Split WDW/Universal or All Disney all the time?

[mrcase77]

I'm thinking seriously about doing an 8 night solo Disney World trip in Feb 2019 (basically attempting to optimize for lower crowds). Historically I've spent 1 day and two afternoons in MK, half a day in Epcot in the 90's, 1 day at Animal Kingdom a few years ago and I've never set foot in Hollywood Studios. And then I spent 1 day doing both parks at Universal a couple of years ago. (never did a family trip as a kid. long story). I have no interest in shopping or water parks. I love both Star Wars and Harry Potter.

I had thought about doing a solid week at Disney just because I've never done a full week in the mythical "Disney Bubble" like that. But, now I'm starting to read about Disney basically sandbagging guests' experience to save money. Am I better off still going through with a full week at Disney (just to try that experience) and hoping Disney gets it sorted out or am I better off maybe spending 4 days at Disney and 3 at Universal in one of the hotels that has their unlimited fast passes? Is being a solo traveller enough to overcome Disney shenanigans since it'll be easier to move around and get reservations or am I better off hedging my bets with Universal since it seems easier, but not enough to fill a week.

 

[jsmla]

My next trip will be:

Universal-2 nights, offsite. I love, love the three Universal resorts with Express but they aren't in the budget this trip. This time I'm staying at the Comfor Suites within walking distance. It's been a while since I've gone without Express so we'll see how it goes.

SeaWorld/Aquatica-3 nights at the Renaissance SeaWorld with Quick Queue. I have a Platinum pass (DS and family live in Austin and we all enjoy the San Antonio parks.) and this will be a bit more relaxed than UO or WDW.

Disney World-6 nights at All Star Music.

I've done something similar several times and this timetable works for me.

 

[Shanti]

I'm thinking seriously about doing an 8 night solo Disney World trip in Feb 2019 (basically attempting to optimize for lower crowds). Historically I've spent 1 day and two afternoons in MK, half a day in Epcot in the 90's, 1 day at Animal Kingdom a few years ago and I've never set foot in Hollywood Studios. And then I spent 1 day doing both parks at Universal a couple of years ago. (never did a family trip as a kid. long story). I have no interest in shopping or water parks. I love both Star Wars and Harry Potter.

I had thought about doing a solid week at Disney just because I've never done a full week in the mythical "Disney Bubble" like that. But, now I'm starting to read about Disney basically sandbagging guests' experience to save money. Am I better off still going through with a full week at Disney (just to try that experience) and hoping Disney gets it sorted out or am I better off maybe spending 4 days at Disney and 3 at Universal in one of the hotels that has their unlimited fast passes? Is being a solo traveller enough to overcome Disney shenanigans since it'll be easier to move around and get reservations or am I better off hedging my bets with Universal since it seems easier, but not enough to fill a week.

I recommend spending a day at Hollywood Studios, since you're a Star Wars fan. In our shoes I'd split the trip, since you really like Harry Potter.

 

[wisteria1019]

I suggest that whatever you decide, enter with an open mind and heart. There are a lot of critics and Debbie Downers that love to vent and post their disdain. I have been to Disney more than twenty times and it still holds the magic for me. The more consecutive days on your ticket, the more affordable each day becomes. Try the Disney bubble for a week and visit Universal as well. I'm spending ten days in October and look forward to the total immersion. Have a great time.

 

[MikeNamez]

I could never go to one without the other. I have 2 nights at AKL and 4 nights at Saphie Falls in Universal. Can't wait.

 

[mrcase77]

I could never go to one without the other. I have 2 nights at AKL and 4 nights at Saphie Falls in Universal. Can't wait.

Would you do Universal first or Disney first in the week?

 

[MikeNamez]

Would you do Universal first or Disney first in the week?

I've actually done both ways... In my experience I would say doing Universal or Disney first really doesn't make a difference. However, I would decide based on which of the two resorts are nicer and stay there second... for example

We stayed at Royal Pacific in Universal for 4 days and then made our way over to Art of Animation for 5 in WDW. I felt disappointed based on the amenities and physical room space once we got to AOA(Mermaid room). Also moving from taking a boat to the park in Universal to waiting for Disney buses was also less than Ideal.

If your staying at deluxe resorts in both then I don't think you can go wrong.


(Also, i know this contradicts with where I'm staying in Sept (AKL first then Sapphire) but that's because of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. They only do it on the weekends so we had to stay there second.)

 

[mrcase77]

I've actually done both ways... In my experience I would say doing Universal or Disney first really doesn't make a difference. However, I would decide based on which of the two resorts are nicer and stay there second... for example

We stayed at Royal Pacific in Universal for 4 days and then made our way over to Art of Animation for 5 in WDW. I felt disappointed based on the amenities and physical room space once we got to AOA(Mermaid room). Also moving from taking a boat to the park in Universal to waiting for Disney buses was also less than Ideal.

If your staying at deluxe resorts in both then I don't think you can go wrong.


(Also, i know this contradicts with where I'm staying in Sept (AKL first then Sapphire) but that's because of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. They only do it on the weekends so we had to stay there second.)

