? Those who combine Universal and Disney

[lisaross]

OK we did our 1st family trip to Disney in the summer and LOVED it - we have two boys 5 & 7! Planning on going back in 2009 and want to combine it with Universal. I really don't want to rent a car since i like staying is Disney and using there transportation etc.

So i'm thinking doing Universal 1st then Disney - what do you think of this order? So, how do i get from the airport to Universal? do they have vans pick you up? i want to stay at a hotel walking distance to the universal parks - thinking of staying in Universal for 4 nights then Disney 6 nights. How would i get from Universal to Disney - cab?

anything else you think i should look into?

does this sound like a good amount of days etc?

thanx

lisa

 

[dorazio8]

Hello,
I am going to be really honest with you, you are better off renting a car for the whole trip it will come out to be cheaper and at least you have the option of your own transportation if you decide you want to eat outside of disney , which to me is sooo worth it they have the greatest and most unique places to eat. A cab for four of you from the airport to universal is 50.00 , then you need to get from universal to disney, which will be another 50.00 that is 100.00 a car rental should only cost you around 150.00 if you keep looking and search for deals. i have NEVER paid more than 150.00 including all of the taxes and fees for a car in disney no matter what month i went.
Trust me it is not worth it to take a taxi in orlando.

Kim

 

[jeanie]

We did this trip last April and we went to Universal first. We had a towncar take us from MCO to RPH. We spent 3 days at Universal and then Mears took us to WDW where we stayed at the CBR for 4 days. We didn't bother with the rental car because of the amount of time we spent at each park.
I think the trip from MCO to RPH was 85 plus tip (4 passengers) and from
RPH to CBR was 35 plus tip. And then 85 from CBR to MCO. A taxi would probably be much cheaper

If I was ever to do the spit stay again, we would definately do WDW first followed by an on-site stay at Universal. As I have said before I love both parks but WDW is definately go, go go...Universal is very relaxing (especially if you stay on-site!!)and it is a great way to end the vacation...

All the on-site hotels are walking distance tothe parks but HRH is the closest and all 3 hotels have water taxis that bring you to the parks. It's kind of like the Beach Club and Epcot, it's close enough to walk but you can also take the boat.

This year we spent one week in February at WDW and next week we are off to UO for a week!!

 

[AlexandNessa]

Most of us regulars will tell you ... DO WDW FIRST! And Universal second.

The primary reason for this is that if you stay at RPR, HRH, or PBH, you will have FOTL. FOTL means that you flash your hotel key, and you gain access to the express line for all rides that offer express. You will not believe how much flexibility that gives you as far as touring plans and really makes for a very relaxing vacation since you can take everything at a leisurely pace. Plus, everything at USF is in walking distance if you stay on-site ... there is no waiting for busses that may or may not be full of people who may or may not give up their seat for you. There is boat transportation. If you don't want to wait for the boat, everything is easy to walk to. If you don't want to walk or wait for the boat, they have rickshaw people that will take you between resorts and City Walk for a tip. Each resort also has bus transportation. Really, USF is just a very low-stress vacation. You don't have to worry about making your dining reservations 6 months in advance either. And, bonus, pool hopping is encouraged at the Loews Hotels.

Universal does not offer the equivalent of Magical Express (complimentary or otherwise). Many towncar companies will give you a package deal for MCO-WDW-USF-MCO. Also, many towncar companies provide you with a grocery stop. We like Sunray Transportation, and Sunray will provide you with a complimentary grocery stop for each leg of your trip, except the one that takes you back to the airport for your flight home.

 

[pigby]

Lisa,

This sounds like a good plan to me - we have done split US and WDW twice and have used a towncar to take us from the airport to US and then to WDW and then back to the airport.

Yes we have always done WDW last because of 2 reasons really.

1. It was cheaper for us as WDW went to value seaon during our second week

2. We wanted to leave WDW till last - Disney magic and all that - although we LOVE Universal.

Go with what feels best. We didn't want to hire a car - we drive every day at home - don't want to on vacation - you certainly don't need to - we used a couple of taxis to get us home from Seaworld once and to Wet n Wild/Chillis on International Drive and used the complimentary Busch Gardens Express from US to BG.

Would we do it all again exactly the same? - you bet.

