We have PAP's for WDW - is Universal worth an extra $100?

[TWOOD]

We're returning to WDW for 10 nts. in Aug. My DD wants to spend a day at Universal Studios, not IOA. Is it worth the extra $100 for tickets and $24 for shuttle? We have PAP's for this year @ WDW. Please help me decide. Also, should we wait until our Jan. 03 trip because crowds will be less and weather not horribly hot? Thanks, Tracey

 

[scduckman]

The first thing I would ask is who is inyour party and what do you like to do? We were at Universal on Friday 5/31 and IOA on Saturday 6/1. We had a great time at each park.

 

[Sleepy]

Universal is a totally different experience from Disney. I say give it a try. We did a few years ago and now we are hooked. We still buy the PAP for Disney and spend the majority of our vacation there, but we allot at least 3 days for Universal out of our 2 week vacations.

 

[TWOOD]

It's just my DD (11) & me (37). We love MGM, so we think USF will be more to our liking than IOA. We live in Texas, so we have lots of roller coasters & water parks to go to locally.

 

[scduckman]

I would agree with Sleepy that USF is different than Disney. Personally, I enjoy IOA more than USF but there is plenty of things I like about USF. You have MIB which is much better than Buzz. Also. Back to the Future, Jaws, Kong, Earthquake, etc. I would give it a shot at least once. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[UKDEB]

I would say Universal Studios alone is probably not 'worth' $100, but the Universal Orlando experience is incredible and a match for WDW in my opinion (we are AP holders at both).

I would recommend getting a hopper pass so that you can check out IoA too (the entrances are a couple of minutes walk from one another). It's such a visually stunning park and it really isn't just for thrill-ride lovers. CityWalk too is well worth an hour or two. My guess is that once you've been you'll want to trade another day at WDW!

 

[Robinrs]

Originally posted by TWOOD
It's just my DD (11) & me (37). We love MGM, so we think USF will be more to our liking than IOA. We live in Texas, so we have lots of roller coasters & water parks to go to locally.

If you think that any roller coaster park and water park can compare to Islands of Adventure, you're in for a BIG surprise! I live near Six Flags Over Georgia and Whitewater and get FREE tickets to both and I choose not to go.

IOA is far more than an amusement park. It's like comparing the Magic Kingdom to Coney Island. If you love MGM, like my son and I do, you'll love both of USF's parks.

 

[BarryCF]

I have to agree with robinrs... Nothing in Tx, not Astroworld, SF over Tx or Fiesta Tx can compare in ANY way with IOA. I will say that Schlitterbahn is the best water park on Earth, but nothing I've seen in Tx or anywhere near it compares to IOA. Spiderman, The Hulk Coaster and Dueling Dragons is worth the $ by themselves. That's not to mention the rest of the rides. If you like water rides, you'll LOVE IOA!!! Being from Tx., I assume you've ridden Thunder River at Astroworld or another rapids ride somewhere else.The Popeye and Bluto ride is the best one in the world. I'll put it to you this way. If I HAD to miss a park in Orlando, I'd miss AK at Disney before I would miss either US or IOA, and I don't know if there is a park there that I would pick over IOA. That's just my 2 cents.

Cheers

PS....I can not say enough about Spiderman. It is a motion simulator on a track that travels through the streets of New York. The Scoop vehicle tilts 6 directions as it spins and moves down the track. If I found out it was down for rehab, I would cancel my trip. Spidey is a dealbreaker....no Spidey, no go!!!!

 

[vald1977]

I would say if you can swing it in your budget, definately go to USF for a day ! There are many great movie rides there that you and your dd will probably love. Terminator 2 3d is a 3d movie experience unlike anything we saw at Disney. There is also Back to the Future which is kind of a similar concept to Star Tours except much better, IMO. Men in Black is also a really neat ride similar to Buzz except the Aliens actually look real as opposed to the video game feel of Buzz. There is lots more that would be really neat for an 11 year old as well. Jaws, earthquake, and twister were all based on those movies and they are all great. We never made it over to IOA so I can only comment on USF. Don't get me wrong, I loved Disney. We just went for our first trip in May and I can't wait to get back but we went to USF in 2001 and it was very different from MGM. IMO, better for older kids and adults. Next trip, we are going to be sure to do both the Disney parks and Universal Orlando. Hope you have a great trip !