Makes sense. Thanks for the advice! I'm probably going to do Pop at Disney and one of the deluxes at Universal to get the fast pass so I could definitely see where the busses would suck after spending a few days in walking distance. Especially if the busses aren't running well.

 

[YawningDodo]

I'd base the order on which set of parks you like better and save your favorite for last, assuming you have a good feel for that. I enjoy Universal, but something about it just doesn't click for me the way Disney does, so if/when I ever do a split stay I'll be doing Universal first and Disney second. YMMV. That had been the original plan back in 2015, but once it became a mother/daughter trip instead of a solo trip we ended up just booking a stay at Disney for the entire length and taking a cab to Universal on two separate days. That's totally doable (it is, in fact, the only way I've ever done Universal), but the cab ride is long enough and expensive enough that I felt fairly annoyed by it despite the flexibility it gave us in terms of being able to switch around which days were going to be Universal and which Disney.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I don't know what sandbagging means, lol, but I've done lots of 4-5 night solo trips and they always leave me wanting more. I would totally do 8 nights! I'll be going for a full week after Thanksgiving this year and can't wait. I'm going to do 1.5 days at USO first (Sunday afternoon & Monday), and then do Disney the rest of the week.

 

[mrcase77]

I don't know what sandbagging means, lol, but I've done lots of 4-5 night solo trips and they always leave me wanting more. I would totally do 8 nights! I'll be going for a full week after Thanksgiving this year and can't wait. I'm going to do 1.5 days at USO first (Sunday afternoon & Monday), and then do Disney the rest of the week.

Sandbagging means intentionally underperforming. There’s been speculation they’ve been intentionally understaffing on slow days which drives up wait times and basically makes the parks feel more crowded than they are or can lead to (it sounds like) unreasonable bus waits. If that’s still the case next February that would make for a long 8 days. That’s why I was thinking Universal for a couple days. That way if Disney stinks, there would at least be a couple of days where I could actually ride rides as Universal. But I can tell, you can ride every ride universal has in a day or two with their fast passes. It’s why I’m torn. If Disney’s awesome as it used to be advertised, maybe 4 days isn’t enough. If Disney’s rigging it where you can only ride half a dozen rides a day and you spend the rest of the day in lines or wandering around the park frustrated, the 8 days is going to be miserable. If I’m going to go to Universal, I’d rather stay on property for the convenience.

I appreciate I may be overreacting to the bad reports and the Lynn Testa podcast though.

 

[YawningDodo]

Sandbagging means intentionally underperforming. There’s been speculation they’ve been intentionally understaffing on slow days which drives up wait times and basically makes the parks feel more crowded than they are or can lead to (it sounds like) unreasonable bus waits. If that’s still the case next February that would make for a long 8 days. That’s why I was thinking Universal for a couple days. That way if Disney stinks, there would at least be a couple of days where I could actually ride rides as Universal. But I can tell, you can ride every ride universal has in a day or two with their fast passes. It’s why I’m torn. If Disney’s awesome as it used to be advertised, maybe 4 days isn’t enough. If Disney’s rigging it where you can only ride half a dozen rides a day and you spend the rest of the day in lines or wandering around the park frustrated, the 8 days is going to be miserable. If I’m going to go to Universal, I’d rather stay on property for the convenience.

I appreciate I may be overreacting to the bad reports and the Lynn Testa podcast though.

TBH I do feel like I could do both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in one day with an express pass and have done everything I wanted to do there...but I'd still probably do two days there on a split stay just to take it at a slower pace, allow for afternoon breaks, that kind of thing. If I remember correctly, they usually have a deal that makes it most economical to get a three day pass, so you could do two full days and have the option of going into the Universal parks on the morning of the day you transfer to WDW.

I will say that Disney felt much more crowded on a Saturday in January than I'd expected when I scheduled a one day stop there; I'm not used to going to the parks when it's busy since I used to time things for the off season pretty well (and, arguably, it's getting so there isn't an off season, partly because they probably are decreasing staffing when they expect fewer guests). While it wasn't great to have the longer lines, I did fine and still had a good time (I can't recall off the top of my head how many rides I got on, but it was way more than half a dozen). You'll need to set your priorities and make liberal use of FP+; by refreshing while in line or on the bus I was able to get FP for a fair number of the headliners, and had enough time to wait in line for what I couldn't FP. Going as a solo traveler puts you at an advantage since you're only looking for one FP slot, you can use what single rider lines are available, and sometimes on rides without single rider lines you'll be called to the front ahead of larger groups to fill a gap. And, too, you'll have the advantage of not needing to negotiate what you're doing next, which ends up eating a lot of people's time when traveling in groups.

