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I have always wanted to take my kids to Disney World, and we've decided that since my oldest son will be entering his senior year of high school this year we want to take a big family vacation before he goes off to college. However, I'm wondering if maybe Universal isn't a better trip for them - their ages are 11, 12, 14 & 16 - perhaps the shows and rides are more geared to what they might like. Just because it's MY dream to take them to Disney doesn't mean it's the right option. I've also heard Universal is less expensive, and since there are 6 of us, that would be helpful. Anyone been to both parks? Any info would be great.
Walt Disney World vs. Universal Orlando?
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We were at both this past summer, and yes, Universal's rides and shows are definitely for the older crowd. The other plus of Universal is that if you stay at one of their hotels, you'll get express admittance to ALL of their rides (other than Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey). Even my budget minded OH agreed that the price of the hotel was worth it for the express service. Waits would be 80-90 minutes, and we would only have to wait 5 minutes. I actually felt kind of bad when my kids rode the Hippogriff coaster 6 times in a row, running past the same people over and over.
But I also don't think one needs more than 2 days for Universal (and we're big Potter fans)... could you possibly do both parks? Because as wonderful as Universal is, Disney is, well, Disney. Its a magical family vacation, unlike any other. I know, it has its haters, but its perfect for families, young and old.
Don;t give up on Disney - there are areas - like Epcot and slected activities in th eother parks that are better for adults and older kids. You can just refocus with less time in Magic Kingdom (coaster and haunted house is OK and you avoid the kiddy stuff) and alot of Epcot is interesting )more like a world's fair than an amusement park).
I think the older children would be much happier at Universal. Are any of them Harry Potter fans?
It really comes down to whether they are Disney fans or not. Mine still love to return to Disney in their teens but enjoy Universal too.
Universal is a small park and can easily be done in 2 days but one day is probably enough to see all that teens would be interested in.
How long will your trip be? I prefer short trips to theme parks and tend to go for 3 full days/4 nights (only 2 days are spent in the parks with a day at the hotel pool/ Downtown Disney to relax in the middle). If you're going for a week then maybe you could include one of the water parks too.
Universal has more thrill rides, but there is plenty for teens to do at WDW (water parks, some thrill rides, nightlife, etc.). Have you considered asking your kids which they might prefer?
I'm not sure I agree at all that it's that much cheaper to go to Universal over WDW. If you stay more than four days at WDW, the equivalent daily price of the admission goes way down, and you'd never do that at Universal, so you might stay two days there and two at WDW and end up paying the highest per-day prices for both. And on-site hotels and meals are comparably priced.
The nice thing about Disney is that it's quite possible if you stay on-site to avoid renting a car since WDW provides good transportation to most of their on-site hotels and also provides airport transport.
If you are on a really tight budget you might approach the trip differently and stay off-site. Remember that wherever you go, you're going to need more than one room; that cost adds up. But if you drive yourself and stay on-site at WDW, you get to park for free both at the hotels and at the various parks. Again, that's a real perk that Universal doesn't offer.