Will anyone stay on site any longer?

[flynnibus]

Do you (or anyone reading this) have a suggestion for a guidebook or website for Uni beginners? I'm considering going over there for a day, possible two, on my next trip to Orlando.

i never used any planning guides so I don’t have a good reference but I would encourage one to be familiar with the time of year, the attractions, and have a plan of attack for the water rides at ioa. The water rides are like jumping into the pool… so not something one wants to do at the wrong time in the wrong clothes

there are areas that are simply not worth your time, so having some intel helps. I think with all the expansion having some help on the best strategy on visiting (hotel, etc) is probably the best aid one can get. For instance, last family stay we did royal pacific for 2 nights arriving first thing in the morning. So we were able to get our exp pass… do all day in park, next day, and your exp pass is good for checkout day too. So for 2 nights we got three full days and i stayed in a nearby hotel for that last night after we left the parks. For a family of five… that was a great strategy. That was before VBay.

that was after a disney cruise too. We were at uni by like 10am if i recall after getting off the ship.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

That’s where I thought you’d go first given your family- and that is a lot more justifiable. Uni is not great for the small kids.

I don’t try to tell anyone you need to goto uni every trip or need to be there a week, etc. heck, I don’t understand the desire to goto wdw three times a year or even every year… it is just not that repeatable to me. But when people take theme parks as a hobby, even ‘just disney’… they really owe it to themselves to try uni.

it’s like never trying anything besides yellow cake… you gotta explore some… you might see something you like. There are some killer things that make uni worth it… even if one doesn’t like the whole.

haggrids motorbike is worth visiting ioa alone. And then riding spiderman and realizing how old it is and how much is actually going on there.

You seem to be under the impression that I've never been to Universal Studios. I've been there. Didn't care for it.

 

[SteveAZee]

i never used any planning guides so I don’t have a good reference but I would encourage one to be familiar with the time of year, the attractions, and have a plan of attack for the water rides at ioa. The water rides are like jumping into the pool… so not something one wants to do at the wrong time in the wrong clothes

there are areas that are simply not worth your time, so having some intel helps. I think with all the expansion having some help on the best strategy on visiting (hotel, etc) is probably the best aid one can get. For instance, last family stay we did royal pacific for 2 nights arriving first thing in the morning. So we were able to get our exp pass… do all day in park, next day, and your exp pass is good for checkout day too. So for 2 nights we got three full days and i stayed in a nearby hotel for that last night after we left the parks. For a family of five… that was a great strategy. That was before VBay.

that was after a disney cruise too. We were at uni by like 10am if i recall after getting off the ship.

Thanks! My guess is that on out next trip to Orlando we'll still stay at Disney, but I guess I'd be looking for a good 'one day' visit to get a 'best of' experience for a bunch of adults that have mostly lived on a Disney diet of attractions. I doubt we'll stay the night there, so just drive over and spend a day.

 

[flynnibus]

Thanks! My guess is that on out next trip to Orlando we'll still stay at Disney, but I guess I'd be looking for a good 'one day' visit to get a 'best of' experience for a bunch of adults that have mostly lived on a Disney diet of attractions. I doubt we'll stay the night there, so just drive over and spend a day.

just be aware for sticker shock doing it that way tickets of course ard the most expensive for 1 and 2 day. Will strain the ‘was it worth it…’ feelings. I think tbose kinds of trips result in the most ‘feels like lesser-disney’ conclusions verse just letting it be itself. Its like going right from the hot girl to the meh… you can’t get past the looks difference

it is a good way to get a thrills itch scratched tho

 

[flynnibus]

You seem to be under the impression that I've never been to Universal Studios. I've been there. Didn't care for it.

then you really are a special kind of grouch… or resisting so hard would not let yourself enjoy anything no matter what.
Uni is well below disney in many many ways… but for not for lack of great attractions worthy of their own praises

 

[SteveAZee]

just be aware for sticker shock doing it that way tickets of course ard the most expensive for 1 and 2 day. Will strain the ‘was it worth it…’ feelings. I think tbose kinds of trips result in the most ‘feels like lesser-disney’ conclusions verse just letting it be itself. Its like going right from the hot girl to the meh… you can’t get past the looks difference

it is a good way to get a thrills itch scratched tho

Yes, good point. The flip side to that is to commit many days to visiting there (instead of Disney) and having that same feeling, i.e. I could have been at Disney instead. I don't make it to Orlando very often, so it would be a 'toe in the water' experiment and will cost what it costs.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

then you really are a special kind of grouch… or resisting so hard would not let yourself enjoy anything no matter what.
Uni is well below disney in many many ways… but for not for lack of great attractions worthy of their own praises

I don't dispute the technical achievements, I just don't care about them. I'm not a soccer fan, so watching the greatest soccer team in the world isn't going to excite me. I'm certainly not going to pay to do it.

 

[flynnibus]

I don't dispute the technical achievements, I just don't care about them. I'm not a soccer fan, so watching the greatest soccer team in the world isn't going to excite me. I'm certainly not going to pay to do it.

the attractions are notable for being FUN - it is a cool feeling, you should try it sometime

 

[flynnibus]

Yes, good point. The flip side to that is to commit many days to visiting there (instead of Disney) and having that same feeling, i.e. I could have been at Disney instead. I don't make it to Orlando very often, so it would be a 'toe in the water' experiment and will cost what it costs.

my most successful method has been bumper trips. That way it doesn’t lead to feelings of tradeoffs. Example, when you get off the boat it’s a Saturday. So who wants to go home on Saturday? . What do you do for 1.5-2 days? So we take 2-3 days and do something in the area. One trip it was uni… another trip it was discovery cove+seaworld+aquatica (one ticket for all). One trip was less time so we just did KSC. I have found that formula very successful to branch out without any feelings of tradeoff. I think it also helps break the feeling of ‘Florida is disney’… and helps avoid blues when you are in Florida other times and don’t drop into disney.

i also have a belief that if i am doing disney as a vacation… i want at least 4+ days if the family is involved. So any shorter amount of time is not very ‘disney’ to me. I do individual visits when i can… but those are usually solo trips when i am nearby.

good luck with your future plans!

