MGM or Universal?

[kennyssenorita]

I need some help in deciding to do a day at MGM or Univeral Studios/IOA. this will be my families first trip to Disney, we have 2 sons, ages 5 and 7. Which park do you think would be better for them?

 

[kennyssenorita]

Please help!!

 

[goofie4goofy]

Universal IOA is much bigger than MGM. There are lots of great rides there and Suess land which they will love and the Flying Unicorn, a roller coaster for little kids and the Super hero interaction is great. They will also love the Spiderman ride too and Popyey and Bluto's bilge rat barge, Ripshaw Falls..theres Jutrassic Park and the flying traciprotus (sp?) . IOA is a full day, but you will have to drive there and buy tickets...I don't know how much a 1 day park pass is. Having been to both many times there is much more to do at IOA...even if they don't go on all the rides like the Hulk. There are a lot of "lands" in IOA all are lots of fun and plenty of things to do in all. Much more than MGM

MGM is great too however. Theres the new stunt show, Fantasmic, Power rangers, Muppets , motor cars parade. If you have park hopper tickets, there is no additional cost and you just have to hop on the MGM bus from the resort.

It's really up to you if you want to travel to USO or stay on WDW property. I don't know how long the trip is, never done WDW to USO.
You can go to the website www.universalstudios.com and get lots of info there. This way you can make the decision based on what you see, you know best what your kids like.

I personaly like making USO a seperate trip. It's a lot less expensive than WDW and thye usually have specials on their park tickets..like buy 5 days for the price of 3 (includes hopping from studios to IOA) and if you stay on site, they sometimes have specials where the tickets are free. And you also get Front of the line access...no waiting in line when you stay at a Universal resort.

 

[vthokie]

If you have time for 2 days to see both Universal parks, there is currently a great on-line special. For every adult 2-day pass purchased for $100, you get a child's 2-day pass free. They will also add 2 days onto the passes, making them good for 4 consecutive days.

 

[Jennifer48]

We recently went and purchased the 2-parks/1 day pass plus the Express Pass. With 4 adults riding just about everything, we did both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in one day. MGM to me, there is just more fun things to look at where US/IoA are just plan old amusement parks. But thats just my opinion

 

[Stacy's a freak]

When I first read your thread title "MGM or Universal?", I instantly said out loud, do you want thrill rides or theme park rides? If it's thrills, I would say IOA. They have some serious coasters, which appeals to the teenagers and up (in my opinion). But with your boys of 5 and 7, I think that MGM might suit them better with tamer rides and more family interaction. While I think both parks are great, in your case, I would stick with MGM (not to mention the possible cost savings if you already have WDW tickets).

 

[addicted2disney]

I think that since this is your first trip to Disney, keep the parks all Disney. We went to UStudios on our very first trip back in '99. There was no Islands of Adventure yet. My DD's were 3 & 5. We went on Jaws, they were scared, Earthquake, they were scared, Twister, they cried. The only thing they like was ET. We finally made our way over to the Nickelodian section , and the behind the scenes tour didnt thrill them in the least. They did like the Barney Show. In my opinion, it was a waste. They didnt like anything, it cost more to get tickets to US, plus we had to have Mears shuttle us. Every year we say, maybe we will go back and give it shot. We always talk ourselves out of it. We like MGM. At 5 & 7, they can go on Tower of Terror, and maybe even RnRC depending on their height. Especially the 7 year old. Beauty & The beast live on stage is a hit with both boys and girls. There are lots of scenes with teh Beast and Gaston. Indiana Jones stunt show, the new stunt show ( cant wait to check that out next month) Star TOurs, Backlot tour, Great Movie Ride, cool parade with lots of characters, The Honey I shrunk the kids playground, Playhouse DIsney, Lots of meet and greets with many characters, and Fantasmic to end the night!

What month are you planning on going ??

 

[kennyssenorita]

We are going May 6-13. I know it would be cheaper to just do Disney this trip, that was my plan until I talked to a friend who went 2 years ago and said that her daughter liked Universal the best (she was 6 at the time). So, now I am confused and don't know what to do. We are definately doing MK-1day and AK-1 day, I wanted to buy a 3day hopper pass, so we could do MGM 1/2 day or 3/4 day and return to MK for more. We want a few days just to relax!!

 

[Demon Llama]

So you've got about a week, in early May (which is supposed to be a great time of year to go) and you want a couple days of downtime and 3-day park hoppers. No problem!

You can fit in a day at Universal/IOA easy but you should still hit MGM. There's definitely no "magic" at the Universal parks, but there are a few rides that are definitely worth the trip. If you are planning on cabbing it to Universal and you're staying on WDW property, the best thing to do is to take a WDW bus to Downtown Disney first. Taking the cab from there will save you a few bucks because it's closest to the exit. It's about $20-$25.

