Universal Studios - Florida vs California

[aggieamy]

A few years ago my family went to Universal Studios in Orlando to see the Harry Potter stuff and had so much fun.  The weather was miserable.  We've also heard that is even more crowded now than it was before.  We have been talking about going to California instead and just wondered how that compared to Florida with respect to how many rides they had and how the weather would be. 

 

Has anyone been to both?  Would you recommend one over the other?

[bettyandbob]

I haven't been to both, but I thought CA did not have both Hogsmeade/Hogwarts and London/Diagon Alley and Hogwarts Express between the two.

[Lanny]

Born and raised in CA, but I've never been to Universal in CA.  We were in both parks in Universal Orlando, the last week in April 2016.  You need to buy the ticket that allows for both parks in one day, so you can ride the train. My DD is "into" Harry Potter.  We rode the "Dragon Challenge" (my wife thought she was going to die, she has Vertigo)). We spent one (1) day in Universal Orlando. We regret that we did not spend two (2) days in Universal Orlando. We spent 4 days in WDW. We regret that we did not spend 3 days in WDW.  Universal Orlando is in our opinion, a great place, and we rate it somewhat above WDW, which also has some great things. I think your decision must depend upon where you live and if you go to CA, what else you would do there. There are tons of things to do in/near Orlando and there are also tons of things to do in Southern CA.  Enjoy your vacation!

[aggieamy]

Born and raised in CA, but I've never been to Universal in CA.  We were in both parks in Universal Orlando, the last week in April 2016.  You need to buy the ticket that allows for both parks in one day, so you can ride the train. My DD is "into" Harry Potter.  We rode the "Dragon Challenge" (my wife thought she was going to die, she has Vertigo)). We spent one (1) day in Universal Orlando. We regret that we did not spend two (2) days in Universal Orlando. We spent 4 days in WDW. We regret that we did not spend 3 days in WDW.  Universal Orlando is in our opinion, a great place, and we rate it somewhat above WDW, which also has some great things. I think your decision must depend upon where you live and if you go to CA, what else you would do there. There are tons of things to do in/near Orlando and there are also tons of things to do in Southern CA.  Enjoy your vacation!

 

We live on the Kansas/Missouri border so both are equally close/far.  A few years ago we also went to WDW and hated it.  We were sitting on the floor of a building with a/c on the first day wondering why we didn't go to Universal Studios instead.  It was a big disappointment. 

 

I can't do the 3D rides because they make me feel like I'm going to die.  I sympathize with your wife!

 

What other things do you like doing in Southern CA?  I've never been.

[Outdoorsy Type]

You can do something "natural" in CA like Yosemite, Muir Woods (big trees), or any number of gorgeous beaches. I have never been to WDW, but I prefer the weather in CA every time I have been to the one time I was in FL.

[Outdoorsy Type]

Oh I listed things too far north on second thought. Still worth the drive if you can, though.

[DawnM]

I have been to both.  Go to Orlando, it is much, much more and if you want Harry Potter, it is only in Orlando.  I loved it!  We had annual passes last year.  We went 3 times.  We even went in August.  It was miserably hot, but if you know how to work the crowds, they weren't that bad.   We went again in October and the crowds were comparable, maybe just a little lower.

 

 

[aggieamy]

I have been to both.  Go to Orlando, it is much, much more and if you want Harry Potter, it is only in Orlando.  I loved it!  We had annual passes last year.  We went 3 times.  We even went in August.  It was miserably hot, but if you know how to work the crowds, they weren't that bad.   We went again in October and the crowds were comparable, maybe just a little lower.

 

Oh.  I thought they had built a Harry Potter world in California too but maybe I'm mistaken. 

[DawnM]

Oh.  I thought they had built a Harry Potter world in California too but maybe I'm mistaken. 

 

 

I guess they do, sorry, apparently I haven't kept up, but it is significantly smaller.  6 acres of HP in Hollywood and 13 in Orlando.  And Hollywood only has a couple of the rides.

 

I love California and miss it terribly, but if your purpose is Harry Potter, go to Orlando.

