My New Disney Touring Strategy

[ArwenMarie]

For the first time ever, our family will be spending time at Universal (the tail end of our vacation). We were going to spend 10 days at WDW for DD 16th birthday with one of her friends. When we told her about the changes to fast pass she voiced concern. Well long story short, I told DD to do a little research on Universal. She came back asking if we could go for a few days and stay at the HRH. It's her 16th so I let her decide as long as it was within budget. To be honest, I never thought of this as a strategy, but after reading your post, one could definitely see this as one. We are looking forward to a different way of spending our day; no adr's, no rushing or clock watching, no reservations at all. This could be the beginning of split vacations for us in the future! (we'll spend some of our days at our DVC resort). So glad I came across your post!

Yes, this was the part that was the best part. Staying there was actually...relaxing. Since we we were onsite, we could go over whenever and then because of Express Pass, we could do what we wanted, when we wanted. The fact that the hotel was very nice was the final part that swayed me (the food at the hotel was very good too).

Have fun planning your trip, what a great 16th birthday present!

 

[Mary*Poppins]

I would love to see Disney open a thrill park as a 5th gate in the future...

Themed around villians and aimed at the tween - adult market.

I think Tower of Terror is one of Disney's best rides by far; a whole park with thrill rides that have pristine theming would really rival IOA and at the same time reduce crowds in the existing 4 parks freeing up some capacity.

I LOVE this idea!

 

[mom2rtk]

The difference in price between a 5 day WDW single park ticket and a 10 day WDW ticket is $50. For that difference you would get 15 more FP+ selections, so the effective cost is just over $3 per FP+ selection. Plus if you are going on 10 separate partial days instead of 5 full length park days, you can double up your FP+ choices if you so desire (by doing 2 half days at DHS for example, and choosing TSMM both days if you like).

That's the primary reason behind my strategy of combining a UO/WDW vacation and splitting days.

 

[crostorfer]

ArwenMarie.....YOU STOLE MY STRATEGY!

*Picks up toys and leaves*

 

[lisalis]

I read this thread with interest because we will be heading down the summer of 2015. Last summer we did 2 days at Universal on site and no days of Disney. My older boys didn't want to go back to Disney after having visited 4 years earlier and we hadn't visited Universal yet. We did get back to Florida last Thanksgiving and did WDW with Fastpass+. At Universal, we loved the express line, the pool area, and ability to have 5 in a room. I will say that the boys loved doing all the thrill rides, but it still just doesn't have that "magic" for me. I could see doing 4 days, 2 mornings in each park. The 2 days we were there, we took a break to eat & do pool time before returning in the evening to do favorite rides and shows we missed earlier. One thing we noticed about Universal, since we were there for a conference the entire week, was that the traffic is really heavy in that area. Also, staying at Universal, you pay daily for parking in the resorts(unless you get one annual pass); and you'll be paying for parking at WDW as well if you head over there in the evenings. I do feel that doing the 3 reserved rides over more park days is a good strategy for us as well. We have 3 boys(16,13,7) who do not like to just walk around soak in ambience like us old folks It's very difficult to find decent standby times on many attractions after 11 AM. Although, our youngest enjoyed the Perry and Pirate adventures at EPCOT and MK. We only had 5 days non park hopper at Pop Century this fall, with 2 at MK. Because we didn't schedule our fp+s right, we did not go on Peter Pan(line never less than an hour). I forgot that attraction was so popular and didn't schedule a fp+, I know, rookie mistake! We did not stand in line, because by our last day of vacation I was tired of fake wrestling, fart noises, etc. It made me think about our no smart phones for the kids pretty hard - lol. I guess I'll have to think about all the angles before we start making plans next spring. Good luck to OP in however you decide to tour next time

 

[prudence64]

Spent a half day at IOA and had a miserable time. Harry potter ride was broken. Not interested in kiddie rides and husband won't do coasters, so we lost interest very quickly. Probably would've preferred the other park but was there specifically for Harry Potter. The scenery there was impressive though. Too crowded in HP world to even go into a gift shop. Maybe it's calmed down since then. Don't plan on returning until maybe daughter is a teen and wants to go.

 

[pktbMouse]

we did Universal last year and plan going back for three days this year and shortening Disney to only two...my kids loved IOA!! they got to see a baby dino hatch out of an egg and when they asked my 11yr old to name it he got a birth certificate..it made his day!! They also loved Dr seuss landing..I think we rode one fish two fish just to get wet and cool down about three times in a row...they also loved cat in the hat ride..Spiderman, superheros etc..cant wait to do the new minion ride this year..and yes Harry Potter was busy but no busier than Magic Kingdom on a weekend. We had a blast at Universal! my kids are 11yrs and 5 yrs and are begging to go back this year...suits us fine with the new FP+ fiasco.

