Would you switch from WDW to go to US/IOA?

[leagirl12]

We currently are planning to take DD11, DS13, and both of their best friends to WDW for a week over their Spring Break. We will be there the week of April 11th. We are now considering swapping from WDW and going to US but I am on the fence about it reading the crowd reports for HP. All 4 kids are huge HP fans so I know that will be a big part of the trip.

Would you switch during that time frame or would you wait and go to US in a year or two when maybe the HP newness has worn off? We will be staying off property and would be getting standard tickets so no front of the line advantages. If we wait a year or two then we could plan ahead and book a trip on property.

Also....this will be our first trip to US/IOA...but if we go to WDW it will be our 3rd.

 

[BrerVixen]

I personally feel that you can't get a week out of Universal... a day per park maybe... with a bit of extra time to visit WWHOP!

 

[Bradsdadg]

Why not try Universal for a day or two this time and see if you like it. I can't see spending all week there though.

 

[leagirl12]

See how little I know.

I figured since they had 7 day tix that it was like WDW where we can easily spend a week. We are going on a Disney Cruise next summer...I think adding a day or two either to the front or the end of that trip may be the best idea for us. We can't fit it in the budget to do both places this year since we are taking their friends.

 

[francie57]

We do both. For years we have been going to Universal at the start of our trip - two nights at the Hard Rock so we get the unlimited express for on-site, and then check-out and head to the Boardwalk Villas at Disney for the rest of our trip. This works perfect for us since we have plenty of time to do both parks at Universal and then enough time for Disney.

 

[ldo]

You can spend 3 days max at universal/IOA--the parks are very compact. Harry Potter will be mobbed for Spring Break-it was crazy at Christmas. I would go to WDW, esp. since the 7 day tickets are not much more than the 4 day tickets. I would get basic tickets, no park-hopping, no water parks--you can always add either while you are there, but if you don't park hop or go to waterpark, you don't get any $ back. Do 1 park per day and then pick your favorites to go back to. I save Univ/IOa for before/after your a cruise. My only caveat would be that my 13 yr old thought going back to WDW would be boring and was thrilled to go to Univ/IOA instead--so, with that said, I might ask your kids--tell them either or and if they pick Univ/IOA, there might not be stuff to fill the entire week.

 

[Planogirl]

We usually spend about four days at the Universal parks but we don't stay all day every day. Keep in mind that Universal is just two parks and one shopping/dining area while WDW is four parks with two waterparks and other attractions too.

I also think that you might want to add two days for the Universal parks but also visit WDW. There are also slews of other attractions in central Florida if you want to consider them.

 

[ldo]

As OP indicated budget was a concern, it is more economical to do WDW or Univ/IOA for more days, as the 1st 2 days at either venue are the most $$, then the price drops a lot to $5-10 for each extra day. 2-3 days at WDW and 2 days at Univ is easily $300+ PP.

 

[Nickarooney]

My son is 11 and made the switch this year to loving Uni like he used to love WDW. He loves big rides and beyond ToT and RR there isn't much that holds his interest at Disney any longer. Our first trip to Universal we were at the parks 4 full days and this past trip we had 5 1/2 days - we had actually planned on 4 days at Uni and 1 1/2 days at Disney (one evening going to MVMCP and one full day at DHS), but my son had such a bad time at Magic Kingdom he asked to stay at Universal the rest of the time...kind of broke my heart a little, but what are you going to do? We did go and have breakfast at O'Hana before leaving and he decided that maybe it wasn't so, so bad - there is hope I can squeeze another trip out of him at some point.

I don't think I would spend an entire week at Universal, but I guess since we spent 6 nights it comes pretty close. We stay on site and do parks for awhile, walk back to the hotel and swim, go back to the parks, go eat at CityWalk or one of the other property hotels, usually see BMG at least once - the pace is much less hectic than Disney and it is pretty easy for us to fill our days, but not with 8 hours at the parks all day, every day.

I can't say enough good things about staying on site, it is just the best. Being able to stay on site makes a bigger difference to your stay than at Disney - Express Pass changes your experience drastically (and exponentially so during crowded days) and having a 5 minute walk to the room means you can bounce back and forth all day long. That would sway me about visiting if I could swing a later trip and stay on site - especially during a busy period like spring break. If the kids like WDW and are excited about going, then I say stick with Disney and plan a Universal trip when you can stay on site for a couple of nights.

Personally, a Disney cruise with a couple of added days of HP sounds like pure heaven!

 

[Coach81]

You could just take one day.. and do Potter away from WDW..

 

[Metro West]

We usually spend about four days at the Universal parks but we don't stay all day every day. Keep in mind that Universal is just two parks and one shopping/dining area while WDW is four parks with two waterparks and other attractions too.

I also think that you might want to add two days for the Universal parks but also visit WDW. There are also slews of other attractions in central Florida if you want to consider them.

I agree and if you include SeaWorld and/or Aquatica along with the Universal parks, you could spend five or six days easily. The main thing to remember about Universal is...you don't have to constantly run all around to see everything like at Disney. At Universal you actually slow down and enjoy your vacation. I mean...isn't that what a vacation is for?

