Is it worth considering taking time from Disney?

[Royal Consort]

Hi everyone,
We're planning our trip for later in the year and I've just started looking into Universal/IOA.

We're staying on Disney property for seven nights and thought we could pop over to Universal/Islands of Adventure for a day trip. But looking at the rides, and seeing them all on youtube, there's very little I actually want to do. I don't like thrill rides and there are just so many of them.

The attractions that I'd like to see if I went are:

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges
Jurassic Park River Adventure
The Cat In The Hat
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Shrek 4D
Twister
Men in Black: Alien Attack
Simpsons
Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time
ET

But even in that lot only a couple really excite me (i.e. Potter, Spiderman, Simpsons). Many of the rides I've also seen are rip-offs of the very same things at Disney. Therefore I'm wondering if it's really worth the day trip at all? For those who have been (and don't do thrill rides), was it really worth it or would I be better off spending that extra time remaining in Disney World?

Thanks everyone!

 

[macraven]

if your vacation falls in the low season, you could do a day trip and cover the highlights you listed in one day.
what you listed are good rides.
many are non coaster peeps and still find attractions to fill their day at UO.

buy a one day 2 park pass.


traveling to orlando can become a big expense.
many do day trips to UO while staying at the motherland.
peeps get an idea of what is in the darkside parks and usually enjoy their day there.

some will plan a day trip to SeaWorld aside from their disney stay.


i guess if you are repeated guests at the motherland and haven't tried any other entertainment, you might find it fun to try another place to visit for the day.

after doing disney for years, i ventured out and tried other places to see what there were all about.
i ended up enjoying the darkside and since 1993, do a yearly stay at both resorts each year.
UO hotels weren't up in '93 so did the DT route those years or drove from the motherland to the darkside and other places.

the parks are different from each other.
it's not possible for me to compare them.

if you have a free day while on vacation, make it an adventure and try the darkside.
the only draw back in doing a two park one day visit is you do miss out on a lot of the park theme and can miss out on completely exploring the parks.

ps. add Horror Make Up Show to your list.....

 

[buckeev]

......

the parks are different from each other.
it's not possible for me to compare them.

.....

fer sure...we really enjoy both WDW and US/IOA....if you're going real late, the Christmas season at Universal is extra special with a number of treats...including the Macy's parade. The crowds do pick up a lot during that time though.
If you can pull it off, I feel you'll be rather pleased.

 

[Royal Consort]

fer sure...we really enjoy both WDW and US/IOA....if you're going real late, the Christmas season at Universal is extra special with a number of treats...including the Macy's parade. The crowds do pick up a lot during that time though.
If you can pull it off, I feel you'll be rather pleased.

Thanks macraven and buckeev. This will be our first time to WDW and to the US in general. We'll be there in the first week of December. We're catching Macy's parade in New York before we hit WDW so we've already got that ticked off our list! Since we haven't been to WDW before, we were wondering if visiting Universal would be trying to cram too much in.

 

[Metro West]

Thanks macraven and buckeev. This will be our first time to WDW and to the US in general. We'll be there in the first week of December. We're catching Macy's parade in New York before we hit WDW so we've already got that ticked off our list! Since we haven't been to WDW before, we were wondering if visiting Universal would be trying to cram too much in.

It might be too much for your first visit but you have a fair amount of attractions listed at Universal and IOA so the one day could be well worth it. But the bottom line is this...only you know if going to Universal will be not only enjoyable but worth the extra expense. One day tickets to our local parks are not cheap so keep that mind.

 

[crazy_cremello]

I feel a lot of people on this board are very much against leaving Disney property. We go for 3 weeks each time we go to Florida. We have time for almost everything. Universal and IOA are brilliant parks. Completely different from Disney. You must go and try them you won't regret it and if you go again, you'll probably make some more time to revisit them!

 

[rwdavis2]

For straight attractions Spider Man, Simpsons, Terminator, are better than just about anything at WDW. Especially Spirder Man. But Universal does not give you that Disney immersion in "Magic". It's different and worth the trip.

