No Disney in 09, but maybe Universal Studios??? Help please!

[Grendalynn]

Ok, so I have come to the conclusion that its just not in the cards to go to WDW again this winter. We went in April and saved and saved for Wilderness Lodge. While we had an amazing tieme and would love love love to go again this coming winter, I cant see that we will be able to afford it. That being said - who has taken their kiddos to Universal Studios, at what ages, about how many days did you need and take - ins and outs, and al that jazz....

I am a Disney Snob and dont think I could, and have read that its hard to, experinece both Disney and Universal in one trip; as you are constantly comparing the two (and in my opinion, Disney sets the bar pretty high!!)) So with that being said, I have just had an epiphany about this idea!!! DH is slep and doesnt even know yet!! So I think this would be a good chance to take a fw days and do US, Sea World or what everelse. Not a full blow Disney Vcation - that means $$$$$!!

My Inlaws are about 1 hour inland from Orlando so we could either stay there "on-site" or commute a day or two...

Whats everyone's "professional Opinion and Advice" on Univer Studios, Island of Adventure and everything in Orlando that is Non-Disney!!?? Thanks In Advance!!

Uh-oh!! You know what this means??? I feel some planning coming on!!??

 

[Lucky'sMom]

I really enjoy US/IOA. We have done it both as it's own vacation (with one day at MK...I just can't go to Orlando w/o visiting the MK) and as a tag-on to a WDW trip. You can't beat the price. I think you can really see it all in 3 days, though. Depending on the time of year you go, you may want to consider at least one night at a Universal hotel. The front of the line perk is fabulous! One night at an on-property hotel will get you 2 days of using the express line. We have done US with little ones, and just 2 weeks ago with our kids ages you can see in my sig below. We all had a blast.

 

[powellrj]

We love Universal and Sea World and have done just those for vacations. I agree that staying on-site at Universal to get front of the line is a wonderful perk. There hotels are all lovely and are more of a deluxe hotel than a moderate or a value.

They both have great ticket prices so that makes it nice too! While I am not sure if they still offer it, Sea World offers the second day free option when you leave. We always do that and it makes a really relaxed time. Go early and leave around 1 when it starts to get really hot and crowded and then go back another day!

Universal offers lots of ticket specials that make it a reasonable trip for a family. We like to go early and then spend the afternoon at the hotel in the pool and go back in the evening. The hotels are so close and the transportation is great that it makes it easy to go back and forth.

 

[Darcy03231]

We spent 16 days in Orlando last August and only went to WDW one night for Pirates and Princesses. We went to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Wet n'd Wild and Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. The whole family agreed it was one of the best vacations we've ever taken.

We stayed off-site in a rental home in Clermont. It took us about an hour to get to Tampa (BG) and about 20-30 min to get to US/IOA/WNW & SW, depending on traffic.

It was me (45), DD (16), DS (14), DSis (42), DBil (50), DN (12), DN (9) and DN (3.5).

We didn't get the express passes for US/IOA since we were there for so long. It was peak season and we ended up spending 6-7 days between US/IOA and they weren't full days. We got to the parks when they opened and there were no lines for the first couple of hours. By 11 lines were starting to form (15-20 min). By noon they were a bit longer (30-45 min) and by 1-2 the lines for the really popular rides were long (an hour or more). We left by that time as it was getting really hot. We went back to our rental home to swim/eat/rest and then would go back at night. While the lines were longer than they were first thing in the morning, they weren't as long as the middle of the day. Some night we didn't bother to go back and just hung out at the house and relaxed. All of the kids enjoyed all of the parks. There was something for everyone from the oldest to the youngest.

Being a WDW fan, before the trip I was disappointed that we weren't planning to spend more time at WDW. After the trip I was so glad that we took the time to experience something different. We really had a wonderful time and I'm looking forward to going back. It was different but still fun. I think the theming in US/IOA is wonderful, especially in Suess' Landing. I found the parks to be very clean and the workers were very helpful and courteous. In fact, several of them went out of their way for us (and we stopped at guest services on the way out and filled out a form complimenting both of them - something I've never done at WDW). I think you can have just as magical a time at US/IOA as you do at WDW if you go with an open mind and a good attitude and don't try to compare it to WDW. Its not WDW its different. Its kind of like you can like both Chinese food and Italian food but both are completely different from each other.

 

[Grendalynn]

Thanks everyone for the great info and tips!! What time of year is best?? We went to WDW the first week of April and I have never in all my trips seen it that busy!!! I would love to be able to enjoy the park and not feel overwhelmed like our last escapade!! Dont get me wrong, we had a blast but the bumper to bumper lines was out of control!!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We enjoy Universal and plan to go back once the Harry Potter world is finished. My kids are 9 and 5, so they were 7 and 3 when we last went. DDthen7 was up for pretty much anything, but DDthen3 preferred Seuss Landing at IOA and would have spent all her time there. It is a wonderfully themed land - probably the best theming in all of Orlando. There are things for your littlest one, but there is more to do for your older kids.

