Disney or Universal

[JoeyJoJoJr]

Just wondering about people's opinions ...

If you were heading down with your family to Orlando and you family consisted of:
-Boy 18 yrs
-Girl 16 yrs
-Boy 15 yrs

And ... you could only afford Dinsey or Universal ... not both.

What would you chose?

Any feedback appreciated.

I actually just back from Orlando on the weekend and did the theme park tour. From those ages you'd be more interested in Universal & Islands of Adventure. Alot more age appropriate rides. Rides like the Hulk, Spiderman, Dueling Dragons, and Krustys were alot more fun then the rides in DW.

[dragonoffrost]

As a amusement park junkie...

I will offer that Universal is probably better for that age group even though Island of Adventure looks like it will be a mess for the next year or so as they are redoing/adding on a section. The new area will be themed to Harry Potter and will be between the Jurasic Park area and the area with Dueling Dragons and Sinbad. Rumors include Dueling Dragons being merged into the Potter area.

The Studios park is nice with all of the tie-ins to Universal Movies and TV shows (Jaws, Men in Black, Simpsons... etc)

As for Disney only the Magic Kingdom is really aimed at the young kids. EPCOT really is for the high school and older ages as it is more education oriented than fun (read thrill rides). I did Animal Kingdom and the Hollywood Studios park in 1 day when I was there during March 2007. Both had things for all ages.

Key for getting cheap tickets to either could be AAA/CAA membership. I got a 2 day Universal ticket and did each park in one day and then did 3 days at Disney and came home with 4 days left on my 7 day ticket. A neat perk you can get for Disney tickets is to make them non expiring on your last day and save them for future use. Make sure to do it on your last day though to save money as the cost of this perk is per day on the ticket.

[Beherit_Baphomar]

Beating him just doesn't seem to be working any more

Yer not beating hard enough or often enough.

[Kistilan]

I would check the Disney hotels for rates, sometimes the value resorts have great deals, and they are decent hotel rooms, with food on site, big pools etc.

Don't forget you can meet the 7 Dwarves! Who doesn't want to meet THEM! They're hoss.

[Arianrhod]

Interesting thread....now if I could just get advice like this for my 2 - same question, but ages 7 & 12, and both autistic (rides are probably out, even if we could skip the lines). I'm guessing Disney, but don't really know. Need a choice where just walking around looking at stuff will work out if the rides turn out not to be an option. And no giant cartoon characters (AKA grownups in costume) getting in the kids' faces.

[Uska]

Universal more for that age range I think its more fun anyways.

[Kalari]

Interesting thread....now if I could just get advice like this for my 2 - same question, but ages 7 & 12, and both autistic (rides are probably out, even if we could skip the lines). I'm guessing Disney, but don't really know. Need a choice where just walking around looking at stuff will work out if the rides turn out not to be an option. And no giant cartoon characters (AKA grownups in costume) getting in the kids' faces.

Actually you may want to try Sea world with your tikes then or if you do go to disney epcot of the Animal themed park would work too. Sea world is suprizingly nice I went a few times and in a bit of romantic nostalgia got my engagement ring there (back when I still could stand the site of my ex lol) they have a booth (well they did) where you could pick out clams for a price and get freshwater pearls and have them embedded into jewlery there it was awesome since pearls are my birthstone so it was amazing. And I love watching sea life so it was just a fun time your little ones may like it next year when im hitting florida again James will be going to sea world since he loves fishies we want to try that finding nemo submarine ride.

[mutantbee]

I live in Florida and cannot stress enough how much better it is to stay at one of the on-site resorts (Universal). Your room key becomes your "speed pass" which allows you to skip most of the lines. If you dont stay at one of the Universal resorts you have to buy the pass, which is like 40 or 50 bucks EACH and only works ONE time per ride. Your roomkey works endlessly.

If you really want the full experience without the hassle, it's the only way to go. Plus they treat you like a King. It totally rocks and is worth the cost in my opinion. Also, if you have AMEX points you can pay for the room with them.

Have fun!

