Universal for a day worth it?

[Runnergal]

We did a long weekend at Universal a couple years ago for ds' birthday. We loved it, and I'm not even a HP fan. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if we had just done a day trip from Disney. It would be very rushed. Staying at a Universal hotel was so much fun. It is its own bubble.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Ill premise the question by saying my fiance and I are huge Disney fans and specifically love going to WDW because of the so called "Disney Bubble." The thought of leaving WDW property even for part of a day has always seemed like a waste of time to us or like we might miss out on something on property. We love visiting WDW so much that we have never even looked into or thought of visiting another part or area of Florida (with the exception of the Keys) because we would know that we are in FLA and that to us means Disney. We do have many friends who are fans of WDW as well but keep telling us to visit Universal for a day.

Some side notes that might sway some opinions here: My fiance and I are both late twenties and have no kids, our typical WDW vacation is 100% on property - we stay at a WDW hotel, essentially remove ourselves from our typical lives (social media, cell phone use, etc at a minimum and really only if needed), simply put we love how WDW immerses us in another world that is magical. We typically do 8 days (minus 2 for travel gives us 6 full days) and in that we take 4 days for parks and 2 for other activities (Disney Springs, resort hopping, massages, relaxing, etc). We do enjoy the adult side of Disney as well - meaning going out at night for drinks at Disney Springs or if in a park like Epcot, drinking around the world.

That brings me to the question or I guess in this case more of a poll/opinion of others that love WDW as we do.... Is it worth taking a day out of a WDW vacation to visit Universal?

If we were to take one of our days would we really be able to do a whole lot at Universal? Is the cost to get to Universal from WDW plus the cost of Universal (tickets, food etc) justifiable when compared to what we could do if we stay on property? WDW has that magic we love to be surrounded by and from what I know of Universal it leads me to believe we would be going for a day just to compare it to WDW - do a couple of rides, have some drinks and food, walk around a bit to take in the scenery. I feel like I am not giving Universal a chance but in my mind I'm almost 100% sure that after an hour or so in Universal we will be silently counting down until we get back to the magic of WDW.

Go to Universal at least once. It is fun. Stay at the Hard Rock. You can walk to the park, takes 10 minutes.

 

[starry_solo]

I would put it either at the beginning or end of your trip, rather than in the middle. Book a hotel to get express pass for both check-in and check-out days, check in early, have Bell Services hold the luggage and get into the parks.

 

[RedAngie]

One day Universal park hoppers aren't worth the cost IMO. It's better when you can devote at least two full days and stay at a Universal hotel. Even betterer is making Universal the focus of the vacation and perhaps spending a day in one of the Disney parks.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Even though my family has a special love for Disney, we absolutely enjoy Universal too. (In fact, we alternate years.) If you're big Harry Potter fans, those areas are definitely worth seeing!

That said, don't feel pressured into thinking you have to do it just because others do. It's far too much money to spend if you really will be just rushing through to get back to Disney.

 

[Domo]

I love WDW but also appreciate the Universal parks! I tend to avoid SeaWorld on a morality basis, but we won't go into that...

 

[nkereina]

OP, you sound a lot like DH and me. We are in our early 30s, no kids. We were Disney fanatics first, making many trips there, staying on property and never leaving property. We got engaged at WDW as well, so it holds a special place in our hearts. A few years back, we were planning our 4th WDW vacation together when DH suggested spending a day or two at Universal. After researching here and being intrigued by the Harry Potter areas, we decided to add 3 nights at Royal Pacific Resort at the end of our trip. Now, we can't imagine going to Orlando and NOT going to both WDW and Universal! We are even Universal AP holders now, because we find it so easy to tack on an extra day or two to visit Universal when we're in the area for other reasons (work, visiting family, etc.).

As PPs have mentioned, it really makes sense to stay at least one night at a Universal deluxe resort so you can take advantage of the express pass. I can't imagine going and NOT having express pass at this point. It's very different from FPs, and better IMO. The Universal resorts are also great and on par with Disney resorts, so you can't go wrong there either. We prefer to do Universal at the end of our WDW stay because it's more of a relaxing, go with the flow style of touring with less planning involved. We just take a taxi or Uber from our WDW resort to our Universal resort, and do the same to the airport on the way home.

There are things we like and dislike about both WDW and Universal but we enjoy them both the same, for different reasons. I don't think one day to see both parks will do it justice, since you'd miss out on the resorts and taking advantage of City Walk. But it would be better than nothing if you still can't be persuaded to stay there.

 

[Kitty 34]

The last three times we went to WDW we tacked two days onto the end of our trip to do Universal and stay at Hard Rock Hotel. Our boys were much older and enjoyed the "bigger" rides at Universal.

