find Universal resorts to be nicer and generally prefer the food at City Walk over Disney food, but the thought of commuting to WDW 4 of the 6 days including the parking hassles and parking fees sounds like more trouble than it's worth. I definitely think OP should move to a Universal resort for their Universal days, but would respectfully disagree about staying at Universal for the whole duration.

 

[LOL!]

I do find Universal resorts to be nicer and generally prefer the food at City Walk over Disney food, but the thought of commuting to WDW 4 of the 6 days including the parking hassles and parking fees sounds like more trouble than it's worth. I definitely think OP should move to a Universal resort for their Universal days, but would respectfully disagree about staying at Universal for the whole duration.

I do think you raise a valid point. Some could find the $17 parking fee at WDW unacceptable although they might be saving more than that by staying at a Universal resort. Emphasis on "might" because OP didn't indicate which WDW resort they are thinking of staying at - or I missed a post that said so. All bets are off if they are staying at a Value.

Another option is if they forego the cost of a rental they could also avoid the parking expenses by using a ride service. I'm just thinking that if my only focus at WDW would be MK and Hollywood (as OP stated) with maybe a visit to Epcot on one of the same days (OP said they'd have park hoppers) with twin DD12's who are Potter enthusiasts, I'd most likely reconsider spending 4 full days at WDW and only 2 at USO considering the differences in resorts and dining options.

 

[NewbieMouse]

OP here! So much to think about... thank you all so much for the replies. DDs are huge HP enthusiasts, but I am really considering some comments that we should focus our WDW time on things that don't overlap with DLR so much, so will likely work in more Epcot/AK and less MK into the mix. Considering a deluxe, but will probably wait to see if there are any deals. I'm starting to realize there are pros and cons to many of the resorts, and that it is unlikely every room will be sold out if I wait until January! Spooked by Wilderness Lodge construction so maybe Beach Club? We'll see. I also heard that Universal Hollywood is opening a Harry Potter World in Spring 2016 and we go to LA every December, so I am less worried that this will be the one and only time they will see anything "Potter"!

Unofficial Guide has just arrived so I am starting to work through that. Have to hide it, though, as we have decided not to tell the kids until we actually board the plane for Orlando. Fun, fun!

 

[Buddyex]

we did 2 days in mid May this year at Universal staying at Cabana Bay , followed by 10 at WDW staying at AofA. Staying at Cabana Bay we had early morning admission to Universal - Islands of Adventure for Harry Potter which was great. We were able to do all the rides in Hogsmeade within that first hour and soak up a little of the Atmosphere, then with the Hopper option we were able to ride the first Hogwarts express train to Diagon alley and ride Gringotts before it got too busy. We then spent the rest of the morning exploring Diagon alley finishing up with an early lunch ( 11:30) at one of the larger Diagon Alley restaurants, then spent the rest of day 1 at Universal and pretty much covered the entire park.

day 2 which I think was a Friday as the park was much busier with lots of school groups, again we got the Early entry to Hogsmeade, rode everything again and spent a bit more time exploring the land before spending the rest of the day at Islands of Adventure . I'm not sure if it was because of the school groups but both parks closed around 6pm on the Friday night.