Newbies to Orlando Choose These Parks...

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
I'm not all that surprised that a 17 and 20 year old WDW virgin would pick EPCOT. Teens that age don't want thrill rides per sé, they want authenticity and beauty and wonder. The toontown that is the current MK is teribbly off-putting, DAK is just not a good park (bamboo trails and b-thrills for teens? I don't think so), and DHS has fun stuff but there's not all that much of it.


As for UNI, at their age, they spend their formative years with Marvel films and Potter books and Simpsons cartoons...
 

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
Islands and UStudios have several must-dos, but four days is total overkill, especially before the Potter expansion opens.
On the bright side, there's only a $21 per-person difference between a 2-day park-hopper ticket and a 4-day one.
 

JT3000

Well-Known Member
Kinda surprised they didn't choose Hollywood Studios. Tower of Terror, Rockin' Rollercoaster, Star Tours, that place was gift wrapped for their age group. Maybe they don't like Aerosmith and Star Wars :p

You could only name 3 appealing rides. That isn't a lot, and therein lies the problem. The park arguably wasn't "gift wrapped" for anyone.
 

Disneyhead'71

Well-Known Member
Islands and UStudios have several must-dos, but four days is total overkill, especially before the Potter expansion opens.
On the bright side, there's only a $21 per-person difference between a 2-day park-hopper ticket and a 4-day one.
I think 4 days is OK if you stay on site and treat it like a vacation resort. If you do things like sleep in, swim in the afternoons, see Blue Man, catch a movie, eat at some of the Signature Restaurants, take advantage of their golf program, and don't go all commando at the parks, you can easily spend 4 days at UOR.
 

LucyK

Well-Known Member
I think 4 days is OK if you stay on site and treat it like a vacation resort. If you do things like sleep in, swim in the afternoons, see Blue Man, catch a movie, eat at some of the Signature Restaurants, take advantage of their golf program, and don't go all commando at the parks, you can easily spend 4 days at UOR.
We're staying on site for 11 days. I have lots of early admission followed by pool time, sleep in days followed by late afternoon visits and simply days where I have no idea what we'll be doing. I love how laid back a vacation to Universal can be if you're staying on site and have Express Pass. So much different than Disney 'must-be-there-for-rope-drop-or-else' style of vacation we usually do. We're very excited for those 11 days because we know we'll be able to relax and have some down time while still enjoying a theme park.
 

EPCOTCenterLover

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I think 4 days is OK if you stay on site and treat it like a vacation resort. If you do things like sleep in, swim in the afternoons, see Blue Man, catch a movie, eat at some of the Signature Restaurants, take advantage of their golf program, and don't go all commando at the parks, you can easily spend 4 days at UOR.
Good catch- three of the four family members are avid golfers.
 

Epcot-Rules

Well-Known Member
My boys are 19, 17, and 14. They are in the same boat as your friends. As much as it pains me to say it, Disney is their last choice these days. I think I took them too many times when they were younger. I'm usually the one wanting to go to Disney.
 

jlsHouston

Well-Known Member
We're staying on site for 11 days. I have lots of early admission followed by pool time, sleep in days followed by late afternoon visits and simply days where I have no idea what we'll be doing. I love how laid back a vacation to Universal can be if you're staying on site and have Express Pass. So much different than Disney 'must-be-there-for-rope-drop-or-else' style of vacation we usually do. We're very excited for those 11 days because we know we'll be able to relax and have some down time while still enjoying a theme park.

This is a TR I would like to read, but where could you post it ?
 

jlsHouston

Well-Known Member
I'm not all that surprised that a 17 and 20 year old WDW virgin would pick EPCOT. Teens that age don't want thrill rides per sé, they want authenticity and beauty and wonder. The toontown that is the current MK is teribbly off-putting, DAK is just not a good park (bamboo trails and b-thrills for teens? I don't think so), and DHS has fun stuff but there's not all that much of it.


As for UNI, at their age, they spend their formative years with Marvel films and Potter books and Simpsons cartoons...

Now that I think about it, the summer of 2012 my BFF came into Orlando with her 16 year old and his buddy and stayed 2 nights with me at AKL. They did MK for one day but that first day Nick and his buddy really wanted to go to a park and it was Epcot they chose....
 

