Universal then WDW onsite, or WDW onsite entire stay with day trip to Universal?

[DisBabe94]

Hey everyone! I am having a a hard time deciding what would be best for DH and I's 10 night trip. It is just us two, no kids.
Should we stay two nights at a Universal area hotel (I don't think we would pay for onsite) and then move to WDW for the remaining 8 nights, or stay in WDW the whole trip and take two separate day trips over to Universal?
The plus side of staying near Universal would be being closer to the parks so we wouldn't have to wake up as early, and also have the freedom to go home midday for a break if we desire. Or to go home and chill and come back to City Walk at night. On the down side, we wouldn't be able to use DME for our arriving flight. Another down side I am thinking is that DH might get Disney'd out, and that it would be better for us to sprinkle in the trips to Universal throughout our Disney stay. But that means waking up early and being "trapped" at the park all day.
We have never done a long trip like this before and are both very excited , thanks for any insight you might be able to provide!!

 

[SgtTibbs]

I selected stay at WDW the whole time. We get to use DME which combined with online check in/Magicbands lets us go directly to the park of our choice without stopping by the hotel, and I'm a big fan of Un-pack once. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Accident]

The first time I went I stayed at disney and day tripped it. Now that I got my feet wet, I'd either plan more days in the future or just stay there for a couple nights.. It's a hard call if your a disney fan who may want to start and end with disney....

For first trip, day trip it but do it early enough in the trip if you decide you want the second day to see more.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We do Disney World first staying at one of their resorts and then move to a Universal Resort for the Universal part - I like being at one of the Universal Resorts with the unlimited hotel express pass and it's so nice to spend evenings at Citywalk just by walking there.

Occasionally when I go solo, I'll stay one night at Universal first (which basically gives me 2 days of unlimited fast pass at Universal if I get there early enough the first day) and then move over to Disney World after and I sure miss the express pass when I get to Disney.

As far as DME goes, you could always skip it when you arrive and book one of the towncar rental companies who could pick you up from the airport, take you to Universal and when you are done at Universal you could have them take you to Disney. You would just need to schedule all of that upfront. Plus alot of them would give you a grocery stop too.

Then schedule DME back to the airport when you are ready to go home from Disney.

 

[DisBabe94]

I selected stay at WDW the whole time. We get to use DME which combined with online check in/Magicbands lets us go directly to the park of our choice without stopping by the hotel, and I'm a big fan of Un-pack once. Your mileage may vary.

Yeah I agree with the use of DME and unpacking once! The ability to show up and be able to jump into Disney is super appealing as well. Thanks for your opinion!

The first time I went I stayed at disney and day tripped it. Now that I got my feet wet, I'd either plan more days in the future or just stay there for a couple nights.. It's a hard call if your a disney fan who may want to start and end with disney....

For first trip, day trip it but do it early enough in the trip if you decide you want the second day to see more.

What you said about starting and ending with Disney is key. After writing this post I am starting to realize that that is more important to me than being close to Universal during our visit!! I also think that DH might fall in love with Universal and want to spend extra days there, which is not as much of a possibility with a split stay. Thank you so much for your insight

 

[marchingstar]

We've done both--stayed on-site at Disney the whole time with Universal day trips (twice) and split stays with Disney and Universal hotels (three times). With 10 days, I would do the second option. When we've done split stays, we always do Disney first and then Universal. A big part of the reason comes down to how Disney and Universal hotels differ. Deluxe hotels at Universal are, in my experience, much more affordable than Disney deluxes (the cost is more in line with moderates). But the resorts are much more compact, much closer to the parks (walking distance if you stay at Royal Pacific or Hard Rock), and they come with unlimited express passes, which is basically an all-day fastpass that works for most attractions. You also get priority seating at a lot of the great restaurants in CityWalk with your room key, so no need to make reservations. It feels seriously luxurious after a week of intensively-planned and timed Disney fun to just wander into the park and do anything you'd like--little waiting, minimal transit times, and almost no planning needed (other than, say, knowing to hit Harry Potter early or late). Because the hotels are so close, I also find it's a nice way to get some extra relaxing in before heading back home--if the pool is a 10 minute walk from the park, it's no big deal to take an afternoon break, for example).

 

[powellrj]

I would stay at one of the Universal Hotels. They are lovely and about the same price as a mod at WDW. You get Express Pass which is nice too.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would do WDW first then move over and finish with Universal at an onsite deluxe hotel. On our first Orlando trip we did it somewhat in the middle and HATED coming back to WDW. FP is horrid compared to unlimited express pass, the WDW resorts aren't resort-y at all once you've experienced the full relaxation of the onsite deluxes at Uni, etc.

I'd gladly pay for a rental car or $50 for a cab back to the airport.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We have split stays between US and WDW for several years now.

We always start at WDW and end at US. Staying on site (we like Hard Rock as it's 3-5min walk to the parks).

Staying at a deluxe will give you unlimited Express Pass to all participating rides, the day you check in, during your stay and then the day you check out. To us the unlimited Express Pass perk makes the onsite rates worth it. Buying a pass (which you can use only once per ride) and staying at a cheaper off site hotel is about the same price as the deluxe onsite hotels. Being able to walk quickly to and from the parks and City walk is fantastic and makes our trip so much more enjoyable.

We do not like driving while on vacation, so we hire a town car and do a three way pick up/drop off. They will pick you up at the airport-take you to WDW. Pick you up at WDW-take you to US and then pick you up at US and take you to the airport. The towncar hire is cheaper than renting a car for the whole trip.

