How many days at Disney versus Universal

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

For us this week, express pass was pretty much walking on. We waited more with our FP+ this week, but overall very comparable to how both systems shorten the lines. And crowds have been pretty bad, both US and Disney.[/QUOT

Me too, it cut down times a lot. A lot of the really popular rides at Universal have insane lines (think Despicable Me, Spider Man, all Harry Potter rides, Jurassic Park, newly reopened Hulk and now Kong). Plus the express pass I believe is $90 if I remember correctly if you buy it separately?

 

[GaryDis]

Plus the express pass I believe is $90

Universal uses seasonal pricing. I can believe $90 this time of year, though I haven't checked. It's closer to $65 in September.

 

[Mgslalala]

5 nights in BC (marathon weekend) and 5 nights in the hard rock in January. Just got to convince the Mrs we need an extra few nights back at Disney at the end of the trip......

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I think I would send everyone to the parks early and do the check'in myself if we switched hotels. Then they get full park time and I get a few sanity minutes. ..

That is a nice idea, but it might not quite work the way you are thinking. If you arrive at any hotel before 3pm, your room probably won't be ready. Sometimes it is, but I wouldn't count on it. the WWD ME bus (from MCO) drops you off at the hotel. From there you could split up, and they could get on a bus to the park.

When you arrive at US, more or less everyone has to stick around until you finish printing out your Express passes. I mean they could go to the parks without them, but those passes are one of the key perks of staying at a US deluxe. The cost of EP varies, but is worth a minimum of $85 per person, per day.

Further, if they plan to use the early entry hour, then they need to have/show their hotel room key. At check-in, the front desk issues hotel room keys for everyone in your party. You then insert your room key into a special kiosk, and follow the directions. The kiosk takes your picture, which gets printed on your personal pass.

Arrival to getting your pass only take s a few minutes, but everyone should stick around until they have their pass and hotel key in hand.

I thought I read somewhere that mears offers some sort of hotel switch service if you are coming or going between the 2.

Yes, the Mears transportation company offers a shuttle service between MCO and Universal. You can look up the rates for your specific hotels.

In some cases, that may be the best option, but there's a few things to consider: the shuttle charges a fee per person, so it might end up costing the same as a taxi.

The bigger drawback, IMO, is that the shuttle makes multiple stops until it is full, and each of those stops takes time. I've looked into it, but decided it wasn't for us.

I previously said we don't go crazy trying to arrive exactly at rope drop, but we do our best to arrive close to rope drop as much as possible because crowds and attraction lines quickly grow.

The Express passes are a big help, but you can still cover more ground when the crowds are lowest. Also, no Express Pass (EP) on HP.

I've priced the options a number of times. A rental car for a full week is usually under $200 for a mid size. A one-way sedan/taxi is about $50 (WDW to US, plus tip and bag fee), the shuttle (look to see what is offered) is about $20per adult, one-way. The ME bus is free from MCO to WDW, but it is slower than getting a rental car.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Was that with or without tip? And if you did tip how much?

We aren't supposed to discuss tip amounts on the DIS because it is a very hot topic, and rather subjective. There's a sticky about tipping with general guidelines. I think it is in the WDW section, but I think includes all the places you may wish to tip during a FL vacation.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Universal uses seasonal pricing. I can believe $90 this time of year, though I haven't checked. It's closer to $65 in September.

I wasn't sure either, but the US website says, "Starting at $84.99." Christmas week it is $150, most of January it is $90. (up to $115 holidays)

That's for the unlimited two park pass. If you only want US park unlimited pass it starts at $75, for just IoA, it is $55.

There's also a pass that is good for just one ride on each attraction: $65 (both), $60 (US only), $40 (IoA only).

Last, they also offer a VIP experience that supposedly starts at $200 per day for both parks, but is $350 almost every day through January.

 

[Catvondita]

I would say 1 day at Uni is fine. I've done both parks in one day (doing all the rides worth doing) and still hours before the park closed. The rides even in peak summer time and never that long.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The opinions are interesting. We used to cover US in one day, but that was before both HP and Kong.