Definitely stay on-site! It cannot be underestimated as a perk. I have found that Universal does not move lines along as well as Disney, so it is not uncommon to wait 30-45 minutes even on slower days. We rode the Seuss trolley train ride over and over for DDthen3 - the wait would have been 30 minutes each time, but we walked right on with FOTL. Since there were not that many rides that our younger DD wanted to ride, we were able to do the same ones over and over without worrying about time spent in line.

We stayed at the Royal Pacific, which was gorgeous (but no pool slide if that is important). Loews has some very good AAA rates if you are a AAA member. If you spend one night, you can get FOTL for your check-in day and your check-out day. With FOTL, you can do everything in two days if you choose. We spent three days and did many things over and over.

Check out the Universal board for lots of tips!

 

[KSG'sDisneyMem]

I really enjoyed Universal and Universal IOA. My DGS (4) loves the Barney show and indoor play area. We have spent quite a bit of time in there the past couple of years! He enjoys Seuss Landing at IOA. He was very disappointed that Feivel's playland was closed last September as this is also something he enjoys. Another fun thing is the Curious George play area and the Ball Factory. A lot of fun for families. DGS loves the ET ride and Jimmy Neutron is fun for all. They have stationary seating for families with small children. He also loves to watch the stilt walkers who wander around outside of The Revenge of the Mummy ride. I took my children when they were in high school and they loved IOA. Did you know you can purchase 7 day tickets for $89.99??(tax included I think) on the Universal web site. They do not expire and they do not activate until the day you pick them up at the kiosk at the entrance to the park. Just keep in mind that once you pick these tickets up, you have 7 days to use them. It costs something like $72 a day so as you can see, the above mentioned price cannot be beat. If you are on a strict budget I would drive back and forth because the on-site hotels are very expensive. But as mentioned previously, the perks may be worth it to try and stay at least one night if possible and if you have 7 day tickets, you can visit as often as you like during the whole week, and maybe discover that they savings on the tickets will allow you to stay on site for a night or two. I see you have a 9 year old, 5 year old and 1.5 year old in your your group. The 9 year old can likely do most of the rides. The 5 year old will have more minimal choices and the 1.5 year old will love the Barney playgound and the Ball Factory. Good luck!

 

[Disneychix]

I have gone to US off-site and on-site. Let me tell you the perks from the FOTL access from staying on-site cannot be topped! The US hotels cannot be topped! We were blown away by the hotels! They are WAY better than any deluxe (maybe not GF) hotel on WDW property. That said we also had a great time when we stayed off-site and found that we could manage the lines in early May without too much waiting.

I am a WDW freak but I cannot say enough positives about my experience at US resort!

 

[amystevekai&bump]

I have gone to US off-site and on-site. Let me tell you the perks from the FOTL access from staying on-site cannot be topped! The US hotels cannot be topped! We were blown away by the hotels! They are WAY better than any deluxe (maybe not GF) hotel on WDW property. That said we also had a great time when we stayed off-site and found that we could manage the lines in early May without too much waiting.

I am a WDW freak but I cannot say enough positives about my experience at US resort!

must echo this - UO is fantastic - hotels, parks, restaurant - the whole lot!!

 

[*pixie*dust*]

I am a die hard WDW fan. Universal is ok, but it's no Disney. It is definately better for older kids. Younger ones just don't have as much to do. We did Universal in two days. It was fine, we had a good time. Do I have the burning urge to go back soon? No, but it would be ok to do again in a couple years. I am sure you will have fun. Just don't compare it to WDW and you will be fine!
I did, however LOVE Sea World'sDiscovery Cove. Pricey but AWESOME!

 

[Grendalynn]

I have gone to US off-site and on-site. Let me tell you the perks from the FOTL access from staying on-site cannot be topped! The US hotels cannot be topped! We were blown away by the hotels! They are WAY better than any deluxe (maybe not GF) hotel on WDW property. That said we also had a great time when we stayed off-site and found that we could manage the lines in early May without too much waiting.

I am a WDW freak but I cannot say enough positives about my experience at US resort!

Good to know!! I took my WDW Books to the river yesterday and read the entire section on US/IOA 3 times!! I am thinking about the Royal Pacific... I like the islandy kind of feel - like POLY.

I am also curious to know how many days should I allow for US/IOA....
What about times to travel - is there a better time than others?? We usualy travel between the first week of march and mid april.... But after the crowds we saw at WDW this past April, I am willing to travel most any time Feb - April 1st!

