Staying in Disney -- Universal One (or Two Days) HELP!!!!!!!

[crutnacker]

We're planning to go for about 6 days 11/23 through 11/30 and stay at a budget Disney resort. We thought about doing one or two days at Universal. It's been over 10 years since we last went to Universal, so we're not sure how to even approach going there. My wife and I are 40 something, my daughter is 10 and is a huge Harry Potter fan, but has never ridden a "big ride"

I have lots of questions:

1) What's the cheapest way to get tickets for Universal? Any suggestions?
2) Is two days worth it vs. one day (and adding another day back to our Disney Hopper). Does the time of year we're going change our ability to get through both in one day?
3) My wife and I are both afraid we're getting too old for the thrill rides and that our daughter will be afraid to ride them. Should we be? Is there a guide to the rides that are the most intense? Is the Harry Potter ride as bad as they say (in terms of intensity and motion sickness)? Would skipping some of these rides change your recommendation on how many days are necessary?
4) Will a ride line pass be necessary this time of year?
5) Any other suggestions, thoughts, rude comments?
6) Does the Unofficial Guide to Disney (which I've loved but don't have for 2012) have decent information on Universal?
7) Any links to places where we can get quick or all in one place guides to the Universal Attractions and advice (I've Googled, but I keep getting outdated information or info that is too vague).

 

[Metro West]

We're planning to go for about 6 days 11/23 through 11/30 and stay at a budget Disney resort. We thought about doing one or two days at Universal. It's been over 10 years since we last went to Universal, so we're not sure how to even approach going there. My wife and I are 40 something, my daughter is 10 and is a huge Harry Potter fan, but has never ridden a "big ride"

I have lots of questions:

1) What's the cheapest way to get tickets for Universal? Any suggestions? You aren't going to find any discounted one day tickets for Universal. Theme parks don't discount single days. You might want to try AAA or Costco but those are usually for multiple day tickets.
2) Is two days worth it vs. one day (and adding another day back to our Disney Hopper). Does the time of year we're going change our ability to get through both in one day? You're visiting during major holiday period so crowds will be plentiful. If you are willing to skip attractions and just do the highlights at each park, you could do a single day...but it's not recommended. There's too much to do and see to rush through it.
3) My wife and I are both afraid we're getting too old for the thrill rides and that our daughter will be afraid to ride them. Should we be? Is there a guide to the rides that are the most intense? Is the Harry Potter ride as bad as they say (in terms of intensity and motion sickness)? Would skipping some of these rides change your recommendation on how many days are necessary? See book recommendation below.
4) Will a ride line pass be necessary this time of year? Having the Express Plus Pass will help with the lines but a lot depends on what day you're thinking of going.
5) Any other suggestions, thoughts, rude comments? No rude comments from me.
6) Does the Unofficial Guide to Disney (which I've loved but don't have for 2012) have decent information on Universal? Your best bet is to try and find THE guidebook for Universal Orlando. I'll post the link down below. It would answer most of your questions and give you valuable knowledge about the parks.
7) Any links to places where we can get quick or all in one place guides to the Universal Attractions and advice (I've Googled, but I keep getting outdated information or info that is too vague).

My answers above the link to the guide book:

http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Orl...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334976583&sr=1-1

 

[RMulieri]

1) As mentioned single day tickets are not really discounted.Visiting any themepark for a single day will not be economical

2)I would never try to cram it into 1 day.We did 4 full days and had a laidback relaxing time. 2 days ( 1 per park should be enough to get the most out of the parks)
You could see the HILIGHTS of both in one day, but you will miss alot and because of the time of year you are going ,will probably be stressed

3)I still enjoyed the thrill rides and I am a coaster junkie and enjoyed my trip, but still could only manage 1 ride on some of them.Dh hates thrill rides and still managed to have a BLAST.Get a good guidebook and read up on the parks

4)Express pass is fantastic, but it may or may not be needed . it depends on when you are going.Most times the board recommends not buying it till you get to the parks and see if you need it.They are DATE SPECIFIC,PARK SPECIFIC AND NON REFUNDABLE.Just be aware that the cost of the express pass is dependent on the projected crowds for the day.If it is projected to be crowded the price can be QUITE HIGH for just the express pass.It is not unusal for say Christmas week to see the price for justthe express pass to be $59 per park plus tax.It is worth it then though since the standby line can be ridiculous.