 

[Metro West]

I feel a lot of people on this board are very much against leaving Disney property. We go for 3 weeks each time we go to Florida. We have time for almost everything. Universal and IOA are brilliant parks. Completely different from Disney. You must go and try them you won't regret it and if you go again, you'll probably make some more time to revisit them!

Most of the people who don't want to leave Disney property are exactly the kind of guests Disney wants. Those guests will spend their money onsite instead of putting in someone else's pockets. Plus I would imagine a lot of people just don't want to fool with the added expense of visiting another theme park...I mean...Disney is expensive enough...you know?

 

[LUVIOA]

I don't like thrill rides and there are just so many of them.

Yes it is a THRILLING place! It sounds like you already have your mind made up that you're not going to like it. Give it a chance and I think you'll find that it is so much more fun than you could have imagined.

 

[RMulieri]

I feel a lot of people on this board are very much against leaving Disney property. We go for 3 weeks each time we go to Florida. We have time for almost everything. Universal and IOA are brilliant parks. Completely different from Disney. You must go and try them you won't regret it and if you go again, you'll probably make some more time to revisit them!

Agree..I think some of it is the expense , for some reason people think that Universal is economical or should be cheaper.But ANY themepark is going to be expensive if you are only doing it for the day.Universal WANTS to keep people onsite just like Disney does.I think the other aspect of it is some people have this pre-conceived notion that NOTHING is going to live up to Disney or come close.There are posters on the forums ( these and others ) who BASH the heck out of Universal and have never even been there or have made up their minds they aren't going to like it because " it isn't Disney".If you go in with an open mind and not compare them it can be just as magical and incredible , but for different reasons...I am SO glad I took the chance to do a Universal/IOA only trip.We had so much fun that we are going to skip Disney and do it again..and we are DIE HARD disney nuts ( 27+ trips staying onsite)

 

[rwdavis2]

I don't like thrill rides and there are just so many of them.

For thrill rides I can only think of 4 coasters and the poor imitation of Tower of Terror (Dr. Doom). Jurrassic Park is like Splash Mountain but a more thrilling story.

 

[2littlestitches]

If you are at all into Harry Potter, then I think it's worth it, just to see that wonderful area alone. The Harry Potter area is just awesome, but I don't know if someone who isn't into it would appreciate it as much as my family did.

If you only have one day there, I think buying the Express Pass is totally worth it, because you can actually get a lot of attractions done in a shorter period of time.

I go to Orlando quite a bit, and I don't visit Universal every time, but we like to take a trip there every once in awhile to see what's new or to try something different for the day. Good luck in your decision!

 

[Royal Consort]

Thanks everyone!

We've had a chat about it and think the day trip would be worth doing since it's a new experience. I think because neither of us like coasters and are picky riders anyway, the day would be the right amount of time to see the things listed.

Thanks again for all your advice. I wasn't sure if I was pushing the schedule too much to include Universal but it may be a nice break from the Disneyana too.



PS: 2littlestitches; I noticed your signature. I'm glad you really enjoyed Australia! Where did Adventures take you?

 

[chudson98]

If you are at all into Harry Potter, then I think it's worth it, just to see that wonderful area alone. The Harry Potter area is just awesome, but I don't know if someone who isn't into it would appreciate it as much as my family did.n!

I agree! We LOVED Harry Potter! We had a magical day during our last visit. I do feel if you are not a huge Potter nut this is not the place to visit. Fortunately, we were at WWoHP with 5,000 of our closest Muggle friends and it was unforgettable.

 

[Friendly Frog]

The attractions that I'd like to see if I went are:

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges
Jurassic Park River Adventure
The Cat In The Hat
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Shrek 4D
Twister
Men in Black: Alien Attack
Simpsons
Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time
ET

Thanks everyone!

Everyone needs to go at least once. IMO you will find plenty to fill a day.

You taste mimics mine, well except that movie simulator rides now make me ill. No Simpson's, Spider Man or Harry Potter for me. Can't do the Mummy anymore either.