LucyK

Well-Known Member
OMG 23 days !! What a great trip! When are you going again ?
The very end of October, we arrive on the 30th and leave very early on November 23rd. It'll probably be our last trip till 2017 or even 2018, so we're going out with a bang! We're doing 11 days at Royal Pacific and then moving to POFQ to do Disney for 13 days.I have a PTR going if you're interest and I'll for sure make a TR this time around.
 

Magenta Panther

Well-Known Member
Kinda surprised they didn't choose Hollywood Studios. Tower of Terror, Rockin' Rollercoaster, Star Tours, that place was gift wrapped for their age group. Maybe they don't like Aerosmith and Star Wars :p But I wonder what they plan to do in Epcot. Ride Test Track and Soarin' over and over? The only other thing I can image they'd want to do is World Showcase since that's the best part of Epcot in my opinion

I'll bet they won't be spending any time at the Frozen Princess meet and greet. ;P
 

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
It doesn't surprise me that MK is not on their list. I have a coworker who went to Orlando last year...they spent a day at Sea World, nearly every other day at Uni, but devoted one day to MK- but it was only for their youngest. Their older children stayed behind and went shopping while they took their 4 year old because they felt MK was only suitable for the pre-school set.

THIS is what TWDC's 'all toddler, all the time' marketing is creating, a generation of kids from the UK no less who think Disney is for preschoolers only. 'Helluva job Bobbie"
 

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
There's A LOT of stuff to do at Universal including Citywalk. It's shame they'll get a lot of construction going on but they'll still have a great time.

With the new Diagon Alley opening in June waiting times will be astronomical till the end of the year I'm sure. I have 4 days planned for Universal alone for our next trip because I know I'll want to repeat WWoHP 2.0 at least three different times.

Yes but at least the construction is in the process of creating new attractions instead of removing attractions and rationing access to those that remain.
 

WDWoptmist

Well-Known Member
Everybody has different preferences...this myth that young people will choose UNI over Disney is not true. I'm 23 and have lived in Florida my whole life and know that throughout middle school and high school my friends were about 50/50 on which park they went to on a regular basis, our high school class voted to go to Magic Kingdom for Grad Night (last one ever at MK 2008 :) it was awesome) over going to Grad Bash at UNI. In College almost all of my friends started wanting to go to Disney and go to UNI for Halloween Horror Nights. I would agree younger people are more likely to choose UNI than any other age group but they are still not overwhelmingly picking UNI. However that is always how it will be just because Disney wants to appeal to the whole family and huge roller coasters and thrill rides everywhere doesn't exactly do that. UNI is an awesome thrill park but parks like UNI are everywhere and if it wasn't for Disney being right down the road Universal would be no bigger a deal than Busch Gardens. Competition is a good thing Universal keeps Disney on its toes (kind of) but in return I'd say 90% of people who visit Orlando to come to a park come to see Disney and then decide hey lets try UNI. Anyway I got way off topic, my point is young people have just as much fun at Disney as UNI, but children and family have a MUCH better time a Disney for the most part. The only real threat Universal poses to Disney is stealing a day from people's Orlando vacation.
 

jlsHouston

Well-Known Member
The very end of October, we arrive on the 30th and leave very early on November 23rd. It'll probably be our last trip till 2017 or even 2018, so we're going out with a bang! We're doing 11 days at Royal Pacific and then moving to POFQ to do Disney for 13 days.I have a PTR going if you're interest and I'll for sure make a TR this time around.

wow, these might be perfect dates...F&W is still happening at Epcot, you could go to the Halloween thing at MK, and then MVMCP starts later in November so you will probably catch Christmas arriving at WDW...lucky lucky lucky!
 

LucyK

Well-Known Member
wow, these might be perfect dates...F&W is still happening at Epcot, you could go to the Halloween thing at MK, and then MVMCP starts later in November so you will probably catch Christmas arriving at WDW...lucky lucky lucky!
These reasons are exactly why we chose them! We're going to the last MNSSHP and then a MVMCP in late November, plus the Osborne Lights (if the rumors are false and they are still there this year). I do believe they are the perfect dates!

Only thing that might not work out is F&W. The possible dates are September 26th to November 10th so I would have to go to EPCOT while I'm still staying at RPH. I'm extremely confused about how would I get my Disney tickets before my check in date at POFQ now they are just a piece of information connected to the Magic Bands. If I can figure it out, we're definitely going otherwise I don't feel comfortable paying U$200 more just to enter the park and spend even more on food.
 

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