Possible switch to Universal from Disney - Pros Cons?

[caroline7238]

Hi All, I keep hearing about how awful WDW is lately with the Genie+/LL debacle and horrible wait times. I am traveling with an inpatient husband, 3 and 7 yr old. We were going to do a split stay at two different Disney resorts and one day at each park, but now I'm debating the split stay to be between universal for 3 nights and disney for 3. It looks like Sapphire Falls would be a big savings over my dates (vs portion of our stay at Animal Kingdom lodge), enough of a savings that I can definitely by an express pass for each (the price difference is greater than pass for the premium Uni hotels).
Can anyone give me feedback on universal w/ young kids? I always knew it would be great when they are older, is there enough to do with a 3 yr old at universal? I love HP, are there sections of HP world that are kid friendly? And is the express pass worth the cost? Or maybe it's not needed since we will mostly go on kids rides?
Do you need a ticket for city walk or just restaurant reservations?
WE will also do one pool day at the resort. Sapphire falls looks like a great pool, is there a good pool bar too? Thanks so much!

 

[Kit Jackson]

City Walk is not a theme park that requires tickets, but you will have an easier time eating during regular dinner hours at some of the more popular restaurants with a reservation.

I can't answer your question about Universal with young kids, but hopefully someone else here will be able to help.

 

[keishashadow]

OP

is there enough to do with a 3 yr old at universal?

depends on the kid. Check out the list of attractions on Universal’s website, especially as to height requirements

I love HP, are there sections of HP world that are kid friendly?

again, it depends on what you consider kid friendly. There are indoor shows that most ages can enjoy throughout the parks.

And is the express pass worth the cost? Or maybe it's not needed since we will mostly go on kids rides?

When are you going…a busy time of year? Weekends tend to be more crowded than weekdays vs WDW that now seems busy all the time to me

you could always add them after you arrive if you do think you need them. However, they can rise in price and sell out

Hotel rates tend to fluctuate more at U vs WDW. If you do book, keep checking the rates fir price drops. Unlike WDW, if you want to change properties, you have to cancel outright & receive a refund of deposit. You cannot transfer it to another of the on-site properties

 

[Nabas]

Hi All, I keep hearing about how awful WDW is lately with the Genie+/LL debacle and horrible wait times. I am traveling with an inpatient husband, 3 and 7 yr old. We were going to do a split stay at two different Disney resorts and one day at each park, but now I'm debating the split stay to be between universal for 3 nights and disney for 3. It looks like Sapphire Falls would be a big savings over my dates (vs portion of our stay at Animal Kingdom lodge), enough of a savings that I can definitely by an express pass for each (the price difference is greater than pass for the premium Uni hotels).

WDW has gotten really crowded recently. Awful is a strong word but, IMO, Genie+ & LL have made Standby lines worse. Add the big crowds, and the word "awful" is not a stretch.

It's Tuesday at 7:00 PM and a quick look at MDE shows (for example), a 90-minute wait time at Peter Pan's Flight, 90 minutes at Ratatouille, 105 minutes at Slinky Dog Dash, and 80 minutes at Flights of Passage.

There are stories aplenty of the mad dash to book Genie+ & Individual Lightning Lane selections at exactly 7 AM, and of all the "good" Genie+ selections running out by mid-morning.

Well maybe "awful" isn't too strong a word.

Can anyone give me feedback on universal w/ young kids? I always knew it would be great when they are older, is there enough to do with a 3 yr old at universal? I love HP, are there sections of HP world that are kid friendly? And is the express pass worth the cost? Or maybe it's not needed since we will mostly go on kids rides?

Attractions for 3-year-olds are limited but there still is plenty to do. Specific to the Wizzarding World of Harry Potter, there's a lot to walk through and experience, especially at Diagon Alley, things that 3 and 7 year-olds will enjoy.

Do you need a ticket for city walk or just restaurant reservations?

No ticket required for CityWalk, just restaurant reservations. Most City Walk restaurant reservations are available by Googling them on your smart phone. For example, here is the link to book Margaritaville:

https://www.google.com/maps/reserve/v/dine/c/u4Y5o0GbWHY?source=pa&hl=en-US&gei=NbgeYpOKKcSuqtsPxd6m-AU&sourceurl=https://www.google.com/search?q=universal+margaritaville+reservation&ei=L7geYrvwGsu2qtsPsO-mkA8&ved=0ahUKEwj7w8fvk6b2AhVLm2oFHbC3CfIQ4dUDCA4&uact=5&oq=universal+margaritaville+reservation&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyCwguEIAEEMcBEK8BMgYIABAWEB46BwgAEEcQsANKBAhBGABKBAhGGABQ1gpYghFgwhJoAXABeACAAVmIAboCkgEBNJgBAKABAcgBCMABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz

Universal restaurants are much easier to book than WDW's. For example, the popular Toothsome Chocolate Emporium (which your children should enjoy) shows availability for mid-afternoon tomorrow. (It's harder to book on weekends.) See:

Booking for Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen (zomatobook.com)

WE will also do one pool day at the resort. Sapphire falls looks like a great pool, is there a good pool bar too? Thanks so much!

