Trip to the dark side or SW/BG?

[ktate82]

We are a WDW family and have a long trip coming up this Sept/Oct. We currently have 6 day PH with the water park and more option as when we originally planned it, we were spending a week at WDW and then a week Disney cruise. Then we extended our WDW part to two weeks due to having an extra week in a timeshare to use and then the cruise. So we have two options on our extended stay:

1) Upgrade our WDW tickets to 10 day and go to Sea World/Busch Gardens each for a day

2) Get 4 days of one park per day Universal tickets. This option is about $210 more. (the park to park is 3 days of tickets for an extra $370....I can't see the Hogwarts express being worth $160).

We have been to Sea World, but never to Busch Gardens or either Universal park. It will be DH, DD11, DS10, and myself. We enjoy roller coasters. DH enjoys Harry Potter, but the kids and I are just eh about it. My concern is without having the Express Pass option, would we spend the majority of the day waiting in line? We have WDW down to a science and rarely wait more that 20 mins for what we want to do. To reserve a room for two days of EP, it would be an extra $300, and we weren't really wanting to spend that much more. I think we would enjoy it, but I worry due to not having the EP and if it would be to much to do.

 

[Cuchman]

I am probably less informed than others will be, but here's my $.02 on the matter:
My family and I are relatively recent "converts" to Universal and I have to say - choose Universal!

We (DD 16, DS 14, DD 12, and DW) made our first trip last August (2015) and stayed at Cabana Bay - no express passes - and we had a fabulous time. We are rope-droppers and have no problem with single rider lines. We rode and did everything for 4 days with no problems. We liked it SO much that we went back in February and upgraded our tickets to annual passes (retroactively, Universal lets you do this). Second trip, we stayed at Hard Rock and got EP. We used them a lot, but the family consensus was that we didn't really need them. I am in the process - literally tonight - of booking ANOTHER trip for the few days before out annual passes expire, this time back at Cabana Bay and with no EPs. I don't think you need them.

Even if you are so-so on HP - those parts of the parks are AMAZING. Best themed stuff anywhere. And outside of HP, everything is so fun. Rollercoasters are fabulous, other rides also wonderful//.....it's just great. So worth it.

Just to summarize, we're long time Disney fans and have been there many many times. After our first trip to UO - we loved it SO much that we're currently planning our third over the course of a year. I could not recommend it more.

 

[ktate82]

I am probably less informed than others will be, but here's my $.02 on the matter:
My family and I are relatively recent "converts" to Universal and I have to say - choose Universal!

We (DD 16, DS 14, DD 12, and DW) made our first trip last August (2015) and stayed at Cabana Bay - no express passes - and we had a fabulous time. We are rope-droppers and have no problem with single rider lines. We rode and did everything for 4 days with no problems. We liked it SO much that we went back in February and upgraded our tickets to annual passes (retroactively, Universal lets you do this). Second trip, we stayed at Hard Rock and got EP. We used them a lot, but the family consensus was that we didn't really need them. I am in the process - literally tonight - of booking ANOTHER trip for the few days before out annual passes expire, this time back at Cabana Bay and with no EPs. I don't think you need them.

Even if you are so-so on HP - those parts of the parks are AMAZING. Best themed stuff anywhere. And outside of HP, everything is so fun. Rollercoasters are fabulous, other rides also wonderful//.....it's just great. So worth it.

Just to summarize, we're long time Disney fans and have been there many many times. After our first trip to UO - we loved it SO much that we're currently planning our third over the course of a year. I could not recommend it more.

Thanks for your thoughts! We are rope droppers and figured the HP rides were the longest line in the parks so if we head there first, that should help with the lines. I'm glad to hear that you guys don't think they are really needed. I thought spreading it out over 4 days would help too.

 

[AmberK24]

I think you already got great advice!
1) One of the things to keep in mind with that time of year is Halloween Horror nights. If this is something that you don't plan on attending, I strongly recommend trying to attend the park on non-HHN nights, as the park will be open later & the HHN crowds really start to pour in starting in mid afternoon. If you can come on Mon-Wed without HHN, you should be able to easily get through the parks in 3 days, without EP.
2) If you stay on property, use the extra morning hour and go straight to the major HP attraction in that land...it only gets busier as the day goes on. If you are off property or miss the extra hour, go straight to the other parks HP major attraction as soon as it opens. Gringotts line tends to get a little shorter right at the end of the night & don't miss Diagon Alley during the day and at dark...different, but both awesome. I am not a HP nut, but both of these lands are absolutely not to be missed and take more time than just the rides.
3) While that price sounds like a lot for 1 attraction, it is worth it. Ride it both ways. Also, the UO parks are SOOOOO much closer and easier to navigate from one to the other than the WDW parks are, don't use that as your benchmark for if you will use it or not. It much more practical to park hop at UO.
4) One of the things Universal does really well are their water rides, however, I HATE being wet for the rest of the day, so one of my best tips is to really plan a chunk of time for them. We dedicated our warmest day to going to IOA in swimsuits & cover ups, go on a few favorite rides in the morning, when it gets the hottest ride all 3 water rides, then heading back to the hotel pool for a while. The rides are some of the best in the business, but the aftermath just makes me cranky so it is a plan to not have to be in wet clothes for hours.
5) Save your $$ and stay at Cabana Bay...it's really fantastic!! Use what you were planning on the deluxe for EP and get the park to park instead.
6) Use day 4 for either BG or SW...both are good parks but won't even come close to rivaling UO.

