DLR trip reports haven't been glowing... worth considering switch to Universal Hollywood?

[winklet]

Hi all,
I'm considering a pivot from DLR to Universal Studios Hollywood...

We have a short DLR trip coming up during a busy time (DCA on Jan 2, DL on Jan 3). Tickets (from UT) and hotel could still be cancelled.
I'm considering a change in plans to visit Universal Hollywood, and stay at a higher tier hotel that includes the ride express pass. We've never been to Universal.
The DLR trip reports have me nervous. This is a big trip for us, one we make every 5 or so years and one we can barely afford. Money's tight and we have Cdn dollars. I'm wondering if they would stretch further at Universal Studios until DLR gets recent problems worked out?
Our kiddos are 9 and 12. Huge fans of Harry Potter, which might be a big hit at Universal. They also love DLR, and haven't been since Star Wars and Marvel stuff has opened. Big fans of those franchises too...
What would you do?

Thanks for any advice you might have.

 

[disney-inspired]

What problems are you referring to at DLR?

I'm local and wouldn't even put them on the same playing field. I would do some research for hotels near USH first because as we're nearly in Dec, hotels nearby may be booked up.
I'm not sure how much your tickets were from UCT but as far as experience, I don't think I would change plans. It will be very busy at both USH and DLR but to me, USH doesn't offer enough in comparison to DLR.

I would also evaluate your expectations for the trip since you're going at such a busy time or reschedule, but I know that may not be possible.

 

[winklet]

I appreciate the response, good to hear from someone who can compare the two.

There have been recent posts that mention a lot of rides going down, line ups taking forever, prices being high, and the overall experience of a DLR visit just not being a great value at the moment. I know it will be really busy when we go, and thinking that if anything, the valid concerns that I've seen in the forum could be even worse during that first week of Jan.

 

[disney-inspired]

I appreciate the response, good to hear from someone who can compare the two.

There have been recent posts that mention a lot of rides going down, line ups taking forever, prices being high, and the overall experience of a DLR visit just not being a great value at the moment. I know it will be really busy when we go, and thinking that if anything, the valid concerns that I've seen in the forum could be even worse during that first week of Jan.

With this reservations sytem in place, both DLR and WDW parks seem to be always busy so that is definitely true. Whenever I go, I aim for rope drop to get the most in before the crowds come, especially if the parks open at 8am.

Prices are up everywhere so that's true but you wouldn't see it cheaper at USH. Genie+ could help mitigate but found getting an early start gets a lot done.

For DLR - rope drop and head straight to Rise of the Resistance b/c that line can get insane. From there I'd head over to your next must-do in the park (maybe one of the mountains).
For DCA - Rope drop and head straight to either Webslingers or Radiator Springs Racers. RSR does have single rider so that could be an option later in the day if you're all okay riding separately.

 

[DnA2010]

9 and 12 are ages where they can do early mornings and late nights- can you kids manage that? Are they ride junkies would you say (or hard to know if it's been 5 years?)
I do not know Universal at all, but if your kids are HP fans, I'd be considering Universal also. I'd check hotel availability first and go from there. With the way things are at Disneyland these days, one day in each part may not see you do tons (unless you are fine to do late nights and early mornings) Hopefully others with recent Universal experience can pipe up. Coming from Canada also, I get the $$ cost aspect for sure.

 

[starlite_]

Universal has less that half the amount of rides and like half of those are screen based. I highly recommend you do research on the rides and activities before you make your decision. Would never go to Universal over DLR personally.

 

[disney-inspired]

Universal has less that half the amount of rides and like half of those are screen based. I highly recommend you do research on the rides and activities before you make your decision. Would never go to Universal over DLR personally.

I wanted to add on that I've been to both USOand USH and USO and Islands of Adventure WWOHP is superior to USH. So maybe wait until a few years until Epic Universe is open and see all three parks then.

 

[chezcurrie]

No comparison whatsoever - the magic is still at DL!!

USH is not a 2-day park IMO and I believe the hotel express pass is for the Orlando hotels, not Hollywood. So you’d be shelling out $199 pp extra per day! There aren’t enough rides to justify that in any way for me. That makes the cost of G+ a drop in the hat.