People were doomsaying on these boards back in 2015 when I was getting ready for a trip, and I went into it wondering if I was going to have any fun at all with the reports of increased crowds and decreased service. And yeah, you have to set your expectations so you're not thinking you're going to just walk right on all the headliner attractions, but I found WDW to still be much more fun than implied by all the negative attitudes on these boards.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Sandbagging means intentionally underperforming. There’s been speculation they’ve been intentionally understaffing on slow days which drives up wait times and basically makes the parks feel more crowded than they are or can lead to (it sounds like) unreasonable bus waits. If that’s still the case next February that would make for a long 8 days. That’s why I was thinking Universal for a couple days. That way if Disney stinks, there would at least be a couple of days where I could actually ride rides as Universal. But I can tell, you can ride every ride universal has in a day or two with their fast passes. It’s why I’m torn. If Disney’s awesome as it used to be advertised, maybe 4 days isn’t enough. If Disney’s rigging it where you can only ride half a dozen rides a day and you spend the rest of the day in lines or wandering around the park frustrated, the 8 days is going to be miserable. If I’m going to go to Universal, I’d rather stay on property for the convenience.

I appreciate I may be overreacting to the bad reports and the Lynn Testa podcast though.

Ahhh, gotcha. I will say the crowds have been a lot more spread out the past year or two. October used to be low season & now it's high. I haven't been in Feb for 2 years, but I was just there for a weekend in March (24-25) and it was less crowded than I was expecting! I think 4 days will be enough, because I did 3.5 days in October & in December and I did everything I wanted to. I could've stayed longer for sure, but I didn't leave feeling like I wasn't able to ride anything. Just plan your fastpasses wisely and know that some things like Haunted Mansion & Pirates frequently have 45-60 minute waits now. I also almost always do long weekends and when I leave on Tuesday/Wednesday the parks are so much emptier! So going on weekdays will definitely help with crowds.

 

[disneyseniors]

We have stayed overnight at Universal before, which lets you go for 2 days. We stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort (loved that resort) and got express pass, which was a big help. Our trip was put right in the middle of our WDW stay. Why? I don't know, but it's just the way it worked out. We got a good taste of Disney before going to Universal, and were ready for more Disney when we got back. Worked for us.

 

[drinkme]

I would go to universal for a few days staying at one of their hotels to get front of the line passes.

I do like my Disney trips but I really love staying at universal & just hopping over to disney for a day

 

[DespinaVictoria]

I'm a huge fan of both! Did both Universal and Disney for 7 years. Spent less time at Universal, usually three days there and seven at Disney. IMO if I'm in Orlando I'm doing both

 

[georgina]

I have done both my last couple of solo trips, and now I do more nights at Universal than Disney, usually about 5:3. At Universal I prefer the closeness of the resorts to the parks, I like going over to Volcano Bay in the morning (big waterpark fan), and just relaxing and pool hopping at the resorts. I spend a half day at some of the Disney parks (full day at MK usually) and hit the highlights of my favorite rides.

I usually do Disney first because Universal is more relaxing, but this time it worked out better to go to Universal first so I am heading there in a few days!

 

[kwdw]

I think you only need two full park days at Universal - park to park with express pass both days. As a solo - I don't think you need longer at Universal. Check the pricing carefully. For me a couple years ago - it was cheaper to stay at Cabana Bay and buy the express pass - than to stay at one of their resorts that includes the express pass. The pricing is assuming more than one person in the room is going to benefit from having the express pass. And they have a new value resort opening soon - again - do the math.

If you have 8 nights in Orlando - I'd spend 1-3 nights at Universal - the rest at Disney. Your travel history you cited suggest you haven't been to Disney alot - you can EASILY fill that whole time. Be sure to book dining, plan time to see the resorts, maybe book a tour, etc. Also - for that long - you might see if you can snag discount DVC room - the studios can be the price of a mod - with the better kitchenette.

I will say this though - as my strategy is to buy an annual pass - use it a ton for year - then back off for a year or so - I don't get to Universal very often - I've only been twice. Both times - I did have a 3 day ticket - and I did go all three days - but I also had time to spend at pool and wandering Citywalk - and on one trip - dealing with the too much heat problem in my hotel room for several hours each day (it was early Sept). Basically - three days was more than enough time for me. I don't like thrill rides - so next time I'm headed back to Universal - I'll probably just do 2 days. The price of buying tickets for both places in one week just scares me off from going to Universal more often.

 

[mrcase77]

Thanks for the feedback. It was definitely super helpful. I think if I can get the stars to align (price wise once the Disney 2019 ones come out), I may seriously consider doing a few Universal days. Royal Pacific sounds pretty awesome. Everyone definitely gave me some things to think about.

 

[Shellyred8]

I would go with 2-3 nights (depending on your arrival time) at Universal and the rest at Disney. We got a 3 day park-to-park pass for Universal and it was the perfect amount of time there for us. We hit each park one day (and a little back and forth with the HP attractions) and then used the 3rd day to go back and do our favorites again. We would've been fine without the 3rd day, but the difference in the ticket price was minimal, so we went for it. We stayed at Cabana Bay. It was a fun resort. There is a bus that takes you to the parks or you can walk. If I were to do it again, and my budget allowed, I would go for one of the higher-end on-site resorts.

I would allow at least 4 nights at Disney if you really want to experience "the bubble" effect. For me, I find anything shorter just isn't enough time for me to let go of the outside world.

It sounds like a fabulous trip!! Have a great time!!