Pros/Cons: Universal vs Disney

[Trinityloo]

I have been to Disney twice in the last 2 years and was planning another for December. I checked out the Universal website, wondering if it might be worth visiting for 1 day and am now considering spending a week-long Universal vacation at one of their on-site hotels. It appears that one of the perks of staying there is that you don`t have to wait to get on certain rides. I am hoping that I can get opinions from those of you who have stayed on-site at both Disney and Universal. What are the good and bad of each? I am traveling with my husband and 2 girls, aged 4 and 6. I had originally thought Universal was more geared toward older children but after seeing their website, it appears that they have more for young children than I thought. The hotels are apparently within walking distance of the parks also. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Chelley00]

We did Universal in 2008. Our older kids loved it. Lots to do for them. Our younger 2 were bored. Even DD who could ride everything at Disney couldn't ride much at Universal. They liked Seuss Landing, but the rest they weren't thrilled with. What youngest DS could ride, scared him (Spiderman, Simpsons etc) We want to go back, but probably not until youngest DS is older.

 

[JessicaR]

I made this same post 10 years ago - just don't look back.

 

[KellyWasHere]

I think it depends on if you have older kids and younger kids. I would think the younger ones would be really bored if they had to wait around while the older ones rode the big rides. But if you just have younger kids and can focus on doing the stuff for smaller things I think you'll be fine. We found so much we can do with our 4 and almost 2 year old and are going for 3 days. I think I'd be hard pressed to do more than that, though. The only rides we want to do that the kids can't are Forbidden Journey, Spider-Man, and Men in Black. We don't mind skipping coasters, though.

 

[sditty]

I don't usually post much but thought it was funny because my husband and I were just talking about the differences. We are going for a week long Disney vacation in January because my DS(7) requested to go back because he is finally tall enough for TOT and wanted to ride it. However, if it was not for him asking for that we would totally be at Universal. In fact we are going next weekend for 3 days. I call it my happy place.

It totally depends on what kind of vacation you want. Disney for me is hours and hours of planning and then when we are there you are trying to get it all in and going from ADR to ADR etc. It is exciting and fun but tiring.

Universal is so relaxing as you just go. When you are hungry you eat, when my DS wants to ride Cat in the Hat 10 times in a row we just do. We do not plan we just wander around and do whatever strikes us. So relaxing and the hotels are first class.

 

[mesaboy2]

I went from never having gone to Universal to AP holder in about six weeks. (Made easier thanks to good FL resident rates). That should say something about it!

Our DD6 loved both parks, including especially WWoHP (and Flight of the Hippogriff in particular to the tune of 10 go-rounds in 4 days), all of Seuss Landing, and all the various kids play areas (there are about 5 of those between the two parks). She also enjoyed Pteranadon Flyers, Storm Force Accelatron, Shrek, Jaws, ET, and Men in Black. I'd say there's plenty to do for the little ones, but YMMV.

Universal's equivalent to FastPass is called Universal Express and is, IMHO, a superior product. Then again you pay for it, whether you buy it explicitly or stay on-site. Most every ride uses UE--notable exceptions are Pteranadon and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (when working).

We are experienced Disney-ites and found Universal pretty fun too, just in a slightly different way.

 

[mdb78]

If you stay on site you get priority seating at most restaurants in the parks and Citywalk. So if you're going during a busy time (summer, holidays, etc..), no need for ADR's, unless you plan to eat at a restaurant that doesn't do the priority seating for onsite guests.

Also, you're allowed to pool hop. The resort encourages it.

 

[Bradsdadg]

I suppose it depends on what you are into. If you know and like roller coasters and simulator rides, you will probably really like Universal. We went recently and I would equate it to Disney Hollywood Studios. We went for 1 day and had our fill. Maybe 2-3 days there for you would be enough? Then you could still fit in some Disney time?

 

[dauser]

I personally think that 2 full days at Universal is enough, especially with staying on-site and using Universal Express. With that being said, I typically travel with adults only, and tend to explore the parks commando-style, visiting as many of the most thrilling attractions in as short of a time as possible.

I think that Universal has a reputation of having more attractions geared towards teens/adults than Disney, but in reality has plenty of attractions for the whole family to enjoy. From a practical standpoint, Disney has 4 theme parks and Universal has 2, which you should take into consideration when planning your trip.

