Universal or not?

[definately dory]

I am having a really hard time to decide on passes for Disney and Universal. We are going to Disney on a Saturday and leaving on a saturday to go on the Disney Cruise. We have never been to either before. My husband really wants to go to Universal Studios . Will we have enough time? Is there much there for a 9 and 4 year old? Should we get a six day pass to Disney and 1 to Universal? or a five day to Disney and 1 to universal? Everyone here is so great at simplifying everything. I find the whole thing so confusing.

 

[ChisJo]

I absolutely love universal studios and IOA! I think their is plentiful for the kids to do there, but maybe you want to go to the Universal boards here. Try this link

I personally think that maybe a day away from a Disney theme might be a good idea if you are planning on doing a disney cruise after a week in disney. But, that's just me, and I am biased because I really like USO!
Jo

 

[Nagle]

I agree. Universal is great fun. Maybe a 4 day Park Hopper Plus for Disney, try CAA for Universal at par tickets for a 2 or 3 day pass. One day just hanging out and not rushing off to the parks is always popular with our family.

John

 

[Skywalker]

Do it! Do it!!! LOL. Universal is just awesome. We were there in January and my boys (6 and 4) had such a blast. Really, it is a ton of FUN!

 

[Sandyincanada]

Another vote for Universal/Island of Adventures....its alot of fun. Suess Landing is adorable for kids and you just can't beat Spiderman.

 

[hockey mom]

I agree with the rest of the gang- DO IT.

We love Universal and wouldn't consider a trip to Florida without it.

 

[dtsaos]

If you've never been to universal you must go! universal and islands of adventure rocks! I love disney theming and resorts and the whole feel of disney, but IMO, most universal rides/attractions beat disney hands down. Your kids are at really good ages for universal, especially your 9 yr old,but they'll be plenty for the 4 yr old too. Have fun!

 

[dtsaos]

by the way, do 2 days at universal & islands oa, one won't be enough and you'll feel too rushed.

get 3 or 4 day hopper tickets at disney and try to hit the attractions that are most important to you. buying one of the books on disney might help and make plans a little easier to figure out. good luck and have fun deciding!

 

[the kabuki]

Just went in Jan with kids (11,7,3) and we loved it!! There's more for the older ones, but my DD3 had a great time too.

IMO, I would plan on 2 days if you're going to want to see both parks-Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, one day each.

 

[Jaime]

My DH wanted to go to Universal Studios on our first trip and I gave in. I am glad I did IOA was my favorite park. I don't like rides to much but I loved the Spiderman ride!! We returned last jan with our 20 month old and went to both parks. She loved IOA; the atmoshpere is worth the trip alone.

 

[RC Fan]

If you can make the time, I would go. I especially love IOA; as others have said it has amazing theming and such a mysterious atmosphere. It is my favourite Orlando themepark.

 

[calena]

I have never been to IOA/UO but when we were in Orlando last year (and had bought five day park hoppers) people at our resort (offsite) kept saying we had to go to Universal. A lot of people there said they liked it better than Disney, but I don't feel you can go to Orlando and not do Disney!
We didn't go last year because we had the Disney tickets and also planned on doing other things, so we didn't have the time in our schedule. This year I bought tickets for both Universal and Disney. I am really looking forward to Universal. Disney can be very time consuming though. We spent six days (five at parks, one at waterpark) and still did not see it all.

 

[Bonnie40]

I'm also going to say 'Go to Universal!' We love Disney, but find that Universal has great attractions and is not to be missed! Also, you may find that 4 days at Disney is plenty...it can become overwhelming, so it might be nice to break it up with time at a different park. We normally stay onsite at Universal, but there aren't any good room rates this year so we will be taking the short drive from Disney to enjoy Universal for at least 1 day.

 

[ChisJo]

Just wanted to add something to this....The Hulk and the Spiderman ride are both in the top 10 best North American theme park rides, and I think they are not to be missed....
Jo

 

[robinsnest49ers]

I like Universal but my 4 year old didn't. She didn't like the virtual rides at all. She did like Islands of Adventure though. We still have a day leftover for Universal and will do IOA. If your child likes the bumpy, jumpy rides you'll be fine, but my 4 year old was not impressed. And there is not as much in Universal for her to do. Islands of Adventure is better for the little ones.

 

[damo]

Universal has a great kids area that is tucked away and missed by many. It has a fun, huge, interactive play area, a Barney themed area and show, a kiddie coaster and a fantastic water play area. Kids also like the Animal Planet show.

IOA has three fun play areas as well as the Suess rides that are geared towards kids.

 

[SnowWhite]

We Loved Universal and have been there 3 times but when we took DD when she was 3 1/2 we had hoped she would love it too. Unfortunately she was terrrified of half the rides....We had no idea until the show Twister was over that she was crying her little heart out from pure terror becuase of all the noise. I know Kongfrontation is gone now but she was terrified of it as well and Jaws and Earthquake (its amazing how many of these rides involve fire) She loved the animal show and the Woody Woodpecker rollercoaster (just her size) and of course Nickleodeon but I wouldn't recommend it for little ones unless your 4 year old is very fearless. For the older ones it is fantastic and dare I say even cooler than Disney.

We are going to Disney in October and would love to return to Universal but DS will only be 2 1/2 and much too young for half the park.

 

[calena]

I really liked Universal and found our four-year-old liked it better or just as much as Magic Kingdom. The difference is the crowds. You could pretty well walk on the rides. At Magic Kindgom it was a lot of waiting. There were many rides he did not want to do at Universal Studios, but some he LOVED. He loved Men in Black, ET, Woody Woodpecker and Curious George playarea. At IOA he loved the Dr. Seuss area and did not want to leave - EVER. You could spend a morning there. He also liked the playarea at Jurassic Park and at Me Ship Olive. The kid-swap program was also great at Universal.
This was our second trip to Orlando. Our first we did just Disney and loved that, but we were hooked, so we went back this year.

 

[slapwhitey]

I agree with the majority. I am a self proclaimed Disney fanatic and absolutely love every aspect of WDW. But I must say that IOA is without a doubt the best attraction park in Orlando, and USF isn't far behind. It's a definite must see as far as cutting edge technology.

Geez, it almost makes me feel dirty saying that a universal park may be better (attraction wise) than a Disney park.