S/o Universal. Does anyone do Disney AND Universal in the same trip?

[mmasc]

Daydreaming about vacations. 😊

Does anyone do both of these in the same trip? Is it crazy-making? I think our family will do one more Disney trip, (we’ve been twice) but it would mostly be for Star Wars land and re-visiting a few favorite rides. 

Is Universal a place where we could just drive there and spend a day in the park??

And I’m assuming that throwing in a day trip to the beach is insanity. Yes??

I just want it ALL! Lol

eta: Orlando! Sorry, I didn’t even realize California had both as well 😬

Edited January 22, 2022 by mmasc

[GracieJane]

I live in LA and Universal is definitely a place you can visit for a day. Depending on your children’s ages and energy levels, Disneyland can require a “recovery” day following.

ETA: nevermind, wrong state

Edited January 22, 2022 by GracieJane

[TheReader]

We had planned that and then DH's boss threw a fit at him being gone as long as planned, so we did just Universal. 

I think you can safely do Universal in 2 days, 3 is better, depending on crowd levels (when we went, it was early December, raining/drizzling, and we were able to walk right on to almost every ride; once, during a downpour, the Hogwarts ride had a "long" wait time -- it was stated as an hour, took only 30 mins). 

So, if you did Disney Park Hopper and just did your favorites (so, 2 days??), and then did Universal (so, 2-3 days), and then a day trip to the beach....that doesn't sound crazy to me. I'd probably do the beach between the 2 parks, personally. 

BUT all of that assumes low crowd level days, that actually allow you to see the full park(s) in that amount of time. You could easily spend a whole day in each half of the Harry Potter parts of Universal (spring for their equivalent to park hopper that lets you ride the train between; very very very worth it), particularly if it's crowded/long wait times. 

[TheReader]

OH -- I'm assuming Orlando, so if you meant CA, things may be different. 

[Slache]

I'm planning on it. We're actually doing the bay area, too. And the San Diego zoo. And Wisdom LA. 😬

[kristin0713]

It’s more expensive to do it this way because of how the parks tier their pricing. It’s less expensive to add days on at one than do a few days at each. It also depends on how much you want to see at each. A few years ago, we were good after two days at Universal. But now my kids are older and they wanted to do *everything*  plus spend extra time in HP world and three park days was barely enough. We would have enjoyed another day. For Disney, again, it depends on what you want to do. One park? All of them? If the cost doesn’t matter, it just depends on  your priorities for the trip. 

[lynn]

We have done all three in one trip.  We had our camper then.  2 days at the beach then drove down to Disney stayed at fort wilderness.  We drove to universal, not a bad drive but its quite a walk from parking garage to tne park.  The next day we took hung out by the pool and rented boats and road them around the lake. We took the ferry to Disney and back.  it was fun.  My kids loved it.  

[mmasc]

10 minutes ago, lynn said:

We have done all three in one trip.  We had our camper then.  2 days at the beach then drove down to Disney stayed at fort wilderness.  We drove to universal, not a bad drive but its quite a walk from parking garage to tne park.  The next day we took hung out by the pool and rented boats and road them around the lake. We took the ferry to Disney and back.  it was fun.  My kids loved it.  

Fun! I didn’t even think about taking our travel trailer! Although, I suspect dh would just prefer not to. But it’s something to think about—thanks!

[Slache]

Orlando's a different story, but I still would. You might do and regret doing too much, but I'd rather do that then regret not doing it. I would do...

1. Magic Kingdom
2. Hollywood Studios
3. Park hop Animal Kingdom and Epcot
4. Beach day
5. Universal day 1
6. Universal day 2

[mmasc]

My kids don’t care about Harry Potter *at all*, so I’m sure that’s why Universal has never been their top pick. But the last time we were at Disney World, I did sort of feel like 4 days were too many. (They weren’t the first time! We did ALL the things!) So, I thought maybe 2 at Disney, 2 at Universal maybe. I’m just thinking it all through... 

 

[mmasc]

1 minute ago, Slache said:

Orlando's a different story, but I still would. You might do and regret doing too much, but I'd rather do that then regret not doing it. I would do...

1. Magic Kingdom
2. Hollywood Studios
3. Park hop Animal Kingdom and Epcot
4. Beach day
5. Universal day 1
6. Universal day 2

This is pretty much what I was thinking! Our kids are older now, so they can definitely push though the days, better than me now probably lol

[Slache]

3 minutes ago, mmasc said:

This is pretty much what I was thinking! Our kids are older now, so they can definitely push though the days, better than me now probably lol

I understand!

But I think a beach day in the middle to break it up is great. I plan to do that with the springs. I haven't been yet. We were supposed to go at Christmas, but life happened. When are you going?

[scbusf]

We did back in November. It was crazy, but we had a blast!!!! My kids (ages 11, 13, and 15) said it was the best trip we've ever taken. Here was our itinerary.

