wdw or universal?

[cleo]

If I only had 3 days and it was just adults going, I'd do one day at Magic Kingdom, one day at Epcot, and one day at IoA. IoA (for adults) is by far the most thrilling park (IMO).

The 'magic' of the Kingdom, the grace and beauty of Epcot, and the thrill of IoA are the perfect adult combination.

 

[onslow]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I still haven't made up my mind...
I let you know what i have choosen in a few days and why.

Thx, onslow

 

[sln88]

It really depends on what you and your wife like. My family has been to Orlando 3 times. The 1st time we went, I did not think I would ever get hubby to go there again so we did both parks(exhausting). 2nd year we did WDW. Last year they voted to go to Universal. I think Universal is fine, but I am not big on "rides".(Although I do LOVE their popeye water ride) I found myself sitting on the bench reading(I read a whole book one day) while everyone else went on rollercoasters. At Disney, I can ride almost every ride, so I prefer going there.

 

[disneyholic family]

we hated universal and IoA and we went twice to each (skipping a year in between) just to give it a fair chance.

all 4 of us hated them, my husband, me, and my 20 year old daughter and 18 year old son..

however, if you are set on universal and IoA, you should definitely stay at one of the universal onsite hotels so that you get unlimited front of the line priority.....

 

[sugermouse]

Onslow- a little "slow' understanding the concept of Disney.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

WDW!!! Of course!

 

[old one]

As an adult over 40, no children for three days at parks I recommend Universal Studios, Magic Kingdom and Epcot. All very different and all great.

I think you would be making a big mistake if you missed Universal *STUDIOS* it is NOT like an amusement park. (Don't miss Twister, ET, Jaws or Earthquake!)
Islands of Adventure is more of the amusement park.

On the bright side, no matter what you choose, you will have a great time.

 

[cleo]

Good point, old one. There are no bad choices in this case.

 

[powellrj]

I personally feel like Universal is just one step above Six Flags. It is cleaner than Six Flags, but not as clean as Disney. It has more theming than Six Flags, but not as much as Disney. When you step out of a Disney park, you are still in the middle of the magic. When you step out of a Universal park, you are in tourist trap central. Unless you really enjoy three tooth carnies trying to talk you into buying his three for $15 "Official" T-shirts.

We just spent a week there in October and NEVER, EVER had that feeling. City walk is wonderful! Its clean and the resturants are great! We had lunch there everyday and thought they were nicely themed and the food was great! As for being clean, we never found that to be a problem and every employee we had contact with was wonderful!

 

[crazy_for_the_dis]

Based on the amount of time you have, I would go with US/IOA. You should be able to experience both parks and have time to relax (especially if you stay on-site which will get you FOTL).

We love Disney as well, but with only three days, I would feel like I missed alot and not accomplished much. I would wait to go to Disney when you could spend more time.

 

[ukcatfan]

We just spent a week there in October and NEVER, EVER had that feeling. City walk is wonderful! Its clean and the resturants are great! We had lunch there everyday and thought they were nicely themed and the food was great! As for being clean, we never found that to be a problem and every employee we had contact with was wonderful!

I was not talking about Citywalk. It is owned by Universal. I am talking about just outside Universal property. At WDW, the feel is buffered by all the land that they own. You can go all over the place and never lose that feel. Universal does not have as much property, so you are much more likely exposed to that "cheap" feel that is all over 192 and I-drive.

As for the appearance, WDW does a better job hands down. I am not talking about just trash collection, there is a lot more that goes into it.

 

[caribbeanme]

Hi Onslow-

I would do one day at MK, one at Epcot, and one at IOA (great rides for adults). If you want to give another WDW park a chance and you're going at a slower time of the year, you can feasibly go through AK in the morning and experience Epcot in the afternoon and evening. You'll have fun whatever you do!

 

[TimothyG]

Universal is better for adults, but worse for small children (typically those under 10).

On the ride scale, Universal and IOA have more intense, more thrilling rides because it appeals more to the teenage and young adult crowds more than Disney World can, for the most part.

On the theme scale, Universal and IOA do not run anywhere near Disney World. This is partly because WDW had the best themed parks in the entire world literally.

As a whole, Disney World is the better park because you will remember the rides a lot longer than the rides at Universal. Either park has its own strengths and weaknesses. I would suggest that you spend 1 day at Universal and IOA since you have no little children accompanying you on this trip and spend 2 days at Disney World. Disney World has a lot more to do than Universal plus Disney World is a lot more of an original park.

 

[babar41]

DH and I went to US last year for the first time and loved it. I had planned 3 days there and then 9 days at WDW. Although I will never give up any of my time at WDW, adding on US was great.

The best way I have of describing the difference is... US is a theme park with IOA full of intense rides, wet (and I do mean soaking wet) rides and roller coasters. Definitely for the older kids and adults. WDW is a magical place full of magic for all ages, calling to the child in all of us regardless of age.

With just 3 days you really don't have enough time to do either place justice. I would just choose what type of experience you want and go from there. No matter where you go you will have a great time.

 

[bubba73]

I just got back from spending a week at WDW and never even missed the other guys down the street. We were at a Disney park every day and it was the best trip that I have ever had to the area and I have had several. I enjoy IOA a lot as well ans I rather enjoy Sea World. But if I only had 3 parks that I could do, it would probably be MK, MGM, and EPCOT (especially now with Soarin. It has always been my favorite park but now it is even that much better).






Just returned. I want to go back.