January? Onsite or Off?

[Alison_in_Wonderland]

I think we are going to Universal this winter. My wife has been DYING to go to HP World and take our sons (age 10.)

Things I am trying to decide:

1. How many days? I know we need tickets to both parks and I assume 2 days is enough? One of my sons might ride some rollercoasters, but my other won't get near them.

2. I was debating staying onsite to get in an hour early and get an Express Pass. We are planning in going the 3rd week in January (probably a Thurs/Friday.) I can't imagine it will be insanely busy, right? Would it be worth staying on site and getting the the early entry/express passes when we can get a place offsite for 1/2 the cost of the onsite hotels. I am an off site Disney person, so I don't need to be on site to feel like a real vacation or feel the Universal equivalent of the Magic. Thoughts?

We will probably do 2 days at Disney too.

 

[macraven]

You could do fine offsite for some dates in January
Your week should be ok

Last week will be busy as hp
Gala event will happen I'm the parks


But if you can swing it, stay one night onsite at a deluxe hotel for the perks that cover two days

 

[schumigirl]

Since HP is a priority make sure you get park to park tickets so you can all ride the Hogwarts Express........a must for any Potter fan!

I'm very biased, but the onsite hotels with Unlimited EP are well worth a stay. Beautiful and so convenient to walk to the parks........

 

[bchbetha]

So you'll be there the weekend after MLK Jr. Day? That's good. We were there on MLK Jr. Day last year and the next 2 days. It was pretty crowded that Monday and you could tell it had been busy all weekend. We did not splurge for a deluxe hotel and stayed at Cabana Bay. I thought long and hard about express passes and knew we could live without them. I am sure they are lovely but lines really were reasonable. We did use the extra hour though and it was great. Being onsite is terrific, imo, even if it isn't at a deluxe hotel. It doesn't feel like vacation when we have to deal with driving and parking. The buses at CB came often and were easy. Something to note is that the hours are short that time of year some days. If budget allows easily, it certainly would be even better to stay at a fancy onsite hotel. But, consider the non fancy ones for the onsite perks/ proximity and budget savings.

 

[keishashadow]

A night onsite that offers the FOTL pkg (2 nights even better to allow some time. To enjoy the resort)would be nice change of pace for you.

If you have the FOTL perk, make sure to book that portion of stay last. Otherwise, you will find yourself standing in line @ WDW grumbling lol.

Google crowd calendar, Undercover Tourist has free one that tends to be close to the mark.