Universal/Disney Trip - Where to go first?

[juniperjen]

It has been 11 years since we've been to Disney/Universal, so obviously we are not frequent visitors.
I'm trying to plan a trip for November 2021. My youngest daughter will be turning 9 during the trip. We want to see as much as we can while we are there.
We want to go to Universal/IOA and all 4 Disney parks.
Should we stay in one hotel (plan now is Art of Animation) and take shuttles for a couple of days to Universal or should we split it up and stay 2-3 nights at a Universal hotel and the rest at Disney? We are planning on being in Orlando 7-9 days, we are still deciding.
If we did divide the stay between two resorts, do you suggest starting at Universal or starting at Disney?
So many decisions!

 

[CynBeth]

We are planning to do this around Thanksgiving for 11 days and are staying 2 nights at a Universal hotel and then the rest at Disney. If you stay at one of the premier hotels of Universal you get early entry and the unlimited park to park pass or whatever it is called which gets you to admission to both parks each day so you can take the Hogwart’s Express and gives you front of the line on rides.

 

[macefamily]

First off, congratulations on your upcoming trip. The configuration of your trip is much like what we did for many years as a family. However, we never stayed onsite. We always rented a car and we rented a condo in Kissimmee. Since you're going in November, I would check the park schedules to see what events are planned. Mickey's Christmas could be back by that time so you should consider what night you would want to do that. Also, Universal may have Grinchmas back as well. We can only hope.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Sounds like a fun trip!
We usually do Universal/Disney on our 9 or 10 day trips. We break it up by doing the 4 Disney parks on the first 4 days. Then we stay at a deluxe resort at Universal for a day or 2 and get the free EP's, which are great! Then it's back to Disney to finish out our trip at a leisurely pace, since we have already done most attractions in the first 4 days. We find it works for us, BUT, we are 2 adults traveling with no kids, so your situation is different Have a great time.

 

[jeanericuser001]

I would recommend doing the weekdays at disney and the weekend at universal. Even a moderate hotel like the Pop Century should give you a decent price as long as you book early enough plus you get access to one of the fastest transports in the park. Going during the weekday may also give you better odds at getting good selection of fast pass options if its back by then. If not then you at least get early access as well as other perks that disney will offer hotel guests. If you can consider getting parkhopper added to your ticket to ensure that if later in the day you get bored with one park you have the option to jump to another. Be wary though that some parks will have differing hours depending on the day you go. The closer to the holidays you get the later the parks will be open but that also means higher prices and tons more people where is right after october its sort of a brief in-between period so some times the hours may be a little less than a few weeks before. You will still have some stuff left over in effect though like the food and wine festival at epcot. If you go late in november on the other hand you will likely see the early start of xmas festivities. Now I recommend that on your last day before switching to universal you take time to properly rest extra as typically a multi day time period in the parks can leave a lot of people sore. As for universal, I suggest staying at one of the universal hotels though be sure you get an actual package deal and not just the hotel alone. I have seen people do that accidentally only to realize they need to get a ton of extras to enjoy universal. If your express pass and park stay are part of the hotel package then you got it right. Now with these options you will pretty much have free rein of the park with an unlimited pass for faster access. Be warned it could potentially be busier on the weekend but with the express pass you should be able to enjoy the bulk of the parks without major issues.

 

[juniperjen]

I appreciate all of the great suggestions. We have a little clearer plan coming together.
We aren't doing parkhoppers and we will be at Disney for five days. My husband wants the extra day to be Hollywood Studios but I'm not sure. I am hoping they will have the MVMCP on the Sunday we arrive. That would give us a little extra time at Magic Kingdom. When we go to Universal, we are staying at the Hard Rock so we will have express passes for those days. We will have 4 day park-to-park tickets at Universal, but depending on the time of our flight we might not get to do much the 4th day.
Here is our tentative itinerary (I welcome suggestions).
Sunday, Nov 14 - fly in, Magical Express to Art of Animation, Mickey Very Merry Christmas Party?
Monday, Nov 15 - Hollywood Studios
Tuesday, Nov 16 - EPCOT
Wednesday, Nov 17 - Magic Kingdom
Thursday, Nov 18 - Animal Kingdom
Friday, Nov 19 - Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom ?
Saturday, Nov 20 - check out, shuttle to Hard Rock, go to Universal/IOA
Sunday, Nov 21 - Universal/IOA
Monday, Nov 22 - Universal/IOA
Tuesday, Nov 23 - fly home

