Help Me Decide If We Should Plan Side Trip To Universal

[Jasper Dale]

Thanks to WDW Magic, the 5 days we spent at WDW 2 weeks ago was our best vacation ever. We did so much more than I thought would be possible.

Here's my situation, and I'm hoping all you WDW Magic friends can help me again.

A few days after we returned from our last trip, I was thrilled to receive a check for a thousand dollars from a company that had owed me money for years, which I had totally written off ever getting.

We are both so "high" from our recent WDW trip that we decided to use the thousand bucks to pay for the "stay 4, get 3 nights free" special Disney is offering at the resorts. (Feb 18th to the 25th) Plus, we have a credit with Southwest for the air fare, so, presto............free trip!

The down side is that we are of limited financial means, but we manged to dine quite well at WDW our last trip without spending a fortune and plan to do the same this time.

Here's my question.

We have never gone to Universal. We have never rented a car on our previous trips to WDW and never left the property while in Orlando. Since we only have about $500 dollars "fun money" to spend not including food, taking a side trip to Univeral would take a huge chunk out of our cash.

Would it be worth the money to go? Since we really are not interested in the Isle of Adventure Park, it would only be for the Unversal park. Would it be possible for us to see the entire park in one day?

Are the attractions at Universal unique enough to justify paying for 2 one day tickets?

One of the reasons my wife and I love WDW so much, is that when we get to stay at the park for 7 or 8 days at a time, we can relax and have so much fun exploring areas of WDW that we never have time for on shorter visits.

I'm trying to figure out if a trip to Universal is worth the hassle of leaving WDW property, let alone the time i will spend planning how we will tour the park, as I know nothing about the Universal property and I know I would need to do a lot of r
Every time we go to Orlando, we go directly to WDW and never stray off property, so this would be a first for us. It would be really helpful if I could get some advice from as many WDW Magic members as possible. This forum has helped me so much in the past. Thanks for helping!
esearch to be able to "do" the park in a day.

Sorry for such a long question, but I need to know if we should venture outside the World for the first time or not?


:wave:

 

[Monty]

I wouldn't go to Universal for just one day, personally. That said, I've yet to go at all. I intend to go there in August 2010, after the Harry Potter area is fully up and running, but instead of taking a chunk of my usual Disney time, I'll be adding an extra week, driving down and using the extra time to go to USF/IOA and Seaworld, as well as spend spend some time at the water parks. I will still do 7 or 8 days at WDW and will likely stay there for the duration.

I would save Universal for a trip when you have more time and money...

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

I think Universal is absolutely worth it! Even if you only make rare trips to Walt Disney World. You can certainly get through everything in Universal Studios Florida in one day without a doubt. And I know you said you're not interested, but I would also recommend Islands of Adventure, as well, you can also get a lot of their attractions done in the same day. As for renting a car, you might not have to do that, Mears MIGHT offer buses to Universal from Disney Resorts, I know they offer it for Kennedy Space Center.

 

[krankenstein]

Universal Orlando is worth it!!!! They offer an excellent facility that is second only to Disney, IMO. You can see Universal Studios in one day, but I think IOA is also worth a look even if you aren't a thrill ride fan. IOA's themeing is second to only DAK of the Orlando area parks. I say take the extra crash and spend some time at an awesome facility that offers truly unique experience.

 

[H20Babie]

Universal has a two-park unlimited ticket online right now for $94.99. Unlimited entry for one week to both parks, and select City Walk Venues. Like MYW tickets, they do expire 6 days after first use.

BTW, if interested, Sea World also has a special ... adults at the kid's price of $65, and includes a 2nd day free.

 

[albino_pygmy]

Definately take up on their 2 park special mentioned above, you will love IOA, even if it is just walking around and soaking up the theming. I'm not one for high speed thrills or coasters, but I still enjoy IOA. Universal is also worth a visit as well. If you need help picking out which attractions to see or skip, just ask and I'm sure we'll get your day(s) planned out

 

[smk]

If I had only about 500 dollars for the meals and fun at WDW I would not spend 100 of it on a trip to Universal. Universal will always be there and you can go some other time, especially after the Harry Potter attraction is up and running. Just my opinion. Either way, have fun! :wave:


OOPS, just re-read your OP and you have 500 in "fun" money, not including meals. In that case maybe a side trip would be okay......nevermind.....

