kidfriendly

Will be in Orlando for 4 short days and am trying to pick a couple parks to hit at Disney and Universal. We will probably buy 2-day Hopper passes for Disney and hit only 2 theme parks - Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

Have never been to Universal, and am confused - are there 2 separate Universal parks, and if so, do they require separate entry tickets? And which park has Harry Potter? Does HP require a separate ticket? Is HP so crowded it is best to hit in the a.m.? Obviously, I haven't done any real research yet.

Any tips on Discount Ticket vendors are also appreciated, for both park entrance tickets and for special shows, like Cirque.

Any other tips and tricks? We will rent a car and park at the lots. Thanks for the jump start on this.

Pat_in_Mich

There are two separate parks at Universal,one is called Universal Studios and the other is Islands of Adventure. They do require separate tickets. Harry Potter is in the Islands of Adventure park and does not require a separate ticket from the rest of that park. HP does get quite crowded as the day goes on.

We like to use undercovertourist.com for ticket discounts.

Keith

For Universal, the easiest way to get discount tickets is to purchase them at the Universal web site in advance.

We just saw Cirque Thursday and thourghly enjoyed it.

Keith

doug_stallings

Harry Potter is incredibly crowded ... so crowded in fact that it makes sense to stay at a Universal on-site hotel if it's your main reason for visiting Islands of Adventure. That's the only way you get early entry. Apparently, you can get a fast-pass for the Hogwarts ride there either.

If you spend only one night on-site there, you can change to a cheaper hotel that is closer to Disney (or on-site there) late in the afternoon after you visit Islands of Adventure. You will need a rental car.

Just an FYI: I would not bother with a hopper pass for WDW if you are only visiting 2 parks on 2 days. Both of these parks tend to close early in the off-season, so unless you plan to visit Epcot, you'll get no real use out of the hopper feature, which is pretty expensive. Go to Magic Kingdom one day and Hollywood Studios the other and you'll save money.

kidfriendly

Yikes! I would say Harry Potter is probably 1/2 of the reason we are going to Orlando in the first place.

So if we arrive on a Thursday evening and stay at Universal for one night (Th pm), then we will be eligible for Fast Passes at Univ. Islands of Adventure? I'm assuming a Fast Pass for Islands of Adventure is not valid for Universal Studios. I'm assuming that the Universal parks work similarly to the WDW parks, in that you need separate tickets to both, but that you can also buy a hopper pass for 2 days. It sounds like for both Universal and WDW, though, the hopper doesn't really make sense anyway, given our time constraints.

Have never been to Universal Studios. Is it worthwhile? Is it a good idea to do (w/only 4 days), (1) Islands of Adventure; (2) Universal Studios; (3) WDW; and (4) Hollywood Studios? Kids are 7-13. Would love to spend more time at Disney, but don't have the time. Our kids are also very spoiled with traveling abroad, so I don't feel as bad about skipping Epcot and Animal Kingdom this time.

Thanks for all of your comments thus far!

gmoney

kid,

If you are staying at a Universal hotel you do not need fast passes (called express pass). Your hotel key is your express pass and it is good for either park. Also if you only stay one night it is good for the day you check in and the day you check out. Yes you do need separate tickets for the 2 parks but your hotel key will work as express pass in both parks.

doug_stallings

For kids the ages of yours, you may or may not be able to get into all the best rides and coasters. Islands of Adventure rides are more thrilling and have more stringent height requirements, so the 7 year-old may not be able to ride some things. I guess a hopper pass makes sense since many rides at Universal Studios can accommodate a wider range of ages. But the parks close pretty early (7pm), and I'm still not sold on the idea of 2 full days there. Make your decision about the hopper option based on the number of rides you think your kids will like. Definitely do your research and don't buy stuff you won't need or use. The Universal hotel is going to be pretty expensive.

I would spend a single day at Universal and more time at WDW if it were me ... still limiting myself to the two Disney parks.

Just realize that on your day of arrival, you will probably not be able to do much at any of the parks since they all close by 7 (though you can go to CityWalk). I guess if you are arriving in the late morning, then it's worthwhile to visit the Universal parks if you can get there by 1 or 2 at the latest. But if you aren't arriving in Orlando until afternoon, I can't see having more than an hour or two at the most to visit Universal on the day of arrival.

MomDDTravel

bookmarking.

kidfriendly

Thanks. Tentative plan is to stay 1 night at Universal in order to do HP early, then get outta dodge and move to a less expensive hotel closer to WDW.

Last question (hopefully)- a colleague told me that Universal Studios and Disney Hollywood Studios are very similar and that we shouldn't do both. Is this really the case?

MomDDTravel

Kidfriendly I stayed at the Loews Portifino last year and this year will again it is a great property.

doug_stallings

I'm not sure that I agree with the statement that Universal Studios and Disney Hollywood Studios are too similar. The set-up, yes. But the rides, shows, and attractions are all different. But this is a time when you need to do your own due diligence. Both parks have good, informative web sites, and there are many books that address these issues. Consult them. You need to make up your own mind about this. But if you really are just going to spend one day at Universal and want to devote a large part of the day to Harry Potter, then I still don't think the hopper ticket is worthwhile ... not because Universal and Disney are similar parks but because you won't really have time to enjoy both.

schmerl

If you are going to stay at an on site Universal hotel DON'T stay there the evening you arrive. If you stay just one night on site, you get TWO full days of express access at both parks. All day the day you check in and all day the day you check out!!! It's a great perk. That would work great if you get two day park hopper tickets.
They do not give express entrance for the Forbidden Journey ride...even to on site guests, but....on site guests get early access to the parks.

Keith

Harry Potter was extremly crowded in the morning, but the crowd dropped off significantly by late afternoon and on into the evening.

scarboroughmom

Keith is right. Going to HP at the early opening time is like taking part in the running of the bulls. It is more fun at 7 - 8 PM. The lines are short and it is not very crowded. They have more street shows like the singing frogs later in the evening. It is a fairly small area. It only takes a little more than an hour to see it all, including browsing the shops.

Don't waste your money on the hopper option for the Disney tickets. It takes a long time to get between the parks. You will probably not move from one park to another in the same day.