Would you take 1 or 2 days away from WDW to do Universal??

[ms.ojo]

We have a trip in Dec and I'm thinking of extending it by a night or 2 to do Universal before our stay at WDW. We have young children (ages 2 & 5) so I know there are a lot of rides we won't be seeing this time. Sure, we might do 1 or 2 w/ kid swap...but basically the trip would be about seeing the things appropriate for our children. We'd plan on staying at Hard Rock or Royal Pacific.

Couple of questions:
1) Anyone tell me first hand what it's like w/ young children there? Seems to be more for them to enjoy than I originally thought.

2) Would we be making a mistake only doing 1 day at US and not staying for 2 so we can park hop to IOA?

Any info'n or tips would really be appreciated!!! I am sooooo at home w/ Disney, having visited the mouse so many times! Planning this excursion to US has me in unchartered territory! LOL Any info'n on the hotels would be helpful too!!! I know Royal Pacific is a little less.....but the pics on the official website didn't look too appealing. Is it nice??

Thank you very much!!!

 

[sters]

I'd take 0

 

[mommykds]

JMHO but I wouldn't leave Disney (with young kids) to go to Universal.

 

[sleepyone]

I would spend the 2 extra days at WDW.

 

[Clay&Matt'sMom]

If my boys were that young, I would not go to US/IOA. Many of the rides are geared to the teenage set. If you love thrill rides and coasters, IOA is the place to be! My boys are now 10 & 13 and are beginning to prefer our trips to US/IOA over Disney.

Stay at Disney and venture over to US/IOA in about five years when your kids can really enjoy it. There is just not enough for them to do at their age to justify the cost.

Kim

 

[gigi1313]

we were in the same boat... i know disney! i know what i like! i know what i am "getting into!" but dh was hinting that we should give universal a try (he just doesn't love the mouse as much as i do!)

soooo... i did lots of reading at the universal boards on this site and found tons of great information and helpful people... i pored over their website, gleaning as much info as i can... i broke out my UG and turned to the universal section... i even stopped at a local travel agency and picked up universal brochures... and to my surprise, i bit the bullet and we are now heading to orlando for eleven days instead of seven to fit in three nights at RPR, two days at US/IOA, a day at seaworld and a day at the Holy Land Experience... we might even really go off the deep end and eat offsite or head to gatorland! LOL!

my best advice (from someone who is brave enough to plan it, but hasn't actually lived it! LOL!) is to do your homework... get as much info as you possibly can... ask lots of questions from the folks that have btdt... and then made an informed decision!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[savs]

We are heading to Orlando In May and we have 3 boys, 7, 5 & 9mon and we are taking 2 days to go to Universal this time.

We have been to Disney and/or takin a Disney cruise every year and we felt it couldn't hurt to spend the 1st 2 days at Universal.

I think it all depends on your kids. Mine are roller coster loving kids, so they are very excited to go to IOA and ride some of those rides. We also are stying at Disney for 8 days after that, so we are not taking anything away from that part of the trip either.

Just make sure you leave plenty of time to spend at Disney and then you should be fine.

 

[vicceja]

Hi!

In 2003 my boys were 7, 5, 2 and we took one day out to go to Universal Studios. It was ok but I've decided not to do it again until they are much older. This June we will take one day to go to SeaWorld.

 

[njchris]

I go to Disney every year and I always make 1 or 2 days to do Universal. I love some of the rides and attractions there and would hate to miss taking at least a day to go there.

Disney is tops for me, but since I have fun and enjoy the experience Universal has too, I go.

 

[Grendel]

We've done this. First your doing the right thing by doing it at the begining of your vacation. We did a few days at the end and it kind of ruined our disney trip. We stayed at Hard Rock...which is a beautiful hotel and to be honest more comfortable than some of the disney deluxes but there service and atmosphere wasnt the same. The parks are like this to. Lots and Lots of teenagers on their own running around etc. That being said there are some fun things to do with little ones. We enjoyed the Dr. Seus area...One fish two fish red fish blue fish ride is a must. Theres a great little mini roller coaster for little ones. If they like dinosaurs you can see a "real" triceritops...and then of course by the stuffed animal equivalents ( they roar too ). And its great to see all the Nick characters. I think there is probably enough to do that you would enjoy the expericence...and staying in a Universal resort means your room key is a permanent fast pass....which is great benefit. And you can stop at Margaretiaville for a beverage or two!! But its still not disney...and it feels that way too...

 

[liznboys]

We thought about doing a day at US on our trip last month (12 nights in WDW). Our boys are 5, 3 and 1. We decided not to, and wait till they are older and can do more there. We also realized that we just don't want to sacrifice our WDW time! I'm glad we decided to stay in the World... I'm sure we'll do US and some other Orlando attractions at some point...just not yet.

 

[webray]

The kids would definately love Universal and IOA. The parks are wonderful, there is plenty for them to do, even with the couple thrill rides. The disney parks have thrill rides..and you go there. Dr. Seuss' Island, the super hero island, the jurrasic park ares..there is just so much to do. It is bright and clean.

