Help Planning One Day Universal in July

[Vols1977]

My family is going to the beach in July for 7 nights near Daytona. We are planning to drive over to Orlando one day during our stay and go to Universal Orlando. I've been looking at the different ticket options: Base Ticket vs. Park to Park. I've also looked into the Express Pass. I have some questions I hope someone here can help answer:

1) For one day, is it better to just choose one park, or is it doable to see both parks in 1 day? I hate to spend the extra money if seeing two parks is difficult or close to impossible for just one day.
2) For a family of 5, we will be spending pretty large amount of money for just one day.. anywhere from $1000 to $1600 depending on what ticket option we choose. I'm just wondering if Express Pass is worth the additional cost, as it adds a substantial amount of money to what we would be spending for the day?

We want to get the most out of our day, but budget is a consideration too. Any thoughts or tips would be much appreciated.

 

[bchbetha]

Can you stay overnight the night before your Universal day at a Universal hotel that gives Express Passes? They can hold your bags when you check out in the AM. Much shorter lines= get more done and less waiting in the heat. It’s a *lot* cheaper to get your Express Passes that way than buying for 5 people. Plus, you get early entry. I’d try for park to park tickets.

 

[jaceraden]

I'm exhausted at the thought of trying to fit it all in one day.

 

[macraven]

All I can suggest is go to the UO website and see what rides and shows and eateries are in each park

If there are more things in one of the parks over the other, that may help you decide if you do one park only

I have the ap and can hop to both parks

There are a couple of rides in both parks I could not pass up on a visit