You will LOVE UO!

 

[keishashadow]

We are a WDW family and have a long trip coming up this Sept/Oct. We currently have 6 day PH with the water park and more option as when we originally planned it, we were spending a week at WDW and then a week Disney cruise. Then we extended our WDW part to two weeks due to having an extra week in a timeshare to use and then the cruise. So we have two options on our extended stay:

1) Upgrade our WDW tickets to 10 day and go to Sea World/Busch Gardens each for a day

2) Get 4 days of one park per day Universal tickets. This option is about $210 more. (the park to park is 3 days of tickets for an extra $370....I can't see the Hogwarts express being worth $160).

We have been to Sea World, but never to Busch Gardens or either Universal park. It will be DH, DD11, DS10, and myself. We enjoy roller coasters. DH enjoys Harry Potter, but the kids and I are just eh about it. My concern is without having the Express Pass option, would we spend the majority of the day waiting in line? We have WDW down to a science and rarely wait more that 20 mins for what we want to do. To reserve a room for two days of EP, it would be an extra $300, and we weren't really wanting to spend that much more. I think we would enjoy it, but I worry due to not having the EP and if it would be to much to do.

Mouse owns me, I love Universal too, can do a split stay in my sleep lol. The way I'd play it:

1) When you say you 'have' the WDW 6 day PH/WP option, do you mean it's in-hand or ordered as part of a hotel package. Wondering if you could adust. Didn't check, that price is close to $500, I think. Have you considered upgrading to an AP and squeezing another trip before it expires next year?

We enjoy the WDW water parks but once a trip is plenty for us, especially when doing a cruise combo trip.

2). SW & BG are both nice in their own right but Universal is heads & shoulders above IMO.

Yes, yes & yes, the park to park option is worth it. Even moreso is idea of booking one of the onsite properties if only for a night or two to have the FOTL perk. That way you could easily 'do' the parks in 2 or 3 days. Hotel prices @ U fluctuate. Try pricing out onsite stay with APH code and run the numbers to see if buying just one AP would work out for you.

As mentioned above, you are running into Halloween festivities. Have you considered attending MNSSHP or HHN (although the kids might be a bit too young if horror isn't their thing).

 

[Cuchman]

One additional thought - I have not looked at current numbers, but last year, when I priced it out, the annual power pass was a better deal than four day park-to-park tix. It also gave us a nice discount at onsite hotels. Probably worth checking out.

 

[Sarahbelle341]

We did the one park per day tickets and found them to be fine. We didn't wait longer than 25 minutes for anything except the minions ride which we waited 40. We aren't huge Harry Potter fans and didn't really have a strong desire to ride the train so we skipped the park hoppers and never missed them. There is plenty in each park to do to fill a day. We are big Disney fans and I was surprised how much we enjoyed Universal.

 

[hubbard53]

we are universal all the way - although we still go to Epcot Food and Wine festival

Universal is just easier. I can walk between parks, walk from my hotel (if staying onsite), lines are shorter (usually), and crowds are lighter (usually).

Disney just seems so hard. I have to make dining reservations MONTHS in advanced (and usually dont get what I want), have limited Fast Pass options which I also have to reserve MONTHS in advance, and the crowds are just .. i dunno... MEAN. Seriously, Disney just stresses me out b/c i feel like everyone there is stressed out trying to eek out every dime of value for their highpriced disney vacation.

or, it could just be that I can enjoy adult beverages at Universal so my stress level is reduced

 

[Parker Clan]

I can't imagine going to FLA and not going to both Universal and Disney! They're both SO amazing. We've done both the last five years. Last August, the wait at Gringotts was 15 mins every time. We had the EP since we stayed at RPR, so I am not sure what the lines would be like without it. Anyways, it's not even a question whether or not we do Universal. In some ways, the HP lands/rides are better than the Dis

 

[ktate82]

Mouse owns me, I love Universal too, can do a split stay in my sleep lol. The way I'd play it:

1) When you say you 'have' the WDW 6 day PH/WP option, do you mean it's in-hand or ordered as part of a hotel package. Wondering if you could adust. Didn't check, that price is close to $500, I think. Have you considered upgrading to an AP and squeezing another trip before it expires next year?

We enjoy the WDW water parks but once a trip is plenty for us, especially when doing a cruise combo trip.

