Never Been...help Me Decide!

[paula70]

Okay, planning a Nov/Dec (11/27-12/5?) 2009 trip to Disney. I know that is a long ways away! My family lives on a tight budget so I need to figure out an approx. cost so we can start putting $ into a vaca. fund. Since my oldest DD is almost middle school age, I would like to do a "big trip" because soon we will not be able to pull her out of school to go during value season !

Here's where I need your help...

We are considering a 2 day trip to US/IOA on top of our 7 day trip to WDW. If we went we would go the first couple days of our trip (thanksgiving weekend) and stay onsite as to get the FOTL access. First, I will say that if HP wizarding world is open we are there for sure! My DD's (8 and 10) are fanatics! Read all the books, saw all the moives crazy fans! If it's not open I'm just not sure what to do. Here's our background info and you tell me what you all think:

At time of our next trip my DD's will be 9 and 12 (Bday while on vacation). OUr last trip to WDW was in 2006 and they were almost 6 and 8. They do not like the big fast roller coasters! DD8 wouldnt try EE and DD5 cried on it (but i think they would be fine next time!). Too scared/short for RNR and TOT. Here's what they loved: BTMRR, hands down fave. ride of the week. Soarin', we thought this was AWESOME! Mcikey's philharmagic and splash mtn. were a big hit. Space mtn...just okay. Loved Buzz ride.

Okay, so knowing my girls aren't daredevils is it still worth the trip? Do they have alot of shows/attractions like soarin or MPHM? Or is it mostly thrill rides? KNowing that we will not have a car and have to arrange rides from airport and to WDW, it just seems like alot of extra work (and money). I would love it if you experts could help me out with my decision!

 

[damo]

Don't do universal first. You get very spoiled using FOTL and it makes you very, very impatient at Disney.

Flying Unicorn is similar to BTMRR and Mummy is as well.. Men in Black is similar (but way better) than Buzz. There are lots and lots of rides for them.

 

[Metro West]

Don't do universal first. You get very spoiled using FOTL and it makes you very, very impatient at Disney.

 

[keishashadow]

Thanksgiving weekend = very big $ for hotel rooms in Orlando.

JMHO, if your daughter is a good student & doesn't otherwise miss school on a regular basis, i'd certainly look into the merits of an "educational" trip

I've found that when the school & teachers are notified well in advance (avoiding testing periods, etc.) and the homework/material is covered during your absence (to be made up either before or during vacation) there is really no issue.

FYI, the UG insists that the week or so after Thanksgiving (beginning Monday) is slow ; although the 1st 2 weeks in Dec. seem to be gett ing more popular @ Disney

We did the same thing the week before Pres. Day & couldn't help comparing the 2 unfavorably...however, if it was the only way that will work, go for it.

 

[paula70]

Thanksgiving weekend = very big $ for hotel rooms in Orlando.

JMHO, if your daughter is a good student & doesn't otherwise miss school on a regular basis, i'd certainly look into the merits of an "educational" trip

I've found that when the school & teachers are notified well in advance (avoiding testing periods, etc.) and the homework/material is covered during your absence (to be made up either before or during vacation) there is really no issue.

FYI, the UG insists that the week or so after Thanksgiving (beginning Monday) is slow ; although the 1st 2 weeks in Dec. seem to be gett ing more popular @ Disney

We did the same thing the week before Pres. Day & couldn't help comparing the 2 unfavorably...however, if it was the only way that will work, go for it.

My daughter is an excellent student (gifted/talented program) and usually only misses 1 day a year outside of a rare vacation. I don't have a problem pulling her for a week but I was going to try to use those extra couple days after thankisgiving as a way to lengthen our vacation w/o her misssing more than a week.

I honestly didn't think about the cost of hotels that weekend. Thank you for pointing that out to me. Since value season doesn't start until 12/30, I'd have a few days of overpriced hotels.

So now that I've got that figured out...

Back to the big question-Will a family w/ a couple of nervous nellie's still enjoy US/IOA and will it be worth the money and time?

If anyone else has an opinion Id love to hear it! Especially if you have less than daring kids!

 

[tlinus]

Back to the big question-Will a family w/ a couple of nervous nellie's still enjoy US/IOA and will it be worth the money and time?

If anyone else has an opinion Id love to hear it! Especially if you have less than daring kids!

maybe by then they will be a little more adventurous

seriously - there is still alot to do. the only "big thrill" rides are The Hulk roller coaster and Dueling Dragons (and the new one that will be coming to Universal Studios).