1. Arrive in Orlando, get checked in.

2. Disney - Hollywood Studios

3. Disney - Animal Kingdom

4. Rest day

5. Universal

6. Universal

7. Rest

8. Universal

9. Leave for home

[mmasc]

15 minutes ago, scbusf said:

We did back in November. It was crazy, but we had a blast!!!! My kids (ages 11, 13, and 15) said it was the best trip we've ever taken. Here was our itinerary.

1. Arrive in Orlando, get checked in.

2. Disney - Hollywood Studios

3. Disney - Animal Kingdom

4. Rest day

5. Universal

6. Universal

7. Rest

8. Universal

9. Leave for home

I’m not sure if we can swing that many days, but I love your plan!! Helps me “see” it better all written out like that. 
did your rest days involve the beach, or just hotel/pool/lounge?

[mmasc]

17 minutes ago, Slache said:

I understand!

But I think a beach day in the middle to break it up is great. I plan to do that with the springs. I haven't been yet. We were supposed to go at Christmas, but life happened. When are you going?

Well, I just starting thinking about it like 3 days ago, 😂, so I don’t have a date when we’re going! We’ve been twice, both times were May, (which was great!!), but I don’t think we could do May this time. But I really don’t like the idea of June or July! So, maybe May or August. I need to check cancellation policies for sure first. We are eligible to stay at Shades of Green, so I’m looking at that too. The other two times we stayed at Art of Animation and I think my kids might want to “re-create” that memory though. 
 

Our first trip (when the kids were really small) we did the springs on our rest/non-park day. I don’t think it was called the springs back then though. Downtown Disney maybe?? We ate at the Dinosaur restaurant and went to the Lego store— that’s all I can remember about it!

[Slache]

For a ridiculous amount of money ($300/person?) you can skip lines at Universal Studios and spend much less time there. I have no idea if you can get both parks done in one day or not if you do that.

[mmasc]

1 hour ago, kristin0713 said:

It’s more expensive to do it this way because of how the parks tier their pricing. It’s less expensive to add days on at one than do a few days at each. It also depends on how much you want to see at each. A few years ago, we were good after two days at Universal. But now my kids are older and they wanted to do *everything*  plus spend extra time in HP world and three park days was barely enough. We would have enjoyed another day. For Disney, again, it depends on what you want to do. One park? All of them? If the cost doesn’t matter, it just depends on  your priorities for the trip. 

The cost does matter lol! However, we do have some pretty good rates/discounts since we’re military, so things like tickets and hopper are much more affordable. 

[katilac]

It depends on your vacation style and how much you're willing to spend. 

It costs a lot more to do a split trip, bc, at least at Disney, the tickets are a lot less per day if you do multiple days. A one-day ticket to Disney is $109 per day, 5 days is $90 per day, 6 days is $77 per day, and 7 days is $68 per day. You can see that they really want you to stay at Disney the entire week, lol. I'm pretty sure we used to get packages where adding on days was even cheaper than that. 

We also really like to stay in the Disney bubble back in the day, leaving Disney property only for Downtown Disney 😄

We did do it once, and definitely had fun, but I have to say that it was stressful spending $400 on tickets for one day when the entire rest of the week's vacation was under $2,000 (including food, hotel, tickets). We also got lost and saw the seedier side of Orlando. 

[katilac]

5 minutes ago, Slache said:

For a ridiculous amount of money ($300/person?) you can skip lines at Universal Studios and spend much less time there. I have no idea if you can get both parks done in one day or not if you do that.

$129 per day, per person. 

[catz]

We did.  We did one day of universal and 2 or 3 days of Disney.  We aren’t huge Disney people though.  Eta we did other stuff on this trip too.  

Edited January 22, 2022 by FuzzyCatz

[Slache]

4 minutes ago, mmasc said:

Well, I just starting thinking about it like 3 days ago, 😂, so I don’t have a date when we’re going! We’ve been twice, both times were May, (which was great!!), but I don’t think we could do May this time. But I really don’t like the idea of June or July! So, maybe May or August. I need to check cancellation policies for sure first. We are eligible to stay at Shades of Green, so I’m looking at that too. The other two times we stayed at Art of Animation and I think my kids might want to “re-create” that memory though. 
 

Our first trip (when the kids were really small) we did the springs on our rest/non-park day. I don’t think it was called the springs back then though. Downtown Disney maybe?? We ate at the Dinosaur restaurant and went to the Lego store— that’s all I can remember about it!

I asked because fall is food and wine at Epcot. I would never go in the summer. I want to do our Disney/Universal trip during early December for holiday lights and food and characters. September has the least amount of people.

2 minutes ago, katilac said:

$129 per day, per person. 

Wow! Can you do both parks in one day that way?

