somebody please talk me into Universal....

[ThanxForNoticin]

We are Disney freaks, but I have to tell you that I really enjoy the occasional trip to IOA (we've been there 3 times). It is a lot of fun. I know it's probably against the rules to say this, but you can have a fun day away from Disney now and then!! But Hulk, Spiderman, and especially the water rides are a lot of fun.

[andreallybadeggs]

We are a Disney family but as the kids got older, also decided we should give Universal a try.
Will you be there on a weekday or weekend? Just wondering about crowd level for you. Since we were there in summer both trips -- very busy and very hot-- we decided to spring for the extra bucks to stay 2 nights in Universal hotels. Hotels are nice and we LOVED the front of the line benefits; were able to do everything (including several repeats on the big toys) we wanted in both parks as well as enjoy the hotel pool. It was definitely worth it to us. We did 2 Universal nights and then spent the rest of our vacation at WDW. Talk about the best of both worlds

[thrillme]

We love the hotels at Universal they're quite nice. It's great taking a water taxi to the parks. They have different themes than Disney. It's not so "toddler" orientated as a lot of Disney is.

I love Disney and always will but...Universal is a blast with their more "thrilling" rides.

[GrandFlo]

Let me first start by saying that for me, nothing compares to Disney....but I must admit that I love Universal.

We are not big into the thrill rides and we still really enjoy IOA. In my opinion, Spiderman is one of the best rides anywhere. Some other favorite non thrill attractions of ours are Cat in the Hat and Poseidon's Fury.

I say give it a try, you may end up liking it just like we did. If we have enough time, we spend 1 or 2 nights at a Universal hotal before heading to Disney. The hotels are really nice and when you stay onsite you get front of the line access to almost all rides. We were able to do everything we wanted at US and IOA in one day and use the second day for SeaWorld or hanging out at the pool.

[MNNHFLTX]

I have never been an "either/or" person, regarding Universal and Disney World. Having lived in the Central Florida area for many years we've enjoyed going to Islands of Adventure many times, in addition to going to WDW. The coasters are top-notch and the other attractions in the park are fun too. They have amazing water rides there (beats Kali River Rapids hands-down) that help beat the heat during the summer months (although probably not a big draw for you in October!) The one negative comparison to WDW I can make, though, is that it doesn't quite have the same type of family atmosphere. You will see lots of young people walking around with swim suits on (girls do wear shorts too) because of the water rides and also alcohol is sold at many concession stands.