My 6yo DS is looking forward to riding Jurassic Park River Adventure whereas a year ago it was a fight to get him on....he is a little more than miffed that he isn't tall enough to go on The Mummy - that kind of shocked me

my 8yo DD will try stuff once - but if she doesn't like it, she doesn't ride it......but she can do the flying unicorn 1000000000 times and never get tired of it

the 12 almost 13yo DD is Daddy's clone - they do all the rides together.

I would also recommend that you do Disney first. You will get spoiled by the short walk to the parks and FOTL access that Universal provides.

 

[fan of the TTA]

islands of adventure has rips or falls, whitch i guess is a bit like splash mountain, but with diffrent theming obviously!. flying unicorn is good, if not very short... also has posidon, a really awsome show...i loved it. of course, you got the teacups and cat in the hat, too.

universal is mainly rides, although it does have shrek 4d, like the pirate show at bush gardens, just with shrek theeming.

enjoy your trip... 2wwwww

 

[Darcy03231]

I'm the biggest ride chicken alive!!! My favorite rides are the kiddie ones. Having said that I ride everything in both parks except Hulk, Dr. Doom and Dueling Dragons (all in IOA). I think they'll have a great time. When we went last summer DN (9) tends to be a bit timid when it comes to rides and she rode everything too, with the exception of Hulk, Dr. Doom and Dueling Dragons. She was tall enough, just wasn't brave enough.

 

[paula70]

Thanks for the resposes! It sounds like there is plenty to do and 2 days should be enough. Now let's cross our fingers that Harry POtters WW will be open....If not then we'll definitely be plannning another trip when it does!

 

[MassMom94]

My DS10 is not a daredevil and he really enjoys Universal. We have been on three trips there in the last three years. He will not go on Hulk, DD, or Mummy (I know he would LOVE that ride, but he refuses to try). He also doesn't like water rides with big hills (I talked him onto Splash Mountain two years ago and he still hasn't forgiven me), so he won't go on the Jurassic Park ride or Ripsaw Falls. But there is still plenty he loves, as follows:

IOA

Spiderman, Bilge-Rat Barges, Pteranodon Flyers, Jurassic Park Discovery Center, Camp Jurassic, Poseidon's Fury, Mystic Fountain, Sinbad Stunt Show, Flying Unicorn, Cat in the Hat, Caro-Seuss-el, High in the Sky Trolley Train

US

Jimmy Neutron, Shrek, Horror Make-up Show, Terminator (girls might not like this show as much), Twister, Curious George ball area, Woody Woodpecker Coaster, E.T., Disaster!, Jaws, Men in Black.

For our first two trips to Universal, we stayed there for two nights before moving on to Disney. I'd heard before that FOTL would "spoil" Disney for the kids, but it didn't happen for my family. So if that works best for you, do it. One advantage to doing Universal at the end rather than beginning of the trip is that it's closer to the airport, so you don't have to leave for the airport quite as early as you do when you're returning from WDW.

 

[kellymonaghan]

Go to WDW. Avoid Universal like the plague. Bits and pieces of the Harry Potter section may be open by then and the parks will be crowded.

The last thing we need is people wandering about wondering where the Hidden Mickeys are.

 

[ky07]

Go to WDW. Avoid Universal like the plague. Bits and pieces of the Harry Potter section may be open by then and the parks will be crowded.

The last thing we need is people wandering about wondering where the Hidden Mickeys are.

 

[tlinus]

Go to WDW. Avoid Universal like the plague. Bits and pieces of the Harry Potter section may be open by then and the parks will be crowded.

The last thing we need is people wandering about wondering where the Hidden Mickeys are.

OMGoodness - that is SOOOOOoooooo not right!!!

 

[paula70]

Go to WDW. Avoid Universal like the plague. Bits and pieces of the Harry Potter section may be open by then and the parks will be crowded.

The last thing we need is people wandering about wondering where the Hidden Mickeys are.

Okay...now I'm going for sure, just to tick you off!!! And I'm going to walk around and complain and compare it to WDW the whole time! J/K Thanks for all the info, Im definitely going to budget for it!

 

[fan of the TTA]

OMGoodness - that is SOOOOOoooooo not right!!!

yeah i agree, love universal

 

[Hodder]

I am looking into a trip for Sept 2009, and want to go to Universal as well. This trip will also include my sister in law and her family, as well a friend and her family. I was thinking on booking Dinsey then getting a cab or shuttle to Universal for a couple of days in between. Just have to look into pricing and such. By the sounds of it here I may be better off booking the hotel there for the last few nights, but we find by the end of our trip we are tired and just like to take it easy. Decisions Decisions. Since there is a possibility of 11 of us going there it seems like it may be cheaper to just cab/shuttle it for the couple of days.