[ArkoHighStar]

Interesting thread....now if I could just get advice like this for my 2 - same question, but ages 7 & 12, and both autistic (rides are probably out, even if we could skip the lines). I'm guessing Disney, but don't really know. Need a choice where just walking around looking at stuff will work out if the rides turn out not to be an option. And no giant cartoon characters (AKA grownups in costume) getting in the kids' faces.

pm sent

[ArkoHighStar]

Actually you may want to try Sea world with your tikes then or if you do go to disney epcot of the Animal themed park would work too. Sea world is suprizingly nice I went a few times and in a bit of romantic nostalgia got my engagement ring there (back when I still could stand the site of my ex lol) they have a booth (well they did) where you could pick out clams for a price and get freshwater pearls and have them embedded into jewlery there it was awesome since pearls are my birthstone so it was amazing. And I love watching sea life so it was just a fun time your little ones may like it next year when im hitting florida again James will be going to sea world since he loves fishies we want to try that finding nemo submarine ride.

Sea World is a great option, most of it is open air and there are a lot of shows that you can leave easily if there are issues

[jarlaxle_dourden]

I have pretty much decided to take the kids to Universal and stay at the Hard Rock Resort (any opinions anyone has on this resort is appreciated).

Unlike Disney there is no shuttle service from the Airport to the Hotel. Does anyone know how much it would cost to taxi? Or does anyone else have any recommendations? We would be arriving approx 8PM on a Friday night.

Any suggested eating spots in the area? I am going to try and stick to two main meals per day. Breakfast and Supper. Lunch will consist of whatever we can find while at the park.

While in Orlando we plan to take in (Orlando Flex Pass Plus):

Islands of Adventure
Sea World/Aquatica
Universal Studios
Busch Gardens (Tampa Bay)

Does anyone have any other recommendations?

Thanks for any help from you Florida Beach Bums

[Girevik]

My oldest son is in to Animae ... it is just about the only thing he cares about ...

I have no idea what to do about that ...

Beating him just doesn't seem to be working any more

My daughters are big into anime as well. If your Orlando trip will coincide with the Feb 27-Mar 01 weekend you can lose your oldest son at:

http://www.megaconvention.com/

It is a humongous annual Anime/Sci Fi/Comic Book Convention.

We only live a couple hours from Disney/Universal (and probably less than that from Beherit_Baphomar, we're in the Gainesville area), and it is hard to get a "packed" day in at any of the parks. Check their web-sites and pick them based on the three top attactions you all want to see.

[Blackbird]

I think it depends on your kids. I am 30 and LOVE LOVE LOVE Disney World. We have gone the last 3 years in a row and I have no kids. I ride all the "kiddie" rides (Its a Small World, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh) at Magic Kingdom. I go to Epcot, Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM), and Animal Kingdom (have done Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney too). I am also terrified of heights.

I personally wouldn't go to Universal because I don't do roller coasters (Disney does have a few coasters - Expedition Everest, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad). Never been to Universal although my sisters have (still think they prefer Disney). If they are not into coasters (and it doesn't sound like they really are), then I think Disney is better since it offers more options. I always stay on property at Disney. They have awesome shuttle service. I get picked up at the airport, my luggage gets picked up and put in my room, they have shuttles to the park, great food, and I can check in to my flight at the hotel and leave my luggage there too. If you love the characters, Disney is the way to go.

Now I want to go to Disney World again

[cardmj1]

Interesting thread....now if I could just get advice like this for my 2 - same question, but ages 7 & 12, and both autistic (rides are probably out, even if we could skip the lines). I'm guessing Disney, but don't really know. Need a choice where just walking around looking at stuff will work out if the rides turn out not to be an option. And no giant cartoon characters (AKA grownups in costume) getting in the kids' faces.

Disney's Magic Kingdom. The characters no longer roam the park, they are staged. So you don't have to worry about them "sneaking" up on your children. There are also alot of shows now in the park. One of them in the Laugh Factory from the movie Monsters Inc. It is a fully interactive show between the audience and the cartoon. Some of the movies are 3D, so I am not sure how that will play out with your children. There are some rides that are very slow moving. For example the scenic boats rides in Frontier Land and the Merry Go Round in Fantasyland. There is also the Haunted House which is slow moving.

Hope this helps!

