Best way to do both Universal and WDW in one trip?

[ArwenMarie]

Glad you had a good trip!

We just did an onsite split stay at both resorts and it was great. We do Universal first but either order would work

 

[nkereina]

We've done a split WDW/UO trip the last two years and are doing it again this year. We do either 4 or 5 days at WDW first, followed by 2 days/2 nights at a Universal resort. This trip, we will arrive at WDW on a Sunday and head over to our Universal resort whenever we are ready Wednesday night. We then have full days Thursday and Friday at Universal, flying home late Friday night. Has worked out well for us.

We prefer to do Universal second because we love taking DME from the airport to WDW. It gets us really pumped and we like the luggage service. We also need all the energy to keep up with the "go go go" mentality at WDW. By the time Universal comes around, it's much more of a slower paced and relaxing time. We take a cab from our WDW resort to our Universal resort (less than $30) and then take a cab from our Universal resort to the airport - usually about $50. Neither trip takes very long. I do think it's worth it to check out of your Disney resort and into a Universal resort. We think Universal resorts are actually nicer, and the pools are awesome. Plus you can't go wrong with express pass!

 

[Lilminx]

Would you not recommend doing US mid way through a WDW trip just to break it up a bit? Driving over to US Back to WDW hotel and the IOA the next day?

 

[sharona]

Would you not recommend doing US mid way through a WDW trip just to break it up a bit? Driving over to US Back to WDW hotel and the IOA the next day?

Not the ideal way to experience Universal, IMO.

 

[nkereina]

Would you not recommend doing US mid way through a WDW trip just to break it up a bit? Driving over to US Back to WDW hotel and the IOA the next day?

You could but I agree that it wouldn't be ideal. Why not just tack on a Universal resort stay at the start or end of your trip? Personally, I wouldn't want the hassle of driving to and from and parking both days. Plus, if you decide to buy express pass, it might equate to one night in their hotel anyway (if not more).

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Thanks for all of the info.

Even though our trip isn't until 2017 I'm pretty sure we will do 4-5 nights at WDW followed by 2-3 nights at universal. We will take DME to WDW and cabs to universal and a cab back to the airport. That's if we don't drive.

I'm worried that my kids will return from spring break with their dad and only want to do universal. I love Disney too much to give it completely up while in Orlando. Plus I'm dying to try F&W.

 

[kelmcg]

We have done the WDW/UO split a few times. We've done WDW at the beginning of the trip and at the end of the trip.....it just depends if there is anything special happening at one of the parks that you would like to go to.

To transfer from WDW to UO or from the airport to UO I would recommend Tiffany Towncar Service. We have booked them many times and they are always there on time and they'll let us do a grocery store stop.

The Express Passes at UO are awesome! We usually get a 3 day pass for the parks because our boys want to get in early for the Harry Potter stuff but by the 3rd day, after the Harry Potter rides, we are usually ready to get out of there. The Express passes have allowed us to ride all the big rides over and over again .....and by day 3 we are done with them!!!

We stayed at the Hard Rock last November and it took us 5 minutes to walk to the parks!

Early opening--- If I remember correctly, one park opened at 8am and the other one opened at 9. Early entry was 7 and 8......we got there by 6:30 am and we were let into the park by 6:40ish.....(On our last few visits they have let us in the park 20-30 minutes before the early entry time.) Then after we did all the Harry Potter stuff we rode the train to the other park for it's early entry.

 

[thewesterberg]

We are heading to WDW next month with my extended family. My DH, DS, and I decided to take one day to head to Universal. One day is all we could squeeze in for our first trip over there, but we are excited to spend the day there! They are huge Potter fans and I finally started reading the books so I'll have a clue! We are renting a car this trip so we can do the grocery run at the beginning of the trip and also get to Universal. However, I had looked at Uber as an option. One thing to keep in mind is if you haven't signed up for Uber before, there are codes out there that you can get $30 off your first ride. And if there's two of you in the group that haven't signed up, then BAM - you just got most of your transportation costs covered! Just something to keep in mind.

 

[GaryDis]

We're looking at arriving in Orlando on Sat, staying 3 nights at Universal, with Tuesday as a break day (possibly water park), and then five nights at WDW. Two reasons for doing things in this order: First, Sunday and Monday are reportedly the best days for Universal. Second, since we're planning on renting DVC points, which means booking 11 months out, this will increase the likelihood of being able to hit up MNSSHP for early/mid Sep.