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I appreciate all of the great suggestions. We have a little clearer plan coming together.
We aren't doing parkhoppers and we will be at Disney for five days. My husband wants the extra day to be Hollywood Studios but I'm not sure. I am hoping they will have the MVMCP on the Sunday we arrive. That would give us a little extra time at Magic Kingdom. When we go to Universal, we are staying at the Hard Rock so we will have express passes for those days. We will have 4 day park-to-park tickets at Universal, but depending on the time of our flight we might not get to do much the 4th day.
Here is our tentative itinerary (I welcome suggestions).
Sunday, Nov 14 - fly in, Magical Express to Art of Animation, Mickey Very Merry Christmas Party?
Monday, Nov 15 - Hollywood Studios
Tuesday, Nov 16 - EPCOT
Wednesday, Nov 17 - Magic Kingdom
Thursday, Nov 18 - Animal Kingdom
Friday, Nov 19 - Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom ?
Saturday, Nov 20 - check out, shuttle to Hard Rock, go to Universal/IOA
Sunday, Nov 21 - Universal/IOA
Monday, Nov 22 - Universal/IOA
Tuesday, Nov 23 - fly home

Too much Universal, not enough Magic Kingdom. And that's hardcore go go go. You're going to be exhausted.

 

[juniperjen]

Too much Universal, not enough Magic Kingdom. And that's hardcore go go go. You're going to be exhausted.

That first resort switching/Universal day is also going to be a rest day (I'm sure we will need it!). We could relax at the AofA before we go or at the Hard Rock when we get there. Since we are staying at the Hard Rock, we could just do a little time later in the day at the park if we felt like it.
The way they price Universal tickets, it is cheaper to buy 4 days than 2. ??
Is two days at Hollywood Studios too much even with Star Wars? I am undecided. It has been a long time since I've been. I know my husband and teenager are most excited about Star Wars so I want to make sure they get to do everything they want to do.
I know the last time we went to the MVMCP we were able to ride a lot of rides. I can't decide what we should do with that "extra' day, if we would need two full days and the MVMCP at Magic Kingdom.
We are not "rope drop" people. If I'm on vacation, I don't get up super super early unless I have to. I know that being first in the park is the ideal strategy, but I don't want to wear everyone out and the only morning person is my youngest daughter. I would rather miss out on a few rides than make everyone miserable.
I appreciate your input.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

That first resort switching/Universal day is also going to be a rest day (I'm sure we will need it!). We could relax at the AofA before we go or at the Hard Rock when we get there. Since we are staying at the Hard Rock, we could just do a little time later in the day at the park if we felt like it.
The way they price Universal tickets, it is cheaper to buy 4 days than 2. ??
Is two days at Hollywood Studios too much even with Star Wars? I am undecided. It has been a long time since I've been. I know my husband and teenager are most excited about Star Wars so I want to make sure they get to do everything they want to do.
I know the last time we went to the MVMCP we were able to ride a lot of rides. I can't decide what we should do with that "extra' day, if we would need two full days and the MVMCP at Magic Kingdom.
We are not "rope drop" people. If I'm on vacation, I don't get up super super early unless I have to. I know that being first in the park is the ideal strategy, but I don't want to wear everyone out and the only morning person is my youngest daughter. I would rather miss out on a few rides than make everyone miserable.
I appreciate your input.

If you're not going to rope drop, I think Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom both need two days. It's really hard to predict crowd levels and park hours these days though.

With the cost of MVMCP tickets, might it be cheaper to add a whole additional day to the trip?

 

[juniperjen]

If you're not going to rope drop, I think Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom both need two days. It's really hard to predict crowd levels and park hours these days though.

With the cost of MVMCP tickets, might it be cheaper to add a whole additional day to the trip?

