"Disney World" or "Universal Studios" which is better?
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I want to take the family to Orlando in August for a fun vacation.
It will be myself,wife and 2 kids(13 & 16).
Which park is better?
Any information is greatly appreciated.
It will be myself,wife and 2 kids(13 & 16).
Which park is better?
Any information is greatly appreciated.
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I would be willing to bet that Universal has more fun rides for kids your kids' age, but Disney World is more than just a park if you stay onsite. Really nice, relaxing vacation that is as busy as you want it to be.
Have you/they ever been to Disney? It really is a unique experience, so if you have never been, you may want to do that. There are also 4 different parks at Disney world each with their own feel. Universal has 2.
I would say if you don't care about Harry Potter and have never been to Disney, go there. If Harry Potter is a big deal and the family likes coasters, do Universal. Hope this helps!
If you want more details may I suggest disboards.com -- there are threads there for Universal and other parks besides DIsney. Lots of expertise. My 2 great loves happen to be PJ and Disney which is a hard combo to explain to anyone
btw I prefer CA's Disneyland to WDW since it's more charming and our CA weather is a LOT better.
Love Universal!!
As your friendly, neighborhood Travel Agent, I would recommend staying on site at Disney, rent a car and go to Universal for a day or two--it's only 15 miles away from Disney and easy to get to. Universal is made of two parks, Island of Adventure and Universal Studios. Islands of Adventure is mainly roller coasters, and as cool as Harry Potter is, there's not much to do: 3 rides, a few shops, a wand-thing and restaurants, and if you don't do roller coasters, there's nothing for you at Harry Potter aside from stores and a restaurant. Universal Studios has a bit more for the whole family. Disney has 4 parks, with something for everyone.
I'd be happy to tell you more about them...and I was just there in May :-) PM me if you want more info!
Janet (Liberty Travel)
Whatever you are, be a good one --Lincoln
If you opt for Universal, staying at one of the Universal hotels (Loews Portofino Bay, Hard Rock or Loews Royal Pacific) is absolutely worthwhile. early park access and the line pass can really save a lot of time, and since you can walk/boat to the parks from those hotels, you can go back and jump in the pool easily on those HOT August afternoons!
That said, there are great options for all budgets on Disney property too...
Whatever you are, be a good one --Lincoln
Your Welcome
Nicely put.
And the on-site hotel suggestion for either park is right on -in August you'll want to take a swim break in the heat of the day and take advantage of early morning. btw, Disney has 2 absolutely fabulous water parks - one (2?) of my very favorite things to do there.
http://allears.net/index.html
Reviews...news just about everything
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A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers
great site for planning dining reservations too, since they have menus.
Whatever you are, be a good one --Lincoln
im 32 and i love the place
it has that magic that universal can never have
that said Universal has amazing rides...cant you fit both in? after all universal will take 2 days, Disney to do properly you might need 7.
Do consider Busch Gardens too....my favourite of all still and never as busy as the orlando parks.
Discovery Cove is also a fantastic day out, and relaxed with limited visitors per day.
Word of warning re Universal - be ready to queue - thats about all you do all day if you go on the wrong day...fast pass ticketing is essential.
Reading these replies have been very helpful.
It looks like it will end up being Universal.
Our trip will be 5 days.
3 at Universal and 2 days of driving to the beach (coco beach).
My wife and I agreed that next year we should do Disney and stay on site for 5 to 6 days.
Disney is bigger and will take more time & "money" to really enjoy.
When going to Disney, I definitely suggest staying on site. I would also suggest a trip as long as you can afford.
Thinking of hitting Disneyland next year with wife and 4 year old. Any good tips?
For Disneyland - you probably only need 3 days if you go when it's not as busy ( fall/spring) but may need a 4th the rest of the year. Crowds are really strange the last year or 2 - there are over 1M local annual passholders so days that they can all go to the park are really busy, but 'blackout' days ( for the lower passes ) are much less so - which oddly means middle of summer and Saturdays can be lighter nowadays. Doesn't take as much planning for DL - leave yourself a day to go to one of the beaches ( Huntington Beach is really nice - Laguna is prettier but not as good a beach). Not as necessary to stay on site in DL either - although the Grand Californian is beautiful and has one of the best restaurants in Orange County ( Napa Rose). Lots of other hotels in shuttle or even walking distance - I know the Howard Johnson's across the street is popular.
Check those websites - both disboards and allears have really useful info. Make sure you know about Fast Passes, and for any Disney park - and Universal - get there for opening (aka 'rope drop' - Disney at least lets you thru the ticket gates before opening). You'll get on more rides in the first couple of hours than the rest of the day.
Do a character meal -- breakfast is usually cheapest --with the 4 year old - they're quite fun at that age! Also if you want to do adult rides there is something called a 'child swap' where you wait at the exit and ride separately - you have to ask the cast member at the front of the attraction for a child swap pass. The new Star Tours is great - definitely worth doing a swap to see ( there's a 40 inch height restriction and it's a little rough)
Report back on Harry Potter! Dying to see it.