Which park?

[Grandmatoniko]

Hi,
I have not been to Universal in about 14 years so there is so much new. We are usually a Disney family but we are doing a short trip in December. One day in Disney and one in Universal. Which Universal park do you recommend? Me, hubby and our 16 year old.
Thanks!

 

[chiisai]

Are you/family Harry Potter fans? Thrill ride fans?

 

[Grandmatoniko]

Are you/family Harry Potter fans? Thrill ride fans?

My daughter definitely wants to see Harry Potter but which park has it? I'm sorry if I sound dumb with this question but I have no idea.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

There is a Harry Potter section in both parks. I'd take a look at the maps / Universal website and see which park has more rides that you're excited about.

Alternatively, you could do park-to-park tickets to explore both parks - probably not a great idea at the end of Dec, but the beginning of the month may be slow enough that doing both parks in one day may work out fine.

 

[chiisai]

My daughter definitely wants to see Harry Potter but which park has it? I'm sorry if I sound dumb with this question but I have no idea.

As caps lock says, both have Harry Potter worlds. Universal studios Florida has Diagon Ally. Islands of Adventure has Hogsmeade. When we went, I preferred Diagon Ally. There was more room to move around and I enjoyed the gringotts ride. That said, there were more rides in general that my kids liked in Islands of Adventure. Hogsmeade, in islands, has the castle.

If you can swing a Park to Park pass, you can visit both - you could take the Hogwarts Express from Diagon ally to Hogsmeade, or vice verse. Depending on when you plan to go in December, you may want to stat the night at one of the UO hotels that have the universal unlimited express pass included (Portofino Bay, royal pacific, hard rock). Otherwise, you can purchase them separately, they have different options, from one park, one time on each ride, unlimited...

 

[Gina V.]

My vote is to definitely get a two-park pass so your daughter can get to see all of the Harry Potter attractions. And tell her she's free to dress up as a Harry Potter character! Disney doesn't allow teens and adults to dress in character, but I see them all the time at Universal Orlando Resort dressed as students from Harry Potter's world.

 

[Cali_Sparrow]

I'd vote Universal Studios since Hogsmeade on the IoA side has some construction going on right now and there are cranes up in the background of Hogsmeade near the train station. Also Universal has rides and shows in a variety of intensities, and parades/a night-time show that can make for a longer experience. Don't get me wrong, I love Islands of Adventure but if I only had one day I'm not sure I would pick it right now!

 

[WorldNoFace]

I was kind of in the same boat as you when I went to Florida in May. We go to Disney every year but I hadn't been to Universal in about 15 or so. I have to say I enjoyed the Studios side a lot more than Islands of Adventure. Better food options, in my opinion, and more diverse in attractions. Even in terms of Harry Potter stuff, the Diagon Alley part (which is the part in the Studios side) I thought was more impressive than the side in Islands. My opinion is based partly on me going with a young child who couldn't do too much on the Islands side, although I think even that aside, I'd still pick Studios.
Don't get me wrong though, that's not to say I didn't think Islands was awesome, too. I think it's ideal to do both if possible. But if I had to pick just one, Studios all the way.

Didn't get to do the water park, but it looked cool!