 

[kenban]

There is always the option of a one way car rental. Pick the car up at the Alamo location at the airport visit USF and then when you move on to WDW just drop the car off at the Alamo location at the Disney World Car Care Center. Then just use Disney's Magical Express to get back to the airport after your trip is over. You can do the same thing in reverse as well use magical express to get to a WDW hotel later pickup a car at the car care center and do USF then at the end of your trip drop it off at the airport.

 

[FayeW]

You can rent a car for part of your trip, and either pick it up or return it at the Swan, or the Car Care Center (I think that is what it's called). For example: If you do the WDW portion first, take Magical Express from the airport to your resort. Arrange your rental car to be picked up on check out day (Swan, Car Care Centre, and I think one of the Downtown Disney hotels all have rentals. I think they will even pick you up at your resort). Drive yourself to Universal and then on to the airport, and return the car there.

If you do Universal first, rent at the airport, enjoy Universal, and then drive yourself to WDW. Return the car at the closest location listed above, and take ME back to the airport. You could probably get a 3 day rental for less than $100 so it would be less than what you would pay in cabs, etc and give you some flexibility. You could eat offsite or pick up some snacks/drinks for your room.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I agree with Jodie in that IMHO it's much better to do Universal last. If it saves a lot of money to do UO then WDW, I can certainly understand doing it that way. For our family, we'd need to save a whole lot though. My DH thinks UO is a real vacation & WDW is more tiring than working for the week. Anyway, I suppose that's personal preference & people should do what they think will work best for them. Be forewarned, Universal's onsite FOTL does spoil you though.

The reason I actually chimed in was to make note that if you rent a car, you will have to pay to park at UO's hotels. That will add a bit to the cost. When making a decision on transportation, you make want to take that into consideration.

 

[ls1222]

We almost always do both on our trip to Orlando. We always do Universal first as I love the anticipation for WDW. We have used FL Tours in the past to go from MCO to Uni to POR and back to MCO. It usually ends up being about 130.00.

 

[macraven]

i know it has been said but it is worth repeating.


do disney first, and universal last......
disney is fast paced and universal is relaxing and less walking.


take the ME from mco to disney as it is free. then do car service from disney to universal and universal back to mco for $82 rt.

or do what i do....
i use sunray town car service for a 3 leg trip w/ free grocery stop.
mco to disney,
disney to hrh
hrh to mco

my total charge is $112. the free grocery stop saves you money and is worth it to load up on drinks, snacks, what nots for your vacation.

i have driven with car rental, taxis, bus, town car service.
town car service works best for me. i budget the amount needed during my planning stage and have it set aside for when the trip comes.

think again of your agenda.......do disney first, then universal ending your trip

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

A lot if it just depends on personal preference and what you're arranging as far as hotels/transportation. We rent a car and stay offsite so getting to/from the airport isn't a big issue for us plus we have APs at both Disney and Universal so we don't have to count days spent at either park. We always spend day 1 of our trip at Universal though. Since we're in the Universal section of the boards we can admit we prefer Universal to Disney without fear of being burned as a pair of heretics. The remainder of the time we mix and match between the two and throughly enjoy it.

 

[disneyfan67]

i know it has been said but it is worth repeating.
do disney first, and universal last......
disney is fast paced and universal is relaxing and less walking.

I'm doing Universal first because the way I do Disney is relaxing. This will my 5th trip to Disney and I don't rush to do anything. I do know there's people who go park commando and worry about ADR's and such, but being a veteran of WDW, I don't get as stressed out as some do. I have a small schedule and do a few must things, but generally go with the flow. That's the beauty of being a experienced WDW person. The most important thing is I'm staying at the Poly and to me, that's a big part of my vacation plans.

Now on my first visit to Universal this upcoming trip, I'll admit I'm a little nervous, having never been there. I've lurked on these boards for a while though, read a ton of reviews and collected some good tips from you all. I'm looking forward to it. I'm staying at a beautiful on site resort, (PBH) and got a great deal on transportation, (Sunray) thanks to all again. I'm going to go with the flow, see things at my pace and remind myself to keep my Universal vacation separate from my Disney one. It's unfair to judge one against the other and that's how some get bummed out about their first time doing something different than Disney. Like it or not, Disney and their theme parks are a big part of American culture and will always have a special place in the heart of a lot of people. I don't see how anyone can compare either company and I'm going to make sure I don't. To me they seem to have their own special qualities and a passionate fan base as well.
If all goes well, Universal will be a mandatory part of my annual trip to see the Mouse. One of my goals is to stay at all 3 on site resorts and see which one is my favorite. The HRH is calling my name, but the PBH was a better deal for me with my AAA membership, maybe next time.