 

[eliza61nyc]

then you really are a special kind of grouch… or resisting so hard would not let yourself enjoy anything no matter what.
Uni is well below disney in many many ways… but for not for lack of great attractions worthy of their own praises

??? Why do you say that. I've been to Universal three times. Did we enjoy ourselves? Yes but family would enjoy ourselves no matter what. If I have to choose I will always go to wdw instead.
I've

That happens a lot, I've been to Jamaica twice, once on my honeymoon. Did we enjoy ourselves?? Of course. Did we ever want to go back? Not if it were free.
Lol my favorite color is red, I turned down a 10k discount on my car in white because I hate white cars and was not spending 8-10 years with a color I hate.
Now I don't "hate" Universal it's nice but imo life is way too short to spend vacation time in a place that's just okay especially if the place I love is right down the road.

My apologies if I'm misunderstanding

 

[flynnibus]

??? Why do you say that. I've been to Universal three times. Did we enjoy ourselves? Yes

You can stop right there… because you said you enjoyed yourself… then go back and read the posts. It wasn’t about what you prefer…

 

[eliza61nyc]

You can stop right there… because you said you enjoyed yourself… then go back and read the posts. It wasn’t about what you prefer…

What I mean is that we enjoy ourselves NO MATTER where we go for the simple fact that we're happy to be together no matter where we go AND we are the type to make THE BEST OF any situation BUT we do have preferences. We have places that we enjoy ourselves but it was just okay and once us enough. That's Universal for us and no matter how much "cheaper " it is, its just "okay". I didn't work 33 years for "just okay" experiences.

It's about choices and people are still choosing Disney regardless of what Universal does, doesn't do or charges.

 

[Jeff4272]

Is Disney World's On-Site Advantage Disappearing or Reappearing?!

For years, there were big benefits to staying at Walt Disney World owned resorts: free transportation, better line-skipping options, extra hours, and more that justified the higher cost. In this post, we'll take a new

www.disneytouristblog.com

 

[Jeff4272]

Is Disney World's On-Site Advantage Disappearing or Reappearing?!

For years, there were big benefits to staying at Walt Disney World owned resorts: free transportation, better line-skipping options, extra hours, and more that justified the higher cost. In this post, we'll take a new

www.disneytouristblog.com

It’s almost like Tom read my post here. All apologists can keep apologizing but the facts are facts.

emotional? Sure. Smart? Def not.

Disney apologists are like sheep being herded to slaughter.

 

[Jeff4272]

I wasn't offering a complete list, and the value of those perks is harder to quantify. Just as the value of perks can vary by person, so can the value of being immersed in the "magic" of staying onsite.

The notion that Universal is the better choice based on dollar value and perks is very subjective.

I would add that Universal's free Fastpass wouldn't have been a selling point for me. When I was there in early February the standby lines were fine and in fact cleared out by the end of the day. Disney was consistently busier from open to close. I think I'd get better value paying for Genie+ than paying a premium for a higher end Universal resort.

you are the classic apologist. Probably wearing your Disney pin right now

you are so cliche

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

you are the classic apologist. Probably wearing your Disney pin right now

you are so cliche

You should read my posts where I wrote about doing a split stay because I appreciate many aspects of staying at Universal compared to Disney.

Meanwhile, anyone who doesn't share your negative view of Disney based on what you personally value is met with condescending comments about "being an apologist".

Cliche? Pot, meet kettle.

The worst type of fan is the one who gatekeeps and turns their nose up at anyone perceived to think even slightly different. That's you.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I think, if the current group running WDW was building all the lodging today, they might not have any cheaper accomodations at all. Heck they might not really have too many hotels at all. They want to be like a ski resort, all timeshare condos. These new "benefits" point to them trying to push people to buy DVC. Even the folks on here saying how the new rules won't impact anything, how many of them aren't staying at DVC or Deluxe resorts?

 

[Jeff4272]

You should read my posts where I wrote about doing a split stay because I appreciate many aspects of staying at Universal compared to Disney.

Meanwhile, anyone who doesn't share your negative view of Disney based on what you personally value is met with condescending comments about "being an apologist".

Cliche? Pot, meet kettle.

The worst type of fan is the one who gatekeeps and turns their nose up at anyone perceived to think even slightly different. That's you.

Sorry not sorry..........

 

[DisneyUniversal80]

Is Disney World's On-Site Advantage Disappearing or Reappearing?!

For years, there were big benefits to staying at Walt Disney World owned resorts: free transportation, better line-skipping options, extra hours, and more that justified the higher cost. In this post, we'll take a new

www.disneytouristblog.com

Thanks for linking this, I've been wanting to stay at the Swolphin for a long time, and this edged me a bit closer.

I enjoy both Disney and Universal and they have very distinct feel from one another. At the core, I'm all about Disney, but thoroughly enjoy Universal also.

 

[jonnyc]

I don't think it will deter me away from the WDW resorts as there is a pure convenience factor (even if that is getting more and more expensive!), especially as an international traveller coming over every couple of years.

However it has definitely made split stays at Universal more appealing - and once Epic opens, I can only see the 10/14 days in which I'd stay on property at WDW decreasing.