WDW and Universal?

[MelissaMonicaDrake]

We are in the beginning stages of planning a trip back to Disney (last time we were there was in 2011). We are a family of 5 and would like to do both Disney and Universal this time. Whay I loved about our last trip was how easy it was staying on-site, no car to rent, no luggage to roll around, etc. Originally thought about staying at Disney the whole trip and just doing a day trip to Universal because I'm not too keen on the idea of moving resort to resort, finding transportation, etc, but I'm reading that staying at a Universal resort, then moving to a Disney Resort (or vice versa) may be the best route.

SO...looking for those that have done both, and any tips or recommendations you may have please!!

TIA!

 

[MarBee]

I’ve only done Universal on one trip. We stayed at Royal Pacific and could walk (about 7 mins) to the parks or take a boat. We stayed there for two nights then switched to Disney for 5 nights. I don’t love switching resorts but it was fairly easy. I’d definitely do it again. Staying on site at both places was super convenient and relaxing.

 

[MelissaMonicaDrake]

I’ve only done Universal on one trip. We stayed at Royal Pacific and could walk (about 7 mins) to the parks or take a boat. We stayed there for two nights then switched to Disney for 5 nights. I don’t love switching resorts but it was fairly easy. I’d definitely do it again. Staying on site at both places was super convenient and relaxing.

Thanks. That's what I'm thinking we may have to do. Did you take a taxi to get from Univ to WDW?

 

[MarBee]

Thanks. That's what I'm thinking we may have to do. Did you take a taxi to get from Univ to WDW?

We did. It cost about $55 I believe but we took a big SUV because we needed the space. We just walked out to the bellhop at Royal Pacific and he got us one in less that 5 minutes. Where it may be a little expensive, it was super easy.

 

[MinnieMouse100]

Our last trip was 5 days WDW and 3 days Universal ( 2 days at parks). We used the hotel transfer day as our rest day and just enjoyed the pools at both resorts. We stayed at the Hard Rock, which is just a short walk or boat ride to the two theme parks and dining, there were busses available to the water park. Transferring hotels and using that day as a rest day really worked well for us and it was nice not to drive and worry about driving and parking for the 2 days at the parks. I think if I were just going 1 day I would stay at WDW and drive, but if it is 2 or more I would transfer hotels.

 

[buzzrelly]

We did a couple nights at UO before our WDW trip, and stayed at RPR. You really cannot beat the convenience of the EP at Universal, and RPR is generally the cheapest of the three on-site Universal hotels that offer it. We used a private car service that picked us up at MCO, brought us to Universal and then picked us up at Universal and brought us to WDW (with a grocery stop on the way). At the time (2015), that whole service cost $100-$150 and was really super easy. We then took the DME back from WDW to MCO at the end of the trip.

For what it's worth, I like doing UO at the beginning of the trip because I just don't love it as much. Some people like to do it at the end of their trip because they think it's more relaxing than WDW. It's all personal preference. There are a lot of very helpful people on both the WDW side and the UO side of these boards. Start reading through those threads to get an idea about the hotels, tickets, etc.

Have fun planning

 

[dbavis]

we have done it both ways. the first couple of times, we either stayed off-site or stayed at Disney and drove to Universal on those days. Last year we stayed at Portofino Bay for 4 days and then did a split stay between AKL and the Poly. It was such a better way to do Universal. No worry about traveling back and forth, super convenient to go back to the resort mid-day if we wanted, and the express pass. We don't do Universal every trip but, when we do, I can't imagine doing it any other way going forward.

 

[MelissaMonicaDrake]

Thank you all for the replies! I think we have settled on a split stay. 2 at Universal, 4 at Disney. Looks like quite a bit has changed since our last visit, so will be back on this board doing some more research (and probably with more questions!) soon!

 

[MelissaMonicaDrake]

We did a couple nights at UO before our WDW trip, and stayed at RPR. You really cannot beat the convenience of the EP at Universal, and RPR is generally the cheapest of the three on-site Universal hotels that offer it. We used a private car service that picked us up at MCO, brought us to Universal and then picked us up at Universal and brought us to WDW (with a grocery stop on the way). At the time (2015), that whole service cost $100-$150 and was really super easy. We then took the DME back from WDW to MCO at the end of the trip.

For what it's worth, I like doing UO at the beginning of the trip because I just don't love it as much. Some people like to do it at the end of their trip because they think it's more relaxing than WDW. It's all personal preference. There are a lot of very helpful people on both the WDW side and the UO side of these boards. Start reading through those threads to get an idea about the hotels, tickets, etc.