 

[Jasper Dale]

thank for the advice. i've been talking with my wife tonight after i posted this, and i'm still on the fence.

we would be spending about 200.00 for the transportation and two 1 day tickets to Universal. the park is open from 9 to 6.

however, if we use that 200.00 spread out over the 8 days at WDW, i'm thinking we could get a lot more for the money. i know that we are not going to want to spent all our time going to attractions. we could use that extra money at Downtown Disney and maybe catch a movie. stop at a World Pavilion for a pastry and a latte. be able to browse all the shops and know that we could actually buy some inexpensive thing.

hmmmmmmmmmmmm, i may be talking myself out of Universal, i still don't know. the best part about a WDW vacation is that the moment i step off the Magical Express, i know that "i'm home". i don't have to worry about transportation. at any moment, i can zip back to the resort for a quick nap or just to take a break for a few hours.

it just seems to me that leaving WDW for 8 hours to visit Universal might not be worth the trouble and i'll wish we hadn't done it. my wife and i went to the Universal website tonight and browed the attractions there. some of them seem "neat", but it looked like most of the attractions are just different versions of what i would have at WDW.

am i wrong? i mean, Shrek 4D? isn't that just the same kinda thing as Mickey's Philarmagic? The Simpsons ride? Isn't that bascially a different spin of Star Tours?

what i really would like to know from you experts is this? are the attractions so wonderfully unique and different from what you find at WDW that it is worth leaving "home" for?

if money were not the issue, i would just take a day and chance it. but we have budgeted $500.00 for anything we do at WDW other than our meals. going to Universal would only leave us $300.00 for eight days.

decisions, decisions.............

:veryconfu

 

[sbkline]

We visited both Universal parks on our off property trip back in 2004. We spent seperate days in each park, and each day, we were done by 3 or 4 PM. Of course, for whatever reason, I don't really recall huge lines at all, so we were able to walk right onto most of the rides. You may or may not be so lucky if you go. We both enjoyed both parks. We had planned on visiting Universal on our most recent trip back in April, but I had a pretty full itinerary planned for the week and I decided at the last minute (after checking with my wife to see what she thought) for us to sleep in (we didn't get back in the room until around midnight the night before) and take a slower paced day. We ended up going to Walmart, playing mini-golf, going to Beaches and Cream, etc. Anyway, the point is that we both enjoyed Universal and our decision to ditch it on our last trip had nothing to do with not liking the park. Part of me regrets not going ahead and going last time because I really wanted to try out that Mummy ride. Hopefully, we'll squeeze that park in next time.

Now, after having said all that, if you have only 500 dollars to spend on miscellaneous, over an 8 day period, you may not want to blow half of it on one day at Universal. I say half because not only will you be paying for tickets, but also parking and, I am assumming you'll be sitting down to eat somewhere. And if you decide to buy some souveniers on top of that, you could easily spend over 250 bucks out of that 500. My suggestion is to either save a little more money out of your paychecks between now and the trip so as to have more than 500 bucks of spending money, or put off Universal for another trip. Once you spend all that money at Universal, 250 bucks isn't going to go very far on an 8 day trip where you may want to do some shopping, buy some extra snacks here and there, play some mini-golf, or whatever else you may find that you need money for.

 

[disneygirl76]

IMO - no way. I wouldn't. I got flamed in the past for saying negative things about US but imo, it just doesn't compare to Disney and what you get for your money. My DH and I were both disappointed with our trip last May to US. We hadn't been in over 10 years and the US part was nearly the same. IOA was new and cool to see - but if I would have known how disappointed we would be with US as a whole, I would have waited until the Harry Potter portion of the park was completed before spending money going to US. With that being said, Islands of Adventures was better the US if you are just going for the day.

 

[albino_pygmy]

thank for the advice. i've been talking with my wife tonight after i posted this, and i'm still on the fence.

we would be spending about 200.00 for the transportation and two 1 day tickets to Universal. the park is open from 9 to 6.

however, if we use that 200.00 spread out over the 8 days at WDW, i'm thinking we could get a lot more for the money. i know that we are not going to want to spent all our time going to attractions. we could use that extra money at Downtown Disney and maybe catch a movie. stop at a World Pavilion for a pastry and a latte. be able to browse all the shops and know that we could actually buy some inexpensive thing.

hmmmmmmmmmmmm, i may be talking myself out of Universal, i still don't know. the best part about a WDW vacation is that the moment i step off the Magical Express, i know that "i'm home". i don't have to worry about transportation. at any moment, i can zip back to the resort for a quick nap or just to take a break for a few hours.

