How many days IOA/US/WDW?

[avery619]

Hi All,

How many days would you recommend for first timers at IOA/US? Should we stay on site at Universal? We could also do a few days at WDW and stay there although it is not necessary. Experts please help! Thanks! We are planning 7 nights in June in Orlando Area.

 

[damo]

I think 3 days is optimal for Universal and I would recommend staying onsite for sure.

 

[agavegirl1]

Three days is good. However, I usually do four. I enjoy the dining options and love to repeat favorite attractions.

My next trip to Orlando...9 nights at POP with 8 day hoppers. One day off site at Busch Gardens Tampa. Park hours at BG are only 10AM to 6PM so a day trip driving a rental car.

Next, 2 nights Hilton Garden Inn at Sea World.

Next, 4 nights Portofino

Tickets for BG, SW, US/IOA courtesy of Orlando Flexpass with "Tickets at Work" discount.

 

[damo]

I've actually done 7 and would do it again in a heart beat. My minimum, though, is 3.

 

[macraven]

i'm in for 12 days next trip.

 

[Poly-Anna]

We are doing 9 days in April and hope to return late June/early July for when Diagon Alley is open. We always stay at Portofino Bay - have for the last 8 years and love every relaxing moment!

 

[RMulieri]

Minimum of 3 and absolutely stay onsite at one of the 3 deluxe resorts if you can swing it ( Royal Pacific ,Portofino Bay or Hard Rock)They are the 3 that offer resort guest express pass AND early entry.The newest resort will only offer early entry and NO express pass...Harry Potter expansion is opening this summer, and possibly mid -June..That will increase crowds tremendously and making staying onsite worth it even more.We stay onsite all the time high or low crwods and it is worth every penny it costs.

 

[glocon]

I agree with 3 being the minimum. We stayed 7 nights once and it wasn't too much. Since it is so easy to go back to your resort if staying onsite, a mid-day break is very do-able, and a nice break from the parks.
We liked to do either early entry and stay a few hours before heading back for a rest/swim, or sleep in, go to gym (boys-not me), eat lunch, swim then head to parks later.
It is just relaxing and the resorts are beautiful!

 

[shelemm]

2 days for Universal is enough. Unless you feel like you really have to see every show, etc. If you stay onsite, you get right onto the rides, so no waiting.

 

[rowan555]

2 days for Universal is enough. Unless you feel like you really have to see every show, etc. If you stay onsite, you get right onto the rides, so no waiting.

We did 3 days and a little bit of a fourth, and I wanted more time at the parks. We didn't see all the shows, but we did repeat some of our favorite rides multiple times. This was with staying on site and having express passes. We're going again in May and spending 3 full days, and I'm already worried it won't be enough. 2 days would NEVER have been enough for us.

 

[RMulieri]

We did 3 days and a little bit of a fourth, and I wanted more time at the parks. We didn't see all the shows, but we did repeat some of our favorite rides multiple times. This was with staying on site and having express passes. We're going again in May and spending 3 full days, and I'm already worried it won't be enough. 2 days would NEVER have been enough for us.

same here..we did 7 days onsite.4 FULL park days and we could have easily done more.we spent a leisurely time soaking in the atmosphere, riding our favorites more than once and spent plenty of time at the resort enjoying the pool and relaxing.

 

[Fellowship9798]

We (family of 4) are just back from a 3 day visit to Universal with 2 nights at RPR. We saw pretty much everything as well as Blue Man Group but we were in the parks from open to close each day, other than seeing Blue Man. It was Spring Break and the parks were very crowded so the onsite Express Passes helped a lot.

I probably would have preferred to go a little slower and take a bit more time to enjoy the resort as RPR was really very nice.

Overall, 3 days will let you see what you want but I would have liked an extra day to see more of Citywalk and the resorts.

 

[schumigirl]

Hi All,

How many days would you recommend for first timers at IOA/US? Should we stay on site at Universal? We could also do a few days at WDW and stay there although it is not necessary. Experts please help! Thanks! We are planning 7 nights in June in Orlando Area.

Since you are there for 7 days and want to do WDW as well, go to Universal for 3 days. June will be busy.

The parks are amazing and you won't be bored at all. Definitely stay on site for either 2 or 3 nights, you'll be so glad you did. The hotels are fantastic and the unlimited EP is priceless......even when it's quieter we still use the EP line. The resorts themselves are worth spending some time in when you're there. And so close to wander back and forth from the parks if you did want some resort time during the day.

We stay at RPR for 17/18 nights and we never get bored at Universal. We love the atmosphere in the Universal parks......TM's are fantastic too.

Hope you have a great trip

 

[avery619]

OP here Just wanted to thank everyone for sharing their awesome suggestions and experiences! I feel like I know what to do now!

 

[glocon]

The longer you stay the less you pay at UO resorts. I would stay onsite at one of the UO deluxe resorts for the whole trip, and soak up the atmosphere. You can meander thru the parks and explore your resort, eat at the great restaurants at each resort, use early entry to explore the WWoHP before crowds swarm in, and most importantly-use express pass to bypass long lines so that you can ride more.

If you want some Disney time, I would make a day trip or two to WDW. The perks of staying at a UO resort are many (early entry, express pass, smsm rates) and are so worth it! Staying onsite makes for a very different trip then if you just made a day trip.