 

[johde]

The difference in price between a 5 day WDW single park ticket and a 10 day WDW ticket is $50. For that difference you would get 15 more FP+ selections, so the effective cost is just over $3 per FP+ selection. Plus if you are going on 10 separate partial days instead of 5 full length park days, you can double up your FP+ choices if you so desire (by doing 2 half days at DHS for example, and choosing TSMM both days if you like).

That's the primary reason behind my strategy of combining a UO/WDW vacation and splitting days.

It's an interesting idea. Another way at looking at the math, if you were going to add 1 universal day to your Disney Vacation it would be $128 for park to park tickets. A 3 park length of stay pass is $190 on Undercover Tourist. Adding park hopping to your Disney tickets costs $60 more. For basically the same money as Disney Hopper's and a 1 day Universal Park to Park. you can hop between any 1 Disney park and Universal or Wet and Wild for the 2 weeks. The biggest down side would be the drive up and down I-4 every day.

 

[fairy8i8]

My thoughts are to see Disney in the mornings on the Disney days, and then go to the Universal parks later if we feel like it, or not. Then have Universal-only days as well. I also like the idea in the comments about going to Disney for resort dinners, maybe seeing fireworks from the resorts, as well as the idea about going during the party season and seeing Disney that way. Lots of options.
.

My brother lived in FL for a while, and we visited him over the 4th of July. We made a last minute decision to watch the fireworks at Disney World. We didn't want to endure the oppressively large crowds in the Magic Kingdom, so instead we went to the Grand Floridian. We sat on the grass with nothing but water in front of us and had 2 great Fireworks shows - the one over 7 Seas Lagoon and the one over the Castle. Really amazing and fun.

 

[3happydancers]

Yes, this was the part that was the best part. Staying there was actually...relaxing. Since we we were onsite, we could go over whenever and then because of Express Pass, we could do what we wanted, when we wanted. The fact that the hotel was very nice was the final part that swayed me (the food at the hotel was very good too).

Have fun planning your trip, what a great 16th birthday present!

Thanks. We are very excited and looking forward to this new adventure! By the way, besides your hotel, did you have a chance to eat at any other places you could recommend?

 

[Planogirl]

Definitely different. Financially, it's a LOT different...I'm just curious if PP would pay to do Disney and Universal in one day.

We've done it. We buy long Universal and Disney passes and then in effect park hop from one to the other. Since we always have a car, it's no big deal.

We've done it while staying at a Universal resort or a Disney resort or offsite. We don't do it every day but maybe for a few days. We do devote complete days to WDW and to Universal too. We think that they both deserve that.

 

[vcgirl925]

I'd be bored to death with 5 days at Universal.

We have stayed at Hard Rock a couple of times, but 2 nights is enough, actually more than enough.

We can pretty much cover both parks in one day with FOTL.

We did a full week at universal! Two days each park. The rest of the time we lazed around the pool, eating and drinking. It was lovely.

 

[Mad Hattered]

How is this post not trolling? Oy.

You mean just like the one you posted?

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3237805

At least Arwen had their FACTS straight.

 

[vcgirl925]

You will have a great time, plenty to do for five days. You'll get to pace yourself and really enjoy the little things and not run yourself ragged all day.

This AND with FOTL you can go on favorites over and over again. Just can't do that at disney. My 7 and 9 year olds loved it , both said better than disney. As for my two year old, while she couldn't do a ton of rides, there were plenty of shows, character interactions, and playgrounds (water and dry) to keep her very happy. Nothing made her happier than riding cat in the hat about 15 times in a row with no wait. ,

 

[vcgirl925]

Just to clarify, I still love love love the Disney parks. That's why the next trip we will combine both, but stay at UOR for the Express Pass.

The reason I posted this was because staying at Universal made me realize that I can still enjoy the Disney parks, yet take a step back from this hyperscheduled FP+ planning by touring them in a way that isn't focused on rides, rides, rides. For example, I don't care about Test Track and Soarin' anymore. Next time I go to Epcot, it will be to enjoy the atmosphere especially World Showcase. Then we'll come back to UOR and get our ride fix in with the Express Pass and enjoy those parks as well. Just one example.

The "win-win" part was that I actually liked Portofino more than the Disney Deluxes.

.
Hope this makes sense! My heart is still with the Mouse

I totally get what you're saying. I think it's nice to feel at home in both parks. Disney and uni. There's no reason you can't love both or love some things about one and not the other. Glad you had a great experience like we did!

 

[Mad Hattered]

Definitely different. Financially, it's a LOT different...I'm just curious if PP would pay to do Disney and Universal in one day.