 

[albuhay]

We did a split stay in Universal and Disney in August (staying in Cabana Bay) and September 2014 (staying in Royal Pacific). We did 2 nights in Universal first both times before transferring over to Disney. In August, we used the Mears Shuttle from the airport to Cabana Bay ($18 pp which was okay as there were only two of us - any more and I would have considered other means of transportation) and then took an Uber from Cabana Bay to Pop which was $16 total. The Uber transfer was really easy and very inexpensive which was great. As another poster said, they do have a lot of promo codes available so you can usually get your first ride free! Last September we had a rental car which certainly made the transfer easy, especially as we had 3 that trip.

If you can stay onsite in Universal the Express Passes are definitely handy - we didn't have them this year and didn't really miss them but we did skip a few rides that had longer lines. Our priority was HP anyway so with early entry and single rider lines for some rides we were able to cover those areas really well.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Wow, I am slightly surprised by Muenginerd's post because we now feel the opposite. I don't think US is anything like Six Flags at all, except maybe Hulk. (And that is getting more theming added right now.)

WDW has, IMO gotten a bit stale. We though Diagon Alley was the most creative new park area we've seen in ages. Maybe it helps to like the HP books and movies. I wouldn't say I'm a huge HP fan, but the DA looks very much like stepping into the movie. I was so disappointed with WDW's magic card game. I suppose with any park though, if you just walk through and don't take time to look at the details. Maybe that is what we love, HP has details to discover! Almost like an answer to WDW's hidden Mickeys.

FotLA really is related to crowd levels. When it really help, it really helps. When it only helps some, then we could do with out it. Knowing before we go that we won't have to wait in long lines is a nice perk. Be smart about HP, if you go on Gringotts at 10am (with the morning hoard), expect a line. If you either arrive early, or go rather later....WE found the wait was not bad.

At US though, they will not let you take BAGS on many rides. A few say empty all pockets (no cell phones allowed). So it really pays to be bagless (men's cargo shorts?) if you can. Or leave everything with one person who isn't riding. Always the bag you bring has to fit in the locker. They are decent sized, but the bigger the bag, the more it is a pain to get in an out. Wands area good thing to do later in the day maybe- once you go through Olivanders. (DA side tend to have shorter line, IMO.)

We enjoyed food in HP. Mythos is also great, and you can get no wait by calling one day ahead. (no need for WDW's 180 days). Maybe even same day would have been okay. You can also wait for table, but in summer wait at 2pm was 40min for table. For inexpensive Breadbox is just sandwiches, but they are okay. Frozen yogurt place Menchies was decent. Just don't grab a bottled flavor drink! (It cost more than yogurt)

HR is fun, but clearly not quiet in public areas. It is fun at 7pm, but I maybe don't need rock music at 7am. I think we like the other two better. PB has big bathroom. HR has vanity sinks. RP has pretty courtyard. Decent sushi at 5pm (a little $$ but not too bad). Quick grab and go breakfast in lobby. CB is further, but has buses. It looks nice enough. OH- RP charges $15 I think for fridge. HR had fridge.I think PB charges for fridge, I think we had one there. it looks like at least some CB rooms include a fridge.

 

[Mickfarland4]

None of us our big HP fans. I think my DS may have read one of the books and the kids may have watched a movie but I've never watched or read any of the books. Not my thing but I think the theming (from pics I've seen) is awesome.


You should really watch the first movie and then see if you like it. It's fantastic!

Thanks! My kids enjoyed our 10 night trip to WDW but they got a bit "bored" at times. There weren't enough thrill rides for them. DHS ended up being DSs favorite park and a close second for DD. I know they will LOVE Universal so ending their is probably my best best!




I would love to keep it a secret from DS but now being a teenager he actually has a life and plans. lol

 

[laura428]

This thread is really making me think twice about how I thought we'd plan our trip next year. We'll be flying in early Saturday, 4/2, and staying until Sunday, 4/10. I figured we'd make our first trek to Universal at the beginning of our trip - Saturday, Sunday and Monday - for a few reasons...

1. My DS, in particular, would be talking about how excited he was to get to US all week if we didn't go there first.
2. Because it's totally new and unfamiliar, we'll need the energy up front for navigation and patience.
3. FastPass+ doesn't bother us at all, so the scheduled stuff doesn't add any stress at WDW.
4. Because this will be our 10th trip to WDW, it's like home for us, so I think I'd rather end our trip there.

Anyone else thinking this same way? I'm starting to work on plans for which parks on which days, but have to get this US / WDW thing straight first. We'll also be doing waterparks at WDW for the first time, too. Lots of new, and lots to fit into a 8 or 9 day trip. Want to be sure I get this right!

Or maybe I should just add an extra day?