 

[Melanie230]

We went to US/IOA for the first time in 2006. Our youngest child was 4 years old. She LOVED it! We also have a son that was 6 yr old at the time and he loved it as well. We stayed at RPR the first year and went back 2 more times to the HRH. We have always had a blast everytime we have been to US/IOA. We plan to return next summer.

 

[Disney Padawan]

We just got back from 8 days at UO and I'll do it again in a heartbeat.
The difference between the Disney resorts and UO resorts is that you get way more for your money at UO. For the cost of a Disney moderate resort (I love Disney but they're glorified motels) you can stay at one of UO luxurious resorts. The rooms are spacious, they treat you like royalty, everything is walking distance or a water taxi ride away, the pools and restaurants are excellent and the Universal Express pass is complimentary! Usually when you buy this pass, it's good once per ride and that's it. Your hotel key will let you skip the lines and ride as many times as you want! Not to mention priority seating on the shows and restaurants, it's pretty much a no brainer.

A UO vacation is much more relaxing and i'm sure you'll all have a great time. I wish you luck.

 

[aubriee]

I went from never having gone to Universal to AP holder in about six weeks. (Made easier thanks to good FL resident rates). That should say something about it!

We are experienced Disney-ites and found Universal pretty fun too, just in a slightly different way.

Hey I beat you. I go to WDW several times a year, but finally made my first visit to Universal this past May. I had bought those $99.00 2 park 14 day tickets, but before we even entered the park traded mine in for an AP. I hadn't even gotten inside the gate, but knew I'd like it enough that I'd probably spend at least a couple of days visiting during each of my upcoming WDW trips. We ran over there two days in a row. I liked it so much I made an extra trip down there and stayed onsite August 29th-Sept 4th (not even going over to WDW).

I suppose it depends on what you are into. If you know and like roller coasters and simulator rides, you will probably really like Universal. We went recently and I would equate it to Disney Hollywood Studios. We went for 1 day and had our fill. Maybe 2-3 days there for you would be enough? Then you could still fit in some Disney time?

I think it's much better than Hollywood Studios, but agree one could easily do everything in 2-3 days, even repeating favorites. When I was there August 29th-Sept 4th I got pretty bored after my third day. I really took my time and wandered around all the shops and did some people watching. I made early entry every morning and rode Forbidden Journey multiple times every morning. I easily rode it 60-70 times that week (averaging 8-10X every morning). I did the same thing with Spiderman, Men in Black, and Mummy riding them multiple times each day. I also wandered over and looked around the other two resorts. However, I got bored pretty quick, which surprised me as I usually enjoy just wandering around WDW looking at all the details. I'll stay on property again, just for the front of the line priviledge, but will be spending most of my future trips at WDW. In fact, I already have trips booked at WDW for Oct and Dec and plan on just running over to Universal for 2-3 days each trip, while staying on property at WDW. For my May trip if I can get a decent room discount, I plan on staying over at WDW for five nights then moving over to Universal for the last three nights of that trip. If I was OP I'd do a split stay with five nights at WDW and two nights (three days) at Universal for front of the line passes.

 

[braddillman]

I'll just add my CDN $0.02 When I've taken my kids when they were younger (4, 7) they were very excited about Seuss Landing. They thought that was the whole park and wanted to stay all day. If your kids want to spend all day there, my advice is let them. If they're having a good time, that's what you're there for, right? Or more realistically, wait for them to want a bathroom or meal break before moving on. My point is that younger children don't get bored as easily as, say, teens or adults.

Oh, and don't miss the Jimmy Neutron chicken dance. I work on military simulators, and it's always been my ambition to sneak that into a flight simulator as an easter egg.

 

[damo]

It is great staying onsite with little kids. You'd think that staying somewhere with only two parks would get boring but you have to take a different approach to it than you would at Disney. Instead of the parks becoming full day attractions, you only need to spend part of the day at the parks and then the other part can be spent at one of the hotel pools or another Orlando attraction. We typically spend about 4 hours a day at a park. With little ones, there are wonderful play areas at both parks that the kids want to spend tons of time at. You do these areas for a few hours and then throw in a few rides and lunch and then have the rest of your day to actually relax and rejuvenate. It is a great vacation.

 

[2tink4u]

If your kids are thrill seekers and on the tall side you will do well. I thought my husband and I had a better time at Universal then at Disney. You will have a great time for about 2 to 3 days at most. My son is 10 now and we are going back in June he has requested US, IOA, Seaworld, Discovery Cove and Epcot. Disney is iconic and it's hard not to enjoy it. But, as children get older they want to experience more. Your kids are the perfect age for Disney. I suggest you split between the two. If you can do that you would most likely have a Fabulous trip!