Here is OUR deal. We bought 20 days worth of non expiring park hoppers for Disney years before this FP+ debacle. 3 years ago we bought APs to Universal (which cost us like $100 because we were smart enough to buy those 7 days for $99 tickets they sold before Potter came to town...upgrades are cool as long as you are smart enough to do the math). Our renewal rate is almost an 8th of the cost of a Disney AP...sweet deal. Not to mention the great discounts you get for the onsite deluxe resorts....math. What? FOTL is included? Sweet deal.

Soooo...our touring style has been to stay at Universal and visit Disney less days. They have NOTHING NEW THAT WE CARE ABOUT so we'd waste a ticket for a day or two each trip just to ride some old favorites. Meanwhile we could tour the Universal parks at a much less hectic pace and eat a great meal without having to plan it out 6 months in advance.

Now we have no reason to visit Disney because the old favorites are just that....old. Not that there is anything wrong with that...just not worth standing in an inflated line because of "technology". I'm pretty sure there is irony in that statement somewhwere. We will visit again when Avatar is finished ...I guess the Mine Train will be open by then so I guess we might check that out while we're at it.

We just got home from dinner (and drinks) with friends tonight and we changed their mind about going to Disney like they had planned to this September. Instead, they will be enjoying staying onsite at Universal and buying the 6 day Flex ticket and visiting Universal, Seaworld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens. Not to mention that they will get to visit the beach in Clearwater after their trip to BG. So that is 12 people who won't be visiting Disney this year. I can't wait to talk to the other 10 families that want my help planning a trip.

They can try to be "technologically savvy" by removing their FB reviews so the public can't see the negativity....but they can't stop word of mouth. Call me "old fashion".

 

[JZCubed]

No, Universal can't handle the crowds like WDW does, not a lot of open space, no room for expansion, so they are really on a different level compared to WDW. Also, Universal has 6 rides for little kids (no height requirement) compared to WDW, so they attract a different crowd. WDW has been trying to get some of Universal's audience, but Universal really doesn't have the space to attract WDW's audience.

If Universal ever got as crowded as WDW, then you'd see exactly the same issues there. FOTL passes only work if there are a limited number of them. They just turn into the same as WDW when there are tons of them.

My daughter turns 5 next week and she is about 42 inches tall.

The magic height for Universal is 48 inches.

I have a few more years before taking advantage of Universal.

 

[mom2rtk]

My thoughts are to see Disney in the mornings on the Disney days, and then go to the Universal parks later if we feel like it, or not. Then have Universal-only days as well. I also like the idea in the comments about going to Disney for resort dinners, maybe seeing fireworks from the resorts, as well as the idea about going during the party season and seeing Disney that way. Lots of options.

I have also considered hard ticket party access as a potential big player in how we approach a future WDW vacation. Up until now at least, even on a sold out night there was very little wait on any of the rides.

We spent a couple days in Orlando last year on our way back from a beach vacation. I don't do the parks in the heat, so had no desire for a lot of park access. We did do one evening in the MK, but the rest of the time did exactly what you describe. We rode the monorail, did 2 character meals at the GF, watched fireworks from the Poly Beach.

I think that's generally how Disney wants us spending our time, but they also want us buying our length of stay tickets in ADDITION to that. I just refuse to take the time to do those things when I have already purchased park time. But it works great as a stand-in on a trip where you decide to go elsewhere and want a little dose of Disney.

 

[agavegirl1]

For the Disney portion of my trip, I will have 8 day Park Hopper passes (staying 9 nights at POP) I will also have 14 day Flex Passes for the Sea World and Universal portion of the trip. If I find WDW beginning to get "old", I can take the free bus to BG from my room at POP for a day. Or bus over to Universal for an extra day there then come back for my evening ADR inside Epcot. A couple of 14 day flex passes is the cheapest option for our plans and we only have 7 days of them planned for when we are onsite near the other parks. I didn't find it cost prohibitive at all and the flex passes were purchases with my "At Work" discount.

 

[Geezer12]

We go all the time to Disney as we live a couple hour drive away. We go every few months for usually a quick 3-4 stay. We will shoot over to Universal and Sea World. We think they are both great as well. It's nice to mix it up a bit. We recently stayed at Portofino Bay (we usually always base at a Disney hotel and commute). I will say this. I travel extensively for work and what Disney calls a Deluxe and charges for it is somewhat laughable. They are nicely themed hotels and you pay primarily for the location, transportation, etc. However, they don't compare to some other hotels I would consider deluxe. Portofino Bay was very nice and much cheaper and we enjoyed it a lot. The front of the line pass was great as well. A great perk that I realize Disney can't offer due to the amount of resorts they have. Again, not a knock on Disney. We love it there. But we enjoy exploring other places such as Universal and Sea World. We are Florida residents and get good rates on passes, hotels etc so we take advantage of it.