I forgot how much the MVMCP even cost. Do you know? We thought that would be good to do our very first day since we are arriving that afternoon.
I could probably convince my family to get up early and rope drop a couple of days. My 8 year old might be so hyped that she makes it imperative that we get up very early every day. She is pretty convincing.
I know everything is so up in the air with crowd sizes. I am hoping that since it is the full week before Thanksgiving that it won't be as crowded as holiday times.

 

[juniperjen]

I found that MVMCP tickets in the past have cost in the $99-$139 range. For our family of four, that would be $396-$556.
I figured the price difference if we flew in a day earlier, stayed one more night, and added a full park day. It wouldn't change our airfare and it would add $362 to our total package cost.
Although we did enjoy MVMCP when we went in 2010, it seems like it might be more cost effective to add the extra day instead. That would give us a couple of days in the middle of the week when we have park tickets, but have already been to all four parks so we won't have the pressure to do completely full days.

 

[trr1]

I found that MVMCP tickets in the past have cost in the $99-$139 range. For our family of four, that would be $396-$556.
I figured the price difference if we flew in a day earlier, stayed one more night, and added a full park day. It wouldn't change our airfare and it would add $362 to our total package cost.
Although we did enjoy MVMCP when we went in 2010, it seems like it might be more cost effective to add the extra day instead. That would give us a couple of days in the middle of the week when we have park tickets, but have already been to all four parks so we won't have the pressure to do completely full days.

don't forget Disney Springs

 

[Weather_Lady]

If you're staying at Hard Rock (thus, getting Unlimited Express Pass) you'll be able to do everything at Universal in two days with time to spare. I'd only recommend more time if you also wanted to do Volcano Bay, or wanted to spend a really long time lingering over the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

I do think it's a good idea to start with WDW and end with Universal -- as a relaxing "finale" to the trip. On our past combined trip, we started at Universal (staying at a hotel that offered unlimited express pass) and then did WDW, and in some respects it felt a teensy bit like a letdown, going from the ease of everything-within-walking-distance, waltz-into-any-restaurant-you-want, and no lines at Universal, to having constant transportation stress, a schedule of immutable ADRs, and having to wait mostly in standby lines at WDW, like a bunch of peasants.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

I appreciate all of the great suggestions. We have a little clearer plan coming together.
We aren't doing parkhoppers and we will be at Disney for five days. My husband wants the extra day to be Hollywood Studios but I'm not sure. I am hoping they will have the MVMCP on the Sunday we arrive. That would give us a little extra time at Magic Kingdom. When we go to Universal, we are staying at the Hard Rock so we will have express passes for those days. We will have 4 day park-to-park tickets at Universal, but depending on the time of our flight we might not get to do much the 4th day.
Here is our tentative itinerary (I welcome suggestions).
Sunday, Nov 14 - fly in, Magical Express to Art of Animation, Mickey Very Merry Christmas Party?
Monday, Nov 15 - Hollywood Studios
Tuesday, Nov 16 - EPCOT
Wednesday, Nov 17 - Magic Kingdom
Thursday, Nov 18 - Animal Kingdom
Friday, Nov 19 - Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom ?
Saturday, Nov 20 - check out, shuttle to Hard Rock, go to Universal/IOA
Sunday, Nov 21 - Universal/IOA
Monday, Nov 22 - Universal/IOA
Tuesday, Nov 23 - fly home

Just curious. Have you checked out AP's. They are cheaper than the usual one time stay. We are going to get them the next trip to Universal to save on hotels and admission costs, among other things. Otherwise, your itinerary sounds great!

 

[juniperjen]

don't forget Disney Springs

Yes. I do want to visit Disney Springs. We added another park day to our trip, so we will have to go to Disney Springs before or after we visit a park one day.
If we have a short time at Disney Springs, what are the "must do" places to go?