Yes, Sapphire Falls has a very nice pool bar.



Based on what you describe so far, my recommendation is 4 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge and 2 nights at the Royal Pacific, Universal's least expensive Deluxe Resort. (Maybe 3 and 3, depending on how you want to split up the theme parks vs. pool time.)

2 nights at the Royal Pacific will get you 3 full days of unlimited Express Pass. Imagine being at WDW and being able to use the Lightning Lane for (nearly) all attractions at any time you want. That's what Express Pass is. (Your children probably are too small for the 2 attractions excluded from Express Pass: Hagrid's (48 inch height requirement) and VelociCoaster (51 inch).)

The Royal Pacific is a 7-minute walk to Islands of Adventure (no buses!) and has a wonderful pool and pool bar:



Coincidentally, we did a split stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge & Royal Pacific in December 2021. We love both hotels.

However, having Universal's unlimited Express Pass completely changes the way you look at a theme park.

After experiencing Universal's Express Pass, you might end up considering WDW's Genie+ & Individual Lightning Lane to be barbaric.

 

[Heckah]

We just did Universal with one day at Disney. I hated Disney! The Genie + was completely worthless IMO and the crowds seemed ridiculous. We got to Hollywood Studios at 9:30 and the lines for everything were 2 Hours. It was completely overwhelming.

Also, I found both the Universal parks to be much more manageable and organized. Everything is basically in a circle at both parks so you can sort of work through the park somewhat organized and efficient. Two days in each park was more than enough to accomplish everything (we had EP). Neither Universal Park seemed overwhelming with people (except the Harry Potter areas, they were wall-to-wall people, but otherwise it never felt packed).

 

[keishashadow]

The Genie + was completely worthless IMO and the crowds seemed ridiculous. We got to Hollywood Studios at 9:30 and the lines for everything were 2 Hours. It was completely overwhelming.

OT- sorry OP but…Slinky dog is often gone within a few minutes of 7 am. We’ve muddled thru the new system over three trips to varying degrees of success. Hate spending most of day with nose buried in my phone looking for ride times. I can only imagine how spring break is going to roll out, expect there will be many unhappy mousekeeters.

really hope U doesn’t adopt this format in any way, shape or form going forward.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

I have only gone to Universal with older kids, but have been many times and based on what i know, I would consider the Express Pass to be a waste of money with kids your ages. The real time savings is in the lines for the rides they won't be big enough for.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We went for the first time with my kids when they were 5, 7, and 9. HP specific things your kids might like would be Flight of the Hippogryph (if your 3 year old is tall enough), doing spells (the 3 yo will need lots of help or maybe a parent doing them from behind), the TriWizard show, the Frog Choir, and the show at Ollivanders. They might like Tales of Beedle the Bard if they’re not sensitive to grim looking things. There is a large puppet of the character Death in one of the two shows that a young, sensitive kid might not like.

Your kids will likely like all the rides in Suessland, the Animal Actors show, and possibly Jimmy Fallon. My kids liked Pteranodon Fliers and loved the Jurassic Park play area. I think there’s enough to keep a 3 year old happy. But it depends on how tall they are and how adventurous they are. The EP would help a lot with the Suess Trolley and Flight of the Hippogryph. It would help on rides the 7 year old could go on if they like rides.

if you can give us some of the rides at Disney your kids like we can give you a better idea.

 

[Skywalker3]

It's been many years, but we've been when our son was that young. there are things to do for sure, not necessarily rides though. We spent a lot of time in the Curious george area. THere is a building there when the kids can run around, gather, and shoot foam balls, and all of that. Also in the that area, there were several water play spots, and there were several splash areas in IoA. One day, we just let the kids get soaking wet in those, and brought changes of clothes.
Seussland has several rides for the youngest kids, and EP would help with those. The trolley can have long waits sometimes.
We just had to kind of adjust/take turns and find some non ride activities for the youngest. Our daughter is a few years older, and one trip, she could ride several things he wasn't tall enough for yet. we just did a bit of splitting up/taking turns.
The child swap rooms are really nice at UO/IoA too.

 

[martikus]

I personally think 10+ for universal. While there are some shows and kid friendly rides -
Maybe a days worth? But I’m sure there are many will say it’s fine for kids. There would be a lot the kids couldn’t do at universal.

