Universal Studios Too Ambitious??

[GaryDis]

I always do a split stay between Disney and US/IOA staying onsite at each. Royal Pacific is the least expensive of the US Deluxe resorts for the onsite perks. You can purchase an Express Pass for each party but pricing is based on the busyness of the parks and June might be pricey. Do your math for two day Park to Park Universal passes plus Express passes for your dates and a one night stay at Royal Pacific with two days of Express. You can use the free Express Pass for your arrival date and departure date and you can experience a very nice hotel for a night.

It's also a matter of the number of people and nights. We're just two people, staying for three nights (because Cabana Bay is cheaper than WDW for moderate), so it's cheaper to buy the Express Pass. But add a couple of kids and that would change.

I haven't figured out why people doing split stays like to make it just one night at US unless they're staying at a value resort at WDW. The pricing otherwise doesn't justify it, and seven days WDW immersion isn't worth that much more than five days.

 

[ougrad86]

Not sure how busy it is in June, but we stay on site and express pass makes a world of differences. Looking at hotel prices, be sure to figure in the cost of express pass for all three X 2 days, it often makes sense to stay on site. Plus you will get early entry to WWoHP, which will let you see that area before it gets crazy. I think FJ is the better ride, but Diagon Alley is the better area. The price of an Uber back and forth is about equal to a car from the airport and another to get you to FQ at the end of your second Universal day. You might be able to get ME back to the airport, but not sure. There is a lot to do at Universal! And it is a lot of fun. We did a split stay jyst 6 weeks ago!

 

[Planogirl]

Our focus has shifted more and more to Universal over time. We have been visiting both resorts for a while in a variety of different ways and now won't skip Universal. UNI has a lot more to offer nowadays than at least two of the Disney parks.

As for Express that is a nice feature but we haven't purchased it yet. If you plan carefully you can usually see everything but you can fall back on Express if you need it. I wouldn't necessarily worry about buying it until you get to the parks.

 

[cemeb4dk]

June will be a busy month for Universal, with the new hotel and Kong ride opening (if the rumored opening dates hold true)

 

[DavidNYC]

Right, it's 9 miles from WDW exit to US entrance. That isn't including getting out of WDW. It took us 40 minutes to get there WITH traffic. No way am I doing that more than once during a vacation. That's why I would recommend a split stay if it's a family that doesn't want to spend a lot of time driving back and forth.

It's never taken me much more than 20 minutes door to door. The longest part is the walk from the Universal Parking lot to the entrance. I've never done it - but with that walk and the high parking price I'd consider pricing out an Uber ride there (but not sure if a taxi drop point results in any less of a walk).

As to your question - first week of June I think 2-days at Universal would be a perfectly good plan (recognizing those 2 days at Universal will be far more expensive than adding 2 more days at Disney). But definitely enough there to fill up 2 days and if you've never seen it (and if the 11 year old is a Harry Potter fan) they're great parks. I'd expect first week of June to be starting to get busy but lots of schools are starting to get out but not nearly as bad as later in the month and the summer. I haven't found the lines to be horrible (except HP rides at peak - but even those have died down a lot).

 

[Muskrat191]

We did a single day at Universal (mid-week, first week of February). As a group of 4 adults, we did everything we wanted to do in one day at both parks. We did not buy the Express Pass as the park wasn't too busy. We did hit some lines in the afternoon, but we did the following between 9 am and 5:30pm (including a "quick service" lunch):
Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem
Dragon Challenge
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Hogwarts Express (both directions)
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
Jurassic Park River Adventure
Men in Black: Alien Attack
Ollivanders
Poseidon's Fury
Revenge of the Mummy
T2 3-D: Battle Across Time
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
Transformers: The Ride-3D