Is it worth leaving Disney to see Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade?

[kbelle8995]

There are several reasons. We live near a Six Flags so a comic book based theme park is really close by and makes that part of Universal seem less unique to us. The nostalgia factor is missing for us at Universal as well. My husband didn't have cable growing up so his limited tv/movie experience is with watching Disney films with his brothers (for example: he can't tell you anything about Nickelodeon and has never seen a show they produced). I'm an artist and I have always been captivated by Disney films. The first things I learned to illustrate were Disney characters. So in general, we feel more connected to the Disney theming. We also feel Disney parks provide a fully immersive experience as a whole. Everything in Disney is so easily recognizable as from Disney. Universal never felt that way to us since we do not have experience with their universe of productions. This makes it seem more pieced together and less fully immersive as a whole. I'm sure Universal is more fulfilling for a lot of other people out there, just not to us so far. Because of this, the HP areas would be the only real draw for us and that is what led to my question.

Universal has changed a lot in the last couple years. Harry Potter is extremely well themed. And well worth a visit. I used to be a hard corp Disney parks fan. But recent decisions and tactics by the company have left me less than thrilled with Disney. So I gave Universal a shot. And I have been really pleased with it.

I think IOA is one the better themed parks. I would never compare Universal to a Six Flags. The Six Flags I went to was absolutely awful dirty and with rude employeesl. After that experience I swore never to go to another Six Flags. Even the Marvel area is better than what Six Flag throws down for their DC area. Plus I am a librarian and the fact that there is a wonderful Dr. Suess area with a book store with most of the Dr. Seuss books thrills me to no end.

I think that Universal has improved the quality of their parks from Team members to attractions. And it can be done with a minimum of planning. It's a much more relaxing vacation than Disney