Universal Basics for Disney Fan

[JayMass]

I feel like I know Disney World very well. I've been many times and I've learned a bunch of tricks for planning a vacation there. However, I'm considering Universal but know next to nothing about it.

Well, I do know a few things:
1. There are two parks.
2. There are several "on property" hotels at different price points similar to Disney's value, moderate, deluxe.
3. If you stay at their top-tier hotels you get express pass for free.
4. There is an early entry perk for all the hotels.

What should I know before planning a vacation? I have no set dates or length of stay. Its's DW, DS17, DD17, and me.

Planning a WDW vacation is a big production with Hotels, ADRs, Park Reservations, Park Hopping, Genie+, Lightning Lanes, etc. How does planning a Universal trip compare to WDW?

 

[Kit Jackson]

In terms of planning, the difference is night and day. Planning for Universal is significantly less work than planning for WDW.

Universal does not do park reservations. If you can afford it, park hopping is fantastic because the two parks are incredibly close together. It takes about 10-15 minutes to walk from one park to another.

Which hotel you book will be determined by your budget. Although something to factor in which you already mentioned is that you get ExpressPass included with the top-tier hotels. It is usually less expensive to book a room at a top-tier hotel instead of booking a less expensive room and then paying for ExpressPass.

The way ExpressPass works is that you buy your ExpressPass (or use your hotel key depending on where you are staying) and then get in the designated ExpressPass line for the ride. It's nothing at all like Genie+ and Lightning Lane.

You only need reservations for a few of the most popular restaurants and can probably book them about two months ahead of your trip. At Universal, it is more likely to be counter service or quick service than table service, but there are still plenty of excellent places to eat and there is some variety.

Ride tolerance is more important because there is a wider range of ride types. I'm a total ride coward, and I travel with a friend who is more of a thrill seeker, but we both have a fantastic time. There are some rides she goes on that I won't do, so I hold her bag while she rides. Taking into account people's likes, dislikes, sensitivities is important.

Some of the more intense rides require lockers. This tends to unnecessarily freak out some WDW veterans. The lockers are not a big deal. Bring what you want in your park bag. Unless it is a giant backpack/diaper bag, it will probably fit in the lockers. I use the same crossbody pocketbook in the parks that I use everyday and I've never had a problem getting a bag into the locker. The lockers are usually right near the queue or part of the queue. You put your stuff in the locker before the ride and take it out after the ride. You use your park ticket as the key to the locker.

If you are considering a trip, I found this book to be an incredibly helpful guidebook.

The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando 2023

There's also blogs and websites if you're more into that. Ask any/all questions you have here as well. The people here a fantastic resource and incredibly helpful.

 

[gharter]

We love going to Universal because there really is almost NO planning needed.
We get our restaurant reservations.
Plan to get up early for early entry (we stay onsite) to ride Hagrids and Velocicoaster before the park officially opens.
We stay at the resorts that include Express Pass.
After that, we just walk around and ride whatever we want with usually a short line due to Express Pass.
Its really that easy.

 

[CynBeth]

We are 3 adults who visit Disney every few years and on our trip last November decided to stay 2 nights on Universal property at Portofino first and loved it! We booked our package with 2 day park to park tickets and that is all the planning needed. We did a Wednesday and a Thursday the week before Thanksgiving and it was a little crowded were glad we were at a hotel with EP. Your room key is your express pass and then you just have to go to another desk to get your tickets. I got an idea on this message board about having a lanyard with a clear card holder and have the bar code of each facing out. We are ride wimps do not go on roller coasters or anything with a drop but enjoy motion simulators. We only had a day and a half and between the rides and shows and did almost everything we wanted. We had heard Forbidden Journey and The Simpsons are more intense than the motion sims at Disney and were not sure if we would have an issue so we had the motion sickness patches you wear behind the ear. We had no plans it was great. We mostly ate at CS - Today Cafe, Mel’s Drive-In, and Richter’s Burgers but did a TS for early dinner at Finnegan’s. We did not make a reservation just went there and had no wait.

 

[AJA]

With your kids ages they can be more independent at Universal. It is much easier for older teens to come and go by themselves as opposed to Disney parks, if you are staying onsite.

 

[JayMass]

Thank you all so much. This is very helpful and very reassuring. I've seen too many people go to WDW and not know all the ins and outs and tricks and they end up waiting in really long lines, eating so-so food, and just missing out on all that Disney offers. I don't want that to be me at Universal!!

 

[Lewisc]

Toothsome Chocolate in Citywalk is popular and unique.

Do you like water parks? Cabana Bay and Aventura are a VERY short walk. 12 steps from the exit gate ar Aventura to VB security. Sapphire Falls is also walking distance.