Universal for a day worth it?

[bchbetha]

I really hope you enjoy Universal. Please try and enjoy the day; all the parks are going to be busy during spring break- Epcot and AK will be no different. If I were you, I’d honestly cancel the ADR and just get the most out of your day at Universal since you’re already paying a lot of money for it. There are some awesome restaurants at CityWalk and the Universal hotels.

Totally! I can’t see spending that much $ to go and rushing them out. That would really stink. Maybe you should skip it and let your family go and have fun open to close?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

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.

Have you actually looked at Universal's websites for all the shows, attractions and rides? Something being worth it is very subjective.

I'm not the biggest fan of simulator rides which yes Universal has a decent amount of those as I have motion sickness and I don't do bigger roller coasters (like ones with huge drops or goes upside down) but I absolutely love Universal (see signature for my past trips). I can't personally imagine going to Orlando and not going to both WDW and USO. It's still worth the money for me. I find other things to enjoy at Universal. HP is very well themed and I find that navigating between the two parks was easier than at WDW- we just recently got to see Diagon Alley in September and I loved Universal before seeing Diagon Alley.

Now as for 1 day I know money is something to consider but perhaps look into 2 days (you could see if there were any ticket deals too) and maybe scaling back a bit on the WDW to make up the difference. Odds to me is that if you did 1 day you might come back feeling like you didn't get the full effect in comparison to the $ spent. I would also suggest park to park which helps out when one park closes earlier than the other plus you get to ride the Hogwarts Express between the two HP parts.

Really depends on what your interests are though. I would highly suggest going to the website, taking the time to review all that Universal has to offer including if you are interested in spending any time in CityWalk (either to eat dinner or shop, etc), and keep an open mind while you do it.

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 will admit 6 days is hard. Past two trips I did 5 days at WDW and 3 days at USO. Both trips I had gotten a ticket deal for USO as a buy 2 park to park get 3rd day free so I was only responsible for parking fees for that 3rd day. Are you driving or flying in? Is it possible if you are flying to get a flight time that allows you to go to a WDW park on your arrival day? I know that can make for a rushed day but you could still get a really good amount of time at WDW in. Could you re-evaluate your other activities you want to do? I'm mentioning this only because of adding on another day at USO to make it 2 days.

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.

Here's how I would see it if you go with the mindset that it's too expensive during your WDW vacation to do a day or two at USO you'll never do USO. Tickets will only get more expensive just like at WDW and you'll find yourself doing the numbers game forever.

You and only you know if you really would want to go to Universal but I would say it's best to keep an open mind. It will do no good to compare it to Disney. In reality, each company has strengths and weaknesses, each company has their pros and cons. If you went to the website and kept an open mind and didn't find enough to interest you no sweat but at least do that.

ETA: In September 2017 when we last went we stayed onsite at WDW the entire time and alternated days for USO. Staying onsite at USO is totally up to you I don't see the requirement for it. It can however help you in terms of getting Unlimited Express Pass depending on what hotel you are staying at but you will want to actually do the numbers including any fees for Universal hotels (I honestly don't know exactly what fees they have) to see if it is worth the Express Pass and location area to Universal parks.

 

[aprilgail]

I can not stand being stuck at Disney for an entire vacation- I have to get away from all that Disney stuff for at least one day each trip (preferably more!) - but if you did not want to do Universal then I would recommend Discovery Cove- it is such a nice day there to get away from the screaming and crying kids at Disney!

 

[Bunnyma]

Totally! I can’t see spending that much $ to go and rushing them out. That would really stink. Maybe you should skip it and let your family go and have fun open to close?

Yes. The reservation is for 9. And my kids don't love the super huge thrill rides but I may just cancel and see where it goes.

 

[bchbetha]

It’s better for them to at least have the option to stay than need to leave for dinner. Rides aren’t the only draw. Heck, maybe they’ll want to just stay and eat at CityWalk and play some mini golf.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

Yes. The reservation is for 9. And my kids don't love the super huge thrill rides but I may just cancel and see where it goes.