 

[juniperjen]

If you're staying at Hard Rock (thus, getting Unlimited Express Pass) you'll be able to do everything at Universal in two days with time to spare. I'd only recommend more time if you also wanted to do Volcano Bay, or wanted to spend a really long time lingering over the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

I do think it's a good idea to start with WDW and end with Universal -- as a relaxing "finale" to the trip. On our past combined trip, we started at Universal (staying at a hotel that offered unlimited express pass) and then did WDW, and in some respects it felt a teensy bit like a letdown, going from the ease of everything-within-walking-distance, waltz-into-any-restaurant-you-want, and no lines at Universal, to having constant transportation stress, a schedule of immutable ADRs, and having to wait mostly in standby lines at WDW, like a bunch of peasants.

We originally planned to go to Universal first, but switched for that reason. Universal seems a little more relaxing, especially with express passes and a resort within walking distance of the parks.
We will be spending a lot of time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It has changed a LOT since we were there in 2010. I'm also hoping to have some time to relax by the Hard Rock pool (that is more my speed than Volcano Bay).
My daughter will be turning 9 while we are at Universal. She is SO excited to see Spongebob. I will have to get her a birthday Spongebob shirt.

 

[juniperjen]

Just curious. Have you checked out AP's. They are cheaper than the usual one time stay. We are going to get them the next trip to Universal to save on hotels and admission costs, among other things. Otherwise, your itinerary sounds great!

I did look at APs. It would add quite a bit to our cost.
When my husband and I stayed at the Hard Rock in 2004, the AP cost the same amount as our tickets so we got the AP and were able to return again that year.

 

[Weather_Lady]

We originally planned to go to Universal first, but switched for that reason. Universal seems a little more relaxing, especially with express passes and a resort within walking distance of the parks.
We will be spending a lot of time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It has changed a LOT since we were there in 2010. I'm also hoping to have some time to relax by the Hard Rock pool (that is more my speed than Volcano Bay).
My daughter will be turning 9 while we are at Universal. She is SO excited to see Spongebob. I will have to get her a birthday Spongebob shirt.

Happy birthday to her!

If you haven't already, note her birthday on your reservation. I don't know if they do this for everybody (or if they're still able to do it at all in the COVID era), but when we stayed during my daughter's birthday a few years ago I noted her birthday on the reservation. When we entered the room after checkin, management had left a lovely birthday note for her, along with a slice of cake and a coupon for a free smoothie at the poolside bar. It was totally unexpected and a wonderful way to start the trip.

 

[juniperjen]

Happy birthday to her!

If you haven't already, note her birthday on your reservation. I don't know if they do this for everybody (or if they're still able to do it at all in the COVID era), but when we stayed during my daughter's birthday a few years ago I noted her birthday on the reservation. When we entered the room after checkin, management had left a lovely birthday note for her, along with a slice of cake and a coupon for a free smoothie at the poolside bar. It was totally unexpected and a wonderful way to start the trip.

That is a great idea. Thank you for mentioning it. I will make sure her birthday is noted on our reservation.

 

[juniperjen]

If you're not going to rope drop, I think Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom both need two days. It's really hard to predict crowd levels and park hours these days though.

With the cost of MVMCP tickets, might it be cheaper to add a whole additional day to the trip?

Thank you for the suggestion. I checked and it actually WAS cheaper to add a night at the hotel and a full day at the park than it would have been to purchase MVMCP tickets for four (and the MVMCP may/may not happen this year).
The new itinerary:
Saturday, Nov 13 - fly in, Magical Express to Art of Animation
Sunday, Nov 14 - Hollywood Studios
Monday, Nov 15 - Magic Kingdom
Tuesday, Nov 16 - EPCOT
Wednesday, Nov 17 - Animal Kingdom
Thursday, Nov 18 - Hollywood Studios
Friday, Nov 19 - Magic Kingdom
Saturday, Nov 20 - check out, shuttle to Hard Rock, go to Universal/IOA
Sunday, Nov 21 - Universal/IOA
Monday, Nov 22 - Universal/IOA
Tuesday, Nov 23 - fly home

That will give us two days at Hollywood Studios AND Magic Kingdom. We won't be at the parks from rope drop to closing every day. I want everyone to enjoy themselves and I don't want them to be worn out and miserable. Hopefully this itinerary will give everyone the chance to check a lot of their "must do" items off their list.
I am also hoping my youngest daughter will enjoy getting to spend her birthday on vacation in Universal.