That's what pretty much nearly killed Universal, is when Disney started taking people from the airport and makes it hard for you to leave property, almost like they're holding you prisoner and you cannot see the rest of the Orlando area, and therefore makes it easier for you to say "well . . . is it really worth all that hassle to try to find a way over to Universal for a day and tickets for that one day, or spend another day at Disney where you know you can go anywhere on Disney property just fine and spend your money there.

am i wrong? i mean, Shrek 4D? isn't that just the same kinda thing as Mickey's Philarmagic? The Simpsons ride? Isn't that bascially a different spin of Star Tours?

what i really would like to know from you experts is this? are the attractions so wonderfully unique and different from what you find at WDW that it is worth leaving "home" for?

Heck yeah I'd say it's worth a visit for unique attractions. Sure you're going to see a couple familiar types of attractions, but I feel they are better when compared to Disney's versions. Shrek is just another 4D attraction based off the Shrek movies, but I feel that Terminator, although an older attraction, is the best 3D show ever due to the unique blend of live action and 3D, and every time I've been on it, there has been an uproar of applause.

For those that like the interactive stylings of Buzz Lightyear, try a more 'grown up' version of shooting aliens on MIB, where your guns aren't mounted on the vehicles, it spins like TSM in certain areas, and who doesn't like Will Smith?

For those that enjoy the feeling of flight from Peter Pan, step up to E.T. Adventure where you fly your bikes to E.T.'s home dying planet where you bring it back to life. It's one of Universal's classic attractions, and the other classic would be Jaws. Jaws would be comparable to Jungle Cruise, but with more action and suspense and less jokes, but if you want the funny stuff, don't worry. The queue video in Jaws is pretty funny to watch.

I could could go on with the rest of the attractions such as comparing One Fish Two Fish, to a better Dumbo-like attraction that gets you wet, but I think it's best you decide for yourself if it's really worth it. I'd say go for it and have fun, so that way you have a better idea of what to expect when you plan your next visit to Universal.

 

[Susan Savia]

In the 25 years we've been coming to Disney World we've never even thought about visiting Universal or any other park for that matter. Disney has everything we want and more.

 

[BuddhasHomeGirl]

If you can only do one of the Universal parks I would say do Islands of Adventure, it is such a great park! Beautiful details and just a heck of a lot of fun.

Diffidently worth it!!!

The Simpsons ride? Isn't that bascially a different spin of Star Tours?

Simpson ride is much better, hate to say it on a Disney board, but that's my opinion on it. OH! and ride the MUMMY!!!! AWESOME!

Disney has everything we want and more

We thought the same way, until we ventured out, I'm so glad we did.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

Re: a side trip to Universal, here's my thoughts.

- It's certainly worth the trip over to visit if you plan on going to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure
- It is possible to get all of the major attractions done in one day at the Universal parks if you purchase their Express Pass (yes, it's an upcharge item)
- The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman is still the unsurpassed state-of-the-art attraction at any theme park
- Universal has more thrills than Disney (their rides are more intense than the Mouse's)
- Universal's coasters are more thrilling and still have very good themeing (Mummy and Dueling Dragons pop to mind... especially Fire Dragon)
- Universal attractions really love fire and water (so plan on getting wet if you visit)

Now some reasons to consider waiting for a trip to Universal...
- You said you are limited in the amount of spending money this trip and you may enjoy your vacation better without having to worry
- Universal has two major attractions that are currently under construction
- Harry Potter land is due in 2010 and because of the construction you have one part of Islands of Adventure torn up and doesn't really make for a good impression of one of the best and most beautiful theme parks in the world
- Studios is adding a new coaster that will be open late spring/early summer and it would be another potential reason to wait

My advice, if you plan on heading back to Orlando in the next couple of years, you may want to dedicate a special trip to Universal when you budget your time and finances around the visit . I have no reason to doubt that the Harry Potter land will be revolutionary. I would just hate for your first experience with the parks to be rushed and not seeing it in the best light do to the construction.

