One day at Universal for Harry Potter worth it? (really a budget question..)

[TISHLOVESDISNEY]

We did both Universal and IOA Wednesday Dec 3rd. Starting at IOA, finished with all we wanted by 11:30 for our Mythos ADR. (I think we did Jurassic after lunch tho)
Rode train over to Universal. Rode Gringotts, posted wait said 30, we waited 20. That was our only "long" wait, walked on everything.
My kids LOVED the rides. We even took DS2 on all the 3d rides, just took his glasses off and covered his eyes for the scary parts.

Definitely worth it!!

 

[kathy884]

We did the one day park hopper for about $140 a person December 17th. It was expensive yes, but really fun to see and a great day. It added some spice to my Orlando trip as we've been down so many times, but haven't done Universal in ages. // So for us - yes it was worth it.

lol -- no cheap multi park discounts on that trip - Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, SeaWorld - for their Christmas celebration, and a one day Universal Park to Park -- awesome mini trip!

Disney is such that you usually get the fourth day free // three and four day tickets usually cost the same. So a lot depends on your budget and what you want to do. --If a fourth day at Disney sounds appealing that's super inexpensive in comparison.

 

[Lewisc]

You probably need to split the group.
Is it worth it? Yes. theming and two major rides fantastic. It's a must if you're a HP fan. I'ts a must if you want to see something which, IMHO, exceeds Disney. It's a must if you don't know when/if you'll be getting back to Orlando.

It it worth it? NO If this is your first trip to Disney. If you haven't to Disney much. In other words if there is a still stuff on your "must see" list. It's not worth it if you're on a tight budget. The extra $100 pp could pay for a meal at virtually any restaurant at WDW.

Anyone who thinks they may go back to Universal in the next year should consider one of the annual passes.

 

[KKB]

You probably need to split the group.
Is it worth it? Yes. theming and two major rides fantastic. It's a must if you're a HP fan. I'ts a must if you want to see something which, IMHO, exceeds Disney. It's a must if you don't know when/if you'll be getting back to Orlando.

It it worth it? NO If this is your first trip to Disney. If you haven't to Disney much. In other words if there is a still stuff on your "must see" list. It's not worth it if you're on a tight budget. The extra $100 pp could pay for a meal at virtually any restaurant at WDW.

Anyone who thinks they may go back to Universal in the next year should consider one of the annual passes.

I cannot speak for the other girls; some have done WDW a number of times, others it is their first time. But there is a lot of "well, if my friends are going to Universal, I want to..."--that is definitely what I am hearing from my DD.

I would rather spend $25 for the extra day at WDW BUT I do have an interest in Universal & I like big rides even if she doesn't. And if we can buy a 1 park pass & hit Adventure Island--appears to be the bulk of the HP items, which is their focus.

There was overall balking at $150pp. But around $100 for one park seemed more palatable overall.

When we began planning this trip several senior mothers didn't want to do it again...oh, I have to walk so far to get coffee at the resort...I couldn't buy a cup, I had to buy a refillable mug to get coffee (not true...)...food sucks & is expensive at WDW, etc. etc. I said, hey, we have been 2x, and I did EXTENSIVE research so I can tell you where the food is pretty good & where you can get a better deal, which rides are best, etc. etc. There always have to be some whiners...

We did WDW for a week for each of our previous trips, with nothing else on our agenda. This is 3 days, really half days at best with the competition activities. That's why I wanted that whole day, but I'm game.

 

[danygirl]

When I was there in October they had a meal deal that was a good value. They were letting adults buy the kid version. Can't remember the price but the kids version was plenty of food and well worth it. The deal was available at 3 broomsticks and the new restaurant in diagonalley

 

[Bete]

I'm not a Harry Potter fan, but I wanted to do the ride. I felt it was worth it. Obviously, you can enjoy the rest of the park, too.

I think getting there early is key. If you are staying at a Disney resort then I would allow at least 60 minutes to get there, get parked, get to the park and so on.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Yes, the rides are on a whole other level, part ride/part movie fusion fabulousness we do WDW for the feel of the place but not the rides. If you want to get the most out of it I would try to get into one of the universal property hotels for one night just so you can take advantage of their access policy.