 

https://www.inverse.com/article/13893-differences-between-the-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter-in-hollywood-and-orlando

Edited June 15, 2016 by DawnM

[BrittanyM]

I've been to both. We spent 3 days at Universal Orlando (we were in Florida for a wedding) in February and we loved it. It was so much fun, three days was perfect timing (we have 3 small kids) and I LOVED Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade (you definitely need the park to park so you can take the Hogwarts Express). The weather was great and I didn't think it was too crowded.

 

We got annual passes to Universal Hollywood and it is not anywhere near as worth it. It is very crowded, just as crowded or more than Florida was, the Harry Potter section only has two rides and the park as a whole is just so tiny. There really aren't many rides and almost all of them are 3D. The studio tour is fun, but not worth the other disappointments. A few of the rides in Hollywood (like The Mummy) are shorter than their Orlando counterparts as well. Also I preferred The Leaky Cauldron over The Three Broomsticks and they don't have Leaky Cauldron here, it's only in Diagon. The Citywalk is comparable here though and has better dining options I think. And I like the Frog Choir here better too (I live in California).

 

That said if you've never been to California there are tons of things to do. I really like California Adventure for another theme park and my husbands favorite is Six Flags Magic Mountain (if you're into roller coasters). There are museums in LA and San Diego has a lot of things to see as well (the Zoo, Safari park, museums in Balboa, etc). And if you could swing it Yosemite is definitely worth the drive, although Sequoia and Kings are pretty too (but the roads aren't for the car sickness prone).

 

 

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[bettyandbob]

If HP is supposed just an aspect of a larger vacation, I think California would be better. At least I think I'd find better weather and more things I'd enjoy in southern California than central Florida.

 

If the vacation goal is HP, then Orlando is probably a better bet. We went in late August last year. We drove 12 hours. We stayed in a Universal property for 4 days and used 3 day park to park passes. It was hot and humid. That was OK because we were in HP world. We had a short hotel room break each afternoon and went back for more. Then we drove home. There were other things we enjoyed at Universal, but our goal was HP and it was a great trip. 

 

We made use of early entry benefits from the hotel. Our property did not offer unlimited express. I purchased that ahead and I think we could have done OK without it. Unlimited Express was not available on the big HP rides--so early entry was essential for those. Additionally, if you go in a month like August you want to do early entry to avoid some of the heat. There were some rides we enjoyed that were not in HP world that had no lines at all and my ds had Spongebob all to himself for 20 minutes one day. 

 

I think staying hydrated, a daily hotel break, and a positive mindset (don't ruminate on "it's miserable hot") go a long way toward handling Florida heat and humidity. Also, since we knew we had three days, we didn't feel compelled to "do it all, all at once" and could go at a pace that was reasonable in the heat. We went the week just before Labor Day and I think some of the summer vacation crowds had started to thin. 

[UCF612]

Do you have to go in the summer? If you choose FL I'd highly recommend a non summer month. I live in central Florida and am relatively used to the heat but it bites to be in a theme park during summer!

[JFSinIL]

I grew up in S. California - ah, Universal. The flash flood, the ...not much else in the mid-1960s. You mean it is bigger now (hahaha I know it is). I am actually hoping to get to Orlando eventually, but not for WDW since I am a D'LANDer through and through (even worked there long ago). I want to see the HP stuff, and Orlando just has more., plus I know my adult son with autism would love to see Simpsons and other character and rides. But have to figure best time to go, as heat and humidity drain us both.

Universal in CA you can still get heat, but smog instead of humidity.

[Lanny]

We live on the Kansas/Missouri border so both are equally close/far.  A few years ago we also went to WDW and hated it.  We were sitting on the floor of a building with a/c on the first day wondering why we didn't go to Universal Studios instead.  It was a big disappointment. 

 

I can't do the 3D rides because they make me feel like I'm going to die.  I sympathize with your wife!

 

What other things do you like doing in Southern CA?  I've never been.