 

[Scifidiner]

I used to feel exactly like you do, if I went somewhere else I would be "disloyal" to Disney or wasting Disney time. My advice is go to US, in fact take 2 days to see both parks Believe me we love WDW, but we discovered we love Universal almost as much. I hate to admit it but our last trip to US I enjoyed the Harry Potter areas as much as any in WDW. No, it's not the same, however that's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[DisneyAddictTom122]

I totally get the concept of the "Disney bubble" and not wanting to burst it. Are you Harry Potter fans? If so, I think you'd appreciate the theming and immersive feel of those areas in Universal. If you're not, I'd skip.

We are die hard Disney fans, and we added 1 day at Universal on the front end of our last trip. Because my oldest daughter had just finished reading the Harry Potter books and was OBSESSED, it was worth it. Had that not been the case, it would have been a waste of time and money for us. We go to theme parks for the "feeling" not just the rides, and its hard to explain how Disney does that for us, but Universal does not.

By the time you book tickets (both parks needed for full Harry Potter experience) and purchase express pass (so that you can be efficient and get back to or to Disney ASAP!), it ends up being very expensive. We ended up adding a night at a Universal hotel on the front end of our trip so that we got express pass + early entry privileges. We are currently planning our next Disney trip and despite all of our kids being older and tall enough to ride most things at Universal now, we are going to skip and stick with just Disney.

Thank you for the response! That's exactly what I was trying to understand when it came to universal...is it just a fun place to be or is it something similar to Disney with a certain degree of "magic" present. I don't dislike Harry Potter but I am not a fan either.... and I probably should have put that in my little spiel about my personal opinion to not do Universal. That being said, your response alone is already somewhat "confirming" my past decisions to skip Universal and we will most likely continue to stay on WDW Property for our entire trip unless we somehow manage to make a two week Disney vacation in which maybe we will look into Universal for a quick day. Thanks for the response!

 

[DisneyAddictTom122]

I would say if you are a Harry Potter fan you should go! But I really get where you are coming from, I love my Disney bubble. We generally take 6 days in Disney and 1 day at Universal (always a 1 day park to park ticket) but I really like to do Universal the first day so that I can immerse myself in Disney as soon as day 2 arrives without ever leaving it. Now financially it is another story, it is really pricey for one day, I would say invest in going once because there is a lot to love about Universal. The rides are excellent (with the exception of FOP) they are some of my favorites, and the theming is wonderful in all the different areas(not Disney but really really good). I usually find 1 day enough for me but I enjoy it very much. If you decide to give it a try, try it on the first day so you don't leave your Disney bubble once you enter your first Disney park, and then if it is something you really enjoy you could add a couple of days at the beginning and try staying at a resort for 2 or 3 nights and then moving to Disney. Either way, you can go to Universal without losing your Disney Bubble as long as it is at the very beginning! Enjoy either way!

Great idea! I never considered going directly to Universal first and then to Disney so that once we are in Disney, our "magic" or our "Disney bubble" isn't interrupted. I think one of my big issues with trying to do a day comes down to cost (we've looked at prices and haven't been able to justify the cost for a day at Universal when we are already not crazy excited for it as we are for Disney).

 

[DisneyAddictTom122]

I'll be honest and say that it sounds like you are already set on disliking Universal. In your case, staying in the WDW "bubble" would probably suit you better.

I definitely agree that I find myself already leaning heavily towards not doing Universal during our WDW vacations. To be honest though I don't dislike Universal so much as I haven't been able to justify the cost for a day at Universal during our WDW vacation. If we were able to do a two week WDW vacation and our budget allowed it, I would probably research and try to plan more seriously a day at Universal. I visited Universal once for a couple days when I was a kid, I can remember very little about it (only a couple rides actually) and part of me does want to go back sometime. Part of me is hoping that there will be a response here that convinces me otherwise to do a day at Uni - although I am having a tough time with that like I said because of costs but also because I am not a big Harry Potter fan and from what it looks like that is a huge part of why people do love Uni.

 

[JaxDad]

Thank you for the response! That's exactly what I was trying to understand when it came to universal...is it just a fun place to be or is it something similar to Disney with a certain degree of "magic" present. I don't dislike Harry Potter but I am not a fan either.... and I probably should have put that in my little spiel about my personal opinion to not do Universal. That being said, your response alone is already somewhat "confirming" my past decisions to skip Universal and we will most likely continue to stay on WDW Property for our entire trip unless we somehow manage to make a two week Disney vacation in which maybe we will look into Universal for a quick day. Thanks for the response!

Great idea! I never considered going directly to Universal first and then to Disney so that once we are in Disney, our "magic" or our "Disney bubble" isn't interrupted. I think one of my big issues with trying to do a day comes down to cost (we've looked at prices and haven't been able to justify the cost for a day at Universal when we are already not crazy excited for it as we are for Disney).