I think it is also important to note that most of the responders are Orlando vets.

The first time you visit is always a bit different from return visit.

 

[Shoshannah]

Also, my daughters suggestion, do Universal after Disney.

It's funny how I'm hearing this more, when everyone use to ALWAYS say the reverse.

I think what we're going to do is one day at each Disney park, then try to do both Universal parks in one day. Then we'll decide whether we should make the trek back to Universal the next day or just stay in the Disney bubble. I really don't want to switch hotels and our main driving force in the first place was a Disney vacation. I also really worry about Universal since I have multiple food allergies and have not been able to find reassuring information in that regards.

 

[Shoshannah]

I think it is also important to note that most of the responders are Orlando vets.

The first time you visit is always a bit different from return visit.

Very good information to keep in mind!

 

[Shoshannah]

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Is the opening of the Kong ride and the reopening of the Hulk causing a lot more crowds?

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

Very good information to keep in mind!

It's actually funny you say that, the first time I went to Universal, I didn't really like it (I was 8 or 9), but when I went last time (I was 20), I LOVED it. I think it depends on what sort of attractions you're into. The IPs they have I think a majority of people like or would at least be interested in an attraction based on it. If you're that worried about switching hotels, do a 1 day trip to US/IOA from open to close and then everything else at Disney! I totally understand your worries about it wanting to be a Disney Trip, not a Disney/US trip. If it wasn't for Harry Potter, I wouldve been the same way. You can always do more days at US on a return trip if you like it!

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

Is the opening of the Kong ride and the reopening of the Hulk causing a lot more crowds?

Kong has been drawing waits of about 60-90 minutes from what I've been reading and seeing, I really do not know about Hulk. It JUST reopened. Does anyone else know?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I also really worry about Universal since I have multiple food allergies and have not been able to find reassuring information in that regards.

Universal is VERY good where food allergies are concerned! Both Us and WDW are very good when it comes to food allergies.

When it comes to QS, our family tends towards sticking with foods we know are safe- like whole fruits, hard boiled eggs, and packaged yogurt, just to keep things quick and simple. The parks also sell some packaged items, like candy. A quick look at the ingredients list, and we're on our way.

Come to think of it though, the hotel QS were all very understanding and helpful whenever we asked.

We have had excellent service at the US table Serve locations in terms of accommodating food allergies. Disney is also very good, but I think US's service is better! Mythos is a favorite. We've only been to Finnegan's once, but our server was fabulous! Over the years, many Disney CM's have been wonderful. Many have gone WAY above and beyond in terms of service quality, but we've also experienced some bad service at WDW. They are especially bad about seating us on time.

At US, you can get reservations on 24 hour notice, and they respect reservation times. When I'm on vacation, my time is worth a premium! When I make a dining reservation, I expect it to be honored, especially when the meal is $40+ per person! In the past, the service at US wasn't quite as good as Disney, but now we think they are reversed.

The staff at the US resorts are also exceptional. WDW used to be this good. We used to spend 6 days at WDW, and one at US. Instead, we've been spending more than half our vacation at US.

We have become experts at hotel swapping! When we are going to move, we just pack accordingly. Instead of using the drawers, we keep much of our stuff in the suitcases. Dirty clothes go in bag that easily stuffs into a suitcase. Toiletries we don't use every day- stay in large (2gallon) Ziploc bags. The hardest part is to make absolutely sure we don't forget our charging cables. We've also gotten better at organizing and selective packing.

Last, there is a Whole Foods grocery store just off US property. They stock every allergen-free food anyone could possibly want! Even for WF, the Orlando store is a nice one. Their prices are a bit high, but for a quick stop, it is a very easy place to shop.

 

[AshleyLovesDisney]

One day isn't enough time to see all of MK or Epcot. You can see most of HS and AK in one day. It is especially tricky to fit in all of the shows, parades, and fireworks. I'm also assuming you are all relatively fit, and able to endure long days on your feet. Many folks can't do seven full park days in a row.