 

[macraven]

i have been going to disney since 1974. i've explored it all also.
and have been going to universal since 1993. at first stayed off site at universal then made the move to stay on site and that was the best decision i have made.

have stayed at all three universal hotels.
disneyfan, depending on the date you go to universal and stay on site, will determine which hotel has the best price for you.
i always go in october for hhn, and hrh runs the highest in costs on the dates i stay there. the room prices vary, even with AAA or PAP.

you will enjoy pbh. it is very nice. i'm sure you will hear hrh call your name for your next trip.

you can use the hotel key card for fotl for the day you stay at pbh and the day you check out. it is valid for the fotl perk up until the park closes on the day you check out.

hope you have a swell time!

 

[LukenDC]

I did a combined UO/WDW trip last year and will do the same this year. Last year I spent three nights at UO and then six nights at WDW.

I had my travel agent book Tiffany Towncar to pick me up at the airport and take me to my UO resort. Tiffany Towncar then came three days later and took me to my WDW resort. When it was time to return to the airport, I used Disney's Magica Express.

Tiffany Towncar was $100 RT and Magical Express was free.

 

[macraven]

can't beat free!!

i like that price a lot....

 

[A_NY_Outlaw]

We are doing Universal and Sea World (2 days Univ and 1 SW) during a one week blitz between those parks and Disney. Being that we experienced WDW for 1 solid week in 2005, I think we can get all the parks in. My biggest concern will be transportation, considering we shelled out $30 each way to go from AKL to SW. We don't want to rent a car. From what I've seen there are trolleys that can be accessed. We'll see how we make out. It's going to be a whirlwind pace, no doubt!

 

[macraven]

We are doing Universal and Sea World (2 days Univ and 1 SW) during a one week blitz between those parks and Disney. Being that we experienced WDW for 1 solid week in 2005, I think we can get all the parks in. My biggest concern will be transportation, considering we shelled out $30 each way to go from AKL to SW. We don't want to rent a car. From what I've seen there are trolleys that can be accessed. We'll see how we make out. It's going to be a whirlwind pace, no doubt!

if you stay at universal hotels, you can take the shuttle to sea world from your on site hotel. no cost involved. why not do the sw portion of your vacation from UO?

if you are interested in the I Trolley, i saw the information about it on line.

google it to get more info.
i have an old brochure on it from 2003, i'm sure it is outdated.

i had friends use it and they thought it was economical for them and their kids.

 

[lisaross]

i'm thinking now doing Disney 1st - can just take ME and not have to wait for luggage - loved that -

how many days to do the parks in Universal? 1 day each?

i'd like to go for 9 or 10 nights total thinking 6 nights disney and 3 nights Universal......

Lisa

 

[macraven]

i'm thinking now doing Disney 1st - can just take ME and not have to wait for luggage - loved that -

how many days to do the parks in Universal? 1 day each?

i'd like to go for 9 or 10 nights total thinking 6 nights disney and 3 nights Universal......

Lisa

that would make a great trip.
divide the days up and you see both parks.

if you do 3 nights at universal and stay on site, you will get 4 days of fotl.
your hotel key card gives you the same fotl perks also on the the day you check out of the hotel.
for a newbie, 3 nights would be doable. spend a day at each park and the third for the things you missed or want to repeat.
i don't stay the entire day at one park, i hop back and forth sometimes.
it's a short walk between them.
you could also check out city walk if you have time.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

i'm thinking now doing Disney 1st - can just take ME and not have to wait for luggage - loved that -

how many days to do the parks in Universal? 1 day each?

i'd like to go for 9 or 10 nights total thinking 6 nights disney and 3 nights Universal......

Lisa

That sounds like a good plan to me. Staying onsite at UO, you could technically do the parks in 2 days easily. That said, we like to stay at least 5 nights on property. We're thinking of upping it to 7 nights this summer. The longer stays certainly aren't for everyone, but there's so many others things to do, you won't get bored with a 3 night stay. We like to go to the parks for short intervals, then head back to the resort for some R&R.