 

[Planogirl]

How about stay at Universal and then make a few day trips to WDW? At least that's how I prefer to do it.

That aside, I would try to stay onsite at Universal. If you want to watch your funds check out Cabana Bay. It's IMO a fabulous resort with super quick bus service and early entry for one of the Harry Potter areas. You can often get a great deal and with a small party getting Express with the room added might still be less costly than a deluxe depending on when you go. We don't bother with the Express but it's nice to know it's there if needed.

 

[crazy_for_the_dis]

I agree with everyone here, disney first then end at a universal deluxe (HRH, RPH or PBH since they include the unlimited express passes, Cabana Bay and Saphire Falls do not, but are less expensive). Universal will spoil you, and will negatively affect the Disney part of the trip if you do it in reverse.

 

[MisWal]

We're day tripping it this trip, but I would prefer to spend a couple days onsite at Universal and then move to WDW. There's a big bonus to having an included Express Pass and the ease of getting to the parks, depending on where you stay at Universal.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

We faced the same issue. We're doing USO in the middle of our stay, on a weekend when there will be a half-marathon at Epcot that we'll miss. So on-site at the Cabins at FW at WDW, then on-site at Pacific at USO, and finally finishing at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. My logic is based on my experiences with two DLR trips that were split the same way, with other California excursions in the middle of starting and ending our trips at Disneyland.
First, let me say that we don't mind moving around because we want to be close to where we're spending the day, and I find having to pack up in the middle gives a reality check on how much room we have left for (more) souvenirs and helps us not get too spread out. In the end, it makes the final pack up easier and quicker, but YMMV.
Of course we're most excited about Disney, so we want that right away. But when it's time for Harry Potter (the only thing I'm going to USO for), we want to make full use of the early hour we get as on-site guests, and we know we can realistically only do that if we're already there when we wake up. (If you two don't mind a super-early morning while on vacation, maybe it's different, but I hate needing an alarm clock on vacation.) The Express passes will also be very important, as we only get two days, so they'll help us use our time efficiently. Staying at USO's hotels are cheaper than staying elsewhere for less and buying Express passes. I mean, I'm terribly glad to hear people describing them as "deluxe" and "luxurious," but the hotels are really worth it to us just for the early hour and Express.
But I also know that I won't be able to leave Orlando without ending at WDW and MK, so we're ending there with a MVMCP.

There's no wrong choice here: You get to go to US and WDW! You're going to have a great time!

 

[gorkt]

I stayed at WDW onsite the last trip with two day trips to Universal. We were only interested in seeing Harry Potter, so getting on every ride wasn't urgent and wasn't worth the hassle of moving from one hotel to the other. Plus, I liked spacing out the days and interspersing them with WDW days - it had a nice flow. We were able to see everything we wanted and needed to see, did end up riding most rides over two days, and I kept the option available to purchase the unlimited express pass if Universal got super slammed on a day we were there. This was in 2013 so hopefully this will still hold for this trip as well since we are going back to see Diagon Alley.

 

[Keyser]

Deluxe hotels at Universal are, in my experience, much more affordable than Disney deluxes (the cost is more in line with moderates).

I would stay at one of the Universal Hotels. They are lovely and about the same price as a mod at WDW. You get Express Pass which is nice too.

This might be true at some times, but it's not always true. For our trip in July, we're paying more per night at Royal Pacific than at Yacht Club. Given the value of the express passes, we think it's worth it, but it's not as though Universal is particularly cheaper...


In response to the first question. If you are not staying on site at Universal, I would stay at WDW. Changing hotels is a hassle. And in our experience, the process of heading back to the hotel for a break is dominated by the time to walk out of the park, get to the car, etc. much more so than the driving time, which (except for traffic) is not usually that stressful...

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Especially with 10 nights, I would really recommend splitting your stay. US has great hotels that are more reasonably priced than WDW hotels and some great restaurants as well. IMHO, I would do at least 3 nights at US to get the full experience there. No matter how you slice it, staying at US or day-tripping it, you still have to pay for transportation there. We did a 4 night/3 night WDW/US split last year and it was great. We started at GF and then stayed at HRH at US. Did all of the Harry Potter attractions and had some great food at Mythos, Cowfish, Mamma Della's and The Kitchen.

 

[qv09vvp]

not to hijack your thread but it did give me an idea that I need clarification on. If I stay 1 night at Universal studios resort , I get an express pass for the day I check in & the day I check out?

 

[bellebud]

If getting on the rides at Universal is important to you, then I'd stay at WDW first, then transfer to Universal for the last 3 days of your trip staying at one of their deluxe hotels for the express pass. If the rides themselves aren't important and you're just going to check it out and enjoy the atmosphere, then I'd stay at Disney the whole time and sprinkle in your Universal visit.

 

[LuvDaisy&Minnie]

Another vote for onsite at Universal. That express pass is just awesome. If you don't plan on staying onsite at universal, then I would just stay at Disney. But that express pass... Love, love, love it!

 

[DisBabe94]

Wow!!! So many good responses... not bad for a first thread if I do say so myself.
It seems there are a lot of advocates for onsite WDW->onsite US for the express pass, walking distance to park and early entry. I need to do some more budget work to see if I can fit onsite Universal into my plan because dang it, you guys have talked me into it!!!! We are definitely people who looove rides, especially thrill rides, and I am a huge Harry Potter fan (too bad those rides aren't included in the Express Pass, right?). But we also enjoy a laid back touring style so the freedom to go back to the resort when we want, as well as the short waits due to the express pass seem super ideal.

Thank you so much everyone for your input!!!