cadd

I'm heading to Florida with my wife over Memorial Day weekend for a Wedding and I figured I'd stop by Orlando for a day and a half to check out the amusement parks.

We arrive around noon on Thursday and will spend the night on Thursday/Friday in Orlando before we head down for the wedding.

We definitely want to see Harry Potter and everything about it and we were thinking about another day somewhere in Disney World. We're in our early 30's, so we don't want to go crazy in the evenings but want to find something fun for night life too.

Few questions:
1. Do you guys suggest we get the ticket to both parks (It appears Diagon Alley is in the other park?) for Harry Potter and if so, which day should we go and how long should we plan to stay? What are your guys' thoughts on Diagon Alley?
2. For our other half day or full day, what do you suggest we do? I figure Disney World/Epcott would be fun, but I'm not sure if we could do both in a day.
3. The per-day pricing for both parks is like $100+ per person, any promotions available?
4. Any other tips/suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

nelsonian

I have been researching Disney World for a trip in December. If you want to ride Hogwart's Express then you need tickets to both parks as it goes between them.

schmerl

You might want to spend two full days at the Universal parks since the Harry Potter attractions are at both parks there. You will also be going at a busy time so there will be long waits for the attractions. It is better to not rush through because you will miss a lot of little details.

doug_stallings

I wouldn't recommend spending so much money on a theme park ticket if you don't have the full day. If you really do want to see both parts of the Harry Potter section of Universal, then you must buy the two-park/two-day ticket and I'd recommend staying on site (and not in Cabana Bay, which doesn't give you early admission to the park). The Wizarding World of Harry Potter consists of both parks, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and you have to have the two-park ticket to ride the Hogwart's Express between them.

Basing yourself in Universal will also give you access to more nightlife opportunities nearby at CityWalk, though the expansion of Downtown Disney into Disney Springs is now open (and I'm going to be seeing it in a couple of weeks, so I'll report).

Still, I don't think there's enough at WDW to justify a very expensive one-day ticket for you.

Benbuck6

If Disney is a Day...If you like classic Disney stuff and into the "magic" of Disney then go to Magic Kingdom. If you like older type rides and into the Pixar stuff go to Hollywood Studios. If you are into Enjoying different things, a few rides, want to have a few drinks...then EPCOT.

My suggestion is maybe spend your theme park tix at Universal and do the Downtown Disney/Disney Springs at night. Or spend that money on a meal somewhere like the Polynesian and eat while you watch the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom - there a few dining spots that you can do this.

cadd

How long are lines generally? Are we waiting like 2 hours for 1 ride or is it like 30 - 1 hour? (It'll be busy I assume on Memorial Day weekend)

I think I like the idea of going to Universal for two days and then checking out downtown Disney at night time.

schmerl

It's difficult to estimate the wait times as they vary throughout the day and from day to day. If you stay on site and get the early entry you have a head start on the general public.

rizzo0904

You don't have time for both universal and Disney. Just get the two day park to park ticket for universal.

Dukey1

I would have to pretty much agree that you need to decide to do Universal OR WDW and not both. I disagree that there "isn't a lot to do" at WDW...there is SO MUCH you CAN do it can take days.