2). SW & BG are both nice in their own right but Universal is heads & shoulders above IMO.

Yes, yes & yes, the park to park option is worth it. Even moreso is idea of booking one of the onsite properties if only for a night or two to have the FOTL perk. That way you could easily 'do' the parks in 2 or 3 days. Hotel prices @ U fluctuate. Try pricing out onsite stay with APH code and run the numbers to see if buying just one AP would work out for you.

As mentioned above, you are running into Halloween festivities. Have you considered attending MNSSHP or HHN (although the kids might be a bit too young if horror isn't their thing).

Yes, we actually have our tickets in hand. DH and I were going to go last year, but we ended up doing a cruise instead. We have one week each at a timeshare, so any hotel room we got at Universal would be a "throwaway room" so to speak as we prob wouldn't actually stay there.

We have talked about doing that, but with that and the park to park, it would be an extra $685 over what we were planning to spend and we would loose a day at Universal.

We have been to MNSSHP every year since 2010, but we wanted to do something different this year so thats why we are looking at Universal or BG. We don't have much interest in HHN due to us not really being into "horror" stuff (I think it would be neat, but not later on when my kids couldn't sleep lol).

 

[ktate82]

One additional thought - I have not looked at current numbers, but last year, when I priced it out, the annual power pass was a better deal than four day park-to-park tix. It also gave us a nice discount at onsite hotels. Probably worth checking out.

Thanks! I just looked it up, and it looks like it would be $940 for the four of us (which is only $47 more than the park to park tickets!). Not a bad price if we could fit an extra trip in, but we are moving and I'm starting a graduate program that won't allow us to vacation for a few years.

 

[keishashadow]

OP SW does have 'free' Halloween spooktackular on weekends, your kids might enjoy it.

We've visited BG often, once mid week in October, a night their haunted houses weren't operating. I was surprised as to the rather 'sexy/adult' images that were on display a few years ago. Not prudes, my guys loved it, and it's still on our bucket list to figure out how to work it into our annual Halloween trip, but I could imagine some questions being raised by younger guests. Might want to check out reviews of BG from last year around the same time frame to see if they have started to cover up the displays if that would be an issue for your family.

 

[Jonny_Duck]

Thanks! I just looked it up, and it looks like it would be $940 for the four of us (which is only $47 more than the park to park tickets!). Not a bad price if we could fit an extra trip in, but we are moving and I'm starting a graduate program that won't allow us to vacation for a few years.

If it were me in that situation then I'd prob go with one day each at Universal park and the 2 day for $99 tickets for SW/BG.

 

[wookiebeck]

Posting to the Universal board is going to get you many Uni votes.

That being said, my family does watch the wallet in situations like this. You have a full two weeks to use your WDW tix. You could just go to parks for 6 days and water parks the other 6. You could upgrade your 6-day WDW tix to 10-day for only a few more $$. That covers having plenty to do. We did this and our touring plan became less hectic and more leisurely. We had a blast taking midday pool breaks etc.

 

[ktate82]

Posting to the Universal board is going to get you many Uni votes.

That being said, my family does watch the wallet in situations like this. You have a full two weeks to use your WDW tix. You could just go to parks for 6 days and water parks the other 6. You could upgrade your 6-day WDW tix to 10-day for only a few more $$. That covers having plenty to do. We did this and our touring plan became less hectic and more leisurely. We had a blast taking midday pool breaks etc.

Lol, I thought if I posted on the WDW board, the votes would sway towards extending our WDW tickets!

Our original plan was to just upgrade our tickets and go to WDW a few more days and throw in SW. The kids had asked to go to SW since we hadn't been in awhile, and they wanted something different. I saw on UT that a 2 day Universal ticket came with two "free" days so a 4 day wasn't that much more to do than extending WDW tickets and SW. I just wasn't sure if it was something that would be worth it since we wouldn't get the park to park or have the EP and if we should save it for a time we could stay on property and get those options. Adding the Universal does make our trip a bit busier, but I thought at 4 days, we may not be as rushed. We would be there when the parks opened and just stay till we were done for the day.

 

[luvsJack]

I vote to do Universal too! And I think 4 days would make for some great touring without the rush.

We have been to SW twice. Trip last month and about 10 years ago. 10 years ago we loved it. This time not so much. We loved the shows and dd and dh like the roller coasters--I can't really put my finger on the exact thing but we were just disappointed in the park. Part of it was the staff.

 

[Cuchman]

Thanks! I just looked it up, and it looks like it would be $940 for the four of us (which is only $47 more than the park to park tickets!). Not a bad price if we could fit an extra trip in, but we are moving and I'm starting a graduate program that won't allow us to vacation for a few years.

If you are staying onsite, it might save you more than that on annual pass rates on the hotels....I think we are saving $35 a night at Canada bay on our next trip because of the annual pass rates. Just another money data point to consider!
You could also get just one AP for the hotel discounts.