Are you a Disney or Universal fan? Do you like/love both? Do you love one or the other better? Can't live without both? Is this a topic of controversy in your home or friend group?
After having visited both Universal and Disney World multiple times, this is a hot topic in our house. I'm going to be honest, Disney World usually wins when we take a vote. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a bit of a Disney snob. But there are things we love about Universal, and aspects about Universal that are better than Disney World. My advice for most trips to Disney World or Universal is experience both if possible! haha!
In Orlando, we usually spend more of our days in Disney World and a few in Universal. Since Disney World has 6 parks (including 2 waterparks) and Universal has 3 parks (including 1 waterpark), it's easier to visit Universal in fewer days. As an example, on a recent trip, we spent 3 days in Universal and 5 at Disney, but in the past we would usually squeeze Universal into 1 day and spend the rest of our time at Disney World.
We've also stayed on resort at Disney World and Universal (and for what it's worth, we have also stayed off resort.) Unless you have family located in central Florida (or some other compelling reason), I highly suggest staying on resort for both Disney and Universal. There are multiple perks in being on property. First, you have the opportunity to enjoy the theming of the resorts, have a more immersive experience, and transportation is usually complimentary on property for both Disney World and Universal (this could save money on a rental car, you can Uber or schedule a bus ride to a Disney World or Universal resort and save time traveling between a hotel and parking lots which also cost extra).
I recommend Loews Royal Pacific for Universal if it works for your budget. It's within walking distance of all Universal parks and Citywalk, and it includes Universal's Express Pass which you normally have to purchase separately. I LOVE the ability to walk from the parks to hotels and vice versa. This gives you the chance to talk with your family and to enjoy the excitement or the day (or reminisce on the park after coming back to your hotel for the night). Staying at a Premier Universal resort might even be able to save you money if you factor in the cost of buying the Express Pass separately.
For Disney World, my recommendations are different depending on certain factors. Price, location, themes, and amenities! The Contemporary, Polynesian, Boardwalk Inn, Grand Floridian, or Animal Kingdom Lodge would be my top recommendations. These hotels are well themed, include extended evening hours on select nights, and are within walking distance of either the Magic Kingdom or Epcot depending on the resort (Animal Kingdom is the exception but it has some unique perks like safari animals right outside the hotel and awesome theming). Transportation is also key. The ability to walk to a park or hop on the monorail is a huge time saver. It makes a difference when your family just stayed up until 1am at Magic Kingdom, and it's only a 7-10 minute walk to your hotel room at the Contemporary. That's a dream compared to a 20-25 minute (which is closer to 35-45 minutes after factoring in the wait for the bus) packed bus ride to Caribbean Beach as your kids fall asleep as they're standing because there are no more seats left (or as you bake in the Florida heat).
If you're looking at a moderately-priced resort, but still want to travel to the parks easily, I suggest anything near the Skyliner, such as Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation or Pop Century. These resorts aren't quite as nice as the deluxe resorts but the Skyliner is amazing for getting to Disney Hollywood Studios and Epcot (especially during non-peak hours)!
Why I Love Universal
Ok! Down to the nitty gritty! First, what do I love about Universal? My number one love is the VIP experience. It costs extra (like a lot extra) but is totally worth it! Our family of 5 was placed in a group of 10 (usually there are no more than 12) with an awesome guide that stayed with us for about 6-7 hours. The tour included breakfast and lunch at Cafe La Bamba which wasn't too bad. It was a buffet which is not my favorite but there was enough variety to appeal to even my crazy picky eater kiddo. Side note: Universal's parks could really up their food/restaurant game. Citywalk has great restaurant and dessert options but the parks are lacking. Anyway, the VIP tour was AMAZING! We rode EVERYTHING we wanted. We skipped EVERY line. (Our total ride count ended up around 23 rides total but I think the average is lower. We had an intense group.) Our incredible and super funny guide took care of our bags and even rode some rides with us. haha! He shared all sorts of cool facts and lesser known info about Universal and danced as we walked through the parks. Overall, it was one of the coolest experiences I've had in a theme park. The biggest problem I now have is that I want to do a VIP tour every time I go to Universal.
