Help This Disney Girl with Universal Questions

[Koz]

I have to admit, the prospect of NOT putting a theme park tactical assault plan in place 6 and 3 months out is intriguing. Knowing that I won't need to wake my kids at 6AM to get to an 8AM rope drop, while they are trying to enjoy making it through to closing is something we've never done before. Not caring where we eat and whether we have an uber-exclusive reservation for dining is a foreign thing to us.

By all accounts, a visit to Disney is a "trip," while heading to Universal can be considered to be a "vacation."

 

[tweak89]

We've pondered split stays in the past but never pulled the trigger since there was such a disparity in planning. With a split stay you still have to spend all that time micro-managing once part which kind of defeats the purpose when including Universal in the equation. Our next Disney trip will be to DLR since it's very similar in planning to Universal. It's a shame really, since there is so much to love about WDW, but once you go Universal, it's hard to go back!

 

[Meech Loves Mickey]

The only thing I could think to add to the already great advice is that most of us book directly with the hotel (Loewshotel.com) and then you’ll get cancellation rights up to 3 days before check in and then you can buy your tickets directly from UO or from undercover tourist (which is really reliable).

The packages dont save you anything in our experience but do offer less flexibility since you have to pay to make changes. The meal plan gets mixed reviews but no one really finds great savings. There are a couple of food choices that might offer a slight savings but nothing worth locking yourself into a meal plan. HOWEVER if you do find you want it you can add it right there at the cashier.

By booking thru loweshotel.com, do you still get the Express pass?
Thanks.

 

[macraven]

By booking thru loweshotel.com, do you still get the Express pass?
Thanks.

Anyone staying at the 3 upper hotels on site receives the free ep

Does not matter who or where you booked the reservation

Peeps that book thru orbitz or other online sites receive the Loews perks when staying on site at PBH, hrh or rph

 

[Elliemay2]

We have been to Disney several times in the past couple years. We REALLY want to see Universal, but can't justify it. How are you getting a value deal? We have stayed at YC, CB, and BW in DS. Will be staying at POP in May. How can I justify 2 days there with their crazy prices and having to get the EP. We have a fam of 5 and the other family going with us has a fam of 6. Everything I price seems really high...even the hotels that offer EP. Any pointers for split stays that doesn't kill the wallet for large families? We could stay at our Disney resort and just take a park break to Universal, but tickets are crazy high IMHO. Thanks!

 

[GoldmanTrust]

The short stays are pricey and it's tough to get around it. My friend is going to Florida with his family and wanted to visit Universal for a single day. After we sat down and went over the details, price points etc, he ended up deciding to go to Volcano Bay. Maybe that's something worth considering? Single day ticket for 70 bucks.

 

[Erica_Haley]

My mom and I are annual passholders for Universal, she's an annual passholder for Disney as well. That being said, we go frequently and refuse to spend the extra money at a resort that includes the express pass when we don't need it. We stay at the onsite hotel that doesn't include the express pass, Cabana Bay Beach Resort. We use the single rider line it's considerably shorter, but I can understand a family wouldn't want to use a single rider line because their family would be split up. My mom and I have noticed if we time our trips right, we don't even need to use the single rider lines. Plus if it's your first time at either Harry Potter parks, you miss a lot of the details in the lines if you do single rider or express pass. I've had multiple trips where everything we rode was 10 minutes or less of a wait, no single rider line needed.

 

[bumbershoot]

With a split stay you still have to spend all that time micro-managing once part which kind of defeats the purpose when including Universal in the equation.

Toss Uni at the end and have a vacation at the end of your "vacation".

Our next Disney trip will be to DLR since it's very similar in planning to Universal.

Hmm. Have you been to DLR? It's closer to WDW nowadays than it is to Uni. IMO.

We could stay at our Disney resort and just take a park break to Universal, but tickets are crazy high IMHO.

One day tickets are always ridiculous. We once used our DVC points to stay one night at Boardwalk in a 1 bedroom (to do laundry after our Disneyland trip and before our Universal Florida stay), and when our dryer didn't work that late night and we had to stay longer that next day to get the laundry done in the public laundry room, we considered heading to Epcot. And then we laughed and laughed thinking of a ONE day ticket to WDW.

Currently it doesn't look like Uni and WDW are so far apart in their one day hoppers...


As for large families, I don't know. The universe laughed at our wish for 3 children and we have only the one. So we don't know. But I would imagine that as your family size goes up you simply expect that costs will go up. Right? That's what my cousin, with 3. kids, says. Multiplication is icky when dollars are involved!

 

[Elliemay2]

But I would imagine that as your family size goes up you simply expect that costs will go up. Right?

YES.. Especially when they hit 9 years old and Disney considers them Adults. Ours are 15, 12 and 8. Just eating in town at a "cheap" location can add up... even if everyone gets water.

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

Split stays are expensive, you basically have a short stay at Disney and a short stay at Uni. One simply is not cheaper than the other, I have ran the numbers a million ways, except for possibly free dining at WDW. We did that once, never again, way too packed for us! Both parks have ticket structures that are very similar, the additional 3rd day to 5th day are nothing, but one or two day stays are expensive.

Many "Disney" families experience sticker shock when they look at Universal hotels that include EP, even more so for the families who stay at values or moderates. All I can ask is: how much would you pay for a family of 5 for unlimited fast passes with no planning 30 to 60 days ahead, just show up at any park at any time and get in the FP line? If Disney offered this perk at their high end hotels, they could easily double the already high prices and never have an empty room...

The debate of which park you like better is valid. Some families just love the Disney IPs and some lover the universal IPs. At Disney, you have a plethora of slow moving cart/boat rides with scenes from favorite Disney characters/movies. At Universal, same thing, but faster screen-based "ride the movie" type rides.

But, in my opinion, the value of a paid for EP (either separate or embedded in hotel pricing) over the "free" FastPass reservation system is not debate at all.

 

[GoldmanTrust]

My mom and I are annual passholders for Universal, she's an annual passholder for Disney as well. That being said, we go frequently and refuse to spend the extra money at a resort that includes the express pass when we don't need it. We stay at the onsite hotel that doesn't include the express pass, Cabana Bay Beach Resort. We use the single rider line it's considerably shorter, but I can understand a family wouldn't want to use a single rider line because their family would be split up. My mom and I have noticed if we time our trips right, we don't even need to use the single rider lines. Plus if it's your first time at either Harry Potter parks, you miss a lot of the details in the lines if you do single rider or express pass. I've had multiple trips where everything we rode was 10 minutes or less of a wait, no single rider line needed.

Agree whole heartedly. I have never waited for than 20 minutes at Universal, never used EP, been in the park many many many times and done every ride multiple times. But I understand that my family and I are very mobile. My wife and I are former athletes and we can still move. And our daughter is 8 and is very athletic and focused in the parks.
We use tha app and just see what has a short queue.

We like things at a fast pace.

But some families have smaller children, people that arent mobile, so I understand that our way is not an option for all.
But it is definitely something worth considering for people who like to walk.

 

[soniam]

Split stay. We always do that. The Universal Deluxe hotels, which include unlimited Express Pass, are completely worth the cost.

 

[agavegirl1]

I enjoy the Universal Deluxe hotels and the EP but don't always need them. On a weekday if you get there for park opening, you can get by without it. I just love to end my Orlando vacations with Universal for a vacation from my vacation. We always do a split stay for 15-16 days. It used to be 8 but Disney required more than four days after a while, especially with crowds and FP+ so we doubled it.