I am a die hard WDW fan. Universal is ok, but it's no Disney. It is definately better for older kids. Younger ones just don't have as much to do. We did Universal in two days. It was fine, we had a good time. Do I have the burning urge to go back soon? No, but it would be ok to do again in a couple years. I am sure you will have fun. Just don't compare it to WDW and you will be fine!
I did, however LOVE Sea World'sDiscovery Cove. Pricey but AWESOME!

I love all things Disney as well and have **heard** from some that the two are uncomparable.... I understand that they are two totally diferent theme parks and both have their own great attributes. Thats why think it will be best to visit on different vacations.

I do feel that US/IOA is geared mostly toward older kids, with lots of great stuff for the younger kids as well. But if I wait for all of my kids to be old enough to really get everything out of a park, the older ones would miss out and be too old. This is why we all continue to go back year after year, because the kids are always different ages and into different things... We will just have to go back another time so that DSalmost2 will be able to get the things out of it that my older boys will.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

.

I am also curious to know how many days should I allow for US/IOA....
What about times to travel - is there a better time than others?? We usualy travel between the first week of march and mid april.... But after the crowds we saw at WDW this past April, I am willing to travel most any time Feb - April 1st!



I do feel that US/IOA is geared mostly toward older kids, with lots of great stuff for the younger kids as well. But if I wait for all of my kids to be old enough to really get everything out of a park, the older ones would miss out and be too old. This is why we all continue to go back year after year, because the kids are always different ages and into different things... We will just have to go back another time so that DSalmost2 will be able to get the things out of it that my older boys will.

If you stay onsite, you can pretty much go whenever you want. Except for lines at restaurants, you won't need to worry about lines at all. The only ride that does not allow FOTL access is Pteranodon flyers - either do it first or skip it. For the shows (like Barney), there are several per day and the venues seat a lot of people - just plan to arrive a bit early. We went in August - it was very hot, but we never had to wait in hot lines because we had FOTL. I wouldn't choose to go to WDW in August (but I wouldn't pass up a trip either!), but August at Universal was fine.

If you stay onsite, you can do everything in two days with no trouble. Universal is running a 7-day special on tickets, though, so that is the best deal and you can go on arrival and departure days if you want, even if you only have a few hours. Some people have reported that the 7-day special now includes Wet N Wild, while other people have not seen that when they went to the Universal site. There is a thread on the Universal board about how to block your IP address to make sure you can get the Wet N Wild offer.

One really nice thing about Universal is that the two parks are within walking distance of each other. When DD5 was 3, there was not much at Universal Studios that she was interested in besides Barney and the Curious George water area. We walked back to IOA to go to Seuss Landing again while DH and DD9 rode Shrek, Jimmy Neutron, etc. It is a lot easier than park hopping at WDW.

 

[Grendalynn]

If you stay onsite, you can pretty much go whenever you want. Except for lines at restaurants, you won't need to worry about lines at all. The only ride that does not allow FOTL access is Pteranodon flyers - either do it first or skip it. For the shows (like Barney), there are several per day and the venues seat a lot of people - just plan to arrive a bit early. We went in August - it was very hot, but we never had to wait in hot lines because we had FOTL. I wouldn't choose to go to WDW in August (but I wouldn't pass up a trip either!), but August at Universal was fine.

If you stay onsite, you can do everything in two days with no trouble. Universal is running a 7-day special on tickets, though, so that is the best deal and you can go on arrival and departure days if you want, even if you only have a few hours. Some people have reported that the 7-day special now includes Wet N Wild, while other people have not seen that when they went to the Universal site. There is a thread on the Universal board about how to block your IP address to make sure you can get the Wet N Wild offer.

One really nice thing about Universal is that the two parks are within walking distance of each other. When DD5 was 3, there was not much at Universal Studios that she was interested in besides Barney and the Curious George water area. We walked back to IOA to go to Seuss Landing again while DH and DD9 rode Shrek, Jimmy Neutron, etc. It is a lot easier than park hopping at WDW.

Great info - thanks for sharing! I am thinking maybe 3 days, 2 nights for our stay at US/IOA. Might be interested in Sea World, but not so much Busch Gardens or Wet N Wild - DH isnt much ofa water park kind of guy. DILs live about an hour and a half from BG in teh winter, so I think we will save that or another trip. Mostly just interested in US/IOA.... for now anyway...

 

[Poohbug]

I love WDW but we also make trips to US/IA because its so fun. Please try not to compare-its not better, its not worse, its just different. The only thing I don't like about US is the locker situation and not many rides for young kids-I don't even take my kids there until they are 40 inches otherwise they cannot ride anything.