On trips when I haven't done the insanely awesome VIP tour, I love that Universal has some great roller coasters, particularly the Velocicoaster. The theming make you feel like you're in a Jurassic Park movie and the speed and twists of the coaster are legit!!!! I also love riding Kong Skull Island as the sun is setting. Personally, I think Universal parks look so much cooler in the evening and at night. Universal also does an amazing job of appealing to teens and adults. The detail and design qualities of the World of Harry Potter matches anything offered at Disney World. However, a huge downside in the Harry Potter areas is the lack of space. When it's crowded (and it usually is), it's a huge challenge to move around and enjoy this area. I've lost track of how many times I was elbowed or shoved while trying to put my bag in the lockers in order to ride Escape from Gringotts. I'm still not sure I've fully recovered from that experience.
Due to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios being so close to each other, it's easy to go back and forth between the parks. It makes park hopping a breeze. Don't feel like using the main entrance to enter the other park? You can take the superbly themed Harry Potter train, the Hogwarts Express, between the parks. It's not this easy to park hop in Disney World even with complimentary transportation.
So, other than Butterbeer and Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream (if you know me this says a lot because I don't much like ice cream. I know something's seriously wrong with me...) in the Harry Potter areas, I'm not a huge fan of the food options inside Universal parks. Although, there are some excellent restaurants in the Citywalk area like Bigfire and Cowfish. I love trying new restaurants so I've tried many of Universal's options. I'm not a huge fan of Toothsome's Chocolate Empriorum and blah, blah, blah, the name is way too long but their shakes looked amazing. They didn't taste amazing. I was a bit disappointed. I also really don't like the food except for the fish and chips in the Harry Potter restaurants but I LOVE the design and feel of those places. What do you think? Am I being unfair to the park restaurants in Universal?
Why I Love Disney World
Ok! On to Disney World! What do I love about it? I'm super biased because I've always loved Disney World. I love the music, theming, and experience. There really is a Disney standard! I like how much effort goes into keeping the parks clean and looking nice. There are always things that can be improved but I think Disney World has a better system and consistent approach compared to Universal.
My greatest Disney World love is the attractions. I'm a sucker for Disney rides. If you haven't had a chance to ride Cosmic Rewind in Epcot, you should stop what you're doing and plan a trip now (message me though, cause I would love to plan that trip for you)! Honestly, I love almost every attraction, even It's a Small World with the semi creepy smiling dolls. When I was in middle school, on a trip to the Magic Kingdom, it was when there was truly an "off season," I rode Space Mountain 6 times in a row! I rode in each seat option on the ride. There are usually 2 rockets connected together with 6 total seats. That's probably more Space Mountain detail than necessary but it was my favorite ride at the time. I also rode Splash Mountain 4 times in a row. It looked like I had been in a swimming pool but it was totally worth it. It's almost impossible to do that even during the off season these days. It's sad, unfortunate, and a huge bummer.
On to my second favorite thing, the food! The massive amount of food options is incredible. From restaurants, quick service places, and snacks, there's literally something for everyone. From culinary foodies to pizza/burgers to desserts, there's almost everything you can think of in Disney World parks!
On our most recent trip, we tried out 5 restaurants that we've never experienced before, Space 220 (I have a secret tip to getting a reservation but you'll have to message me or ask me about it), Tiffins, Skipper's Canteen, Liberty Tree Tavern (the dessert is amazing!), and the Brown Derby. There was only 1 that I didn't consider "worth" revisiting. The rest were awesome. I'm drooling as I think about them. Some of my other food favs not listed are the San Angel Inn, Sleepy Hollow (They have the most amazing fruit waffle with Nutella!), Satu'li Canteen, and Aloha Isle. Well, I did it. I made myself so hungry that I need to plan another Disney trip. Seriously, there are so many great options!!!!
