Universal AND WDW?

[imaprincess!]

My 3-year old needs another trip to WDW, but my 11-year old wants to do Universal. I need advice on doing both! How do you work it out? Thanks!

[Mickey 101]

I guess we are true Disney addicts because we did decide to set aside a day to TRY Universal on one trip. Our kids were DS 15 and DD 12. We didn't get the earliest start, arriving at IOA at around 11:00. We did everything we wanted to including Hulk 6x and Spiderman 5x and still left at 4:00, feeling like there was no reason we'd ever want to return. It was the greatest feeling in the world to get back 'home' to Disney.
I know some here love both, though, so someone will probably be along soon to give tips on how to spend a little more time at both if that's what suits your family. Have a great trip!

[DVC2004]

We've done this several times.We stay at WDW for the majority of our trip. hten hit Universal for a day or two at the end. There won't be tons to do for your 3 year old there- Universal is more geared towards older kids and adults. We usually will stay two nights at the Royal Pacific Resort on Universal property, because staying on property gives you complimentary front of the line access. Believe me, it's worth it. Especially if you have only one or two days to spend.

[Touchdown]

We have done this too and my suggestion is to stay 2 nights at a Universal hotel (that way you get front of the line access all day at every ride) assuming its a standard one week trip I would suggest:

Sat-Fly into Orlando midday, check into Universal Hotel, hit the parks.

Sun-Full day at Universal

Mon-Moving day, check out of Universal and go to DIsney. How you split the parks up (ie are you going to spend the morning at Universal, or head to Disney or not go to any parks) is up to you

Tues-Sat-Full Days at Disney

Sun-Fly home.

[thrillme]

Stay at a Universal Studios Hotel for a couple of days. Eat the cost. It'll be worth it!!!!

Actually I had a BLAST at Universal/Islands of Adventure. My DS 11 did too. We rode a lot over and over and over again. We're big thrill riders so it was GREAT. I loved not having to mess with fastpasses.

The problem is perhaps the 3 year old. There's not that much for them unless he's exceptionally tall for his age. There's a lot more "thrills" at Universal/Islands of Adventure. Hulk Coaster, Spiderman, Ripsaw Falls, Dualing Dragons, Jurassic Park, The Mummy and the stunt shows...Universal has a few more things the 3 year old should be able to handle, Shrek, Jimmy Nuetron, Jaws (might be scarey but I love it), Islands has the Pteredon Flyers.

It's hard to say about a 3 year old but the older one's gonna LOVE it.

[Barb_A]

This is exactly what we're doing this October ... except we're staying an extra night and returning home on Monday. That gives us 7 nights in WDW and 2 in Univ. We're going to do one day in US and one in IOA, and do a character breakfast in the am, before switching hotels from Royal Palms to BWV.

:
Sat-Fly into Orlando midday, check into Universal Hotel, hit the parks.

Sun-Full day at Universal

Mon-Moving day, check out of Universal and go to DIsney.

Tues-Sat-Full Days at Disney

Sun-Fly home.

[Touchdown]

We are actually doing the "deluxe holiday weekend" version this summer:

June 23-Fly into Tampa, go to BGA (have SPs from Williamsburg last summer)

June 24-Drive to Orlando, go to Sea World, check into Hard Rock Hotel

June 25-June 26-Full Universal days

June 27-Head to OKW, do lunch/early afternoon at DD then head to MGM

June 28th-BB and Epcot

June 29th-Magic Kingdom

June 30th-Animal Kingdom/MGM

July 1st-Animal Kingdom/TL/MK (EMH)

July 2nd-Epcot

July 3rd-MK (with the 4th of July fireworks )

July 4th-Fly Home

[imaprincess!]

Thank you so much! This definitely gives me a place to start. I also have an 8-year old girl who is not a big thrill rider, but my 11-year old boy has been a Spiderman fan since he was 2 years old, so I know he'll love Universal.

[StillSimbaGirl]

My DD8 is totally NOT a thrill rider and our last trip to Orlando was 5 days at the Royal Pacific to hang with my sister and her DD.

DD8 LOVED it, cried when we were leaving, and wants to go back on our next trip RATHER than Disney.

The horror. I know.

Here's what she loved:

1) The Hotel itself. The RP is a four star hotel.

2)The playgrounds at both IOA and Universal. She could have stayed all day in those.

She liked that the vacation was just a lot less crowded and frenzied...no lines, no real difficulty getting food, you don't have to be there right when the park opens etc.

It is a far more spontaneous kind of vacation. You don't have to have reservations to have a nice sit down meal at the RP - that said, if you want to eat at Emeril's make some reservations!

No, there's not as much to do at Universal - but maybe that's why it is relaxng - at Disney, I find people racing around trying to wring every last bit of time and value out of the place. Too much to do!

