Didn't expect to love Universal/Islands of Adventure so much!

[tweak89]

We made the "switch" years ago after being disappointed with how FP+ fundamentally changed how we like to enjoy WDW. Now we alternate between UOR and DLR (we still need our Disney fix, and the experience at DLR is so much better for how we like to tour theme parks). If your a Halloween fan, you need to try out Halloween Horror Nights at UOR as well.

 

[Jabroniville]

I really enjoyed Universal the first time around, and happily spent two days there. Having done so, I was fine spending only one day there the second go-around. My problem is, I'm not that big of a Harry Potter fan, so I felt that aspect was lost on me- I appreciated the attention to detail and the great scenery, but it lacked that "something special" that Disney brings out in me.

I still get a kick out of their area set to old comic strips. Especially 100-year old strips like Gasoline Alley .

 

[EnchantedRoses]

Sept 2017 we had what in our books we call the WORST Disney Vacation we had ever had (Out of about 10 trips). We felt as though the park had lost it's Magic and no matter what we did that trip....we couldn't get that Magical we are in Disney feeling! We decided...on a whim, to buy a 1 day/1 park Ticket to Universal for the 4 of us. It was hubby, our two boys 9 & 4 at the time, and myself. We were going on a day that had HHN, so we HOPED that due to that, that the crowds would be minimal. Woke up early, packed our bag and UBERED it to Universal! That was the BEST day we had that whole trip! We had such a blast! We managed to get on almost every ride (some more than once) and ended the day riding Escape from Gringotts! After that - we were HOOKED! We had such a great time, our boys loved it...we loved it that we booked ourselves for a week August 2018 - and fully emerged ourselves into the parks! We loved our resort - Cabana Bay. LOVED Volcano Bay....and had a blast. We loved not having long walks to our bus, or long waits for a bus. We loved how close we were to everything. We will be going again this September for an even longer trip and will be going to HHN....and we cannot wait! Disney will always have so many magical memories in our hearts....and we do plan on going back in 2020, can't wait to see Star Wars Land....but I am also not willing to wait HOURS for it! But for now....we are Team Universal!

 

[schumigirl]

Sept 2017 we had what in our books we call the WORST Disney Vacation we had ever had (Out of about 10 trips). We felt as though the park had lost it's Magic and no matter what we did that trip....we couldn't get that Magical we are in Disney feeling! We decided...on a whim, to buy a 1 day/1 park Ticket to Universal for the 4 of us. It was hubby, our two boys 9 & 4 at the time, and myself. We were going on a day that had HHN, so we HOPED that due to that, that the crowds would be minimal. Woke up early, packed our bag and UBERED it to Universal! That was the BEST day we had that whole trip! We had such a blast! We managed to get on almost every ride (some more than once) and ended the day riding Escape from Gringotts! After that - we were HOOKED! We had such a great time, our boys loved it...we loved it that we booked ourselves for a week August 2018 - and fully emerged ourselves into the parks! We loved our resort - Cabana Bay. LOVED Volcano Bay....and had a blast. We loved not having long walks to our bus, or long waits for a bus. We loved how close we were to everything. We will be going again this September for an even longer trip and will be going to HHN....and we cannot wait! Disney will always have so many magical memories in our hearts....and we do plan on going back in 2020, can't wait to see Star Wars Land....but I am also not willing to wait HOURS for it! But for now....we are Team Universal!

What a lovely post...….

Glad to hear you and your family had such a wonderful and positive experience at Universal Orlando Resort......and hope September is a fabulous trip too...….

Pop over to this thread posted below if you like......folks who are going in September are listing their dates there…….some will have a meet up even if it`s just a quick hello or a drink...….there will be separate meet up thread for HHN......macraven sets up that thread every year and many of us have met up many times...…..

Welcome along...…..

https://www.disboards.com/threads/september-2019-roll-call.3742912/

 

[Pumpkin1172]

Those posts crack me up - and I never bother opening a single one. Why certainly, total stranger: let me take time out of my day to beg and plead with you to give UO a chance. NOT.

They crack me up as well. Like seriously...if you don't like it...That's fine by me. Then I won't have to fight the mobs and gobs of people soup on some of the pathways like Disney parks have to get from one area to another lol. I'll gladly wave at you from my spot in Universal.

I love both parks. They both have their pros and cons. They are each their and you can't compare them It's like trying to compare horses to zebras. They are both theme parks, each one giving a different experience. Of course univsersal is not going to try to be like Disney and vise versa. I like the laid back NON commando type scheduling every minute of every hour of everyday ( even to use the bathroom ...and god forbid if you get off that almighty schedule that people adhere to ) I go on a holiday to enjoy all the moments and the experience. Don't get me wrong...I like Disney. It has lots of nostalgia for us. And I want my boys to experience it once...but I know it will be a once and done type of trip. Universal appeals to them on a much bigger level.

 

[pahoben]

We think Universal is okay but we love Disney. If a choice between only Universal or only WDW no argument in our family that it will be WDW. Competition never hurts the consumer.

 

[Charade67]

I am really surprised at how much we love UO/IoA! I think it's every bit as much fun as Disney, just different.

Exactly!!
My family loves WDW. We usually spend a week there when we go and would occasionally take a day or two side trip to Universal. Almost 2 years ago I decided that I wanted to go to Orlando for my birthday. I decided on Universal/IOA because we had never really spent a lot of time there. We spent 5 or 6 days at just the Universal parks and nothing else. I absolutely loved it. It was a completely different experience than WDW. I still love Disney and plan to return to WDW sometime after Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opens, but am also looking forward to another Universal only vacation.

 

[shh]

I absolutely believe that both WDW and UO offer much more today than they would ever have offered, had the other company not been there. Competition keeps them both on their toes and guests win.