what to tell friend re wdw vs universal

[quandrea]

I have a friend. They have four kids--2, 5, 7, and 9. They want my opinion on a holiday. They can stay at Art of Animation for a week or at Cabana Bay at Universal for a week on the Harry Potter package. The universal package is a little over $1600 less. That is the difference on a disney package off the website, no discounts. I've never been to universal, but my first thought is that it is not that suited for the ages of the children. What should I tell her?

 

[kmb584]

I have a friend. They have four kids--2, 5, 7, and 9. They want my opinion on a holiday. They can stay at Art of Animation for a week or at Cabana Bay at Universal for a week on the Harry Potter package. The universal package is a little over $1600 less. That is the difference on a disney package off the website, no discounts. I've never been to universal, but my first thought is that it is not that suited for the ages of the children. What should I tell her?

While Universal does have some kid-friendly attractions, it's geared more toward teens and adults with its abundance of thrill rides. Have your friend look on Universal's website for an idea as to what attractions those parks offer. I honestly don't know what the kids (especially the 2- and 5-year-old's) are going to do for a week aside from waiting for their parent/siblings to get off of a ride.

 

[quandrea]

My thoughts exactly.

 

[TheSpooph]

We took my DD to US when she was 20 mos. At IoA they have Seuss themed rides which were fun as well as M&G with the Grinch, Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and 2. At US they have a fun climbing area, Barney live show, and Despicable Me stuff. Most of the stuff is geared toward older kids, but we still had plenty to do.

I am mentally planning our next trip to WDW and want to spend at least a day at US/IoA. My best friend helped to create the Harry Potter land stuff so I really want to check it out.

 

[Alexle2007]

We took DS7 when he was 5 and he had a great time! We rode the MIB at least 30 times. It is a very different experience than Disney though. My DS loves thrill rides so in some ways US is more appealing than WDW.

Does your friend know that Cabana Bay does not come with all of the same perks as the other Universal hotels-early entry is included but not express pass. CB is the equivalent of a Disney value resort.

We are going in Sept and doing 5 nights at Disney and 2 nights at Universal's Hard Rock. DS7 can't wait to do The a Mummy and HP and the Rock N' Roller Coaster this time?

 

[kohlby]

My kids really enjoyed US/IOA even at those ages. However- is she thinking of doing Disney OR Universal, not both? And has she never done Disney? If so, I would do Disney. My kids enjoyed US/IOA when they were young but 2 days was enough then. They were 2 months old and barely 3 the first time. The barely 3 was 40".

We did 6 days of US/IOA on our last trip, Nov 2013, with kids 4.5, 7 and 10 and had a great time. We did not do Disney at all - but had one day at LEGOLAND. However, we did Disney the year prior.

 

[Aliceacc]

Tell her you love Disney, but point her towards a source that describes both... say the Orlando tourist board or something.

I've never been to Universal, FL, and have no desire to go. But plenty of people love it. I'll be happy to tell you why I love Disney, but have no input at all on the subject of Universal. If you want to really help her, you need to get her unbiased info on both.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I have a friend. They have four kids--2, 5, 7, and 9. They want my opinion on a holiday. They can stay at Art of Animation for a week or at Cabana Bay at Universal for a week on the Harry Potter package. The universal package is a little over $1600 less. That is the difference on a disney package off the website, no discounts. I've never been to universal, but my first thought is that it is not that suited for the ages of the children. What should I tell her?

When you say Art of Animation, do you mean the suites? If so, they could change their accommodations to save $ and make the difference considerably less. They could get two rooms at a value or a moderate for less than a suite. Also, you have to work pretty hard these days to do Disney without a discount, whether it be free dining or a room discount.

JMO, but I would never stay at Cabana Bay resort. You would be staying at Universal without the most important perk of staying at Universal which is the express pass. It would be like staying at a Disney resort that didn't offer FP+ only much worse as the express pass is unlimited. I happily stay value at Disney, but there is no way I would find it worth it at Universal. When we go to Universal, we spring for one of their deluxe resorts.

As far as attractions go, while there are some things there to entertain a little one if the adults want to go to Universal, it is definitely not geared towards them the way Disney can be. Universal has some wonderful attractions but Disney is the easy winner when it comes to family rides.

A week at Universal is an awfully long time. Even the thrill riders will be hard pressed to find enough to do. We spent 8 nights at Hard Rock Hotel before, but we combined it with a couple days at Sea World and a day at Discovery Cove. Even then we had a bit too much time on our hands.