Have fun planning

Do you remember who you used for the car service? Something like that would be perfect. Forgive my complete ignorance on this subject, but I've honestly never used a taxi or car service...we've just never had the need, so even planning how to get from the airport to UO is something I also need to look up (do we just hail a taxi when we get there? Schedule something else prior to leaving? I have no idea! All new to me!)!

 

[dbavis]

Do you remember who you used for the car service? Something like that would be perfect. Forgive my complete ignorance on this subject, but I've honestly never used a taxi or car service...we've just never had the need, so even planning how to get from the airport to UO is something I also need to look up (do we just hail a taxi when we get there? Schedule something else prior to leaving? I have no idea! All new to me!)!

You'll find a lot of references to Tony Hinds over on the transportation boards. He provides a private car service that many seem to like and is reasonably priced. We used his service last year to go from MCO to Portofino and then from Portofino to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

 

[buzzrelly]

Do you remember who you used for the car service? Something like that would be perfect. Forgive my complete ignorance on this subject, but I've honestly never used a taxi or car service...we've just never had the need, so even planning how to get from the airport to UO is something I also need to look up (do we just hail a taxi when we get there? Schedule something else prior to leaving? I have no idea! All new to me!)!

2015 was the first time ever that we didn't just get off the plane and take the DME to WDW. We used Tony Hinds for that trip. He picked us up at the airport and brought us to UO. Then after a couple days, he picked us up at UO and brought us to WDW, with a grocery stop on the way.

In 2016 we used FL Tours to bring us from WDW to Port Canaveral and back.

I would definitely use a car service and schedule your pick up times in advance. Also, I would give the slight edge to FL Tours as a service to hire because we had a bit of a snafu with Tony Hinds (not him specifically, but the driver he sent for our transfer UO to WDW was super chatty and talked so much that he missed stopping at the grocery store I wanted to go to and then brought us to the one grocery store everyone had warned me not to go to because it's crazy expensive). I was super annoyed by that and decided to try a different company the next year and was much happier with them.

There are obviously many more companies out there too, but those are the ones I've used. The Transportation Board has a lot of helpful info on it

 

[DisDaydreams]

The split stay works great! In March 2017 we did five nights at UO (HRH) and then five nights WDW (BC). I was hesitant at first bc I hate the idea of packing up and moving in the middle of vacation. But we wanted express passes and wanted to be onsite to enjoy all of UO.

On our transfer day, we slept in and I did laundry in the hotel while DH and kids went to pool. Then when we were all packed, we went to pool again and had lunch. Left HRH about 2:00, went to BC, settled in and then walked to Epcot for fastpasses and dinner ADR at garden grill. Great day- relaxing even with the move!

We used mears shuttle service from mco to HRH, and then from HRH to WDW. I think on the pricier side but we were guaranteed the exact time we wanted and plenty of room for all our luggage (fam of 5). Then DME back to MCO from WDW.

All in all, I would do it exactly the same again. The on-site benefits at each location made the transfer more than worth it!! Good luck and have fun!

 

[LoveToGoToDisneyWorld]

Just did a week at Disney (Old Key West) and a week at Universal (Portofino Bay) in December.

We drive, so we had a car. An Uber should be able to get you where you need to go.

I'd suggest taking only a few outfits and washing them. No one knows or cares what you're wearing. Traveling lighter just makes it so much easier to go between hotels.

This particular trip we stayed at Old Key West first, then moved to Portofino Bay. The OKW room was disgusting, so when we got to Porofino Bay we felt like we were at the Ritz. The differences were drastic, but the Portofino Bay room was cheaper. We left that trip thinking we might stay at Portofino Bay again and just drive to and from the Disney parks. We were pleased with what we got for our money.

Our only disappointment was PB doesn't have a laundry room! We never dreamed they wouldn't, so imagine our surprise when we went to wash clothes and found out nothing was available on site. We had to take their shuttle over to the Hard Rock and use their facilities. It was annoying, but not a deal breaker.

 

[jzappa]

I think it depends on how many days at Universal! We did one day on our last trip, and just took Uber. It was $16 each way on UberX (in October 2016) from the Poly to Universal's drop off area and back.

 

[MelissaMonicaDrake]

I think it depends on how many days at Universal! We did one day on our last trip, and just took Uber. It was $16 each way on UberX (in October 2016) from the Poly to Universal's drop off area and back.

This would honestly be my preference. Looks like it would be the cheaper route, too. However, others I've talked with advised against it saying that if we wanted to see HPworld, staying onsite would be the only way to go (ability to avoid the lines seemed to be the main reason). I'd much rather make a day trip out of it while staying at Disney.

 

[_aambam_]

I was debating on staying at Universal for our upcoming trip for the first time this spring, but after weighing the pros and cons of both resorts, we ended up choosing to stay @ Disney. The magical express is a HUGE perk as well as the advance fast passes and dining reservations.