MGM is one of my favorite parks at WDW. It's got the perfect combination of magic, thrill rides, normal rides, shows, 3-D, the 50's prime time cafe (love it), characters and it ends with Fantasmic!!!! I would never ever pass up visiting this park just to go to Universal.

 

[Mainebound]

I need some help in deciding to do a day at MGM or Univeral Studios/IOA. this will be my families first trip to Disney, we have 2 sons, ages 5 and 7. Which park do you think would be better for them?

Our sons, ages 4 and 6, prefer Universal Studios (three times) to MGM. We do not even visit MGM these days -- too many girl-oriented shows. And me and DH do not like MGM either (but LOVE the other WDW parks).

Do your boys like Spiderman, the Hulk, Wolverinr, other X-men, any action heroes at all? Shrek? Jimmy Neutron? Rugrats? Then go to Universal.

 

[boomhauer]

Problem with MGM is there is so much waste space there. I enjoy the atmosphere and restaurants of MGM. However, I can spend just a few hours there and see everything I want to.

 

[Aliki]

My vote is for Universal.

We just got back from our first visit to Orlando. We chose Universal (both Studios and IOS, there is a special 2-park special for adults) instead of MGM. We had a blast-- from the rides to the special effects, we had a great time. It's also much bigger than MGM so you can spend a whole day there and not see everything you want to!

 

[jlovesee]

I personally believe that Universal is Disney on the adult scale, the theming is absolutly there, it is NOT just another amusement park. I have always believed that the Port of Entry at IOA is very similar to Main Street all the small details, but obviously themed very differently...

Now into which is better.

MGM has the Great Movie Ride, Playhouse Disney, Muppetvision, the Beauty and the Beast show, Little Mermaid, all of which would be good attractions for the age group you are mentioning, but MGM for me just comes up way short on the connectivity and "flow" of the park and just the # of decent attractions. You can only see a Man and his Dream so many times (I have seen it 3 times and still love it though!). You could easily get through MGM in half a day.

Islands of Adventure is a thrill park, many of the rides are incredibly thrilling and well... some are scary for that age group, Hulk, Dueling Dragons, Dr. Doom, all fall into this category. BUT, IOA also has such amazing family rides
as Dudley Do-Right which beat out Splash Mountain as the best water ride in our recent magazine survey (Theme Parks Magazine), Seuss Landing, the Flying Unicorn, Camp Jurassic, and the flyer coaster there, Bluto's Bildge Rafts (my favorite rapids ride overall), etc. Its a very very very good park period.

Universal Studios on the other hand is very adult oriented as well, but is a very good competitor to MGM especially now with Mummy the Ride to compete with Rockin' Roller Coaster. Its more movie oriented where MGM is just more Disney themed ride oriented. Meaning EVERY ride at Universal is themed to some movie whether it be Jaws, Earthquake, Twister, Men in Black, Back to the Future, Terminator, etc. Universal Studios attractions migth be on the scary side for children that young though.

Overall its a personal decision I like IOA out of the 3 but many might disagree and that's ok.

Jennifer

 

[dolphindan1]

We had a Disney trip planned for this Dec....or 6th year in a row in Dec....but after talking to my 2 boys who have been to all the parks, Universal and Disney....they were like dad we want to go ride spiderman and Hulk and Jurrassic park....these boys are now 5 and 9....the youngest its a little too small for the big rides but he loves spiderman....it was a let down for me as I love Disney and the magic....You will not get that magic feeling at Universal but they are very nice parks.....so we decided to do a universal trip and go to Sea World and Busch Gardens (never been to BG)....but you can bet they will have to suffer through Disney next year...LOL....if the kids are adveturous got to Universal if more on the shy side with rides keep to Disney.....just my thoughts....have fun

 

[kennyssenorita]

Thanks for everyones help!! I'm still deciding, I think I'm going toleave it up to my boy's.

 

[Soprano]

You are on to a winner which ever one you choose. MGM and Islands of Adventure are my top two parks. The boys will love 'em!

 

[RC Fan]

I think you and your family would enjoy USO. However, whether or not you decide to go this trip, when you do go, go with an open mind. IOA especially is an awesome park, complete with its own brand of 'magic'. I am not a huge fan of the Studios side, but it is worth the trip too.

I personally have only two reasons to go to MGM: the Rockin' Rollercoaster, and especially the Tower of Terror.

 

[gigi1313]

MGM ALL THE WAY!!! we did both our last trip... the kids preferred MGM hands' down... we were very disappointed in universal... it just wasn't for us... my ds was miserable half the day 'cause the rides he wanted to ride, he was too short for (and he's tall for his age/8yo)... it's something to consider if your boys are likely to want to go on the "thrill" rides, they may not be able to... or one might and the other might not (what could be worse?!)... anyway, i'd stick w/mgm where there's lots of fun for everyone!