Going Off Disney Property????

[DisneyDreamingAubrey]

Has anyone ever ventured off Disney property ? I know it's , but my brother and I are thinking we might like to try IOA, and I was wondering what my fellow Dissers thought. I've been to Sea World, but other then that I'm strictly DISNEY!!

 

[SnwflkCts]

There are lots of DISers that go off property. Especially to visit that "Other Place" -- next year I plan to do it also!!! There is a whole forum devoted to Universal here on the DIS boards. As long as you don't desert WDW entirely ... it's allowable ... just for a short time though.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Most every trip I take a drive for a day at USF/IoA, AP pass-holder here. Great parks. Not Disney, different, but great.

 

[Yvonne]

Every time we go we plan at leat one to two days off property just because there is so much to do. (We usually go for 2 weeks a a time). Last year we went to Sea World and Cape Canaveral. We did lunch with an astronaut, which to my 6yo ds was the highlite of the trip because he got to ask him questions one-on-one and he came and sat at our table.

We will be there for two week Feb 25th - March 10th and are planning to go out to Busch gardens. We haven't been there in about 10 years. Two trips ago we did IOA and US. Both were awesome!!! We were supposed to go back again this trip, but I am pregnant, and not being able to ride is not much fun! Busch Gardens has some incredible shopping, so we choose there so I could shop while they rode.

 

[foxfire]

During the middle of our last 10-day Disney trip, we spent one day at IOA. This was last Dec. and we had a great time! It was a different experience that being at Disney and we had so much fun we will do it again...but we still love Disney best!

We had a great lunch there at Mythos. I would highly recommend it!

 

[tinkhoney]

we go off site usually at least once each yer. this yr we plan to do a day trip to Daytona beach.

I think next yr we will do a couple days at UO/IOA when the kids will be able to ride more.

 

[slamommie]

We were initially planning our typical family vacation to Disneyland...then the older kids said they wanted to go to Universal Hollywood/Magic Mountain for the rides and my youngest niece wanted to see Shamu. DM was concerned about all that driving...so, good 'ol DF suggested Orlando since everything is closer together!

Thanks to the grandkids, we're off to WDW, USO/IOA and SW Florida! Do I feel guilty about leaving WDW for a couple of days? Heck no! If it wasn't for USO/IOA & SW...we wouldn't be at WDW!

 

[jwfla422]

Last summer we stayed at SSR (for the first time and loved it!) and didn't even go to any WDW parks. We went to SW instead. Our seasonal APs were blacked out at the time and I really didn't want to go to the parks and deal with the summer crowds. We were right across from DTD...within walking, but interestingly enough only went to DTD one night during our whole stay.

The thing was we could see DTD from our villa and it was just nice looking out at it all of the time rather than actually going there LOL!! It was a very enjoyable trip and we finally go to check out SW and I have to say, it was a nice change. We went back there again in Oct. and would go back again when we need our "pet the dolphins fix"...

 

[LoriMomx5]

We have done Universal parks during our last 2 " Disney " trips and my kids love. It. My four boys love the wilder rides and my little daughter loves Suess Landing at IOA and Barney and the Curious George playground at Universal Studios. You will miss the pixie dust but you will have a good time! Have fun! Lori

 

[Mrs.Reese]

Don't feel guilty about it! We have annual passes to the "other place" and will do a weekend about every three months or so. It's nice but a completely different atmosphere. We got the annual passes for free for being teachers.

 

[BLBCB]

We usually try to get around 3 days for Universal/IOA. It all depends on what the current deals are for tickets. You can sometimes get 5 days for the price of 3. For younger kids, Seuss Landing is great, especially if you plan ahead and read the books to the kids before you go. They also have some great rides for every other age as well. From personal experience and from talking to my clients, I usually recommend doing Universal/IOA before Disney. They are great parks, but they just don't seem to have the "Disney Difference". We were there for Mardi Gras one year and a stilt-walker in the parade actually mooned the teenage girls beside us. You sure wouldn't have seen anything like that at Disney! Not exactly the vacation experience I was planning for my kids! If at all possible, stay on property at Universal so that you can use your room key to skip lines though. Keep in mind the other people stuck standing in lines and don't keep doing the same ride over again while they are still stuck in line. (Again, a lesson learned personally)

 

[tiggermei]

Throwing in a different off-resort option: the last two summers, we've done Sky Ventures as part of our vacation -- indoor skydiving. DD6 LOVES it so much, and they teach you and everything. Easily the most adrenaline I've ever had flowing. Also, look at the "Upside down" museum on International Drive. It's so cool and fun. Lots of great fun and MUCH cheaper than that other park. That said, I liked Universal the one time we did it even though DD was way too little to care for much of it except Nickelodeon and Shreck. We really really liked Sea World, too. Tons of fun but so hot!

 

[WillCAD]

On half of my trips I actually stay off-site. There are lots of great hotels out there that are usually cheaper than comparable Disney resorts. You miss out on some of the ammenities and extras that way, but if you're on a terribly restricted budget (read: I'm poor), off-site is better than no trip.

On every trip I spend at least one day at Universal (2 or 3 days if my trip is long enough, because I han a Uni AP), and I always shop and dine off-site. I particularly like the Disney outlet stores for great bargains on WDW merchandise, and sometimes I visit one or two of the many flea markets, not to mention the many cheaper places off-site for grocery stops, snacks, and sundries.

I see a lot of people on the boards completely dismissing anything off-site as unworthy of their attention; that's fine, more good stuff for me!

 

[cleo]

Disney is great, but it's only one element in the greater whole. I know some people swear they only like vanilla ice cream, but me...I'm a 41 flavors kind of gal. Variety is good and there's far more than Disney worth doing in Orlando.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

i've been to IOA and Universal. it's not so bad. it's good to do once in a while, but you really could do both of those parks in one day if you wanted to.

 

[NewJersey]

I really enjoy Universal/IOA.

 

[Planogirl]

We split our time between the two resorts now. We spend 3-4 days at Universal and the same at the Disney parks. Our biggest problem is finding time to do anything else!

 

[Aidensmom]

Universal/IOA are great parks. It "feels" different than Disney, but that does not mean it is a bad thing - it is just different, and a good experience to have. I hate to say this because I'll probably get attacked , but in my family's opinion, much of the food there, especially counter service, is better than WDW.

 

[Not so Dumbo]

There is so much to do off property. We found that with a good map, it's easy to find your way around. IOA and Universal look like a lot of fun. Just driving the whole International dr. strip, one could find a whole days worth of activities. Plus the Character Outlet stores.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Universal is great. Amazing architecture and really great rides. I honestly think the parks are as good as Disney's.

Lots of Disney loyalists will tell you the staff is made up of Nazis, the bathrooms are covered in filth and the rides are "all thrill rides." None of it is true.

Go! Have fun!