I definitely agree that I find myself already leaning heavily towards not doing Universal during our WDW vacations. To be honest though I don't dislike Universal so much as I haven't been able to justify the cost for a day at Universal during our WDW vacation. If we were able to do a two week WDW vacation and our budget allowed it, I would probably research and try to plan more seriously a day at Universal. I visited Universal once for a couple days when I was a kid, I can remember very little about it (only a couple rides actually) and part of me does want to go back sometime. Part of me is hoping that there will be a response here that convinces me otherwise to do a day at Uni - although I am having a tough time with that like I said because of costs but also because I am not a big Harry Potter fan and from what it looks like that is a huge part of why people do love Uni.

I think you are smart to stick with your Disney bubble, at least for now. It sounds like it truly is your happy place, and that is what vacations are all about.
However, based on the bolded in your posts, I think you missed a major point many posters were trying to make to help you. Don't think of Universal as a day trip from Disney. When you decide to go, do it up. Stay at one of the resorts, hang out in City Walk, hit all the rides, shows and parades. Go to Volcano Bay. It is not a bubble like Disney, but it is a cool place to hang out and enjoy some fun stuff.
Finally, you mentioned the Keys in your original post. When you are looking outside the bubble next time, you should seriously consider spending some time there. I have been going there for years and took the kids this past summer. It was great. And for two twenty-somethings with no kids, it would be a blast!

 

[DisneyLore]

If Universal is something you are thinking of doing but just can't justify the cost, I totally understand that. I live in Canada and there is a way so save up airmiles points to buy a 2 day park to park ticket. Forgive me, as I have no idea if airmiles is available in the US but having said that there may be other rewards points that you may be able to save up to get a ticket over the next year or two so you can test the waters. You may want to look into something like that.

 

[Kellydelly]

I love Universal. I would definitely go, but maybe buy two day park to park tickets. I don't give a hoot about Harry Potter but that area of the park (have not been to the extended version that is now at the Studios side yet) was so cool! Both parks, Islands of Adventure and the Studios have some really neat things and rides. I don't think you would be disappointed. I hope your planned trip is not at peak times, that would probably make a huge difference in your experience. We used to go all the time before Harry Potter and never had huge lines to wait in, but after Harry Potter the tickets are now a lot more money and they have drawn in more crowds. Ten years ago you could buy a 7 day park to park pass for only $99. Those were the good old days.

 

[Darcy03231]

I'm a huge Disney fan and have done the US/IOA parks several times and love those as well. We've had just as much fun at US/IOA as WDW.

Having said that, if you really don't want to go, don't. There's no sense in spending the extra money if you prefer to be at WDW. However, if you really want to go and experience the US/IOA parks the best way to do it is to do 2 days there, spending the night in one of their on-site deluxe reports (Royal Pacific, Hard Rock or Portofino Bay). That gives you the advantage of the unlimited express pass (like a fast pass), so you can really save a lot of time. My young adult children love spending the evening at City Walk. You can also take in the Blue Man Group (a family favorite of ours).

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Yes, I believe spending a day at Universal during a Disneycentric vacation is well worth it.

But if I had to shell out for kids who only wanted to see Harry Potter I'd have a different view.

 

[Erzengel]

If you want to do both parks in Universal Studios, you'll need two days. I'll leave it to others to say if they were able to do everything they wanted by doing both parks in one day. We weren't able to do it. Plus, I love butter beer.

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

I'm a twenty something adult who is a devoted Disney travel. I LOVE Universal & always throw in a day there. To me it has the magical feel as well. However, i would totally do a Universal-less trip (I did last year for example) whereas I would never do a Disney-less trip.

 

[Patience]

We went to Universal in February 2017. I upgraded one of our tickets from Undercover Tourist to an annual pass to get the hotel discount at one of the Universal onsite hotels. They refunded me $10 for doing the upgrade (!) so we ended up upgrading all of our tickets to annual passes and went back to Universal in December to use them. I really, really like the front of the line express passes you get for staying at a Universal onsite hotel. We stayed at Royal Pacific both times and paid $199 per night for the 4 of us for a standard room with the express passes for all of us included. Royal Pacific is a very nice hotel and we also really, really liked being able to walk (or take a water taxi) to the parks and Citywalk. We are Harry Potter fans and enjoyed those sections of the parks a lot but we liked the rest of the parks too, especially the roller coasters. The front of the line passes plus the easy proximity to the parks from the nice Universal hotel made for a very relaxing vacation with no planning. Just book the hotel, go to Florida, wait in no line or very short lines with the express pass, eat wherever and whenever you want, walk back to your hotel to enjoy the pool, and done!

All of that being said, if you like Harry Potter, you should definitely go. If you don't like Harry Potter and you want a lot of park time and will be comparing it to WDW, you should probably save your money. If you do decide to go, go at either the beginning or the end of your Disney trip and not the middle.