Disney's overall ability to make it feel like you're part of the "magic" from start to finish is genius. When the Magical Express was still a thing, you could essentially get a "free" ride to and from the Orlando airport to a Disney resort. It felt like once I stepped on the bus, Disney was going to take care of me and my family for the rest of my stay (even if I took a break and went to Universal for a few days or did other cool Orlando or Florida stuff). It still feels that way but it's a bit different without the Magical Express. Pity plea: Disney please bring back the Magical Express.
The My Disney Experience software, especially the app, is a life saver for me. It's much needed and necessary digital info all in one place. It's the place to see your hotel reservations and make changes, link park tickets if needed, make restaurant reservations as well as order quick service food, and it's also where to find and purchase Genie+ and make selections. It's better, easier to use, and more functional than the Universal app. It also has a map function. (Nerd moment! I love maps so this is my favorite feature.) The map can display ride wait times, nearest features like restrooms, places to eat, and more.
For good or bad, Disney has incredible (dare I say efficient) ways to get you to spend money. For example, Magicbands are easy to use. You can use them to open your hotel doors, purchase almost anything from any Disney restaurant or store, have cool interactions within the parks and never notice the hundreds of dollars you spent. LOL! It's totally annoying and amazing at the same time.
Huge Disney con that is almost impossible for Disney to control without getting sued...are you ready? I'm not a fan of crazed motorized cart riders especially people that don't legit need to use a cart. (Full disclaimer: I am not talking about individuals with bona fide disabilities, or who may be in a wheelchair or use mobility equipment. I am talking about those that abusively use motorized carts and are unfamiliar with them and are not courteous to the safety or concerns of others). They will run you over (or run over your toddler) without looking back. Or, they try to speed past ride entrance cast members hoping they won't be noticed before they're forced to turn around and use another entrance, offering fake apologies to other park attendees. I also dislike it when families with 2-4 double strollers all walk together blocking entire walkways and making it almost impossible to pass by them. I've perfected the "I am mama bear and I will eat your face" look so now stroller families flee in any possible direction when they see me walking toward them. Universal doesn't seem to have these issues as much as Disney. So, pro for Universal on this issue.
My last con for Disney World is there's so much planning involved. BUT this is also a huge PRO for me because I'm a planner. It's both torture and awesome. Anyone can visit any theme park with little to no planning but don't count on riding everything you want or eating wherever you would like. Nope, without planning you get stuck waiting in lines ALL the time. However, with even a little planning it's easy to avoid being hangry and most long lines. This is also when I do my plug for using a travel agent (me of course!) to help with the planning so it's not so overwhelming and so you enjoy your time on vacation! So help me help you!
The Verdict......
So, it's time!!! I know you've been waiting with childlike anticipation to hear which one is my favorite? So, it's not too surprising (especially if you've read all of this post to this point) and I'm sorry to disappoint anyone but Disney World will always be my fav.
However, every Disney World trip I've ever taken has also included at least a day trip to Universal. That being said. I believe I now need to take a trip where I only visit Universal. Then, I'll take a completely separate trip to Disney World. At that point, I could compare both trips to see if my views and opinions changed. Now, I need to convince my fam that we should do this for research purposes. haha! Ok, all "sort of" joking aside, depending on your vacation goals, Universal may just be perfect for you so don't let me deter you from visiting. In fact, let me help you with your next trip! (Another hint to use me as your travel agent. 😜)
What's Next
With a new Tron attraction, a Splash Mountain redesign to a Princess and the Frog theme, some new additions to Epcot, and lots of potential projects in the future (new themed area in Animal Kingdom for example), there are some fun and exciting attractions and things to look forward to in Disney World.
I'm also very excited to see what Universal does with its newest Orlando theme park, Epic Universe. There is going to be a Super Nintendo World in it! Not gonna lie, my nerdy, inner kid is way too excited to visit. Also, Universal announced new parks in Texas and Las Vegas. The Vegas park is going to be horror themed. The Texas park will cater to families with younger kids.
So, there's lots to look forward to for both Disney World and Universal. If you want to visit either Universal or Disney World, I would love to help you plan your next trip! Message me so I can help you get started!
Comments