The universal resorts are outstanding, the food in City Walk is fantastic.

 

[ms.ojo]

Gee, thanks for all the great input!!! I LOVE these boards. I'll keep checking back for more insights!!!!! This would be in addition to our Disney stay which if a full 8 days.

At this point, my feeling is, as w/ Disney, there is stuff you can see/enjoy w/ young children that you won't pay as much attn to when your kids are older. And I certainly understand there will be a LOT at US we will be missing this time around, but it will let me get my sea legs for a future trip...and I DO think there is some really fun stuff for the young kids as several of you have pointed out and I've read in other threads too. (OK, and dh just HAS to do MIB and The mummy!)

Problem is...it will cost almost $790 AAA pricing for 2 nights at Hard Rock and passes for 3 of us for 2 days + 1 free day we can use on our day of arrival. (dd is under 3 so no charge for her) Ouch! I'm trying to look into an Entertainment book discount but the current book is only in effect til the end of Oct. And according to some on this board, it is VERY difficult to get your dates w/ the ENT book discount. We'd be arriving the Sun after Thanksgiving.

 

[elan]

If you are adding on but not taking away I would do one day at Universal and IOA. I would spend a few hours at IOA and hop on over to Universal for a few hours hitting just a few attractions.

Do you have boys or girls?

At IOA: My 5yo DS loved meeting spiderman. There is even a character meal including him. I believe Suessland becomes Grinchland for xmas. Some of these rides would be perfect for Suess fans (and your kids are perfect age).

At Universal. My 2yo DD loved the Barney show. It's the only place to meet Scooby if you're fans. There is also a small rollercoaster for little ones and a play area (forget name) just for kids.

 

[Ilovestitch]

Last May, we stayed at HRH for 2 nights and then CBR for 7. This time we are staying at Disney onsite the whole 10 days, and just having a towncar take us to Universal for one day and doing both parks. The FOTL is nice if you stay onsite at Universal, but we don't feel like staying in 3 different hotels.

 

[pezpam]

When I took DD6 to WDW last year, I got 2-day-for-the-price-of-1 tickets to US/IOA. We wound up using only one day and we're not going back this year. Sure there are some cool things like the Dr Seuss stuff, meeting Spongebob and Curious George, and a few rides, but with little ones, you can do both areas in a day as long as the adults don't spend hours in the shops and such. I would even suggest that moving might be more trouble than it's worth. The cab ride may cost $25 each way, but it might be cheaper than the new hotel........ that depends on your hotel and whether you want to spend the time packing and unpacking. There may also be a cheaper way to get there - check the Transportation board.

 

[goofyernmost]

At the risk of incurring the rath of the Mouse...I would have to say that going to Universal is a must do. It breaks my heart to say so, but in recent years Universal has been doing Disney better than Disney can (or will).

Their so called "dark rides" are done more elaborately and "bigger" than Disney and they are totally entertaining. Shrek, Terminator, Twister, Earthquake, Mummy, Men in Black, Back to the Future and even ET is very well done.

Since the only thing in IOA that I am interested in is Spiderman, I get the "park hopper" and just go to IOA on my way out. There is quite a bit to see so two day is necessary if you want to go to both.

Disney is great but it is no longer the only game in town. Sea World is worth seeing at least once, as well.

 

[smjj]

Folks who have not tried Univeral yet need to. They are giving Disney a run for its money. I have a coworker who is so into Disney she will not give UA a try. She said she is afraid she will like it and that would detract from her Disney obsession. Being just down the road a few minutes we are going to try and hit it at least 1 full day again this May trip..smjj

 

[ms.ojo]

Yes, we are doing Sea World in April for 1 day. We tend to do it every other trip to Disney. We LOVE Sea World!!! But for it, I've always just taken a Shuttle from Disney hotel.

Hadn't really thought about doing a shuttle from Disney to US as I figured the FOTL perk was just to great to pass up! I agree on the hopping pass as I don't think there is enough for us to see in IOA to warrant a full day there...but I also haven't seen an option for a 1 day hopper. Does this exist??? If so, that would probably be our best bet. At this age, I think we could get away w/ 1 day for both parks as there will be many rides we will be passing on this time around.

 

[marriedmarylander]

Hadn't really thought about doing a shuttle from Disney to US as I figured the FOTL perk was just to great to pass up! I agree on the hopping pass as I don't think there is enough for us to see in IOA to warrant a full day there...but I also haven't seen an option for a 1 day hopper. Does this exist??? If so, that would probably be our best bet. At this age, I think we could get away w/ 1 day for both parks as there will be many rides we will be passing on this time around.

There is a one day hopper. Somehow I stumbled upon it through the fan club website but it wasn't obvious and didnt' show up discounted (for fanclub) so not sure why that is. They sell them at the gate. I think is about $84. I haven't found any discounts or coupons for it though. DH and I plan to go for a day and if we have time and energy go to Universal as well. They opened a couple more attractions since last time either of us went. Neither of us has been to IOA though so we will do that first. I think if you have a single ticket you can upgrade to the hopper feature for the price difference.