If you like Spider Man and Simpson's, I think you should also try The Mummy. It has some starts and stops and not a continuous coaster, so this will give you a little break if you are not a big coaster fan. I was impressed with the special effects in the ride.

I also recommend the Beetlejuice show, (if they are still doing it?) and I HIGHLY recommend the Horror Make-Up show.

I am a big Harry Potter fan, and I loved the walk through part of the castle, but the The Forbidden Journey ride portion really made me ill. I got more motion sickness on it than I did on Mission Space Orange! I think for this reason I liked the Jaws ride better. Plus I will take a real brick and mortar set attraction over a movie screen simulator ride any time. ( I still miss the King Kong ride!)

 

[Mad Hattered]

I'm still trying to figure out exactly which rides Universal ripped off?

 

[Planogirl]

I'm still trying to figure out exactly which rides Universal ripped off?

Me too.

That aside, if you can handle Space Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain do try the Mummy ride. It's amazing.

To the person who said that Universal isn't worth it without HP, that's a matter of opinion. I think that it's very worth it.

 

[ChrisFL]

I'm still trying to figure out exactly which rides Universal ripped off?

x3

That was the thing that stuck out in my mind. I can only think of one, and that's Storm Force Accelatron (a tea-cups style ride).

 

[ChisJo]

x3

That was the thing that stuck out in my mind. I can only think of one, and that's Storm Force Accelatron (a tea-cups style ride).

For the record, I'm a huge USO fan, and personally would never venture into Disney again if it weren't for my stepson. But, if we want to look at rides that are comparable to disney, look at Jurassic Park and/or Dudleys Ripsaw falls (like Splash Mountain), Storm Force (tea cups), Popeys Bilge (like that ride in Animal Kingdom), MIB (like Buzz Lightyear), The Simpsons (or the old Back to the Future) (like the old Star Wars), and Disaster (great movie ride or whatever that ride is in Disney Studios). Now, I'm not saying I believe that they are a rip off or that they are comparable in any way, and in fact, I don't know which ones came first in what park. But, if you have Disney blinders on (sorry OP, don't take offence), and have never ridden them before I could kind of see the similarities and think that maybe they were ripped off. If we looked at probably every single ride, we could probably find something comparable to each one in Disney, so I can see how someone may see them as rip offs. However, having ridden them multiple times, I can guarantee that they are amazing in their own right and shouldn't be compared to Disney, IMHO.

 

[Royal Consort]

For the record, I'm a huge USO fan, and personally would never venture into Disney again if it weren't for my stepson. But, if we want to look at rides that are comparable to disney, look at Jurassic Park and/or Dudleys Ripsaw falls (like Splash Mountain), Storm Force (tea cups), Popeys Bilge (like that ride in Animal Kingdom), MIB (like Buzz Lightyear), The Simpsons (or the old Back to the Future) (like the old Star Wars), and Disaster (great movie ride or whatever that ride is in Disney Studios). Now, I'm not saying I believe that they are a rip off or that they are comparable in any way, and in fact, I don't know which ones came first in what park. But, if you have Disney blinders on (sorry OP, don't take offence), and have never ridden them before I could kind of see the similarities and think that maybe they were ripped off. If we looked at probably every single ride, we could probably find something comparable to each one in Disney, so I can see how someone may see them as rip offs. However, having ridden them multiple times, I can guarantee that they are amazing in their own right and shouldn't be compared to Disney, IMHO.

I'm not offended at all. I certainly wasn't Universal bashing.The rides you mentioned are exactly the rides I had in mind. I suppose 'rip-off' wasn't the best description. More that there are many of the same rides (or ride types) in Universal as Disney. I understand Disney created a lot of them but not all. I am not sure it's worth getting into a debate about who developed what and when as that's beside the point.

Because of many similar ride types I was trying to work out whether it was worth going to Universal to experience a similar thing. Remember I've never been to WDW OR Universal and gathering all this information is part of the planning process to see what's worth paying out for. Why I asked the original question.