For the ages of your kids and their interest in Star Wars and Marvel you could fill your days in those two lands alone and have a fabulous time. We have 3 boys (6-9-13) and they barely found enough to occupy half a day at USH (and we are HUGE Harry Potter fans.) With the single rider line on Millenium Falcon and Batuu Bounty Hunters alone they would happily spend a day re-riding it over and over. Golly, for the cost of that Uniuversal Express pass you could build a lightsaber!

On that note as someone who has been to USH and USO the Orlando parks blow Hollywood out of the water - again, no comparison. I now live in Southern California (moved here from Toronto so I understand the exchange rate frustration) and I won’t take my kids to USH for Harry Potter stuff, it is only Hogsmeade at USH. The real magic is at Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express (and new Hagrid ride) which are in Florida - at USH its just the Castle ride and Flight of the HIppogriff. I’d rather save my $ and fly to Florida.

My opinion: stay the course and seek out positive reviews (yes, they are there too). Not saying bury your head in the sand and make the best of it, but rather make the *most* of it - embrace those experiences your boys will treasure in Galaxy’s Edge and Avengers Campus. They truly are two of the best lands. Enjoy your trip and time with your family!

 

[Chrisfilm]

Went in early November and had the exact opposite experience as the many trip reports I read before I went. Was one of the best DLR trips I've ever had.

 

[starlite_]

I wanted to add on that I've been to both USOand USH and USO and Islands of Adventure WWOHP is superior to USH. So maybe wait until a few years until Epic Universe is open and see all three parks then.

No comparison whatsoever - the magic is still at DL!!

USH is not a 2-day park IMO and I believe the hotel express pass is for the Orlando hotels, not Hollywood. So you’d be shelling out $199 pp extra per day! There aren’t enough rides to justify that in any way for me. That makes the cost of G+ a drop in the hat.

For the ages of your kids and their interest in Star Wars and Marvel you could fill your days in those two lands alone and have a fabulous time. We have 3 boys (6-9-13) and they barely found enough to occupy half a day at USH (and we are HUGE Harry Potter fans.) With the single rider line on Millenium Falcon and Batuu Bounty Hunters alone they would happily spend a day re-riding it over and over. Golly, for the cost of that Uniuversal Express pass you could build a lightsaber!

On that note as someone who has been to USH and USO the Orlando parks blow Hollywood out of the water - again, no comparison. I now live in Southern California (moved here from Toronto so I understand the exchange rate frustration) and I won’t take my kids to USH for Harry Potter stuff, it is only Hogsmeade at USH. The real magic is at Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express (and new Hagrid ride) which are in Florida - at USH its just the Castle ride and Flight of the HIppogriff. I’d rather save my $ and fly to Florida.

My opinion: stay the course and seek out positive reviews (yes, they are there too). Not saying bury your head in the sand and make the best of it, but rather make the *most* of it - embrace those experiences your boys will treasure in Galaxy’s Edge and Avengers Campus. They truly are two of the best lands. Enjoy your trip and time with your family!

Agree! The only reason we are planning to go to USH at some point next year is because we are relatively close to it (4ish hrs drive) but I would never fly across the country for it.

 

[foolish_mortals]

Agree with everyone here. We are big HP fans and love all of the Universal franchises and the Backlot Tour but on an average wait time day it’s a half day park without ExpressPass.

It really only takes about half a day to do and see everything at USH. Last time we started at opening did all the rides and were struggling to find things to do by noon. We had to kill a lot of time while waiting for the next Waterworld show.

 

[Aspencreek]

The DLR trip reports have me nervous. This is a big trip for us, one we make every 5 or so years and one we can barely afford. Money's tight and we have Cdn dollars. I'm wondering if they would stretch further at Universal Studios until DLR gets recent problems worked out?

If you go to DLR/DCA will you be able to buy Genie+? I would plan on that being a MUST BUY at this point. We were in the parks for 4 days last month (10/23-10/26). We bought Genie+ for all 4 days. First 2 days at DLR was very busy but JUST tolerable with Genie+ getting us on some rides. 3rd day was at Oogie and that was great during the party. 4th day (Wednesday) had INSANE crowds and even with Genie+ it was so bad with lines and constant breakdowns that we gave up in frustration at about 3pm and left the park in disgust. If that had been the first time we visited DLR I don't think we would ever go again. Maybe it won't be as bad when you go but its such a roll-of-the-dice these days. If you can't buy Genie+ then I'd say you might want to switch to Universal for a day and then a day somewhere else - maybe Knotts and their Merry Farm? Or if you have the mindset going in that you are ok with just a few rides and otherwise exploring is fine, then it might go better and you will be pleasantly surprised. Although after typing that I just now looked up the crowd calendar isitpacked and they list your days in red with a status of "Forget About It" -- so be prepared with a lot of patience if you go.