[mmasc]

6 minutes ago, Slache said:

I asked because fall is food and wine at Epcot. I would never go in the summer. I want to do our Disney/Universal trip during early December for holiday lights and food and characters. September has the least amount of people.

Wow! Can you do both parks in one day that way?

My BIL/SIL/kids went in December. They loved it!

eta: They even got to be the Grand Marshals of the MK Parade! 

Edited January 22, 2022 by mmasc

[Farrar]

We did several years ago now. Maybe 2018 or 2019. I can't remember our exact breakdown, but I IIRC, we did 4 days at WDW and 2 at Universal. We had a great time. Didn't find the need to buy the line thingy at Universal, but we were there during an off time. We really only had one or two longish waits at Universal and they weren't that bad.

[mmasc]

1 minute ago, Farrar said:

We did several years ago now. Maybe 2018 or 2019. I can't remember our exact breakdown, but I IIRC, we did 4 days at WDW and 2 at Universal. We had a great time. Didn't find the need to buy the line thingy at Universal, but we were there during an off time. We really only had one or two longish waits at Universal and they weren't that bad.

Did you stay on either of the properties? 

[Farrar]

Just now, mmasc said:

Did you stay on either of the properties? 

Nope. We drove down and stayed at one of these places where they try to sell you a timeshare, lol. But it was decent. I mean, the outside was a bit scuzzy and the pools were nothing special, but they were fine. And it was fall, so it was warm enough for swimming, but not so warm that we wanted a big pool experience. And the little suite was super nice. Full kitchen, two bedrooms and a little in between space. Way bigger than when we had stayed on property at WDW when my mother took us all when the kids were younger. 

It let us save a ton of money too. You can bring in food (unless something has changed) and I fed us breakfast at the condo thingy every morning and then had a really compact bag of sandwiches and snacks and a water bottle. Then some nights we ate at the condo - just easy stuff like spaghetti and salad and a store roast chicken - but it was cheap. We did a couple of really nice meals out and did a few little quick meals that were pretty good, but this was how I kept the costs under control - staying off property and being really devoted to not indulging in food past the amount we had planned ahead for.

[Katy]

I don’t think you can park hop at Disney right now; they have some sort of reservation system to keep the crowds down bc pandemic. It’s changed a few times but last time I looked (a few weeks ago) that was my understanding.

[Slache]

8 minutes ago, Katy said:

I don’t think you can park hop at Disney right now; they have some sort of reservation system to keep the crowds down bc pandemic. It’s changed a few times but last time I looked (a few weeks ago) that was my understanding.

You can, but you can't go to your second until 2PM.

[mlktwins]

We did both in 2016.  We had been to Disney twice already so went there for 4 days and spent 3 days at Universal.  My boys were very into Harry Potter at the time so it was a blast.  We flew, rented a car, and stayed off property in a very nice VRBO townhome.  We have never stayed on property at Disney.

We bought the Universal tickets that allowed us to go between the parks on the Hogwarts train.  Super fun if you are fans.

[NorthwestMom]

4 hours ago, scbusf said:

We did back in November. It was crazy, but we had a blast!!!! My kids (ages 11, 13, and 15) said it was the best trip we've ever taken. Here was our itinerary.

1. Arrive in Orlando, get checked in.

2. Disney - Hollywood Studios

3. Disney - Animal Kingdom

4. Rest day

5. Universal

6. Universal

7. Rest

8. Universal

9. Leave for home

We have done Disney and Universal in Orlando pre-pandemic.  I definitely recommend doing Disney first, since Universal has much better special effects, line experience, etc, that Disney looked tattered and dated by comparison when we went there second. We stayed on or very close to property in both places as we did not have a vehicle, and it was convenient but super pricey. My kids were all older teens and were able to come and go at will, so being close to everything was ideal. We stayed at the Hard Rock for Universal (excellent and very close)  and the Disney property that's supposed to be like New Orleans/cajun/whatever (dilapidated, underwhelming, food court was meh). 

We went in August and it rained several afternoons but we still did a lot. Each time there was lighting the outdoor rides close until it is safe, so be prepared for that if you go during rainy season. No one in our family wanted to do the water park portion of either park, so no reports there.

 

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by NorthwestMom

[prairiewindmomma]

We’ve done it all, twice. I think the pp who gave advice about taking a recovery day or two during the trip is spot on. At some point everyone wants to sleep in, do laundry, hit a pool, possibly get some fresh groceries, and just chill. 
 

I also totally agree about doing Disney first. While bits of Universal are aging, much of it is so much newer and better. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

4 hours ago, Slache said:

For a ridiculous amount of money ($300/person?) you can skip lines at Universal Studios and spend much less time there. I have no idea if you can get both parks done in one day or not if you do that.

You can also get one night at a premier hotel, whether you actually stay there or not, and get two days of express passes for both people. When I went in October those express passes made our trip.