That said, I can't imagine a whole year without a week at WDW!!! But maybe that's just me - and not my DD8!!

[NJGIRL]

My 8 year old son and all of my nephews aging from 7 to 13 enjoy Universal much more. I can't understand how some people get thur one of the parks in 4 hours??? They must not do the majority of things to do there. We spend a whole day at each park (Studio's and IOA) and still don't get to do everything. We are there in October so it's never overly crowded. The next time that we go we will be staying at one of Universal's hotels.

For your younger child there is Seuss Landing with lots of rides, Curious George's water park (my son used to want to spend the entire day in there), a Barney section, another playground (I forget what it's called but it's next to George), the Popeye Boat, Jurassic Park playground and much more. MY sister took my niece who was a two years old at the time and she had a blast.

[Touchdown]

You can do the parks in a half a day when you are an onsite guest. At Universal all onsite guests get unlimited access to the Universal Express lines, which means that the most you will wait all day (baring a mechanical failure) is 15 mins and the norm is 5-10.

[NJGIRL]

You can do the parks in a half a day when you are an onsite guest. At Universal all onsite guests get unlimited access to the Universal Express lines, which means that the most you will wait all day (baring a mechanical failure) is 15 mins and the norm is 5-10.

We didn't stay onsite and except for the Jaws &Shrek rides we didn't wait more than 10 minutes in line. In fact alot of the rides Spiderman included were walk on. I guess it's the time of year that we go.

[Touchdown]

Then you can definatly do the parks in a half a day (especially if this isnt your first time) I remember being so amazed with that fact that I wrote down what I did in one 8:30 (Mummy opened a half an hour early for hotel guests)-7 day the last time I went here it is in order:

Start: Universal
Mummy: The Ride (3x)
Earthquake
Jaws
MIB: AA (5x)
BTTF:TR
ET
T2
Horror Makeup Show
Shrek: 4D
Twister
Lunch: Cafe in San Franscisco

Early Afternoon: IOA
Hulk (2x)
Spiderman
Dr. Doom
Dueling Dragons (2x)
Cat in the Hat

Go back to my hotel to drop off my camera

Mid Afternoon: IOA
Hulk
Spiderman
Dudley Do RIght (2x)
Popeye
JP: RA
DD (2x)

Late Afternoon/Evening
Mummy: TR (3x)
MIB: AA (5x)
Mummy: TR (5x)

Also remember in the morning and early afternoon I did a photo tour of both parks stoping to take random pictures, go into minor walk through attractions, etc. I also didnt run anywhere and thoughly enjoyed my day.

[NJGIRL]

Then you can definatly do the parks in a half a day (especially if this isnt your first time)

I guess that we don't move at the same pace as you do. We usually get to the parks around 9:30 and stay until about 5:00 then eat dinner at City Walk. We usually have a sit down lunch and do shopping also. My son also still likes to do the "Water attractions" on both sides so we spend about an hour in them relaxing.

The Studio's and IOA are each a full day for us.

[Touchdown]

^Everyone is different, fyi even though I think the parks can be done in a half a day doesnt mean I dont do at least two days at Universal. Also, how old is your son? Everyone in my party was adults, most of whom left me midday to sleep at the pool while I continued to ride.

[NJGIRL]

My son is eight and would still spend the whole day at Curious George and Jurassic Park if we let him. When we go to the Universal Parks he wears his bathing suit and water sandels. By the time he leaves those areas he looks like he has been in a pool. We even buy a towel each time we go (we have a pool at home and can always use them).

[StillSimbaGirl]

I am right ther with you Jersey Girl - DD8 would live at Curious George sucking up those balls all day long --- unless there's Jurassic Park in the picture!

[NJGIRL]

I am right ther with you Jersey Girl - DD8 would live at Curious George sucking up those balls all day long --- unless there's Jurassic Park in the picture!

That's funny. We have to pry my son away from those two places after an hour or we would spend the whole day there. I do like those areas because they are usually not crowded and me and my husband can sit down and relax and eat a snack while he is running around like crazy. Our last trip we took my nephew who is 12 and be had a blast in the water too.

[bshaw96]

We've never taken a WDW trip when we didn't also go to Universal for a couple of days, and SW a day. We usually stay for 1-2 weeks, so there are plenty of days. However, it gets soooo rushed and crazy. When you get home, you need another vacation. This November, we're doing strictly Disney. Think it'll be much more relaxing and fun.

I do loooove Islands of Adventure though. DS loved Spiderman, and I'm a fan of the Dudley Doo Right Falls and the Atlantis Adventure show (can't remember the name, just like walking thru the spinning water )

Have a great trip!!!

[imaprincess!]

I know we'll definitely have to get to Islands of Adventure, as my son is a total
Spiderman addict!