wdw vs. universal have 5 days

[want2kno]

We have 5 full days in orlando this month. We were thinking of going to wdw on a 4 day hopper & universal 1 day. Realizing that we can't do all of wdw in 4 days, we're wondering if we should just do all 5 days at wdw & do universal next time. We've never been to universal, but have heard that it's worthwhile. We just don't want to cut ourselves short at wdw. Our kids are aged 6, 13 & 17.

 

[JOC]

I don't think you'll be able to enjoy both Universal and Islands of Adventure in just one day. We always stay onsite at one of the Universal hotels for front of the line access and even then we stay at least three days to enjoy everything at a leisurely pace. I would just do WDW for your five days and plan a longer trip next time, to include the Universal parks.

 

[Jaime]

On our trip to Orlando in 2001 my DH talked me into going to Universal Studios for 2 days. At the time we were only going to be in Orlando for 6 days and I was upset that we were going to lose 2 disney days. It was our first trip to Orlando and even though I LOVED disney, my favorite park was Island of Adventure and I don't even like roller coasters. We are returning to Orlando in Jan and will be spending 2 days in the Disney Parks and 2 days in the Universal Parks. They are different experiences I couldn't choose. We will be staying at the Boardwalk Villas for a Disney Part of the trip and we will be moving to the Holiday Inn Universal for the Universal Part.(It is within walking distance and only $49US, we really enjoyed it last time.) I also understand that if you stay in onsite in Universal you don't have to wait in lines.

Have a great trip.

 

[dznyntnh]

After three visits to Universal Studios, I still cannot see what the big deal is. Most of their attractions like Jaws, Twister and Earthquake are really weak. T2:3D is great but its not worth the $40.00 it costs to get into the place.

IOA is ok, Spider Man is great, but most of their roller coasters were built so that if you are bigger than usual you cannot ride (I have no problems with any of Disney's coasters or rides). If it wasn't for the restrictive roller coasters, I'm sure I would enjoy this park more, but I see no reason to visit the studios again.

Last time I went, we did both parks in a day and still had time for a long lunch at the Hard Rock (best part of the day).

 

[>>^..^<<]

Hi there... with just the 5 days I would stick with all Disney ~ there is so much to see and do there.

I love Universal ~ we went for 5 nights last year and are going for 6 nights in August. The Universal hotels are very reasonable priced and have excellent rooms/pools/restaurants etc ~ I think you should save this for when you have a few days to stay and enjoy the parks, hotel & citywalk.

Have fun no matter what you do,

>>^..^<<

 

[Mommy'sGrumpy]

Now, we only did the "old" area, not IOA, because my kids are too young for a lot of rollercoasters, but Mom was less then impressed. There were a few decent rides, but nothing that even remotely compared to what Disney has to offer. likewise with the shows. They were cute, but they have nothing that even comes close to any of the Disney shows.

The citywalk are was nice and offered alot of variety of places to eat,though and I would like to return there again.

If I was going to do Universal again, I would do IOA and eat at citywalk, otherwise,I find Seaworld a much better family experience and much more worth the time and investment.

Gina

 

[Pammy_from_WI]

With just 5 days I'd probably just hit WDW and skip USF/IOA, especially if I knew I'd be going back to Orlando in the future. Keep in mind I love USF/IOA, not as much as WDW, but pretty close.

But if your kids and you and your hubby/wife love thrill rides, it might be worthwhile heading over to USF/IOA. Keep in mind there is no way you'd be able to cover both parks in one day. I'd look at their website and look at the rides offered and pick one or the other. With the ages of your kids I'd take a guess and say you'll probably enjoy IOA a lot better, more for a variety of ages. With a 6 year old USF might be too much, they have some stiff height requirements and rides like Jaws, King Kong, Twister, and Earthquake might be really scary for him/her.

Like a previous poster said if you know you'll be heading back to Orlando in the future, it would be ideal to spend 2 or 3 days at a USF hotel (you'll get front of the line access) and then head to a WDW hotel and do that for the rest of your trip.

If you do go and want to try to tackle both parks in one day, you might want to look into getting a VIP pass. Last year they offered VIP passes, I think that's what it was called, it was extra $$$, but that would help you get front of the line access for the major rides. You have to get them VERY VERY early though, they sell out really fast. We got there about 10am and by noon they were gone.

IOA/USF have some pretty unique rides, but they are more of the thrill type. We'll be in Orlando for 9 days this trip and we're just staying at WDW, because of our youngest, she wouldn't be able to ride most of the rides at USF/IOA.

Good luck deciding and have a great trip!!

Pammy