5)None

6)Find the book Universal Orlando by Seth Kubersky

 

[anorman]

Prepare for rude comment.......40 something, shmortysomething! There's no such thing as being too old to ride the big rides!

As someone who is an advanced 40 something, my hubby and I still love the coasters; the bigger, the badder, the better.....bring it on! Because we are such avid coaster lovers, our two daughters got excited as well.....there was no room for fear or nervousness when we talked with them about the big rides so we all went and had a blast. Some of our best memories are of riding The Hulk, RRR, and Dr. Doom together. If you've always liked coasters, don't let age slow you down. Your child will pick up on your enthusiasm and have a great time too!

Also, if you are wondering whether to do one or two days....DO TWO!!! You won't regret it! The darkside always seems to get short shifted and for no good reason. You will have a wonderful time here, especially if you give yourself the time to do so.

Have a great trip and above all, have fun!

 

[jjl181]

We're planning to go for about 6 days 11/23 through 11/30 and stay at a budget Disney resort. We thought about doing one or two days at Universal. It's been over 10 years since we last went to Universal, so we're not sure how to even approach going there. My wife and I are 40 something, my daughter is 10 and is a huge Harry Potter fan, but has never ridden a "big ride"

I have lots of questions:

1) What's the cheapest way to get tickets for Universal? Any suggestions?
2) Is two days worth it vs. one day (and adding another day back to our Disney Hopper). Does the time of year we're going change our ability to get through both in one day?
3) My wife and I are both afraid we're getting too old for the thrill rides and that our daughter will be afraid to ride them. Should we be? Is there a guide to the rides that are the most intense? Is the Harry Potter ride as bad as they say (in terms of intensity and motion sickness)? Would skipping some of these rides change your recommendation on how many days are necessary?
4) Will a ride line pass be necessary this time of year?
5) Any other suggestions, thoughts, rude comments?
6) Does the Unofficial Guide to Disney (which I've loved but don't have for 2012) have decent information on Universal?
7) Any links to places where we can get quick or all in one place guides to the Universal Attractions and advice (I've Googled, but I keep getting outdated information or info that is too vague).

Sorry to say, but I think I'm going to give you a couple different answers than people before me!
As far as tickets, I always buy mine through Universal, so I'm no help there, but depending what day you were planning on going depends on the how much you can do. Your first day is Thanksgiving, so crowds are high, but if you were to go on about the 28th or 29th most of the crowds will be gone. In fact the week after Thanksgiving is one of Disney's slowest weeks. I have to assume it's about the same for Universal.
As for how many days, you should check to see just how much of the rides and shows you want to do. If you want to see the majority, then probably 2 days is best. However, I have done 2 days, seen and done everything 3 times and still had hours to spare at the end of our 2nd day. And my youngest child was 2 at the time. (We went in November that year as a point of reference) One big factor for us is always transportation. Will you have a vehicle? We get the ME at Disney and end up paying for transportation on our Universal day(s). This runs at about $18-19 per person round trip through Mears, and most other places are about the same. Ticket-wise it's good to buy a second day, but if you are paying for transportation too it is not such a good idea. For my family it's about $90 round trip and that's not a good deal if you look at it that way.
As for the rides, I do not like most 'thrill' rides. Hate R'n'R and ToT. Won't do Splash Mountain. But I do enjoy Harry Potter. Skipping some rides will affect the number of days if you think you'll skip most of the main attractions, like Hulk or Rip Ride Rockit.
Express Pass is something you can buy in park if it is busy and you think it might be worth it. The important thing about that is it is only good for ONE trip through the Express line per ride. Once you use it, if you want to do that ride again you have to wait in the standby line.
Be there about 15-20 minutes before park opening if you only do one day. Go straight to WWoHP and experience that. Even if you opt to skip the rides, the shops fill up quickly. May I suggest breakfast at the 3 broomsticks? ;-)
I swear by the Unofficial Guide as it is the best guide book I have found, and I have bought quite a few. The 2012 version has quite a bit of updated Universal information, but if you can wait, I would hold off buying the 2012 version. The 2013 book is due out the end of August and will have some new info. I don't even use the touring plans, but love how they break everything down and it will give you all the notes you need to help you decide if a ride just might not be for you.
One last thing (I know, this post is long!!!), I would look on Youtube to see some videos of the rides to give you an idea of what you are in for. Me personally does not like to try a new ride without having some idea of what I am in for and have found it to be a valuable tool.
Hope any of this helps you!