There really aren’t that many “super huge thrill rides”, especially on the Studios side. The only one, imo, is Rip Ride Rockit, the outdoor roller coaster. The rest are either simulators, dark rides, or indoor coaster/dark ride combos (Mummy and Gringotts).. nether of which is very intense.

 

[goofyernmost]

Yes, yes, yes... Just be sure to get their hopper for both parks. If you find that you didn't get to see everything in one day, then next trip go again and hit all the ones you missed on the last trip. Don't pass up the chance. Disney is great, don't get me wrong, but, Universal is spectacular as well. That is even for people like me that don't partake in the "thrill ride" portions.

 

[ReneeA]

We've went from a annual WDW 10-12 day onsite vacationing family to doing it every 3 years or so. They haven't done enough to justify the ever rising costs associated with the parks, restaurants, and resorts.

On the other hand, we did Universal for 8 nights/9 days last summer and it was fantastic. It was immersive and a much more relaxing trip since not everything has to be crazy planned and reserved 90+ days in advance. We stayed at Royal Pacific and had front of the line access, wandered in and out of parks on a whim, and ate at themed, sit down restaurants eating good meals for LESS than $15 a plate - try that at most WDW sit downs.

I'll always be a WDW fan, and have that crazy urge to go back, but it's certainly not going to be as often as it used to be, and now we look at Universal as a real option for a wonderful, immersive experience without some of the headaches you have with Disney.

 

[crazylady]

My husband promised my son when he was 6 that he would take him to Harry Potter. Our son is now 16 and has not been (parenting fail) so we decided to go for spring break. Well, I was all, "Let's stay at WDW. We've never been to Epcot or AK either so let's check them out too." I am sneaky. Then my younger son got upset that we weren't going to MK so we are doing that too. So it is now 3 days at WDW and 1 at Universal. I love Harry Potter but I hate crowds so I am dreading it. We bought just the boys the one time jump the line passes that don't work in Harry Potter. They cost a fortune but we don't plan to go again. So our objective is to immediately head for Harry Potter and endure the crowds and lines. Head over to The Simpsons after since my kid is a big fan. Look for Minions and then find a shady spot while the lads ride what they want one time. I made an ADR for The Wave that night so I can hurry them out of there. Low expectations. Just putting my head down and getting through it.

Why do you think the crowds at Universal will be any more crowded than WDW? Did you consider staying on-site at Univ for a night? I would think the express pass for 5 people would make it worth it to stay on site of a night.

 

[Bunnyma]

I wish I had researched Universal more. The plan all along was to just go for one day. I was not aware that express passes were included in a hotel room purchase. Their website was pushing multiple day tickets which I was not interested in. We are a family of four and one day of tickets and express passes at Universal is costing almost the same as our four night hotel stay at Coronado Springs. I also wish I had found these boards before I bought the tickets. Live and learn.
ETA: Sorry OP for the thread jack.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I wish I had researched Universal more. The plan all along was to just go for one day. I was not aware that express passes were included in a hotel room purchase. Their website was pushing multiple day tickets which I was not interested in. We are a family of four and one day of tickets and express passes at Universal is costing almost the same as our four night hotel stay at Coronado Springs. I also wish I had found these boards before I bought the tickets. Live and learn.
ETA: Sorry OP for the thread jack.

50% (or 3 out of 6) hotels get Express Pass included in the stay:




You would need to do the math to figure out if the price point of those hotels was worth getting that perk of Express pass. Express Pass is something that you can wait til you get to the park and purchase there should you decide you want to do that as well.

 

[Summer2018]

50% (or 3 out of 6) hotels get Express Pass included in the stay:
View attachment 303100



You would need to do the math to figure out if the price point of those hotels was worth getting that perk of Express pass. Express Pass is something that you can wait til you get to the park and purchase there should you decide you want to do that as well.

This information would have been very valuable to me when we went. I guarantee we would have had more fun and felt less frustrated and aggravated. Live and learn.