 

[christophfam]

I agree and if you include SeaWorld and/or Aquatica along with the Universal parks, you could spend five or six days easily. The main thing to remember about Universal is...you don't have to constantly run all around to see everything like at Disney. At Universal you actually slow down and enjoy your vacation. I mean...isn't that what a vacation is for?

This is exactly why we now go to Universal for most of our Orlando trips. No getting up early to catch a bus and sprint to your favorite rides. Then run all over the park collecting fastpasses so you don't have to wait in the long lines. Plus never wanting to go back to the room (we stay value or mod) because it is SO much walking and time to go back to the front of the park, to the bus, then to the hotel.

Staying onsite at Universal is sleeping in (except for maybe one day for WWOHP) and have fastpasses all day (express) without collecting them, going back to the hotel quickly and easily to enjoy a wonderfully relaxing afternoon at the pool, not rushing, no buses, no schedules. Just do what you want whenever you feel like it.

 

[LCARDVERO]

The past few trips to Disney, we have split our trip - US-IOA-WDW. Have been going to Disney since kids were babies-last trip they were 15 & 11.
I find that 2 days is plenty of time at US-IOA. Being a DVC member, we are always ready to leave US-IOA and we "WELCOMED HOME" at DVC

 

[IdesOmarch]

IMO you can easily spend a week at US/IOA and that is exactly what we do, with maybe 1 beach day when we head over to Cocoa Beach in between for a change of pace. But there is so much to do, taking a full week or 5 days to do it all is no problem. I like to take my time, do my favorite things over and over again, maybe take a day to just relax at the pools and pool hop etc., there is almost as much to do here as there is at Disney.

Now Disney does have 4 parks instead of 2 plus City Walk for Universal, so you most definitely need a week for Disney, but its no problem to take a week for US as well.

Also, keep in mind US/IOA is just as amazing as Disney, they are both very similar in the fact that they are both "theme" parks. US/IOA is NOT a coaster thrill park like many believe, even though they do have several nice coasters at the parks, just like Disney has EE, Aerosmith coaster etc.

There are amazing themed areas at US, not just Harry Potter, there is Jurassic Park which is a huge area that is themed up exactly like the entire island out of the movie. Suess Landing which is like living inside a Dr. Suess book, Marvel Superhero Island which is like living inside a comic book etc. It is themed to the max so there are a ton of things to do and explore here, its not just Harry Potter with a few coasters thrown in here and there, quite the opposite.

 

[schumigirl]

Gosh we must be very unusual........we go to the Universal parks nearly every day of our 14 day trip.......and never get bored!!!! We don`t go To Disney at all now, although my son is nearly 17 so it doesn`t have a hold for him.

Universal parks have so much to offer from the rides themselves, themeing is as good as anything else on offer anywhere to the atmosphere and some fantastic places to eat in the parks and in Citywalk, which at night has a great atmosphere with live music. And the HP area has been done superbly, it`s so much more than a ride and a couple of shops.

We go at a relaxed pace and take time to smell the roses.

Your kids are at an age where they would really enjoy Universal, and even without express pass you can still have plenty of fun and even take time to relax at whatever hotel you decide to stay at.

 

[braddillman]

I'm with you schumigirl. We (ages 8, 10, 12, and 42) prefer USF/IoA over Disney. We're headed down in Feb '11 for 15 days, so we're getting FlexPasses (and a couple of annual passes for free parking).

We don't need to spend every day, all day in a park. Maybe we'll spend the day shopping at the outlets and just duck in for an hour or something. Very different from 10 days of rushing around Disney to see everything, without taking time to enjoy something before rushing off.

For example, I could just spend an afternoon hanging out only in Jurassic Park, I love the theming there. Late lunch at Thunder Falls, a few rides, our kids love the Jurassic playground (sorry name escapes me), a happy hour drink at the watering hole, etc. Slow is good.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that it really depends on what you prefer. We go to Florida primarily to go to Universal now but we also visit WDW to revisit old favorites. We also enjoy exploring other places in central Florida.

 

[glocon]

If you cannot stay onsite, I would wait until you could. It changes the whole feel of the vacation. You get in early for WWoHP, you get on almost every other ride in both parks quickly and easily, you can spend time at the parks and go back to your resort for a while then back to the parks and not have to take your car or a bus. You can enjoy the pools, restaurants in the hotels and at citywalk, go to the show, and if you wanted just walk back to the parks again. All this without having to drive or take a bus. Is Universal still doing the stay 5 nights and pay only for 3? That might help... BTW love HRH.

 

[Metro West]

Is Universal still doing the stay 5 nights and pay only for 3? That might help... BTW love HRH.

I don't think you will see any specials like that again until WWoHP calms down. There are too many people coming for Universal to discount.

 

[Magpie]

Tickets are still discounted if you stay longer. http://www.universalorlando.com/Tickets/tickets_2.aspx

If you check out my trip report, you'll see that we spent six whole days exploring US and IOA and had a great time. We could have stayed longer!

I think it depends what kind of visitor you are. If you're a run-straight-to-the-coaster/thrill ride, ride once and done kind of person, then yeah, you're not going to get more than a day out of each park.

But if you like to take in the themeing, explore the nooks and crannies, check out the special events and/or shows and talk to team members, then you'll easily find enough to do in the parks for many days.

For Disney folks, I think the real litmus test would be: Is Animal Kingdom a half-day park or a multi-day park?