 

[Trinityloo]

Thanks so much for all your input! After having read all your comments, I`m thinking that maybe a weeklong vacation at Universal might be too long. I like Aubriee`s suggestion of doing a split stay between the two and am now wondering about the logistics of pulling this off. We were going to use Disney`s Magic Express and theme park transportation so we won`t have a car. How far/much would a taxi cost to get us from UO to Disney? And, does UO offer a ME-like service that would take us to the airport?

I LOVE the idea of the Universal pass! With that, we don`t even have to worry about arriving mid-day or even rope drop! And no ADRs?!!!! These are totally foreign concepts to me when I am vacationing at Disney.

Keep the comments coming! Your contibutions have been so helpful! Thanks!

 

[damo]

There is no ME type of transportation at Universal. There just aren't enough people to make it feasible. Cab from Disney to Universal will be about $35. Cab from Universal to the airport will be about $50.

 

[mesaboy2]

I forgot to mention Forbidden Journey as one of the few attractions that does not use Express. As it is the new big draw in the park, I don't know why I didn't think of it!

 

[Dragontears]

I went from never having gone to Universal to AP holder in about six weeks. (Made easier thanks to good FL resident rates). That should say something about it!

Our DD6 loved both parks, including especially WWoHP (and Flight of the Hippogriff in particular to the tune of 10 go-rounds in 4 days), all of Seuss Landing, and all the various kids play areas (there are about 5 of those between the two parks). She also enjoyed Pteranadon Flyers, Storm Force Accelatron, Shrek, Jaws, ET, and Men in Black. I'd say there's plenty to do for the little ones, but YMMV.

Universal's equivalent to FastPass is called Universal Express and is, IMHO, a superior product. Then again you pay for it, whether you buy it explicitly or stay on-site. Most every ride uses UE--notable exceptions are Pteranadon and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (when working).

We are experienced Disney-ites and found Universal pretty fun too, just in a slightly different way.

I have to disagree about the Universal Express being a superior product. It is nice…no doubt about it, but Disney's FastPass is free for everyone. It is an excellent way to keep the standby lines manageable and it serves to disburse the worst of the crowds more evenly. Everyone benefits, not just those who pay the extra $$$.

And staying at a Universal Hotel is paying for this perk. When we priced out our upcoming stay, the cost of staying on site at Universal was well above the moderately priced Disney resorts.

Many a post here says that you shouldn’t even consider buying a Express pass in advance, wait until you see how long the waits are. But isn’t that exactly what you are doing if you book a Universal Hotel for the head of the line perk?

Of coarse if you have other reasons for staying there...go for it, and have a great time.

 

[schumigirl]

I have to disagree about the Universal Express being a superior product. It is nice…no doubt about it, but Disney's FastPass is free for everyone. It is an excellent way to keep the standby lines manageable and it serves to disburse the worst of the crowds more evenly. Everyone benefits, not just those who pay the extra $$$.

You don`t think you are already paying for it with Disney park prices?? The 2 week ticket for Disney for us is £263.....2 week for Universal is £75. Sorry it`s in £`s it`s a bit early for me!! That`s of course if you can get a FP. Last year we couldn`t get a FP for EE, Splash and Toy Story.....they were all gone unless we wanted to wait till 9pm that night. So maybe not for everyone. So for us the Unlimited Express pass is definately superior.

And staying at a Universal Hotel is paying for this perk. When we priced out our upcoming stay, the cost of staying on site at Universal was well above the moderately priced Disney resorts.

Universal hotels are not Moderates though. If you had to compare they are more like the Disney Deluxe....although better in my opinion of course

Many a post here says that you shouldn’t even consider buying a Express pass in advance, wait until you see how long the waits are. But isn’t that exactly what you are doing if you book a Universal Hotel for the head of the line perk?

EMH? Thats a perk for staying onsite at a Disney hotel.....not for everyone just those that pay the extra $$$$ for the privelige of being able to do so.

Of coarse if you have other reasons for staying there...go for it, and have a great time.

We stay for 2 weeks at the RPR for many reasons, one of them being the Unlimited Express Pass. It`s such a beautiful resort, well all 3 of them are, but we have such a wonderful time there and are very spoiled by wonderful staff we just don`t want to come home.