 

[eroyee]

Sounds to me like you dont want to leave Disney very badly!! I wouldnt, either! If I only had $500 I wouldnt leave the disney property. for 7 or 8 days thats not much extra to have. going to US will cut you short. JMO....

 

[kstella]

Seeing as how you were just at Disney, a trip to Universal might be a fun change. IMO you can absolutely do both parks at Universal in one day. A lot of the rides are very much like Disney's rides, but there is a difference. A word of warning, don't expect the Disney magic at Universal. Disney does a much better job of moving people around their parks (AK being the exception). Stay away from Universal's version of Kali River Rapids, it is much wetter. You don't have to rent a car, you can do a car service and not have to deal with traffic and can arrange for pick up and drop off times.

 

[otter123]

our favorite place to eat at Universal is the Universal Monster Cafe (not sure if that is the right name), it is themed in different areas with the monsters from the classic horror movies.

 

[dvcnut39]

When we are on an extended WDW stay, we usually get transportation from Quicksilver (app- $80 roundtrip) and go to USF. We get the cheapest version of their parkhopper tickets and do the highlights of both parks in one day. Never had a problem and we always enjoyed it. Good luck and post lots of WDW pictures when you get back.

 

[Mikester71]

thank for the advice. i've been talking with my wife tonight after i posted this, and i'm still on the fence.

we would be spending about 200.00 for the transportation and two 1 day tickets to Universal. the park is open from 9 to 6.

however, if we use that 200.00 spread out over the 8 days at WDW, i'm thinking we could get a lot more for the money. i know that we are not going to want to spent all our time going to attractions. we could use that extra money at Downtown Disney and maybe catch a movie. stop at a World Pavilion for a pastry and a latte. be able to browse all the shops and know that we could actually buy some inexpensive thing.

hmmmmmmmmmmmm, i may be talking myself out of Universal, i still don't know. the best part about a WDW vacation is that the moment i step off the Magical Express, i know that "i'm home". i don't have to worry about transportation. at any moment, i can zip back to the resort for a quick nap or just to take a break for a few hours.

it just seems to me that leaving WDW for 8 hours to visit Universal might not be worth the trouble and i'll wish we hadn't done it. my wife and i went to the Universal website tonight and browed the attractions there. some of them seem "neat", but it looked like most of the attractions are just different versions of what i would have at WDW.

am i wrong? i mean, Shrek 4D? isn't that just the same kinda thing as Mickey's Philarmagic? The Simpsons ride? Isn't that bascially a different spin of Star Tours?

what i really would like to know from you experts is this? are the attractions so wonderfully unique and different from what you find at WDW that it is worth leaving "home" for?

if money were not the issue, i would just take a day and chance it. but we have budgeted $500.00 for anything we do at WDW other than our meals. going to Universal would only leave us $300.00 for eight days.

decisions, decisions.............

:veryconfu

I did the same thing with our upcoming March 2009 10 day WDW trip. I had never been to Universal and thought that it might be worth checking out for a day or 2. So we decided we would get the 7 day, 2 park unlimited pass. My brother bought his last year just before the price went up and me and my wife were going to buy ours and the kids with the check we got back from Disney for the new promotion (we had already paid the trip off before the new promotion came out). Problem is, I talked myself out of wanting to go the last month or so and now my brother is stuck with his ticket. Seeings how it was me who changed his mind (everyone else actually agreed with my decision though) I didn't think is was fair that my brother should be stuck with his ticket, so I bought it off of him and I am now stuck with a $90 Canadian Universal 7 day pass myself. Just didn't want to lose those 2 days at WDW since this may very well be our last family trip down there for a looooong while.

Moral of this story, definitely take your time in making your decision so that you don't regret it. Also, if you happen to know someone who IS looking for a 7 day, 2 park unlimited Universal pass, send them my way! $75 US or $90 CAN and it is all theirs! :ROFLOL:

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I visit Universal for at least three days every trip. I love it. This trip was not the usual August melle so we were able to do all the coasters front and back rows. The themeing at IOA is every bit on a par with WDW in fact Point of Entry I feel is better themed than Main St.

Take a change of clothes to leave in a locker and just do all the wet rides last.