 

[GaryDis]

This thread is really making me think twice about how I thought we'd plan our trip next year. We'll be flying in early Saturday, 4/2, and staying until Sunday, 4/10. I figured we'd make our first trek to Universal at the beginning of our trip - Saturday, Sunday and Monday - for a few reasons...

1. My DS, in particular, would be talking about how excited he was to get to US all week if we didn't go there first.
2. Because it's totally new and unfamiliar, we'll need the energy up front for navigation and patience.
3. FastPass+ doesn't bother us at all, so the scheduled stuff doesn't add any stress at WDW.
4. Because this will be our 10th trip to WDW, it's like home for us, so I think I'd rather end our trip there.

Anyone else thinking this same way? I'm starting to work on plans for which parks on which days, but have to get this US / WDW thing straight first. We'll also be doing waterparks at WDW for the first time, too. Lots of new, and lots to fit into a 8 or 9 day trip. Want to be sure I get this right!

Except for us not having any kids, our thinking is pretty similar. But I'm pretty sure we can keep each other excited about WWoHP more than anything else on the trip.

 

[mmafan]

with the ages of your kids I would do Disney first..because with all the thrill rides at universal they might be a little board if you do universal first..

 

[laura428]

with the ages of your kids I would do Disney first..because with all the thrill rides at universal they might be a little board if you do universal first..

You know, I'm going through a US guide right now, planning out which rides we'll do, and I just said to DH that we may have to skip quite a few rides. Not just because of the kids' ages (and DD9 is definitely not up for major thrill rides), but also because of my motion sickness. I didn't realize there were SO many simulator rides!!

That being said, we love love love Harry Potter, so I know we'll spend a good amount of time just soaking up the atmosphere there. We also love the Simpsons, and have seen a bunch of other things that I think will be fun to just check out. Maybe what we'll do is have Saturday to play around and check things out, Sunday to take advantage of early access at WWoHP, rest of Sunday to play around some more. Then Monday for another early WWoHP morning, then head over to WDW a little early. We'll be checking into CBR that night, so there's no reason we can't go early and do DTD or something. OR head to to Cocoa Beach and check out our favorite ice cream shop in the country, Fat Donkey.

 

[LuvDaisy&Minnie]

I would definitely pick a scenario which allows you to stay onsite at Universal and utilize express pass and the early entry into Harry Potter (we aren't fans either but the rides are neat and you will want to ride with a reasonable wait). The express passes are awesome!! We did universal in the middle of our Disney trip simply because of how the discounts fell. I'm not suggesting you do that...but when we went back to Disney the roller coasters seemed so slow! It actually felt like rock n roller coaster had slowed down! Universal rides are much more intense but my teenagers love them. I would probably suggest doing Disney first. I heard a lot of how they liked universal better once we got back to Disney. And we all had gotten really spoiled to the express pass. The cab ride wasn't bad. $30? And over the past few years when we have vacationed to universal only, we have stayed at both Hard Rock and Royal Pacific. We enjoyed both. Oh and I also think you should have at least 2.5 days at universal.

 

[melana]

We are doing Universal for one day in October after 5 at Disney. This is a "get our feet wet" visit to Universal. Plus my niece only wants to go because of the Harry Potter areas. We got Park-to-Park tickets and are staying off site. Not real sure if this was our smartest decision but we aren't sure how much we are gonna like Universal..the reason for just one day.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

with the ages of your kids I would do Disney first..because with all the thrill rides at universal they might be a little board if you do universal first..

I was thinking this too.

I'll be going Jersey week and I see from history that they usually offer FD up until the Friday BEFORE Jersey week starts. If we check in that day we are eligible for FD for our entire trip. This past trip we paid OOP for our food and stayed on the magical deal. I wouldn't mind taking FD and staying at a moderate with us four. It'll save us money. So that means we will do Disney first. If I can get a great deal on a deluxe through this same travel agent I'll skip the FD and probably still do Disney first.

 

[pross46]

My mom and I do both Universal and Disney every year. We've always started out with Disney because we attend MNSSHP.

Heres what we do:

Day 1-3: Disney hotel, Disney parks, and transportation is included.
Day 3-6: Hard Rock Hotel (Great hotel! plus is the closest to Universal, its in walking distance. And as you already know you get free fast passes with it) So we usually do two days at Universal and go to Sea World. This way the taxi is cheaper (Sea world is closer to Universal than Disney)

How to choose if you want to do Disney or Universal first:
1. What days of the week would you do at Universal or Disney? I recommend going to Disney on week days and Universal closer to weekends. This is because you have fast passes for all the rides at Universal so wait times won't be as bad.
2. Are you going the very beginning of Nov? If so you could attend MSSHP.