 

[starlite_]

If you go to DLR/DCA will you be able to buy Genie+? I would plan on that being a MUST BUY at this point. We were in the parks for 4 days last month (10/23-10/26). We bought Genie+ for all 4 days. First 2 days at DLR was very busy but JUST tolerable with Genie+ getting us on some rides. 3rd day was at Oogie and that was great during the party. 4th day (Wednesday) had INSANE crowds and even with Genie+ it was so bad with lines and constant breakdowns that we gave up in frustration at about 3pm and left the park in disgust. If that had been the first time we visited DLR I don't think we would ever go again. Maybe it won't be as bad when you go but its such a roll-of-the-dice these days. If you can't buy Genie+ then I'd say you might want to switch to Universal for a day and then a day somewhere else - maybe Knotts and their Merry Farm? Or if you have the mindset going in that you are ok with just a few rides and otherwise exploring is fine, then it might go better and you will be pleasantly surprised. Although after typing that I just now looked up the crowd calendar isitpacked and they list your days in red with a status of "Forget About It" -- so be prepared with a lot of patience if you go.

You went in no-go-October thought, your experience is (fortunately) not the standard. Not saying it will not be busy, but it will be a nicer kinda busy than October.

 

[Aspencreek]

You went in no-go-October thought, your experience is (fortunately) not the standard. Not saying it will not be busy, but it will be a nicer kinda busy than October.

And they are planning on being there over New Years break. Would think it's pretty comparable to our late October mid-week trip. Not trying to scare them or be a buzzkill, but just give them as honest of an expectation as possible. Here's what Undercover Tourist says:

Is It Packed at Disneyland? Here's the Easiest Way to Tell​

This post is going to dive into all the nitty-gritty details, and the whys and hows of crowds, but let's just cut to the chase. The easiest way to know if it will be crowded at Disneyland is to ask yourself:

• Is it a major U.S. holiday?
• Are most kids out of school?

If the answer is yes to one or both of these questions, there will be bigger crowds. Another thing to be aware of is major school breaks, and not just in California, and not just for spring or summer break. Many Arizona schools have breaks in the first half of October. Utah schools also have a fall break in mid-October. The spring breaks at major universities in California in late March also influence crowd levels.

 

[katyringo]

OP- We went in October- it was crazy busy, but we had a great trip! I have a day-by-day report around here somewhere. I wouldn't switch! I would just get a good rope drop strategy down and go for it!

 

[DLgal]

There are no hotels af USH that include express pass. USH only has like 8 rides. It's absolutely NOT a substitute for Disneyland. At all.

 

[cmph]

I'm a little surprised that people consider USH a half day park. It's been a few years, but we went for 2 days and did not run out of things to do. I think maybe the 2 Harry Potter rides were the only things my family repeated. I will say, we went on every ride and to every show. I guess repeat visitors (or possibly those without kids) may not spend time wandering around waving wands at things or trying every version of butter beer. In any case, we went b/c it was an easy weekend trip for our HP-obsessed son's birthday, but no one would pick it over DL. We have family who recently (earlier this month) went to both, and sadly the only big negatives were about DL (all the rides being down, constantly, crowds, the usual complaints you have read).

 

[lorimt]

We went to DL in July 2019 and were somewhat disappointed due to the weather and packed parks. Had a few days break and then went to universal and were seriously underwhelmed. None of us liked it. Even with the crowds, DL was so much better.

 

[xipotec]

We had a good time at DLR last August….

that being said, we are doing US FL instead of WDW in Feb.

Tired of all the planning and issues. And WDW has been way worse than DL.

 

[Pluto468]

Don't cancel your Disneyland trip. You'll have a great time. We went in June, when it was ridiculously hot and crowd levels were 9 every day, but we still had a wonderful trip. It was busy but by using Genie+, staying late and rope dropping we were able to do everything we wanted and more. Galaxy's Edge is amazing, your kids will love it! The Avengers campus is also really great.

We went to Universal for a day during our June trip, and Hogsmead was spectacular. Our whole family loves Harry Potter and we spent a few hours there, but didn't do anything else in Universal. It's worth going there some time if your kids are HP fans, but I wouldn't do it instead of Disneyland.