 

To her credit, the day after we went on the "Dragon Challenge", in Universal Orlando, the day after she told us that she would never ride one of those again,  my wife rode one or more Coasters, in Walt Disney World.  We did enjoy the 4 Disney Parks we went to (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, but Epcot was hot, all concrete, no shade, and we left early and went to the 3 other parks, to look for something DD hadn't purchased the first time she saw it, to ride the train in Magic Kingdom, which wasn't running the day we were in Magic Kingdom, etc.  Of the 4 parks we were in, I think I liked Animal Kingdom the best.  My (pregnant) wife and I had been in Magic Kingdom and Epcot in May 2000 and had good memories of both, but this time, Epcot seemed to be all concrete and there was no shade. It was too hot to walk from the Mexican pavillion to the U.S. pavillion. My wife had wanted to recreate a photo taken there in May 2000.  Universal Orlando is, in our opinion, a step up from WDW at this time, because of the Harry Potter stuff which DD is into and it was just so well done. First class.   We also made a return visit to Kennedy Space Center, where we had seen the launch of "Atlantis" STS-101 on 19 May 2000. A spectacular experience. We got to see "Atlantis" up close, which was very special for my wife and me. We are into NASA, so we couldn't go up to FL (we live in Colombia) without going to Kennedy Space Center.  We were only in Orlando for 7 nights, so we had 6 full days. We were in the parks 5 days and in Kennedy Space Center 1 day. If we'd had an extra day, we probably would have gone to a Beach.  We rented (on eBay) a 2 Bedroom Timeshare in Clermont (in "Summer Bay Orlando") that cost $400 for the 7 nights, including taxes, service charges, wifi, etc. Everything). It was very clean and had a full well equipped kitchen and my wife made our Breakfasts 6 of the 7 mornings which saved some $, but also got us into the parks earlier, which is critical.  NOTE: We were there the last week in April.  I consider April and October the 2 best months to be in the USA.  If you consider going to FL during the Summer, it is going to be very hot and humid.  And, the crowds in the parks are much bigger and you need to plan much better, with the Unofficial book and their web site and their App, which rides you are going to go on and in which order. It is somewhat like planning a battle. The more you plan, the more attractions you can go on in one day. The park tickets are very expensive, so study and plan!

 

Regarding Southern CA.  The San Diego Zoo.  Maybe a boat trip from Long Beach or San Pedro or somewhere, to Catalina Island.  Maybe going to the beach. Maybe going to the mountains. You live in the Midwest, so those are things you can't do nearby.  Many many places to go to and spend your money, whether you go to FL or to CA.   Whale Watching, if the season is right, in CA.  

 

If you have never been to CA, I think I would suggest you give more priority to going there. It will not be as humid as FL will be if you are there in the Summer. It can be EXTREMELY hot, but that's rare, especially if you are near the ocean.  CA will probably be more much more expensive, with regard to hotels and motels, restaurant meals, etc.  It's crowded...  If you can delay your vacation until most kids are back in their public schools, things are less crowded.

 

There were a lot of people in the parks we went to in Orlando at the  end of April.  I told my wife and DD, before Memorial Day  weekend, "imagine how much more crowded the parks are now".

 

If you are going to be in one place the entire time, as we were in Orlando, consider renting a Timeshare for 7 nights, which will probably save a lot of $.  Enjoy your trip, wherever you go and whatever things you do!

[DawnM]

I grew up in S. California - ah, Universal. The flash flood, the ...not much else in the mid-1960s. You mean it is bigger now (hahaha I know it is). I am actually hoping to get to Orlando eventually, but not for WDW since I am a D'LANDer through and through (even worked there long ago). I want to see the HP stuff, and Orlando just has more., plus I know my adult son with autism would love to see Simpsons and other character and rides. But have to figure best time to go, as heat and humidity drain us both.

Universal in CA you can still get heat, but smog instead of humidity.

 

 

HAHA.

 

When we moved from SoCal to NC I told DH I was going to have to take up smoking, my lungs couldn't handle all the fresh air! 

[Nart]

Harry Potter just opened in Southern California a couple of months ago. It will be really crowded there this summer and expensive. The admission price went up for this summer. I live in Southern California and we are going to wait to go. It costs 95 dollars for a one day admission if you buy your tickets online, if not it is $115.