I have pretty much decided to take the kids to Universal and stay at the Hard Rock Resort (any opinions anyone has on this resort is appreciated).

Unlike Disney there is no shuttle service from the Airport to the Hotel. Does anyone know how much it would cost to taxi? Or does anyone else have any recommendations? We would be arriving approx 8PM on a Friday night.

Any suggested eating spots in the area? I am going to try and stick to two main meals per day. Breakfast and Supper. Lunch will consist of whatever we can find while at the park.

While in Orlando we plan to take in (Orlando Flex Pass Plus):

Islands of Adventure
Sea World/Aquatica
Universal Studios
Busch Gardens (Tampa Bay)

Does anyone have any other recommendations?

Thanks for any help from you Florida Beach Bums

First off, I am NOT a beach bum... I hate the beach! I was just born here in Florida.

Second, You may want to contact the hotel directly to confirm shuttle service from the airport to the hotel. They may not advertise it or the it may be a shuttle that runs to the park directly instead of the hotel. The clerk at the desk who answers the phone should be able to assist you on that one. As for shuttle service to the park, at least you can literally walk to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Hard Rock is an onsite hotel for Universal Studios and they have shuttle service to Sea World. You will need to travel to Tampa for Busch Gardens and there is a handful of hotels just outside of the park with shuttle service.

Thirdly, dining... It really is a matter of taste and budget. Google map it and find the nearby eating places. Most of them have websites with menu and prices.

Flex Pass... I am sorry, I don't know much about it.

[Blackbird]

Something to consider about the lines:

Disney has "Fast Pass". This means that you can insert your park ticket and get a time to come back to the ride (an hour increment) sometime later and basically just walk onto the ride. You can usually only have one or two of these at a time. Some rides have very short lines. I have been the last 3 years in early May, which is a quasi-busy time and not had to wait over 20 mins for anything. If you go in a more off season, like Sept, Jan/Feb/Mar, then you can generally walk on to any ride (and room rates are cheaper).

Interesting thread....now if I could just get advice like this for my 2 - same question, but ages 7 & 12, and both autistic (rides are probably out, even if we could skip the lines). I'm guessing Disney, but don't really know. Need a choice where just walking around looking at stuff will work out if the rides turn out not to be an option. And no giant cartoon characters (AKA grownups in costume) getting in the kids' faces.

As far as visuals, starting in spring (it's always there in May, not sure when it starts), Epcot has the flower festival. Lots of flowers and topiaries in the shape of Disney characters. Epcot also has lots of hands-on craft/learning type things for kids. Animal Kingdom has nature walk areas where you can walk through and see animals (like a zoo). Magic Kingdom has Tom Sawyer island which is an area where kids can just run around, climb on things, go in caves, etc and Mickey's Toontown which is a bunch of cartoonish houses you can walk through and some kiddie rides (not as familiar with this area since I am a little big for this part). Hollywood Studios has something similar with "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" - i.e. giant blades of grass, etc.

[jarlaxle_dourden]

First off, I am NOT a beach bum... I hate the beach! I was just born here in Florida.

Sorry ... I suppose this would be like people referring to me as a Newfie because I come from Eastern Canada.

Your information is greatly appreciated.

[jarlaxle_dourden]

My daughters are big into anime as well. If your Orlando trip will coincide with the Feb 27-Mar 01 weekend you can lose your oldest son at:

http://www.megaconvention.com/

It is a humongous annual Anime/Sci Fi/Comic Book Convention.

We only live a couple hours from Disney/Universal (and probably less than that from Beherit_Baphomar, we're in the Gainesville area), and it is hard to get a "packed" day in at any of the parks. Check their web-sites and pick them based on the three top attactions you all want to see.

Wow ... that is perfect for him and it is right now Sea World. Something he would be boared to tears by.

Thanks for the info.

[MondoGrunday]

lose the parents with the other siblings in orlando then head east to daytona for bike week!!! you'll have a great time

[jarlaxle_dourden]

lose the parents with the other siblings in orlando then head east to daytona for bike week!!! you'll have a great time

Problem ... I am the parent

[Silverjade]

As a random comment why not ask the kids? give them info on what each place has to offer.Then later the day you asked ask em again to find out what they want to do.