My older boys are now begging to go back-maybe next May.

 

[Lisa P.]

Visit the Universal and Sea World forums here on the DisBoards. Lots of great info there.

If you're not going during peak crowds, you don't need the FOTL privileges and staying offsite is fine - especially if you're able to get there early, before the gates open. However, do take an evening to ride the boats to all three of the Universal hotels and explore. They're exceptional - wonderful themes throughout, lots of good restuarants and unique shops, lovely lighted pathways between them if you want to walk along the river from any hotel to CityWalk or the parks. If you're going during a crowded time, an onsite stay is highly recommended.

There's a 7-day pass to both parks for under $100 - you're likely to want to spend 3 days in the Universal parks if you really would like to see it all. While they have attractions that appeal to all ages, I think kids over age 8-10 are able to enjoy it more fully than younger or easily unsettled guests. There are more of the "intense" kinds of attractions there than at Disney. When our kids were ~7-9, they liked Universal Studios okay. But as teenagers, they really loved both of the Universal parks! Univ Islands of Adventure is amazingly well-themed!

Add a 1-day ticket to Sea World with a free bounce-back day within the week. Get there early in the morning to feed the dolphins at the first feeding, when they're most hungry and playful. It's very difficult to see all the shows, ride the handful of rides and see/feed the animals, all in a single day. So you'll probably want to return for at least a half day. This park is more show-oriented, practically no intense stuff, so it's great for all ages.

If you want to do it all at all three of these parks, I'd recommend a 5-night stay for 4 full days at the parks and a half-day Sea World return on your departure day. If you stay onsite at Universal, give yourself enough time to enjoy the resorts themselves. They're worth that. Note that guests at these three hotels are permitted to pool-hop onsite. Have fun!!!

 

[saratogadreamin09]

I'm a disney girl at heart and in my opinion i'd rather choose universal over disney because they pretty much are the same price(universal actually has higher hotel room prices)

i'm 23 and my fiance and i prefer disney, we like rollar coasters but universal is just so, well it's plain, there's no themes and all it is is different thrill rides

just our opinion

 

[saratogadreamin09]

just looking at your kids ages, i wouldnt do universal


seaworld may be a good idea and maybe wet'n wild but not universal

 

[Mickeypooh99]

We went to Universal when my kids were almost 2 and almost 3. Their birthdays were 1 and 3 weeks away. We had a great time. Suess landing was great. My kids love Dr. Suess books. I would take young kids there just for that experience alone. My niece and nephew were also with us. Age 6 and 10. They also had a great time. They all got to meet spider man. My almost 3 year old was so happy he couldn't stop smiling for hours.

We are planning another trip to Universal in 2009. We would have gone back sooner, except Disney is my first priority and we had to wait until I saved enough money to do both on one trip again. I just can't go to Florida without Disney.

BTW if you wear Disney clothes to Universal you will get teased to no end. My son had on a winnie the pooh hat and when we walked through the entrance gate the guy says "tell your mom you need a tissue you have a little pooh on your head." I was actually looking in my bag for a tissue before I realized he was teasing.

 

[Grendalynn]

We went to Universal when my kids were almost 2 and almost 3. Their birthdays were 1 and 3 weeks away. We had a great time. Suess landing was great. My kids love Dr. Suess books. I would take young kids there just for that experience alone. My niece and nephew were also with us. Age 6 and 10. They also had a great time. They all got to meet spider man. My almost 3 year old was so happy he couldn't stop smiling for hours.

We are planning another trip to Universal in 2009. We would have gone back sooner, except Disney is my first priority and we had to wait until I saved enough money to do both on one trip again. I just can't go to Florida without Disney.

BTW if you wear Disney clothes to Universal you will get teased to no end. My son had on a winnie the pooh hat and when we walked through the entrance gate the guy says "tell your mom you need a tissue you have a little pooh on your head." I was actually looking in my bag for a tissue before I realized he was teasing.

I agree that there sounds to be stuff for our youngest son to partake in. Should I wait for our youngest to really be bale to enjoy all aspects of the park(s), WDWE included, the older boys will miss out! Thats why we get to go back year after year! And having 3 boys, it sounds to be a lot more boy friendly than WDW - not so many princesses at US/IOA!!

I agree that its hard to go to Florida w/o visiting the world - bu thats part of the magic - yearning to go back!! I love the teasing and anticipating about planning a trip and all the magic that it holds.... Hopefully we will feel the same about US after our visit this winter! I llike the idea of it not breaking the bank or feel like its too overwhelming! Most times after a week+ at WDW you need a vacation after the vacation because itsfull speed al the time! Especially with 3 active boys!!