Please consider this. It may seem counterintuitive to need breaks while on a vacation, but you're going to need them. 7 straight full days at parks is going to overwhelm first-timers, trust me

 

[Shoshannah]

Universal is VERY good where food allergies are concerned!

That's good to hear! I've hadn't had much luck on finding out about their ingredients. One chef there did send me a rambling paragraph of items he said I could eat. (I have multiple allergies and one is corn.) He had popcorn on the list, so that concerned me. Upon further research, I've seen that "paragraph" elsewhere.

I don't think we'll have much time for an actual table service restaurant at Universal though.

 

[Shoshannah]

Last, there is a Whole Foods grocery store just off US property. They stock every allergen-free food anyone could possibly want! Even for WF, the Orlando store is a nice one. Their prices are a bit high, but for a quick stop, it is a very easy place to shop.

That's good to know! All Whole Foods are priced high, but I know I can find some stuff there.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The WDW/US area also has a grocery chain called Publix that I would call a more traditional product-line grocery store, but they are also rather high quality, and carry a rather wide selection of brands.

There are also a number of 24 hour Walgreens in the area.

I agree WF is pricey, but that one is pretty nice. At home we eat lots of produce, but theme park dining is a bit of a produce desert, even the high end dining options. By mid-week, we crave a big pile of sautéed spinach and tomato!

 

[Shoshannah]

At home we eat lots of produce, but theme park dining is a bit of a produce desert, even the high end dining options.

Haha, I plan on using Garden Grocer and having them deliver some fruit and veggies to our hotel when we get there to help with that. However, it will all basically have to be eaten raw since we don't have a kitchen.

 

[Albytaps]

Hello,

This will be our first trip ever to Disney World (Mom and 21 & 18 year old daughters). We are huge Disney fans. We have seven days in January planned and are allocating one day per park at Disney. We know we also want to do Universal (both parks). At Universal, our priorities are Harry Potter, Simpsons, Jurassic Park, Kong, ET, Mummy, Spiderman, and maybe Hulk (only one of us is a thrill ride person). We were hoping to do Universal in one day since we will be staying on Disney property.

My question is would you plan on 6 days at Disney and 1 at Universal, or 5 days at Disney and 2 at Universal?

Thanks!

Your first trip! I'm so jealous.

Anyway, we just got back from our Florida trip and we spent 6 days in Disney and 1 day in Universal. We love spending a relaxed trip on Disney property so we don't have to rush around, we do it every year.

However, we don't do Universal every year... So we went commando. Got there at opening (8am) and did as much as we could until closing. If I remember correctly, this is what we got accomplished in a very crowded time of year:

Entered Universal Studios
Rode Mummy
Rode Transformers
Rode Gringotts
Hung out in Diagon Alley
Rode Men in Black
Had early lunch in Simpsons land ( skipped the ride because my wife gets sick on it)
Rode E.T.
Rode Train to Hogsmeade
Entered Islands of Adventure
Rode Forbidden Journey
Rode Flight of the Hippogriph
Rode Dragon Challenge
Had a Butterbeer
Rode Jurassic Park
Rode King Kong (longest wait of the day at 90 minutes)
Rode Popeye 2 times in a row
Rode Suess Train
Went back to hang out in Hogsmeade

Now, at the end of the night we were trying to decide whether to go on 1 last ride or have dinner in the 3 Broomsticks. The ride would have been Spider-Man. We decided on dinner but I wish we picked Spider-Man as that's one of the best rides.

I imagine if you can spend the money on express passes, you would be able to do everything we did and a whole lot more. Then again, if you're walking at a casual pace and take time to stop and look at every location, you may not go on as many rides. But I would say for certain that you can get all the attractions you've mentioned in 1 day at Universal. It'll give u more time to relax in Disney and immerse yourselves.

Have fun and good luck!