I am taking DS6 to Disneyworld in February. We are doing  one day each at Magic kingdom, Epcot, then Hollywood Studios before heading to my sister’s house.  I am debating on spending a day at Universal and flying back a day late. I have an annual pass now and so I’d just have to get him a ticket. I don’t know if it’s better to hold off though because Universal feels geared towards older kids to me.

[scbusf]

5 hours ago, mmasc said:

I’m not sure if we can swing that many days, but I love your plan!! Helps me “see” it better all written out like that. 
did your rest days involve the beach, or just hotel/pool/lounge?

Our rest days were shopping/pool days. We live near the beach, and we don't actually like the beach at much. LOL One day we went to Disney Springs, I think. We stayed the entire time at Portofino Bay at Universal.

[mmasc]

So, obviously I can look at the website and see everything that’s at Universal, but with the info that my kids could not care less about Harry Potter, is Universal still fun/worth it, in your opinion??

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

6 minutes ago, mmasc said:

So, obviously I can look at the website and see everything that’s at Universal, but with the info that my kids could not care less about Harry Potter, is Universal still fun/worth it, in your opinion??

If they like virtual reality/3D/4D rides, then yes. DS11 adored the Transformers ride lol. We rode it like 8 times.  There’s a lot that’s not Harry Potter.

[Ting Tang]

Well, I did Disneyland and Universal in California in one trip when I was 17.  Disneyland is much smaller, I believe.  I think you'd have to prioritize the attractions. People who live near Disney World do day trips.

[kristin0713]

14 minutes ago, mmasc said:

So, obviously I can look at the website and see everything that’s at Universal, but with the info that my kids could not care less about Harry Potter, is Universal still fun/worth it, in your opinion??

How old are your kids? More importantly, how tall are they and do they like simulated rides and roller coasters? A lot of Universal rides have taller height requirements than Disney. Most of the rides are fairly intense. Not all are coasters, but the simulations are pretty intense. I think Universal is better for teens than the younger set. 

[GoodGrief3]

We have done it. For a one day visit, I highly suggest getting the Express Passes. Expensive, but will mean you can see more of the park during your time there. Get there as early as you can.

[mmasc]

13 minutes ago, kristin0713 said:

How old are your kids? More importantly, how tall are they and do they like simulated rides and roller coasters? A lot of Universal rides have taller height requirements than Disney. Most of the rides are fairly intense. Not all are coasters, but the simulations are pretty intense. I think Universal is better for teens than the younger set. 

Well, they’re older—11 and two teens. But, they’re not roller coaster fans. 
 

That’s something to think about. I’ll need to see what rides they have, if my kids are interested, and if the youngest is tall enough. They do like 3D type stuff, but not intense roller coasters. So, for reference, at DW they will ride and enjoy Big Thunder Mountain, the Dwarves coaster, the Speed Track ride—but not Space Mountain or Rockin’ Roller Coaster. 

[mlktwins]

56 minutes ago, mmasc said:

So, obviously I can look at the website and see everything that’s at Universal, but with the info that my kids could not care less about Harry Potter, is Universal still fun/worth it, in your opinion??

It depends on the kids.  I have one that wanted to do all the big roller coasters and 3D rides and one that did not (at all).  So...the roller coaster kid did those things with DH and I hung out with the other one.  But...we were there mainly for the HP experience, which is pretty awesome.

There was a greater variety of rides, shows, experiences, etc. for all 4 of us at Disney.

[lulubelle]

We just did both over Christmas and had a great time. I have 3 teens. We did several days at each. For Universal it was a gradual increase. One trip we did a day, the next trip 2 days, and then 5. This time we didn’t miss anything. We were able to take our time and relax in the middle of the day. We did Disney for about the same days right after. There is never enough time to do most things at Disney. But, we were well planned and had a blast. 

[lauraw4321]

Yes. Done it in both CA and FL. Universal is only 1 day for us very focused on HP. We kind of ignore the rest that universal has to offer. 

[lauraw4321]

I do expect when my kids are older that universal will take more time than Disney. 

[mom31257]

We did Disney and Universal in one trip back in May 2019. We did 4 days at Disney and 1 day at Universal. We bought the park to park pass where you can take the train between the parks and bought the express passes for shorter lines. 

[katilac]

10 hours ago, mmasc said:

Well, they’re older—11 and two teens. But, they’re not roller coaster fans. 
 

That’s something to think about. I’ll need to see what rides they have, if my kids are interested, and if the youngest is tall enough. They do like 3D type stuff, but not intense roller coasters. So, for reference, at DW they will ride and enjoy Big Thunder Mountain, the Dwarves coaster, the Speed Track ride—but not Space Mountain or Rockin’ Roller Coaster. 

I probably wouldn't do Universal if they don't like HP or roller coasters. That knocks out two of the biggest attractions at parks that each only take a day to cover in the first place.