Legoland would be amazing for that age. We actually fit in a visit to legoland 3 times before son was 12 he loved it so much.

 

[caroline7238]

Thanks all! If we only did one day at Universal which park? My guess is IoA... As for rides my kids like a disney, the flying carpets and dumbo are big winners for them.

 

[kmedina]

I personally think 10+ for universal. While there are some shows and kid friendly rides -
Maybe a days worth? But I’m sure there are many will say it’s fine for kids. There would be a lot the kids couldn’t do at universal.

Legoland would be amazing for that age. We actually fit in a visit to legoland 3 times before son was 12 he loved it so much.

I'm going to put another vote in for Legoland. My kids love the one in California, and I regret not taking them to the one in Orlando while they were still small. My 15 year old is 5'11, and he has outgrown the park sadly both with age and height. That said, I've taken my kids to Universal Hollywood many times when they were small. We utilized a lot of rider swap. Orlando has even more for smaller kids to do. You could give it a go.

Unless you plan on using rider swap to ride things your 3 year old can't, I'd skip the Express Passes.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Thanks all! If we only did one day at Universal which park? My guess is IoA... As for rides my kids like a disney, the flying carpets and dumbo are big winners for them.

If your 7 year old isn’t interested in bigger rides then flying carpets, then I’d definitely not get Express Pass and would probably reconsider going to Universal. You may want to wait until they enjoy rides with the intensity of at least Big Thunder Mountain and Splash or become really big HP fans to truly get enough out of Universal.

 

[kbelle8995]

Keep in mind there is Suess Landings, very kid friendly rides. Also Camp Jurassic and there's the area near ET. Fievel's playground.

 

[Nabas]

Keep in mind there is Suess Landings, very kid friendly rides. Also Camp Jurassic and there's the area near ET. Fievel's playground.

Yes, when our children were very young, we still found lots to do, especially when you slow down and are not trying to jump from ride to ride.

For example, we would spend over an hour at Camp Jurassic and Fievel’s playground each.

The tough part was when they were under 40 inches and there were certain attractions they really wanted to do but were too small for. But it did make them REALLY want to return as soon as they were tall enough.

The OP’s children are 3 and 7, which probably means a big height difference. There’s going to be attractions the 7 year old can do that the 3 year old cannot. That could be really tough on the 3 year old (and the parents!).

 

[nat8199]

Thanks all! If we only did one day at Universal which park? My guess is IoA... As for rides my kids like a disney, the flying carpets and dumbo are big winners for them.

If they like those rides, then they will love the Dr. Suess area. My kids were 9, 9, and 10 and loved the one fish two fish ride that is the same spinnnig/raise and lift format.

 

[JennyDrake]

If you give me until the first week in May, I can have a partial answer for you! After being a WDW AP holder for 20/last 29 years, I didn't renew. WDW has officially priced me out. AP renewal was $1175. No kidding. And the prices just keep going up and up and up. Lightening Lane and Genie did me in! I REFUSE to pay over $1k for AP AND NOT be able to park hop at will AND not have the freedom to play bus roulette and NOT have *any* discount for the whole Genie quagmire. Unless you are willing to pay and pay and keep paying AND be glued to your cell phone, WDW isn't navigable.

 

[Nabas]

Thanks all! If we only did one day at Universal which park? My guess is IoA... As for rides my kids like a disney, the flying carpets and dumbo are big winners for them.

How tall is your 3-year-old now? When are you going?

I suggest you look at height restrictions:

https://www.universalorlando.com/we...it/hours-information/ride-height-requirements

 

[Skywalker3]

Another vote for working in Legoland at some point in Orlando. We did one trip out there, when kids were young, and they had a blast. we all enjoyed. the area with all the Lego sculptures was so cool! Wish we'd gone back while kids were little.

 

[caroline7238]

If you give me until the first week in May, I can have a partial answer for you! After being a WDW AP holder for 20/last 29 years, I didn't renew. WDW has officially priced me out. AP renewal was $1175. No kidding. And the prices just keep going up and up and up. Lightening Lane and Genie did me in! I REFUSE to pay over $1k for AP AND NOT be able to park hop at will AND not have the freedom to play bus roulette and NOT have *any* discount for the whole Genie quagmire. Unless you are willing to pay and pay and keep paying AND be glued to your cell phone, WDW isn't navigable.

Are you going to Disney in May? It really seems the LL and Genie+ situation is terrible. I don't want to wake up earlier than I have to on vacation just to try and book a ride! And it is weird they give almost no benefit to hotel guests, pass holders, etc. I hope they learn this lesson quickly. I'd love for my kids to enjoy the Disney magic when they are young. Universal is looking more and more desirable...